May 15, 2026 • 29 mins
Mark and Tommy Schedule talk about the Steelers schedule, the Bucco Roundup, and Geno's contract
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I spent a lot of time yesterday hyping Mike McCarthy
and missing Tomlin because I feel like it's a big upgrade.
McCarthy is a coach, Tomlin's the CEO. McCarthy's hands on,
Tomlin is showbiz and now literally so. And with the
schedule out, we gonna know soon because here's the proof
(00:25):
of a nutshell. The Steelers lost at Cleveland the last
four years. Cleveland sucks, and Tomlin kept going there and losing.
McCarthy's an upgrade With McCarthy. The offense is always going
to show up. And you know when you're gonna find
(00:46):
that out Week four, Thursday Night Football, when the Steelers
finally win at Cleveland. And that's no matter who's the quarterback.
I'm not gonna go game by game, but you know
what other game is going to tell a tale. Week
three at home against Cincinnati against Burrow and Sexy Dexi,
(01:09):
and on paper, the Bengals got a better roster. They
can score more points, that's for sure. So Week three
at home against Cincinni and Week four at Cleveland, Steelers
have lost their last four at Cleveland. They've lost their
last four Thursday Night Football games at Cleveland two.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Here's an update from yesterday.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Beside of that cornhole tournament that Rogers is in, it's
the gold loot of Afroshore. But Rodgers won't be able
to stop at the Steelers office. It's too far out
of his way ota start on Monday. On Monday, and
(01:56):
the Steelers still don't know for sure who their quarterback kiss.
Let's talk to Tommy Football. Tom do you agree that
McCarthy is a big upgrade over Tomlin, especially given the Steelers'
recent history at places like Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I love the upgrade.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
As far as the offensive side of the ball is concerned,
I don't think there's any question that it's massive. I mean,
Mike Tomlin was an ept as far as the offensive
side of the football was concerned. Mike McCarthy has mastered
that side of the football at multiple stops. You know,
people like to gloss over his time in Dallas. If
Jerry Jones wasn't Jerry Jones, Mark, I wonder if Mike
McCarthy wouldn't still be in Dallas coaching the Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
He won twelve games three years ago, and he made
Dak a much better quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Much better quarterback everywhere. He goes.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
He has fostered growth at the quarterback position, and he's
had top tier offenses in the NFL. Optimism is absolutely
sky high. As far as Mike McCarthy on the offensive
side of the ball is concerned. I don't know if
I can get with you on the Cleveland thing. Though
I don't think they win in Cleveland in Week four
on Thursday Night Football.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I bet they do, and I think that'll make a statement.
I want to get back to McCarty for one second. Yeah,
I agree, it's a big and upgrade for the offensive
x's and o's, but it's a big upgrade with the
hands on stuff too, with having an actual coach and
not a CEO. Tom would stop being a coach an
actual coach a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
There's no question about that.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
And I feel like to more of a degree than
a lot of other CEO types, like you know, like
if Pete Carroll, you know, he kind of faded into
more of that CEO type two. But I feel like
he could still roll up the sleeve sometimes, you know,
right and jump in.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
There's a right way and the wrong way to do
the CEO thing. If you're gonna be the CEO, have
great assistance. And I'm gonna talk talk talk about how
McCarthy ran off Leabo and Arians to ran off la
Bow and excuse me, Tom Win ran off Leabo and
Arians bang on.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
That's the biggest part of being that CEO style coach
is to delegate all of that to lesser minds quote unquote,
but they're lesser positions, and you will allow them to
have carte blanche on the offense and the defense of
something well.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
In this case not not lesser minds, right, I mean
Nicklebose forgotten more about defense to Tom Win, one of.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The all time greats as far as that side of
the ball is concerned. Let's not sugarcoat Ba's contributions to
the offensive side either, who then went on to become
a head coach that you could argue was a better
head coach than Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
No, they should have they should have fired Tom But
you know where, you know where they screwed up. And
Ben was in on this. To be honest.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Ba's offense put Ben at risk too much, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And then everybody they brought in after was designed to
protect Ben. But but it didn't win b a one
you want to win. I mean I would have had Ben.
Sorry Ben, if you're listening, I'd rather have Ben get
hurt more, but win.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
More, No, no question about that, and that that came
with territory of Perusians. So you're right, or do better, No,
Ben roethlis They definitely acquiesced to Ben Roethlisberger. But that's
on the head coach too to allow that to go
a little too far. Like, Hey, Todd Haley was kind
of a little happy medium that we struck here. But
he wasn't even good enough for you, too, Ben. So
now we give it to the Randy Fiekner's and the
Matt Canadas of the world. This is ridiculous. We're in
(04:56):
the minor leagues now as far as our ocs are concerned.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
How about all those losses of Cleveland. You think they're
still gonna lose that clip I did week four. I
didn't realize it was foreign a row up there, and
I did realize it was fore in a row up
there on Thursday Night football too.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Everything you said about McCarthy rings completely true. I bet
you that the offense will look a lot better on
a short week than it has in the previous years
with Mike Tomlin and bad offensive coordinators.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
But Aaron Rodgers is still going to be your quarterback.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I firmly believe that, and he is going to get
eaten alive by that Cleveland defense. I'd be hurt by then, Hey,
that might be the optimistic way to look at it
if you want to win that game, Miles Garrett Mark
is going to be picking Aaron Rodgers out of his
teeth at the end of that game.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Do you agree that Cleveland is going to be okay
with Watson a quarterback at least not horrible, at least
better than Shadar.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Don't know how Todd Monkin's going to be as a
head coach, so you got to kind of keep an
eye on that. But I think that defense is so good.
I mean you could put that defense up against any
defense in the NFL. Mark They had the defensive player
of the Year and the defensive Rookie of the Year
on that defense last year was Sweazinger at the linebacker spot.
Like it is elite and a much better defense than
(06:01):
the Steelers defense. So when you have a defense like that,
I don't think you can contend without a legit offense,
but you can be relevant, You can be a Thorn
another team side.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I don't know if you knew this, but but you
know how they finally fixed Watson's achilles tendon. It was
massaged back to health. They used the kind of lotion
that I don't know, kind of creepy.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Uh Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I feel like we h three at home again since
he is big. I feel like Week four at Cleveland
is big. I'm not gonna go game by game, but
that since the game, a lot of people are picking
Cleveland definited ahead of the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's Burrow versus Rogers. That that's a mismatch.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Massive mismatch. Click Cincinnati I think is the class of
the division this year. Yeah, really, yeah, I do. I
think they had a really great offseason. I mean, Sexy
Dexy coming in to be the middle of that defense
and kind of let kind of things be a ripple
effect out from him. I think that was just a
home run by them, and they drafted defensively in this
draft as well. If Burrow stays healthy, I think the
Bengals are going to be the team that wins this division.
(07:02):
So it is a huge game, but the entire first
half of the schedule is huge for the Steelers because
as you said, you gotta put some some stuff away
in the bank early on because it's gonna get tough.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Did you see the notion that the Steelers got cheated
on the schedule? How is that possible? Every schedule ass quirks.
They only leave the Eastern time zone once and no twice.
