October 28, 2025 • 38 mins
Mark is joined by Mike DeFabo to talk some Steelers. We got the Hockey Night show and Mark is joined by Jonathan Bombulie and Tommy Radio.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
See Exit one zero, five to nine.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
These Steelers feel like they're trade at quicksand joining me
on to talk about it. He covers the team for
the Athletic. Always a pleasure to talk to, Mike de Fabo. Mike,
the Steelers are four and three and on top of
the AFC North. But do they kind of feel done
to you anyway? Because I don't see that defense improving.
It's it's too flawed and too old.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, I mean, any ceiling that the Steelers had this
season was directly tied to this defense being very good.
And right now, this is not a hot take, It's
just a fact they are bad, and they are one
of the worst, if not the worst defense in the league,
especially in their secondary, and like they're about to face
(00:47):
a bunch of talented offenses.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Not only do they have to face the Colts and.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Shane Szeichen who always has Mike tom and Tarrel Austin's number,
but later this season that four game stretched at the end,
you know, they played three the top offenses from last year,
and the Lions, the Ravens and the Bills, and who
knows what state the defense is going to be at
that point. So I agree with you, Mark, like, if
they're going to improve defensively, it's not going to because
(01:14):
not going to be because the competition is getting any easier.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Who's the biggest scapegoat on that defense?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I can't decide between the whole secondary and PJ.
Speaker 6 (01:22):
Watt.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Yeah, those are two good places to start. I think
also coaching definitely with this group because you look around
the league and there are so many other defenses that
have so much less talent and yet they're able to
play as one, and the Steelers just don't do that.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
And you hear.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Criticism from former players like Julian Edelman saying that the
Steelers defense is stale, it's stagnant, it's predictable, and then
you hear those same comments from Jamar Chase saying we
knew exactly what the Steelers were going to do. And
I think the biggest problem is when there are pre
snap shifts and motions, the Steelers might be in the
coverage the sky, but after those shifts and motions, it's
(02:03):
so obvious what coverage they're in that somebody like me
can see it. That definitely, somebody who's an experienced quarterback
can see So, you know, I think that the scheme
is a problem.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
I think that the.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Coaching is a problem first and foremost.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
But then obviously this secondary that was so overhyped before
the season hasn't come anywhere close to living up to
its billing, and you know, especially after they lose to
Shawn Elliott, I don't have a tremendous amount of faith
that it's going to get any better.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
You mentioned the coaching, and I agree.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I think the coaching has been terrible with the defense,
and really the entire team has been has been poorly guided.
Speaker 7 (02:39):
What is Mike Toma more likely.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
To do magtactical changes along with personnel changes which are limited,
not much choice there. Well, he just stick to his
guns because he likes to be right more than anything.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I think they're going to keep doing a lot of
what they've been doing because it's what they've been doing for.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
The last decade.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
And if it was even in the first round of
the playoffs year after year, after the way the season
unraveled last year didn't prompt change, then I feel like
nothing is going to prompt change, So I expect very
much a lot more of the same.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You talked about the secondary before. I want to get
back to them for just a moment. It was too
easy for Jordan Love and for Flacco the prior week,
and probably for Danny Dimes this coming Sunday.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
Too many easy completions.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I look at that coverage and guys aren't even close, Mike.
I don't understand what they're even trying to do.
Speaker 6 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I think one of the problems is there's like a
saying in defensive football, you don't cover grass, you cover people.
And the Steelers they have what's called like country coverages,
which is basically like a spot drop zone coverage where
it's like you're playing Madden, like people who play Mad
and you say, oh, and cover three, this linebacker's supposed
to be here, and you draw a little circle and
(03:57):
that's their zone.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Well, that's not how the modern nfls played.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The good defenses in the NFL play a lot of
pattern matching zones or man matching zones, where when a
guy comes into your zone, you pick him up like
it's man and maybe if you even follow him into
a different zone. And I think that's the biggest problem
is when you when you face an experienced quarterback and
they look at it and they know this is cover three,
This is cover two. They know where the soft spots
(04:23):
are in those zones, and they're throwing to them. And
I think that's one of the biggest problems for the
defense right now. I think, and then and then when
they try to play man coverage, which was supposed to
be the whole point of remaking this defense. I don't
think that Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey can play man.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Coverage at an elite level anymore. They just cannot.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I mean, like Slay was pretty transparent throughout the season.