Excuse me, but once it is the trip to Paris.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
As far as the modern NFL schedule is concerned, this
is an extremely normal schedule. You knew who the opponents
were all going to be. You want to bitch about
going to Cincinnati and then Philadelphia and back to back
weeks after your bye week, I mean tough. I would
argue that it's good that you get your bye week
and you get a little reset before you get those
two really tough trips. You want to know when it
was okay to bitch about the schedule and being screwed
about the schedule a couple of years ago, Mark, you
(07:46):
remember they played those three games in eleven days, the
death stretch, as you coined it, that's when the schedule
screwed you over.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Three games in eleven days is screwing you over. There's
nothing like that here.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Did you see any of the schedule reveal videos. I
saw the Steelers with Gardell and Billy Crawford brilliant. I
thought it was really good. It was very insury. You
had McAfee and the goof with the cowboy hat in there,
you had renegade. You know, it was delightfully corny. I
see some people bitching the one guy who couldn't make
in sports radio. He's on his like I think he
(08:18):
does like he's on Ham Radio. He was talking about
how it made Pittsburgh look like fools. No, it made
Pittsburgh look like Pittsburgh. It played into a stereotype that
we're proud of and we joked about.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
It was completely endearing. And Mark the coach got involved.
He's put in the parking chair out. I mean, that's amazing.
You don't think Mike Toma would have never done that.
He would have known to have that kind of, you know,
sense of humor about being a yinser.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Then again, being on camera, he might have gone for it.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
No. I liked it, and I love the Raiders with
Kirk Cousins in Mendoza as stepbrothers.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I love seeing charisma from Mendoza right that it's not
at the end all be all. You want Mendoza to
be great at football first and foremost, but having the
charisma is a big part of being that number one
over pick, being that franchise guy, and he showed it
there in that video.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I think when Aler's the starter, you know who should
host the schedule reveal video.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Me.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
You know why because it'll be a new world order
of Steelers football, and who's more experienced at that than
I am? What you gonna do, brother, when the strongest
arm in football runs wild on you? Seventeen minutes of
(09:36):
Phillip Park and Liverpool have barely touched the ball, Neil Mill,
that ain't good. Just need one more win out of
two to quinchy Champions League and then I can act
like this whole disappointing season never happened in concentrantal last
years league title win in better times ahead. But today,
come on, you Ran, It's time for the Bucko round up.
The Pirates beat Colorado yesterday, that was the afternoon game
(09:59):
at panc Parks and to an easy win. Philadelphia visits
PNC tonight Ashkrav versus Nola, and it might be a
low key big series between the Phillies and Pirates Philadelphia
is twenty and twenty three, but they're supposed to be good,
but maybe not. Harper's thirty three Real Mudos, thirty three
(10:21):
Turners thirty three, Schwarbra's thirty three, Nola's thirty three Wheelers
thirty six. Now on the Penguins, that all be young guys,
But the Pirates need to win two out of three
at least in this series. Keep the Phillies down, keep
that distance. They're just so much with the Pirates that
(10:41):
is conversation worthy. You need to solve Catcher. Maybe with
Andy Reynolds and Cruz do better. I keep saying it.
Montgomery did good as the opener yesterday, Malzinski and Belk
relief at Sam's Club. The Pirates just need more. And
oh wait, I got a sound bite. Here's Paul Skeen's
telling an outright lie about who calls the game, him
(11:04):
or the Catcher. Henry Davis.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, Catcher. I'm uh, I don't shake a time. I'm
you know, I'm too stupid to call my own pitches.
So I'll just let him. I'll let him do it.
He's got my career in his hands.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Every cook, now, that is one hundred percent the right thing.
To say, but Skeen's is one hundred percent a liabtic
in this case, watch when Skeen's is pitching and he's
shaking his head no fairly often unless he's having a
seizure or something. I think he's shaking off the pitch
and he's got so many pitches. How do you call
(11:38):
that game? If you're David, he needs six fingers. Let's
see what the kid thinks about the old number one.
Tom your thoughts on that skeen sound by?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Was he lying? Yeah, of course he was lying. He
definitely calls his own game.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Not no, that's the wrong way to put it, because
Davis does put the calls into his ear the modern
way of doing it. But he shakes him off all
the time. In fact, I'm gonna try to remember to
watch his next start and track how many times I
can see visually on the TV him give him the
old no as far as the first pitch was called.
So he's obviously lying, but you you got to get
your catcher over, especially when that's the only thing if
you are buddies with Henry Davis that he does well,
(12:13):
like if you start getting it out there that it's like, yeah,
I don't really need Davis. Like he's okay behind the plate.
There's no reason to keep him in Pittsburgh anymore. He
brings nothing to the table except for he's a great
game caller and he frames pitches, except that doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Skeens likes him that that's actually the Bob no cachet.
I don't think. Well, maybe he does, because that's how
baseball is now. Shouldn't right now though.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I think I don't want to say they coddle those pictures,
but boy, in this case, bubb and Skeens get their
own way with Davis, don't they.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
And it feels like Ashcraft just goes out there and pitches.
I mean, you were spot on with him maybe being
you know, you said he might be your favorite pirate
right now, Braxton Ashcraft, he really is a badass on
the mound. And not to say that Skens isn't, but
I just like the attitude that Ashcraft brings to the
table and pump to see him on the mound, and
because I just think that he just kind of has
that like straightforward mentality. Throw Andy back there again, right,
(13:05):
just put the guy who went two for three yesterday
behind the plate. Let him play once more. He was
fine behind the dish as well. I don't remember him
being egregiously bad in that game. Waginski pitched fine for
his five innings, So throw him back there again. Try
to ride that hot hand as much.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
As you can.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Why aren't people making a bigger deal out of how
much Reynolds and Cruise have well, in Cruz's case, been inconsistent.
Reynolds just struggling period a home run? What is it now,
twenty seven to twenty eight games I've lost commed?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, I don't know about Reynolds.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Does everybody just kind of subject themselves to the type
of player that he is, because I don't think there's
many Reynolds defenders either, right, Like, there's not many people
out there stumping for him like he's you just don't
talk about it. It's like there's sixth best player, their
seventh best player. That's how people are treating him, and
it's a huge problem for this team. I mean, he's
creating a hole in this lineup that is not supposed
(13:53):
to be a hole. He's supposed to be one of
the strengths, and it's been a massive failure for him
this year. Cruz, I can see a little little bit
of people talking themselves into him having somewhat of a
successful season, especially in comparative to his last couple of years.
But he still ain't the guy that was supposed to,
you know, be pushing MVP numbers out there.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Tom, We're gonna talk more football after the break, But
what about Rogers still being undecided, him not being you know,
I mean, we don't think he's gonna be the I
can't imagine he's just gonna show up Monday out of nowhere,
can you. No.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
I don't think so either. I think it was mandatory
mini camp. I think last year was the spot where
he came in and just kind of hung out for
three days and signed his contract. And that's not until
the beginning of June's a couple of weeks. Still, you know,
I think they moved OT eight. I mean, the schedule
is different under McCarthy.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
They did.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yes, they moved everything around. We're starting a little bit
earlier or something like that. But or there's like a
mini camp in the middle of the earlier.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
But anyway, the Steelers put out there. Remember there was
this reporting like May eighteenth is the next date for
Pittsburgh that's the date that they're gonna circle next. This
is just another time where they're gonna blow pass these
quote unquote Deadline.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
You've got a sound bite later about I think Pela
Sero says that the Steelers might be getting tired of it.
The organization in Rooney will never get tired of it.
They'll they'll wait as long as absolutely will wait as
long as they have to. Yes, it don't matter how
long they will wait as long as they have to.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
No.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I feel like they think.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
If Rogers missed week one, then leave the light on
for week two.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
I think you're right about that.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
I feel like they think that they're dug in right
now and have talked themselves into it would be more
embarrassing now if they walked away, when that just couldn't
be the case. Like they have reached a point of
national embarrassment when it when it comes to the Aaron
Rodgers situation, there's no sugarcoating that. When you we played
the sound bite yesterday, when you have Dan Patrick out
there saying it's probably time.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
To move on.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I mean, that's one of the most temperamental, like level
minded people that you have on sports radio, and he's
a big Rogers fantasy established in that SoundBite, and he's
saying to move on. The national kind of you know,
feel for you is embarrassing.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Oh the blooms off the roads, but it don't matter
to art art, and it ain't I think I think
McCarthy would like him to be back. I don't know
what he's really thinking about the timetable. I mean the players.
We got to sound bite from Cam too. Remember when
Kim was raging that Rogers should either play or not
and then became an obsequious lapdog. It's amazing how Rogers
has absorbed that culture, absorbed that logo, absorbed a locker room.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
I think that McCarthy genuinely does believe that Rogers would
be helpful for that QB school that he has. But
classes in session right for that QB school, like the
Rookie QB school is in for Aler now next week
starting on Monday, QB schools in session with Rudolph and
Howard and Aler, like, this is where he'd want him there.
This is the benefit I guess he would see in
that because McCarthy knows that this is a one off
(16:40):
with Rogers, there's there's no actual future there if he's
gonna have you know, five six seven years of success
as Steelers head coach, it comes on the back of
somebody else.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
If Rogers wants to play next year after surviving this year,
they will afford him that opportunity. Write it down. You
heard it here one oh five to nine.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
One O five nine, d E says your shots drip
cash money like that.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Mucho Dinero.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
I'm rich, rich, rich, listen all day for your chance.
Has some extra cash on one five.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Nine the X.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
This is Doug Gottlieb. Here's what's trending from the Iheartsports Network.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Presented by iHeart Advertising dot com. Hi, what's that? Mark
Rutger McGroarty joining us at the top of the hour
played twenty four games I think for the Penguin the
(17:39):
series with Wilkes Barry for their playoff run in the AHL.
Tied one game apiece in the Atlantic Division Final after
beating Hershey in their first series pretty handily.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Uh NHL news.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Marner scored this unbelievable goal last night when Vegas eliminated Anaheim.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
He's having one heck of a playoff.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
All he needed to do, I guess, was escape Toronto
torts didn't talk to the media after limited player availability
after Towards thinks he's protecting his guys from the noise
by pulling stunts like that, he's creating more noise.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Montreal killed Buffalo at Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Looks like Montreal is going to get there before the
Sabers do in terms of legit challenging. But boy, that's
an exciting series. Two very quick young on the rise
teams that demodof for Montreal. The guy they wouldn't trade
us for sid if it came to that. He's unbelievable.
And I said earlier that it looks like Malkin wants
(18:45):
two years and a raise from his six point one
mill per year he made last season, which means it
could be cyan or And it makes me wonder as
well if he's angling to get out of here, if
he thinks he can make more money someplace else. Uh, Tom,
what's your take on the Malkin situation? Because I hear
(19:05):
two years, I hear more than six point one. He
wants to be paid like a point per game player.
But I get it, But he's thirty nine.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Isn't it still kind of paying him like a point
per game player? To give him six point one over
one year. It's just really all about the term, Like
you can run it back as far as the AAV
is concerned.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's just it can't go beyond one year.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And if what you're hearing is true and he is
really pushing for the two years and maybe the motivation
is to angle out and maybe he can get paid
like seven point one or eight point one somewhere else,
then all that crap about him being that true penguin
and wanting to be here, it just goes out the win.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
He wants to get like an extra million or two.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Yeah, that just sucks, yeah, right out the window. All
that crap about like I want to be here, I'm
a true penguin. If you want to be a true penguin,
you say thank you for the one year offer and
it's actually great, and be grateful that you're getting six
point one because honestly, we should talk about dropping that
down and maybe buy a million or two.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Grateful that they're keeping you with all at age thirty,
when the plan going into the season was for this
to be Gino's last year, when he said as much too,
bit I understand there's a lot of reasons why he
wants to keep playing, and I get it, uh, not
wanting to go back to Russia to be in one
of them, because you got to go back. I mean,
it's Putin's Rushia, your family's there. It would be a
(20:15):
snub to not go back. And there's other reasons as well,
But I don't know. It's just gonna end bad. It
just feels now more than ever, like it's gonna end bad.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Yeah, And that's how this era with the Penguins is.
It's just it's inevitable. It has to end that way.
The longer this Malclin thing drags on though, I mean
now we're getting into the weekend here right, as far
as not having enough Guinea Malkin contract, and it's not
gonna happen over this weekend.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Falcon showed up for Rotia's and Rogers signed with the Penguins.
They got they got like mixed.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Up, confused. Yeah, he ends up in the South Side
instead of Cranberry right right.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I can see it. I could see it.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
But the longer that this goes into the summer, I
mean there's definitely friction coming from one side, and it
seems like from what you're hearing that friction's coming from
genoside wanting those two years like we had speculated. Maybe
this is kind trying to get the ear of the
new ownership or try to talk as many people on
the front office side into his side of being like,
let's just turn the page and move on. But I
(21:07):
guess it's Gino really drawn that line that he needs
two years. If it cuts to this and it's you
said yourself, it's gonna get ugly anyway, don't you kind
of got a blackmail sit into the contract extension. If
Geno's really staunch on two years, Like Sid, I'm not
giving him that unless you signed too.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I wouldn't give themalkme two years.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
No matter what. That's ridiculous. A thirty nine year old
who has played less than seventy games in eleven the
last fourteen seasons, who only played fifty six this past year,
and has had two major knee surgeries. I'm not giving
him two years under any circumstance. You know what I might.
Let's say they offered him six point one million, I'd say, Gina,
we'll give you two years. A three point two.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
And what leverage does he truly have? New ownership is
a big thing in his back.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Popes leverage with the fans.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Leverage with the fans, it's and with it with SI.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Those are his big three.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Actually has a lot of leverage, fair enough, But it's
not like I mean, you've said this before. It's not
like Ovechkin leverage in Washington where evctually can go to
the be like I want five years and they'd have
to be like Jesus, we have to almost consider this
now because he's Alex Ovechkin. How do we tell him that, Like,
that's not where Malcolm is as far as his status
and the Penguins not even the best penguin on his own,
you know, era of Penguin hockey.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
He does never mind OVI leverage. He doesn't have SID leverage.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
SID leverage except because that's where the OV leverage is
kind of in the same class as as what leverage
Sidney Crosby would have.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
I would play a little bit of hardball with Crosby
as far as his contract is concerned, especially if Gino
is playing hardball back at me over these two years.