I think one of the most telling comments that he said, Yeah,
would have been great to have all these all these
dvs together if.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
We were a bit younger. And that's exactly what it is.
Slay is not what he once was. He was six times.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
He is a thirty four year old corner and there's
a big difference between the two.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
We're talking to Mike de Febo, brought to us by
Armstrong the Internet. You count on the people you trust, Mike.
I don't mind the offense. I think it's been mostly okay.
But why does Steelers abandon the run in the second
half against Green Bay, not least when they had a
lead after three quarters.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
I completely agree with you.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
Mark.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
You know, I've been pleasantly surprised by Aaron Rodgers this season.
He's two or three notches above what I expected, and
my expectations.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Were pretty low going into this year.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
But that said, he's not going to stand toe to
toe in a shootout with Jordan Love. You need to
have some semblance of balance. And all the things the
Steelers did in the game Sunday, there weren't a lot
of good things, but the biggest positive was against one
of the NFL's best rushing defenses. They were still productive
running the football, and I felt like that put them
(05:56):
in a really good position because my biggest concern going
into that game was the pack are going to turn
them one dimensional. Micah Parsons was going to get after
Aaron Rodgers and it was just going to be a
miserable day. Well, the Packers didn't make the Steelers one dimensional.
The Steelers made themselves one dimensional. And I don't know
whether it was Archer Smith calling more pass plays in
(06:16):
the second half or Often those players are kind of
packaged where you have two or three plays called in
the huddle and maybe a quarterback can decide the line
of scrimmage what to do.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Maybe it was Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
I don't have clarity on exactly who was the one
calling the shots and.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Going with the pass more, but.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I completely agree that that this offense has found an
identity when it runs the football at least to create
some type of balance, and when they aren't a balanced offense,
that's where the wheels fall off.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Well, and staying with that, if cemald can't play, how
does the O line shake down? And did the Steelers
have to abandon that jumbo package? Because the jumbo package
is something I hated initially, but now I think it's
the closest thing they have to building an offense identity.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Just so they've got a couple options, I think to
answer your question quickly, if Samalu cannot go, Spencer Anderson
would be the next man up. And then the question
would be, you know, within the game on Sunday when
they lost Samalo, they were go using like traditional twelve personnel,
so they're using five linemen and then they would just
put Darnel Washington and then one of the other tight
(07:25):
ends next to him. It's not as effective as having
a three hundred pound guy, especially because John new Smith
is not a good blocker.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
He's just not.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
He can do a lot of different things. He's he's
a Swiss army knife. One of those weapons is not
as a blocker. He can't execute basic blocks, let alone
the kind of blocks that Spencer Anderson can do. So
if the Steelers do want to continue doing their jumblo packages, yeah,
I think one possibility would be you bring in a
guy like Andres Pete at guard and then you move
(07:56):
Spencer Anderson over to that extra lineman position at the
end of the line of screen image.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Maybe that's a.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Possibility, but you know, I think it is going to
definitely change some of their thinkings, some of their thought
process here because that was one of the most effective
packages running and throwing the football, and now it could
be shaken up, or at least they're gonna have to
reimagine it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Are there crack showing with Aaron Rodgers, Not in terms
of his play Mike, because I think he's been more
than fine. He's I've done my expectations too, but he's
snapping the teammates. He got pissed after a metcalf drop
against Green Bay, and if he's frustrated, I certainly don't
blame him.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of in the camp that
I think it's a good for the most part. When
he shows emotion and when he calls use teammates, like
especially in a practice setting, I think that he's.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Raised the bar there.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
But right now, like when things are going well for
this team, you can you can view it through that prism.
But if things start to unravel, I think I wonder
if we're going to start seeing some more frustrations.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Like right now now, there's so much talk about how
the Steelers.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Are like drama free compared to what the Jets were
with Aaron Rodgers. Will that continue if the results aren't there?
And I think that that should be a concern going forward.
I wonder if everyone's going to continue to be, you know,
sunshine and rainbows and everything's great, and our quarterback's aus
and then we all love each other and we hold hands,
(09:23):
you know, if things start going sideways, what.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Rather Rogers snapping somebody then I mean you hear Cam
talking about the team don't have no fight in it.
I mean that's on Cam. Cam's a captain, Patrick Queen.
The same way San their timid Well do something about it.
Speaker 6 (09:38):
Then.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, I completely agree with you. I mean, I was
raised in the era of Bill Tower football, where when
he would go up and just you would see that
jaw going and you would speak see the spit flying.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
That was a good thing.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
And maybe that was just the way that I was
raised too, where you know, if you make a mistake,
you're gonna hear about it. And so I think that
for the most part, Rogers demanding perfectionist mindset has been
a good thing for this offense. But you know, only
it's only if the results continue this way, and I
do wonder, you know, if they start.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
To struggle, if if that that kind.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Of approach will be interpreted different differently by teammates.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
This Indie game seems a crossroads, don't it, like the
Final Frontier? Because Indies offense is a juggernaut, the Steelers
defense is bad. And what's the aftermath going to be
if the coach come to Akershrom and put up forty
or forty five points, Because that could very easily happen.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, this seems like a nightmare scenario for the Steelers defense.
You know, looking back over the last couple of years,
Shane Stikeen is a really good offensive mind who was
held back by Anthony Richardson, who doesn't belong at quarterback.
He just can't throw, he can't complete a pass. So
you know, I've seen Shane stikeing eat Mike Tommantarol since
lunch with Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco at quarterback. Now
(11:05):
he has a pretty reliable quarterback that fits his system.
So that's a horrible matchup for the Steelers. She like
converts whoever is coordinating their defense. That's a horrible matchup
against Jonathan Taylor because Jonathan Taylor is one of the
best backs in the NFL. And not only is he
a big, bruising ball carrier that's going to grind out
(11:25):
those hard yards, he has elite home run hitting ability,
which is what makes him such a unique weapon. And
the Steelers have been inconsistent against the run over the
last several years, and they've been really bad at allowing
this explosive running plays. And then on top of it,
you know, you just look at the way the Steelers
secondary is playing, and they're about to play the best
(11:46):
passing offense in the NFL. Everything about this matchup looks
like a nightmare. And I didn't even mention the tight end.
The tight end two. The Steelers can never have never
been able to cover tight ends for the last couple
of years, and now they've got one of the best
tight ends, or one of the best young tight ends
at least in the league, coming. Reversatile guy, a powerful guy.
(12:06):
Every single piece of the Colts offense looks like a
horrible matchup for the Steelers.
Speaker 8 (12:13):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Now, something you said, I want to, you know, clarify,
because I don't think it could be clarified enough. Mike,
Mike Tomlin's the real defensive coordinator, right He's determining the scheme,
he's calling the plays. Tara Austin's kind of his lackey.
And I say that because I know for a fact
he usurped Dick Lebou when Lebau was the coordinator of
those last couple of years, and certainly Butler as well.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Well, you know, here's one thing I'll say about that.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
So Taroll Austin at practice has a walkie talkie and
is communicating directly with Patrick Queen. And in the games,
I think play to play, he's calling the actual plays.
But I completely agree with you that it's Mike Tomlin's
scheme and his system, and within game planning week to week,
Mike Tomlin has a tremendous say and then within games,
Mike Tomlin, I'm sure he is trying, I mean in
(13:00):
him saying what kind of plague he wants to run.
And one specific example to that point, you know, Terry
Awsin actually philosophically is a blitz guy, but when he
came to Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin wanted to just rush for
And so that's why you saw, you know, the Steelers
over the last two seasons when Terol Austin was technically
defensive coordinator, not really bring a lot of different pressures
(13:23):
because that's what Mike Tomlin wanted.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
It was Mike Tomlin's decision.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And I feel like a lot of these other things
that we're talking about, in terms of which coverages they play,
the personnel usage, you know, philosophically, game plan specific kind
of things, a lot of those are Mike Tomlin decisions.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Well, the Steelers and Tomlin ever begin to doubt their
method and make significant change in their approach.
Speaker 7 (13:49):
I know it's tough to do.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
Mid season, but things ain't going so good.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
I don't think that they will just because if you
look at it, from the time they drafted Cam Hayward
until the time that they acquired MIKEA. Fitzpatrick with a
first round pick, they spent first round picks on defense
nine to ten years, and that wasn't good enough. They
still weren't a good defense. So then they had to
go out and pay guys like Patrick Queen from the
(14:16):
outside of Jalen Ramsey to pay this defense even more.