Two years is just absurd it I don't understand Mark why,
And I guess you know, fans are going to be
fans and they have their Geno jerseys, as you like
to say, But how is the Geno hive not a
little ticked off at him? If it is about two years?
If they want to they don't believe me.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
They don't believe anything that makes their guy look bad.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
So what would be the hang up?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Then it's only logical that it would be from his
camp and that he's trying to push for more than
what the one year would be. Hey, don't tell me,
tell them I'm talking to That's what I'm doing right now,
is telling them about what would be the hold up
if it's not coming from a getty Malcolm.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
That's the only conclusion that I to be able to draw.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
As I asked immediately, by the way, like like when
Dubas said would love to have him back, well then
why isn't it done already? You got it done with
with the Doer and so yeah, So I mean if
you if you can prioritize them to, you can prioritize
your franchise's third best player ever.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Now, the only thing I would throw back at you
with that is Shae hasn't been signed yet. Do you
think that's a signal that they're just going to move
on from Shaye. He thinks the market's going to be
too much. Or is that Shae saying I got to
get to free agency and test this out and see
what the price Land's at.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
I don't know. I will say this though, in a way,
I'm being unfair talking about how they signed Doer and
solely off already because they're easy to sign.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
They're extremely grateful right that you offered them those contracts,
right and especially like Soya Law and I.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Can see where they both would feel like they fit in.
Shay's like what twenty nine, a little older might might
want to see if he can get.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
More well and the year he had.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
I think there might be a team that looks at
what he did and they might overpay for him as
far as what the Penguin should give him. So maybe
that's what's happening with the Shay situation. But I think
you it's only right to read more and more into
a delay with if Guinny Malkin, if we keep delaying,
and that press conference with Dubas was such a great
spot for them to get it done.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Now I don't know where that spot is. I don't
know where the next point is, well.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
First off, I will read anything and anything I want,
anytime I want, because that is the business I've chosen.
Did you see the Marner goal last night?
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Yeah, it's unbelievable. I wanted to talk about both of those.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
I can't even describe, but it was so dirty it's indescribable.
He right now, See, I don't think that Vegas is
gonna win. I saw a lot of people talking about
him kind of being at the top of the con
smith right now, and he might be as far as
just a playoff performer to this point. He has played
better to this point than anybody in the play I
think so, But I just don't think they get past Colorado.
So he's probably not going to win the Cup and
win that trophy, but he's been unreal. Do you think
(24:44):
Vegas has a puncher's chance against the Avs? Tons of
star power, Marner's playing as well as he has, Keel
looks awesome too, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
And Carter Hart's kind of an X factor for them.
He's been playing real well in net.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Yeah, and I give that kid credit cause of what
he went through and nobody want to give a second chance.
And when tort Scott there. He knew Carter Hart from
Philadelphia and he believed in him. So yeah, so that
was that. I'm glad to see the guy do good
and not for Philadelphia. But yeah, but here's the thing.
I think Vegas plays the same way as Colorado, but
(25:16):
Colorado's better at it and faster and younger, not a
lot younger, but younger. So by the way, the guy,
I think I mentioned this yesterday, everybody talked about, you know,
Colorado trading rant In and I said, at one point,
you don't know who your best player is until he's gone.
And that proved to be true about Marner, not so
much ranting and with Colorado because that net just that
(25:38):
they got in that deal. Yeah, and you know what,
he is a power play technician. He has opened up
that power play even better than it had been without him,
even better than it had been despite mccarr and McKinnon
being there. He just gets the power play, which is
a lesson for the Penguins to learn. Play your guys
who get the power play, not the guys perceived to
be your five best players.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
That was Carolina right as far as they got him
from Yeah, I mean, imagine if he's still on Carolina
right now. Netchus and ranton In got to Carolina, spent
five minutes there and turned his nose upon that entire team.
It was like, I ain't playing for this team. I mean,
but to be fair, he's playing this style. I don't
think he had a problem with I was just.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Gonna say that though.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
Would this nets just be the Netchus in Carolina playing
that style under Brindamore or has he been allowed to
kind of take it to another level with the power play?
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yes, he's still be Netches, but he's he might be.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
I mean, maybe I'm overreacting, but I love their power
play and he ain't the only guy on it. But
but I gotta say he opens up the power play
I think better than anybody I've seen on the power
play in the league this year.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
I think he's one of the most underrated players in hockey.
I mean, he's quietly scored a hundred points this year,
thirty eight goals and sixty two assists.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
So I love Martinich just I think he's awesome.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
It's easy to root against Vegas though in the next round,
because of torts like he couldn't help himself being torts,
as you mentioned with the whole.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Against Vegas the minute towards got there.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Yeah, but he kind of like faded back a little
bit at the beginning, Like I remember he had that
SoundBite where he was just like, hey, I'm just here
for the ride, almost you know, I'm just trying not
to get in the way. Well now he's getting in
the way because he can't help himself.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Well, all the torts defenders and the people who hate
the media are tweeting, well, you know, there's no good
to be had by talking to the media, YadA YadA,
And that's not false.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
But he does it because he's an ass.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Absolutely, He's not looking to do it for any other
reason that he hates the media and he's just an
ass in general.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
He's also part of the media. I mean, every time
he's done coaching, he jumps right into the ESPN studio.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
He's he's one of those ex coach, ex athlete, media
hating hypocrites that will take the money but otherwise treat
the media like it smells that.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Absolutely hypocrites the perfect word for that, I mean.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
But then again, they don't know the side of it
where they need to interview people because like Bill Parcells,
Bill Belichick, John Torderella never interviewed anybody, I think towards
once in a while on that Bucci show, but he
had Boucci to do the heavy lifting.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Yeah, and you've got a lot of pre you know
how that works, Mark, Right, those producers really curate all
the questions and Tortoreliis has, but he's basically reading a
script and towardsing it up.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Well. Right, But my point is that towards been denied
that I don't think you would have bitched. I don't
think you would have realized even I don't think he
understands the job description. I don't think many of the
of the extra well, no, the guy I mean the
guys on Key and T like bising them. They're actually
good interviewers. They just fawn too much over the guys
like hey, buddy biz here, shut up now.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
On the other side of the bracket, on the Eastern
conference side, the habs I said, I think last week
I did a trifecta. The teams that are most fun
to watch in the playoffs. They're still so firmly at
number one. I mean, they are awesome, and I think
we're getting to Hurricanes versus Aves in the Cup final,
and I think that's going to be a great Cup final.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And let's hope Jordan Stall gets another Cup.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
But I would love to see the Habs, that young
Canadian scene oh no, sorry, Villa scored. I would love
to see the Habs get a shot at the Avs,
that young team against an accomplished team that's won like
the Avalanche.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
I think that would be a great series. Yeah, I
don't care one five ninety x. Success takes everything you've got,
you time, you focus, your drive, and the van that
helps you achieve more costs
I spent a lot of time yesterday hyping Mike McCarthy
and missing Tomlin because I feel like it's a big upgrade.