And somehow Tomlin has convinced whoever is making the decisions,
Colbert and now Omar Kahn, we need more guys. That's
the problem. The problem isn't the scheme, the coaching, you know,
the tactical decisions.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
The problem is.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
We don't have good enough guys. Well, there's no excuse
for that. Now you have a lineup that's full of
Pro Bowl, All Pro, future Hall of Fame guys, and
they're just not getting the job done. They're one of,
if not the worst defenses. And I feel like tom
On realizes that if you just put a ton of
playmakers or talent on defense, you can have a high
(14:59):
floor and you can get to ten wins and you
could preserve the non losing season streaks.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
And it seems like that's.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
What matters to them more than actually raising their ceiling,
actually having a competent offense, actually surrounding Aaron Rodgers with
weapons so that you can win in the modern NFL,
because I think the sample size is large enough that
if you've had the NFL's high speed defense for now
four years and you're still allowing Lamar Jackson to have
(15:27):
the best playoff game of his entire life, if you're
allowing Patrick Mahomes to score so many points in the
playoff games that the Chiefs.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
Literally run out of fireworks.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Because they're scoring so quickly and so much, and then
you still double and triple down on defense by going
out and spending even more. You know, there is no change.
This team is who they are. They're going to be
another ten and sevent team. They're going to be another
year where we talk about another first round exit in
the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
That's very well said, Mike, but I'd be shocked if
they get to ten and seven. Great stuff. Enjoy the game,
we'll talk next week.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
All right, sounds great, Mark, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
That's Mike de Faba, brought to us by Armstrong the Internet.
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dot Com. Some Penguins those they just called up Owen
Pickering the defenceman. That makes it a lefty righty pair
thing again, they don't have to go righty righty. What
this means for Brunick tonight at Philadelphia and moving forward,
I do not know. We get a truncated show today
(16:28):
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(16:52):
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Speaker 2 (18:14):
It's the Hockey Night Show. Joining me now to talk
about the Penguins. He's the assistant sports editor for the
trib he is Jonathan BUMBOLLI, jb Uh, what do you
think the Penguins are gonna do with Brunick and Kindle?
I would have thought that keeping both was a lock,
but Brunick has struggled mightily lately.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
One are the pros and cons.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
I mean, I still think Brunick's been, on balance more
good than bad, but definitely more bad lately. I think that,
you know, I think some of Dubas's comments that we're
telling were that he's talked about. I've heard him talk
about how everyone talks about the nine game threshold, the
ten game threshold where you lose a year on the
(18:56):
entry level contract, but there are also other threshold There's
the you know, there's a forty game threshold that has
something to do with contractual stuff, and there's also the
World Juniors, so that they could keep a guy until
the World Juniors and then send him back to his
junior team after that. So I think you have to
take that into consideration, that it's it's not it's not
(19:17):
a binary. You know, there's not a hard deadline at
ten games, and Dubas is looking at it that way.
I think those guys are better than the replacements that
would replace them in the line up generally speaking, Now,
I don't know that that's the the and and that's
the that's the criteria that you know, the veterans in
(19:39):
the room are going to wait, They're gonna want Dubis
to use you know, they're not gonna want them to say, hey, well,
maybe this will be better for us, you know, six
years down the road when we don't have to pay
this guy so. And I think I think that's probably
what's gonna end up happening. I think that the start
being as good as it has been seven to and
one means that you are at this point there's definitely
an l element of we have to make these decisions
(20:02):
based on what makes our team better right now, in
addition to looking at the future.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
I mean, Dimmis has always said that, he's always said.
Speaker 8 (20:08):
That his goal was to it was too you know,
he had two prongs to his his mandate, and it
was to make this team better.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
Now and in the future.
Speaker 8 (20:16):
Well, right now, this team's better with Kendall and Brunick,
despite Brunick's you know, struggles the last couple of games.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
No, I agree last game, I agree with that, and
I think that's the direction they're likely to head. I
want to add two. I don't want to subtract from
the energy in that room that these kids have brought.
And it's a group of kids, and Brunick's part of
that group. I don't want to diminish that even a
little bit.
Speaker 8 (20:37):
Yeah, and I come back to this. I've said this
number of times, probably even on your show. I found
something super interesting at the beginning of the year in
training camp. Sid said, just because you're getting younger doesn't
mean you're getting worse.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
And I think that's one hundred percent true.
Speaker 8 (20:51):
I also think it's interesting that if this team were
to say there were some injuries, well, a perfect example
is Rikel going down. Rakel goes down, who comes up.
It's not you know, some minor league g lifer. It's
coyven In, who, despite not playing particularly well last night,
is a you know, a good prospect. And if another
for you know, another forward were to go down and
be Tristan Brows, who's a pretty good prospect later down
(21:14):
the road when he's healthy, it might be wrecker of
ma Groarty. This team's going to get younger as the
season goes on.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
Just by you know the natural course of things. That's exciting.
Speaker 8 (21:24):
I mean because you know, when you're when you're there's
always injuries, you're always losing players, and when you replace
those guys with honest to goodness prospects, I mean, geez,
when was the last time dependants were able to do that?
Speaker 2 (21:36):
It's been years, it might be decades. What's your take
with Hallander on Sid's line. I thought it would be
coyn in uh, but I understand Hollander. I mean, he
had a great season in Sweden last year and he
is not the reft of offensive skills.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
No, I'm really I.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Don't know what to make of Hollander.
Speaker 8 (21:53):
He's I mean I thought I knew what to make
of Hollander, you know, in his first couple of tours,
as he was coming up through the I thought he
was a you know, bottom six guy who could play
center or wing. And and you know what you saw
him do playing with the Crosby line last night was
he did some of the dirty work, Like he did
some of the digging in the corners to get those
(22:14):
guys a puck and let let Crosby and Russ you know,
do the do the scoring. And that's a formula of
the work. I mean, you know Sid loves it when
a guy I mean the reason Sid loved do Please
so much. I mean there's a number of reasons, but
one of them was because Duple would back check like
a maniac and Sid didn't have to worry about that.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
Calend will do that.
Speaker 8 (22:35):
He'll back check like a maniac to keep his job.
So but the reason why he's hard to figure out is, Okay,
his profile is good defensive guy, good on the penalty, kill,
win some face offs for you, and then he goes
back to Sweden last year and his second in the
Swedish league in scoring, and You're like, where the.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
Hell did that come from? So that that's what makes.
Speaker 8 (22:52):
You think that maybe there's something else in there in
terms of unlocking some offensive potential. Sid could do that,
of course, I mean he's done it before. I'd like,
I don't know what to make of them. I think
he's a He's never going to be a net negative
for your hockey team because he's a good two way player.
The question is he going to be a positive? And
that's what I'm really not sure about yet.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Sid reached seventeen hundred points last night. Can he get
to two thousand one of the factors. I find that
intriguing because I think Sid playing long enough to get
to two thousand, JB will have nothing to.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Do with getting to two thousand.
Speaker 8 (23:25):
Oh yeah, I'm sure it's not necessarily a goal. I mean,
I guess it could be if he got real close, right,
you know, like if you got into the upper nineteen hundreds,
it might be something that crossed his mind. Well, I mean, offensively,
there's no reason to believe that he's going to have
the best you know, season for a player his age,
probably in the history of the NHL this year. I mean,
(23:48):
you know, that's that's the way it's trending. And so
you know, I mean there's certainly no slowing down. So
you're talking about roughly around a point per game, even
if it dips, it's going to be fairly close to that.
Speaker 6 (23:59):
So the question is that he have you know, two
hundred and some.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
Games lest in him, or I guess it would be
three hundred and some games left in them. So you're
talking about Yeah, I don't know, I mean four years.
I don't know if he does, it's up to him.
I mean, you know, nobody's gonna kick him out the
way he's playing.
Speaker 5 (24:17):
Well, JB.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I've been saying that he will want to play in
the league as long as he's a legitimate top six center.
He won't be like Trotz, who just wants to keep
playing as a third liner to try to keep winning.
I think said has a clear vision of the type
of player he wants to be, and when he isn't.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
He'll hang him up.
Speaker 8 (24:35):
I think that's absolutely true. I mean, he's definitely not
the type. This is a this is a completely insane analogy.
I'll give it to you anyway. I heard an interview
with AJ Styles. AJ Styles said he said, I want
to retire at forty and everybody's like, nobody believes that
because wrestlers always say that. But he said, look, I
don't want to be a guy that they just trot
out there and he can't have a good match. I
(24:57):
don't want to be like gorgeous George when he was
you know, you know, just dragging him out there for.
Speaker 6 (25:03):
His name value.