McCarthy is a coach, Tomlin's the CEO. McCarthy's hands on,
Tomlin is showbiz and now literally so. And with the
schedule out, we gonna know soon because here's the proof
(00:25):
of a nutshell. The Steelers lost at Cleveland the last
four years. Cleveland sucks, and Tomlin kept going there and losing.
McCarthy's an upgrade With McCarthy. The offense is always going
to show up. And you know when you're gonna find
(00:46):
that out Week four, Thursday Night Football, when the Steelers
finally win at Cleveland. And that's no matter who's the quarterback.
I'm not gonna go game by game, but you know
what other game is going to tell a tale. Week
three at home against Cincinnati against Burrow and Sexy Dexi,
(01:09):
and on paper, the Bengals got a better roster. They
can score more points, that's for sure. So Week three
at home against Cincinni and Week four at Cleveland, Steelers
have lost their last four at Cleveland. They've lost their
last four Thursday Night Football games at Cleveland two.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Here's an update from yesterday.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Beside of that cornhole tournament that Rogers is in, it's
the gold loot of Afroshore. But Rodgers won't be able
to stop at the Steelers office. It's too far out
of his way ota start on Monday. On Monday, and
(01:56):
the Steelers still don't know for sure who their quarterback kiss.
Let's talk to Tommy Football. Tom do you agree that
McCarthy is a big upgrade over Tomlin, especially given the Steelers'
recent history at places like Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I love the upgrade.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
As far as the offensive side of the ball is concerned,
I don't think there's any question that it's massive. I mean,
Mike Tomlin was an ept as far as the offensive
side of the football was concerned. Mike McCarthy has mastered
that side of the football at multiple stops. You know,
people like to gloss over his time in Dallas. If
Jerry Jones wasn't Jerry Jones, Mark, I wonder if Mike
McCarthy wouldn't still be in Dallas coaching the Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
He won twelve games three years ago, and he made
Dak a much better quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Much better quarterback everywhere. He goes.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
He has fostered growth at the quarterback position, and he's
had top tier offenses in the NFL. Optimism is absolutely
sky high. As far as Mike McCarthy on the offensive
side of the ball is concerned. I don't know if
I can get with you on the Cleveland thing. Though
I don't think they win in Cleveland in Week four
on Thursday Night Football.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I bet they do, and I think that'll make a statement.
I want to get back to McCarty for one second. Yeah,
I agree, it's a big and upgrade for the offensive
x's and o's, but it's a big upgrade with the
hands on stuff too, with having an actual coach and
not a CEO. Tom would stop being a coach an
actual coach a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
There's no question about that.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
And I feel like to more of a degree than
a lot of other CEO types, like you know, like
if Pete Carroll, you know, he kind of faded into
more of that CEO type two. But I feel like
he could still roll up the sleeve sometimes, you know,
right and jump in.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
There's a right way and the wrong way to do
the CEO thing. If you're gonna be the CEO, have
great assistance. And I'm gonna talk talk talk about how
McCarthy ran off Leabo and Arians to ran off la
Bow and excuse me, Tom Win ran off Leabo and
Arians bang on.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
That's the biggest part of being that CEO style coach
is to delegate all of that to lesser minds quote unquote,
but they're lesser positions, and you will allow them to
have carte blanche on the offense and the defense of
something well.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
In this case not not lesser minds, right, I mean
Nicklebose forgotten more about defense to Tom Win, one of.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The all time greats as far as that side of
the ball is concerned. Let's not sugarcoat Ba's contributions to
the offensive side either, who then went on to become
a head coach that you could argue was a better
head coach than Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
No, they should have they should have fired Tom But
you know where, you know where they screwed up. And
Ben was in on this. To be honest.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Ba's offense put Ben at risk too much, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And then everybody they brought in after was designed to
protect Ben. But but it didn't win b a one
you want to win. I mean I would have had Ben.
Sorry Ben, if you're listening, I'd rather have Ben get
hurt more, but win.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
More, No, no question about that, and that that came
with territory of Perusians. So you're right, or do better, No,
Ben roethlis They definitely acquiesced to Ben Roethlisberger. But that's
on the head coach too to allow that to go
a little too far. Like, Hey, Todd Haley was kind
of a little happy medium that we struck here. But
he wasn't even good enough for you, too, Ben. So
now we give it to the Randy Fiekner's and the
Matt Canadas of the world. This is ridiculous. We're in
(04:56):
the minor leagues now as far as our ocs are concerned.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
How about all those losses of Cleveland. You think they're
still gonna lose that clip I did week four. I
didn't realize it was foreign a row up there, and
I did realize it was fore in a row up
there on Thursday Night football too.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Everything you said about McCarthy rings completely true. I bet
you that the offense will look a lot better on
a short week than it has in the previous years
with Mike Tomlin and bad offensive coordinators.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
But Aaron Rodgers is still going to be your quarterback.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I firmly believe that, and he is going to get
eaten alive by that Cleveland defense. I'd be hurt by then, Hey,
that might be the optimistic way to look at it
if you want to win that game, Miles Garrett Mark
is going to be picking Aaron Rodgers out of his
teeth at the end of that game.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Do you agree that Cleveland is going to be okay
with Watson a quarterback at least not horrible, at least
better than Shadar.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Don't know how Todd Monkin's going to be as a
head coach, so you got to kind of keep an
eye on that. But I think that defense is so good.
I mean you could put that defense up against any
defense in the NFL. Mark They had the defensive player
of the Year and the defensive Rookie of the Year
on that defense last year was Sweazinger at the linebacker spot.
Like it is elite and a much better defense than
(06:01):
the Steelers defense. So when you have a defense like that,
I don't think you can contend without a legit offense,
but you can be relevant, You can be a Thorn
another team side.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I don't know if you knew this, but but you
know how they finally fixed Watson's achilles tendon. It was
massaged back to health. They used the kind of lotion
that I don't know, kind of creepy.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Uh Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I feel like we h three at home again since
he is big. I feel like Week four at Cleveland
is big. I'm not gonna go game by game, but
that since the game, a lot of people are picking
Cleveland definited ahead of the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's Burrow versus Rogers. That that's a mismatch.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Massive mismatch. Click Cincinnati I think is the class of
the division this year. Yeah, really, yeah, I do. I
think they had a really great offseason. I mean, Sexy
Dexy coming in to be the middle of that defense
and kind of let kind of things be a ripple
effect out from him. I think that was just a
home run by them, and they drafted defensively in this
draft as well. If Burrow stays healthy, I think the
Bengals are going to be the team that wins this division.
(07:02):
So it is a huge game, but the entire first
half of the schedule is huge for the Steelers because
as you said, you gotta put some some stuff away
in the bank early on because it's gonna get tough.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Did you see the notion that the Steelers got cheated
on the schedule? How is that possible? Every schedule ass quirks.
They only leave the Eastern time zone once and no twice.