Speaker 8 (25:04):
Sid will never want to be dragged out there for
his name value. But I mean, we're so far away
from that day. It seems like it seems like it's
years down the road. I mean, he's still an elite,
elite talent.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
What is the fall out of the coaching change JB.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Obviously it's fresh, sure, they're not stale, there's more adrenaline,
But what are the Penguins doing different under muse?
Speaker 6 (25:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (25:28):
Okay, So the things I wish I was First of all,
I wish I was smarter and knowing what I'm watching
that he's doing differently.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
So that's the caveat to start with.
Speaker 8 (25:36):
But the things that I've noticed is the number one
thing I've noticed is puck support.
Speaker 6 (25:41):
So and he talks about it.
Speaker 8 (25:43):
It's a buzzword of muses. It's connectivity, and you don't
see like they're not making long breakout.
Speaker 6 (25:48):
Passes and hoping for the best.
Speaker 8 (25:50):
It's short breakout passes and it's supporting the puck carrier
by skating.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
And to me, this it's perfect for this roster because.
Speaker 8 (25:59):
When you end up in a situation with this team,
which has happened over the last few years, where you're
making long breakout passes, you've got forwards that are offensively
minded and they're thinking, let's go. We're making these breakout
passes and then it gets broken up and boom, you're
coming back the other way odd man against. If you're
coming through the neutral zone as a pack and there's
a turnover, you're more equipped to defend that turnover. So
(26:19):
I think that's a to me, that's a big thing
that I've seen. I also think, you know that in
the D zone, I think they defend like the house
that the area of the high slot between the hash marks,
defend that area more religiously than they ever did under Sullivan.
And I think that matters because.
Speaker 6 (26:39):
They I feel like they're.
Speaker 8 (26:41):
They're more there's more of a focus under Mews of
quality over quantity. So it seems like they're they're content
to give up low quality chances and and they're defending
against high quality chances, and and that's sort of the
that's like sort of the wave of the future.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
There was a big stretch.
Speaker 8 (26:59):
That started and the Penguins were winning their last two
Cups where it was about, you know, chances, quantity of chances,
get in the offensive zone, get your shots, get your
shot attempts. That was the you know, the real currency.
And it seems like that's shifting a little bit where
it's more about the quality.
Speaker 6 (27:18):
Of the chances.
Speaker 8 (27:19):
Like you look at last night's game is a perfect example.
I was looking at the numbers from that game shot attempts.
The Blues had a huge advantage sixty six to forty seven.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
I think it was something like that high danger scoring chances.
Speaker 8 (27:31):
The Penguins had an advantage thirteen to ten, and I
think that's really really telling, Like they don't in the
offensive zone. I don't think mus cares about the number
of shots, and in the defensive zone, I think he
cares about their quality of shots. And I think that's
sort of what you're seeing. Like I said, I wish
I was smart enough to tell you why that's happening specifically,
but it's definitely happened.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Well, the one thing I know, because the player told me,
they still want the defense to activate and pinch, but
the minute of defenseman that the high forward starts to
circle back, so they're not getting caught out as much
with odd man breaks up. Finally, JB cliched question, but
they're seven.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
Two and one.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
If they can kind of maintain that cushion even go
five hundred e between now and Thanksgiving, they're going to
be in a playoff spot. And traditionally, if you're in
a playoff spot at Thanksgiving, you make the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
Can this team do that?
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Well?
Speaker 8 (28:27):
You know, you look at the A big reason for
their success so far is traditional hockey puck luck kind
of stuff. It's shooting percentage and it's safe percentage.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
And right now they're first.
Speaker 8 (28:38):
In the league and shooting percentage almost fifteen percent. They're
third in the league in save percentage nine one five.
Can those things hold up over the course of the year.
My you know, your inclination is to say, no, it's
going to even out over the course of the year.
I mean that save percentage, it would have been first,
it would have been tied with Winnipeg last year over
a full season, and they have the best goalie in
(28:59):
the league. So you know, the safe percent is gonna
come down a little bit, the shooting percentage is gonna
come down a little bit.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
But so you're my inclination.
Speaker 8 (29:07):
Is to say it's gonna even out. But here's the thing.
Washington had an awesome year last year using that exact
same formula. I mean, it's not like Washington. You look
at their roster and last year's Washington roster isn't any
better than this.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
Year's Penguins a roster. I'm not sure that it is.