Excuse me, but once it is the trip to Paris.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
As far as the modern NFL schedule is concerned, this
is an extremely normal schedule. You knew who the opponents
were all going to be. You want to bitch about
going to Cincinnati and then Philadelphia and back to back
weeks after your bye week, I mean tough. I would
argue that it's good that you get your bye week
and you get a little reset before you get those
two really tough trips. You want to know when it
was okay to bitch about the schedule and being screwed
about the schedule a couple of years ago, Mark, you
(07:46):
remember they played those three games in eleven days, the
death stretch, as you coined it, that's when the schedule
screwed you over.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Three games in eleven days is screwing you over. There's
nothing like that here.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Did you see any of the schedule reveal videos. I
saw the Steelers with Gardell and Billy Crawford brilliant. I
thought it was really good. It was very insury. You
had McAfee and the goof with the cowboy hat in there,
you had renegade. You know, it was delightfully corny. I
see some people bitching the one guy who couldn't make
in sports radio. He's on his like I think he
(08:18):
does like he's on Ham Radio. He was talking about
how it made Pittsburgh look like fools. No, it made
Pittsburgh look like Pittsburgh. It played into a stereotype that
we're proud of and we joked about.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
It was completely endearing. And Mark the coach got involved.
He's put in the parking chair out. I mean, that's amazing.
You don't think Mike Toma would have never done that.
He would have known to have that kind of, you know,
sense of humor about being a yinser.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Then again, being on camera, he might have gone for it.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
No. I liked it, and I love the Raiders with
Kirk Cousins in Mendoza as stepbrothers.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I love seeing charisma from Mendoza right that it's not
at the end all be all. You want Mendoza to
be great at football first and foremost, but having the
charisma is a big part of being that number one
over pick, being that franchise guy, and he showed it
there in that video.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I think when Aler's the starter, you know who should
host the schedule reveal video.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Me.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
You know why because it'll be a new world order
of Steelers football, and who's more experienced at that than
I am? What you gonna do, brother, when the strongest
arm in football runs wild on you? Seventeen minutes of
(09:36):
Phillip Park and Liverpool have barely touched the ball, Neil Mill,
that ain't good. Just need one more win out of
two to quinchy Champions League and then I can act
like this whole disappointing season never happened in concentrantal last
years league title win in better times ahead. But today,
come on, you Ran, It's time for the Bucko round up.
The Pirates beat Colorado yesterday, that was the afternoon game
(09:59):
at panc Parks and to an easy win. Philadelphia visits
PNC tonight Ashkrav versus Nola, and it might be a
low key big series between the Phillies and Pirates Philadelphia
is twenty and twenty three, but they're supposed to be good,
but maybe not. Harper's thirty three Real Mudos, thirty three
(10:21):
Turners thirty three, Schwarbra's thirty three, Nola's thirty three Wheelers
thirty six. Now on the Penguins, that all be young guys,
But the Pirates need to win two out of three
at least in this series. Keep the Phillies down, keep
that distance. They're just so much with the Pirates that
(10:41):
is conversation worthy. You need to solve Catcher. Maybe with
Andy Reynolds and Cruz do better. I keep saying it.
Montgomery did good as the opener yesterday, Malzinski and Belk
relief at Sam's Club. The Pirates just need more. And
oh wait, I got a sound bite. Here's Paul Skeen's
telling an outright lie about who calls the game, him
(11:04):
or the Catcher. Henry Davis.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, Catcher. I'm uh, I don't shake a time. I'm
you know, I'm too stupid to call my own pitches.
So I'll just let him. I'll let him do it.
He's got my career in his hands.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Every cook, now, that is one hundred percent the right thing.
To say, but Skeen's is one hundred percent a liabtic
in this case, watch when Skeen's is pitching and he's
shaking his head no fairly often unless he's having a
seizure or something. I think he's shaking off the pitch
and he's got so many pitches. How do you call
(11:38):
that game? If you're David, he needs six fingers. Let's
see what the kid thinks about the old number one.
Tom your thoughts on that skeen sound by?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Was he lying? Yeah, of course he was lying. He
definitely calls his own game.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Not no, that's the wrong way to put it, because
Davis does put the calls into his ear the modern
way of doing it. But he shakes him off all
the time. In fact, I'm gonna try to remember to
watch his next start and track how many times I
can see visually on the TV him give him the
old no as far as the first pitch was called.
So he's obviously lying, but you you got to get
your catcher over, especially when that's the only thing if
you are buddies with Henry Davis that he does well,
(12:13):
like if you start getting it out there that it's like, yeah,
I don't really need Davis. Like he's okay behind the plate.
There's no reason to keep him in Pittsburgh anymore. He
brings nothing to the table except for he's a great
game caller and he frames pitches, except that doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Skeens likes him that that's actually the Bob no cachet.
I don't think. Well, maybe he does, because that's how
baseball is now. Shouldn't right now though.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I think I don't want to say they coddle those pictures,
but boy, in this case, bubb and Skeens get their
own way with Davis, don't they.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
And it feels like Ashcraft just goes out there and pitches.
I mean, you were spot on with him maybe being
you know, you said he might be your favorite pirate
right now, Braxton Ashcraft, he really is a badass on
the mound. And not to say that Skens isn't, but
I just like the attitude that Ashcraft brings to the
table and pump to see him on the mound, and
because I just think that he just kind of has
that like straightforward mentality. Throw Andy back there again, right,
(13:05):
just put the guy who went two for three yesterday
behind the plate. Let him play once more. He was
fine behind the dish as well. I don't remember him
being egregiously bad in that game. Waginski pitched fine for
his five innings, So throw him back there again. Try
to ride that hot hand as much.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
As you can.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Why aren't people making a bigger deal out of how
much Reynolds and Cruise have well, in Cruz's case, been inconsistent.
Reynolds just struggling period a home run? What is it now,
twenty seven to twenty eight games I've lost commed?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, I don't know about Reynolds.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Does everybody just kind of subject themselves to the type
of player that he is, because I don't think there's
many Reynolds defenders either, right, Like, there's not many people
out there stumping for him like he's you just don't
talk about it. It's like there's sixth best player, their
seventh best player. That's how people are treating him, and
it's a huge problem for this team. I mean, he's
creating a hole in this lineup that is not supposed
(13:53):
to be a hole. He's supposed to be one of
the strengths, and it's been a massive failure for him
this year. Cruz, I can see a little little bit
of people talking themselves into him having somewhat of a
successful season, especially in comparative to his last couple of years.
But he still ain't the guy that was supposed to,
you know, be pushing MVP numbers out there.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Tom, We're gonna talk more football after the break, But
what about Rogers still being undecided, him not being you know,
I mean, we don't think he's gonna be the I
can't imagine he's just gonna show up Monday out of nowhere,
can you. No.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
I don't think so either. I think it was mandatory
mini camp. I think last year was the spot where
he came in and just kind of hung out for
three days and signed his contract. And that's not until
the beginning of June's a couple of weeks. Still, you know,
I think they moved OT eight. I mean, the schedule
is different under McCarthy.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
They did.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yes, they moved everything around. We're starting a little bit
earlier or something like that. But or there's like a
mini camp in the middle of the earlier.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
But anyway, the Steelers put out there. Remember there was
this reporting like May eighteenth is the next date for
Pittsburgh that's the date that they're gonna circle next. This
is just another time where they're gonna blow pass these
quote unquote Deadline.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
You've got a sound bite later about I think Pela
Sero says that the Steelers might be getting tired of it.