Speaker 8 (29:22):
And yet they had a great year all year long,
made the playoffs were in contention because they just got
that little tick up, a few more pucks went in,
a few more pucks stayed out. Could this be the
year the Penguins do that, No doubt about it. It's
not like the East is covering itself in glory in
the first ten games of the season. To you know,
wedge your way into the last couple of playoff spots
(29:43):
wouldn't surprise.
Speaker 6 (29:44):
Me in the least.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
But you know what, Mark, we said that.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
We said that before the season started.
Speaker 8 (29:48):
We said it wouldn't shock us if they were seventh
or eighth in the East. And I think that's still
definitely the case.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
Oh No, it's a bad conference.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
I'm not saying it's going to happen, but I agree
that it could happen.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
JB. Great stuff. Enjoy the game tonight.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Enjoyed the Frozen and Frenzy Penguins are the first game
kicking off. Every NHL playing team playing tonight, All thirty
two up next. Gonna keep talking pucks with my producer
Tom Offraman, talking Penguins and Flyers with Tommy Radio.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
Just around the corner here.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
On one oh five nine, The X The Home of the.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Penguins one O five nine, The X says, your shot
at tags, drink.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Cash, keep money like that act.
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Blue Chow Dinner Row, I'm rich, Rich Rich, Jimmy listen
all day for your chance has some extra cash.
Speaker 7 (30:34):
On one oh five nine, The X Smark Madden Talk It.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Is stand the man Gableva you doing Mark?
Speaker 5 (30:43):
I'm doing good? The X at one o five nine,
Welcome back to the Hockey Night Show.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
We got the Penguins at Philadelphia tonight fifty years, no
cups here, all the action right here. On one oh
five nine The X. I'm joined now by Tommy Radio.
Tom here's a clicheed question, and coming out of last
night's win at PPG over Saint Louis, sid got to
seventeen hundred points, he's thirty eight. Can he become the
second player in NHL history to get to two thousand points?
Speaker 6 (31:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 10 (31:13):
I think he absolutely can become that. I'm not so
sure that we can, you know, start to look at
it as it's gonna be something we can expect just yet.
But it's getting there too, like it can become an
expected thing.
Speaker 7 (31:25):
Mark.
Speaker 10 (31:25):
He keeps playing like this, why wouldn't he keep playing
until he's forty two, forty three years old?
Speaker 5 (31:29):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:29):
But at thirty eight, it's expecting a locker room to
keep playing like this.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
Is it that he keeps proving us wrong until he
does it?
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Though? I mean Age wins in the end every time.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
So I'm honestly not sure if he gets to two thousand,
because he won't hang on to get it. He won't
stick around as a third liner. He won't keep playing
based on numbers. He'll keep playing as long as he's
a top six center.
Speaker 10 (31:56):
You've often said that, and always said that, really is
the second he would down to being like a third
line center and try to be a role player. That's
just not for him. He just rather pack his bags
and go home and call it a career and start
the clock ticking for him to the Hall of Fame.
That's the read that you get on it, and I
agree with question. I agree with that read. It's just
every time a milestone is brought up to him, you
can feel him get uncomfortable, even when you bring it
(32:18):
up on the show, when he's interviewed, he's you can
feel him just be like, I don't care.
Speaker 7 (32:21):
Can we move on?
Speaker 2 (32:21):
We celebrate too many of his milestones they're piling up. Now,
let's just get excited for the really big ones. Although
seventeen hundred points is a pretty big one. And the
old guys are the theme right now for the Penguins, well,
the young guys too, But statistically, you got Geno tied
for the NHL points lead and his number one in assists,
and nobody's carrying him. It's not like he's out there
(32:43):
feeding snipers. He's out there with Mantha and Brazil.
Speaker 10 (32:46):
No, he's the one carrying those guys. And I still
just don't know how long this can last for Gino.
With Sid, I'm sure he's gonna have a great season.
As long as he stays healthy. He'll be a point
per game player, He'll score a lot of goals. He'll
be Sid. But with Gino, you know, you still just
kind of want is that other shoe gonna drop? As
we start getting into the dog days of the season.
This is the first back to back game of the
season for the Penguins tonight, Mark, so you kind of
(33:07):
keep an eye on that.