The organization in Rooney will never get tired of it.
They'll they'll wait as long as absolutely will wait as
long as they have to. Yes, it don't matter how
long they will wait as long as they have to.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
No.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I feel like they think.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
If Rogers missed week one, then leave the light on
for week two.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
I think you're right about that.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
I feel like they think that they're dug in right
now and have talked themselves into it would be more
embarrassing now if they walked away, when that just couldn't
be the case. Like they have reached a point of
national embarrassment when it when it comes to the Aaron
Rodgers situation, there's no sugarcoating that. When you we played
the sound bite yesterday, when you have Dan Patrick out
there saying it's probably time.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
To move on.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I mean, that's one of the most temperamental, like level
minded people that you have on sports radio, and he's
a big Rogers fantasy established in that SoundBite, and he's
saying to move on. The national kind of you know,
feel for you is embarrassing.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Oh the blooms off the roads, but it don't matter
to art art, and it ain't I think I think
McCarthy would like him to be back. I don't know
what he's really thinking about the timetable. I mean the players.
We got to sound bite from Cam too. Remember when
Kim was raging that Rogers should either play or not
and then became an obsequious lapdog. It's amazing how Rogers
has absorbed that culture, absorbed that logo, absorbed a locker room.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
I think that McCarthy genuinely does believe that Rogers would
be helpful for that QB school that he has. But
classes in session right for that QB school, like the
Rookie QB school is in for Aler now next week
starting on Monday, QB schools in session with Rudolph and
Howard and Aler, like, this is where he'd want him there.
This is the benefit I guess he would see in
that because McCarthy knows that this is a one off
(16:40):
with Rogers, there's there's no actual future there if he's
gonna have you know, five six seven years of success
as Steelers head coach, it comes on the back of
somebody else.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
If Rogers wants to play next year after surviving this year,
they will afford him that opportunity. Write it down. You
heard it here one oh five to nine.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
One O five nine, d E says your shots drip
cash money like that.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Mucho Dinero.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
I'm rich, rich, rich, listen all day for your chance.
Has some extra cash on one five.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Nine the X.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
This is Doug Gottlieb. Here's what's trending from the Iheartsports Network.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Presented by iHeart Advertising dot com. Hi, what's that? Mark
Rutger McGroarty joining us at the top of the hour
played twenty four games I think for the Penguin the
(17:39):
series with Wilkes Barry for their playoff run in the AHL.
Tied one game apiece in the Atlantic Division Final after
beating Hershey in their first series pretty handily.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Uh NHL news.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Marner scored this unbelievable goal last night when Vegas eliminated Anaheim.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
He's having one heck of a playoff.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
All he needed to do, I guess, was escape Toronto
torts didn't talk to the media after limited player availability
after Towards thinks he's protecting his guys from the noise
by pulling stunts like that, he's creating more noise.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Montreal killed Buffalo at Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Looks like Montreal is going to get there before the
Sabers do in terms of legit challenging. But boy, that's
an exciting series. Two very quick young on the rise
teams that demodof for Montreal. The guy they wouldn't trade
us for sid if it came to that. He's unbelievable.
And I said earlier that it looks like Malkin wants
(18:45):
two years and a raise from his six point one
mill per year he made last season, which means it
could be cyan or And it makes me wonder as
well if he's angling to get out of here, if
he thinks he can make more money someplace else. Uh, Tom,
what's your take on the Malkin situation? Because I hear
(19:05):
two years, I hear more than six point one. He
wants to be paid like a point per game player.
But I get it, But he's thirty nine.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Isn't it still kind of paying him like a point
per game player? To give him six point one over
one year. It's just really all about the term, Like
you can run it back as far as the AAV
is concerned.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's just it can't go beyond one year.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And if what you're hearing is true and he is
really pushing for the two years and maybe the motivation
is to angle out and maybe he can get paid
like seven point one or eight point one somewhere else,
then all that crap about him being that true penguin
and wanting to be here, it just goes out the win.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
He wants to get like an extra million or two.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Yeah, that just sucks, yeah, right out the window. All
that crap about like I want to be here, I'm
a true penguin. If you want to be a true penguin,
you say thank you for the one year offer and
it's actually great, and be grateful that you're getting six
point one because honestly, we should talk about dropping that
down and maybe buy a million or two.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Grateful that they're keeping you with all at age thirty,
when the plan going into the season was for this
to be Gino's last year, when he said as much too,
bit I understand there's a lot of reasons why he
wants to keep playing, and I get it, uh, not
wanting to go back to Russia to be in one
of them, because you got to go back. I mean,
it's Putin's Rushia, your family's there. It would be a
(20:15):
snub to not go back. And there's other reasons as well,
But I don't know. It's just gonna end bad. It
just feels now more than ever, like it's gonna end bad.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Yeah, And that's how this era with the Penguins is.
It's just it's inevitable. It has to end that way.
The longer this Malclin thing drags on though, I mean
now we're getting into the weekend here right, as far
as not having enough Guinea Malkin contract, and it's not
gonna happen over this weekend.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Falcon showed up for Rotia's and Rogers signed with the Penguins.
They got they got like mixed.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Up, confused. Yeah, he ends up in the South Side
instead of Cranberry right right.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I can see it. I could see it.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
But the longer that this goes into the summer, I
mean there's definitely friction coming from one side, and it
seems like from what you're hearing that friction's coming from
genoside wanting those two years like we had speculated. Maybe
this is kind trying to get the ear of the
new ownership or try to talk as many people on
the front office side into his side of being like,
let's just turn the page and move on. But I
(21:07):
guess it's Gino really drawn that line that he needs
two years. If it cuts to this and it's you
said yourself, it's gonna get ugly anyway, don't you kind
of got a blackmail sit into the contract extension. If
Geno's really staunch on two years, Like Sid, I'm not
giving him that unless you signed too.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I wouldn't give themalkme two years.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
No matter what. That's ridiculous. A thirty nine year old
who has played less than seventy games in eleven the
last fourteen seasons, who only played fifty six this past year,
and has had two major knee surgeries. I'm not giving
him two years under any circumstance. You know what I might.
Let's say they offered him six point one million, I'd say, Gina,
we'll give you two years. A three point two.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
And what leverage does he truly have? New ownership is
a big thing in his back.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Popes leverage with the fans.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Leverage with the fans, it's and with it with SI.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Those are his big three.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Actually has a lot of leverage, fair enough, But it's
not like I mean, you've said this before. It's not
like Ovechkin leverage in Washington where evctually can go to
the be like I want five years and they'd have
to be like Jesus, we have to almost consider this
now because he's Alex Ovechkin. How do we tell him that, Like,
that's not where Malcolm is as far as his status
and the Penguins not even the best penguin on his own,
you know, era of Penguin hockey.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
He does never mind OVI leverage. He doesn't have SID leverage.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
SID leverage except because that's where the OV leverage is
kind of in the same class as as what leverage
Sidney Crosby would have.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
I would play a little bit of hardball with Crosby
as far as his contract is concerned, especially if Gino
is playing hardball back at me over these two years.
Two years is just absurd it I don't understand Mark why,
And I guess you know, fans are going to be
fans and they have their Geno jerseys, as you like
to say, But how is the Geno hive not a
little ticked off at him? If it is about two years?
If they want to they don't believe me.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
They don't believe anything that makes their guy look bad.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
So what would be the hang up?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Then it's only logical that it would be from his
camp and that he's trying to push for more than
what the one year would be. Hey, don't tell me,
tell them I'm talking to That's what I'm doing right now,
is telling them about what would be the hold up
if it's not coming from a getty Malcolm.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
That's the only conclusion that I to be able to draw.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
As I asked immediately, by the way, like like when
Dubas said would love to have him back, well then
why isn't it done already? You got it done with
with the Doer and so yeah, So I mean if
you if you can prioritize them to, you can prioritize
your franchise's third best player ever.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Now, the only thing I would throw back at you
with that is Shae hasn't been signed yet. Do you
think that's a signal that they're just going to move
on from Shaye. He thinks the market's going to be
too much. Or is that Shae saying I got to
get to free agency and test this out and see
what the price Land's at.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
I don't know. I will say this though, in a way,
I'm being unfair talking about how they signed Doer and
solely off already because they're easy to sign.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
They're extremely grateful right that you offered them those contracts,
right and especially like Soya Law and I.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Can see where they both would feel like they fit in.
Shay's like what twenty nine, a little older might might
want to see if he can get.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
More well and the year he had.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
I think there might be a team that looks at
what he did and they might overpay for him as
far as what the Penguin should give him. So maybe
that's what's happening with the Shay situation. But I think
you it's only right to read more and more into
a delay with if Guinny Malkin, if we keep delaying,
and that press conference with Dubas was such a great
spot for them to get it done.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Now I don't know where that spot is. I don't
know where the next point is, well.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
First off, I will read anything and anything I want,
anytime I want, because that is the business I've chosen.
Did you see the Marner goal last night?
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Yeah, it's unbelievable. I wanted to talk about both of those.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
I can't even describe, but it was so dirty it's indescribable.
He right now, See, I don't think that Vegas is
gonna win. I saw a lot of people talking about
him kind of being at the top of the con
smith right now, and he might be as far as
just a playoff performer to this point. He has played
better to this point than anybody in the play I
think so, But I just don't think they get past Colorado.
So he's probably not going to win the Cup and
win that trophy, but he's been unreal. Do you think
(24:44):
Vegas has a puncher's chance against the Avs? Tons of
star power, Marner's playing as well as he has, Keel
looks awesome too, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
And Carter Hart's kind of an X factor for them.
He's been playing real well in net.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Yeah, and I give that kid credit cause of what
he went through and nobody want to give a second chance.
And when tort Scott there. He knew Carter Hart from
Philadelphia and he believed in him. So yeah, so that
was that. I'm glad to see the guy do good
and not for Philadelphia. But yeah, but here's the thing.
I think Vegas plays the same way as Colorado, but
(25:16):
Colorado's better at it and faster and younger, not a
lot younger, but younger. So by the way, the guy,
I think I mentioned this yesterday, everybody talked about, you know,
Colorado trading rant In and I said, at one point,
you don't know who your best player is until he's gone.
And that proved to be true about Marner, not so
much ranting and with Colorado because that net just that
(25:38):
they got in that deal. Yeah, and you know what,
he is a power play technician. He has opened up
that power play even better than it had been without him,
even better than it had been despite mccarr and McKinnon
being there. He just gets the power play, which is
a lesson for the Penguins to learn. Play your guys
who get the power play, not the guys perceived to
be your five best players.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
That was Carolina right as far as they got him
from Yeah, I mean, imagine if he's still on Carolina
right now. Netchus and ranton In got to Carolina, spent
five minutes there and turned his nose upon that entire team.
It was like, I ain't playing for this team. I mean,
but to be fair, he's playing this style. I don't
think he had a problem with I was just.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Gonna say that though.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
Would this nets just be the Netchus in Carolina playing
that style under Brindamore or has he been allowed to
kind of take it to another level with the power play?
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yes, he's still be Netches, but he's he might be.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
I mean, maybe I'm overreacting, but I love their power
play and he ain't the only guy on it. But
but I gotta say he opens up the power play
I think better than anybody I've seen on the power
play in the league this year.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
I think he's one of the most underrated players in hockey.
I mean, he's quietly scored a hundred points this year,
thirty eight goals and sixty two assists.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
So I love Martinich just I think he's awesome.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
It's easy to root against Vegas though in the next round,
because of torts like he couldn't help himself being torts,
as you mentioned with the whole.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Against Vegas the minute towards got there.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Yeah, but he kind of like faded back a little
bit at the beginning, Like I remember he had that
SoundBite where he was just like, hey, I'm just here
for the ride, almost you know, I'm just trying not
to get in the way. Well now he's getting in
the way because he can't help himself.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Well, all the torts defenders and the people who hate
the media are tweeting, well, you know, there's no good
to be had by talking to the media, YadA YadA,
And that's not false.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
But he does it because he's an ass.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Absolutely, He's not looking to do it for any other
reason that he hates the media and he's just an
ass in general.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
He's also part of the media. I mean, every time
he's done coaching, he jumps right into the ESPN studio.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
He's he's one of those ex coach, ex athlete, media
hating hypocrites that will take the money but otherwise treat
the media like it smells that.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Absolutely hypocrites the perfect word for that, I mean.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
But then again, they don't know the side of it
where they need to interview people because like Bill Parcells,
Bill Belichick, John Torderella never interviewed anybody, I think towards
once in a while on that Bucci show, but he
had Boucci to do the heavy lifting.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Yeah, and you've got a lot of pre you know
how that works, Mark, Right, those producers really curate all
the questions and Tortoreliis has, but he's basically reading a
script and towardsing it up.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Well. Right, But my point is that towards been denied
that I don't think you would have bitched. I don't
think you would have realized even I don't think he
understands the job description. I don't think many of the
of the extra well, no, the guy I mean the
guys on Key and T like bising them. They're actually
good interviewers. They just fawn too much over the guys
like hey, buddy biz here, shut up now.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
On the other side of the bracket, on the Eastern
conference side, the habs I said, I think last week
I did a trifecta. The teams that are most fun
to watch in the playoffs. They're still so firmly at
number one. I mean, they are awesome, and I think
we're getting to Hurricanes versus Aves in the Cup final,
and I think that's going to be a great Cup final.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And let's hope Jordan Stall gets another Cup.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
But I would love to see the Habs, that young
Canadian scene oh no, sorry, Villa scored. I would love
to see the Habs get a shot at the Avs,
that young team against an accomplished team that's won like
the Avalanche.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
I think that would be a great series. Yeah, I
don't care one five ninety x. Success takes everything you've got,
you time, you focus, your drive, and the van that
helps you achieve more costs
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