Speaker 7 (33:08):
How's the recovery there? That's a serious question. I think for.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Gina, Oh no, no question, and no, I think eventually
he will fall off production wise for sure. Then again,
he's been real good on the power play, which the
myth is that he's real.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
Good with the man advantage. The reality is he's off
and not.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
But if he can keep that up on the power
play unit, maybe he can keep the point total up.
Speaker 5 (33:32):
And I want to talk about Anthony Mantha.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Who's got five goals in ten games, scored again last night.
He's a big body, he goes to the net. Braso
does it as well. When them guys do that, especially
when they score right in the blue paint, it looks
so foreign Tom in these jerseys.
Speaker 11 (33:50):
It's been a long time, a lost concept with this franchise,
I know, but you love to see it. And with Mantha,
you kind of buy him a little bit more than Brawsers, right,
Like he has a bit more of a pedigree.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
He's the former first round draft pick.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
Yeah he said some twenty plus goal seasons.
Speaker 10 (34:07):
Right, So like Mantha and Malcoln, I think could really
be a thing as far as the season's longevity is concerned.
Then maybe he just slide McGroarty in there for brawsers
and then that line can really start to cook and
then Genos.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
I still put McGroarty with Kindle, the kid line and
Covid and when the time comes, but there it's gonna
be what another month at least, I think until mcgroarty's
available and Ye kind of gets his game back together
with a stretch in Wilkes.
Speaker 5 (34:35):
And speaking of the kids, I think Kindle.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Is safer to stay and not get return to Junior's
right now than Brunick. Brunick struggled mightily last night. I'm
not saying I wouldn't keep him. I probably would, but
they do have, you know, good numbers on the right
side of defense. Dumbus played well on the wrong side
since he got forced into the lineup by Caleb Jones' injury.
(35:01):
I would keep Runic, but I think for the first
time there's doubt in their minds as to whether they will.
Speaker 10 (35:06):
Is the back to back scratch game kind of what
started to plant the seed of them having understand that.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
I think it buys time because you know, you've got
nine games with him in the lineup before you have
to decide whether to keep them or send them back
to juniors.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
But I know they're wondering right.
Speaker 10 (35:22):
Now as far as his development goes, and that's most important.
It's just probably not gonna do anything for him to
play in juniors. Like I would rather just keep him here.
If you scratch him more often than even you anticipated
with load management, than you scratch them more off.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
But when you start seven to two and one, it
kind of changes what you're basing that decision on, at
least to some small degree.
Speaker 10 (35:42):
Yeah, you're right about that. I hope they both stay.
So do you think Kendall's almost getting towards Locke territory
to be a penguin for the year.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
I wish he was more productive. I think the fact
that he has two goals and no helpers ain't good.
But I see him creating chances. I see him maybe
most important, with such great defensive acumen for an eighteen
year old, I would for sure keep him.
Speaker 10 (36:01):
Yeah, like to see him on the path when he
gets a chance to be on the power play. I
didn't have a chance last night, But when he gets
out there, don't figure when he gets out there for
the first time, maybe that'll start to, you know, spark
his point production a little bit.
Speaker 7 (36:12):
Well, here's the other thing you can't ignore.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
I know you want to look at you know, how
they play and production and everything on the ice. But
one other important thing with the kids, Tom, it's changed
the dynamic of the room, the energy and since they
did start seven too and one, I'm not sure you
want to change that now. Is that a good enough
reason to keep Brunic here if he's struggling. No, But
(36:33):
but to me, I would add it to the equation.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (36:37):
But also, if you went the route of sending Brunick
back to juniors, it's not like you'd be cutting off
all of that youth. You'd still have Kendle, you still
have koaven In a bros is gonna come up and
mcgroarty's gonna come back.
Speaker 7 (36:48):
There's still gonna be energy guys there.
Speaker 5 (36:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (36:50):
But it's a group of kids and he's one of
the group, the original part of the group too.
Speaker 6 (36:54):
Yeah. Start.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
So if it's up to me, I keep both Kindle
and Brunic that's my call.
Speaker 10 (36:59):
I mean, I know Sid is Sid, but like, I
don't think there's a coincidence with him and Gino start
with this kind of youth movement and also the freshness
of the coach. I think it's good for them as resistance,
as resistant as they may have been when you would
have broached the subject of moving on to Soli in
the past.
Speaker 7 (37:12):
I bet you right now they're like, this is kind
of nice. I like this, refreshing this.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Finally, Tom Philip Hollander was okay on Sid's wing last night,
first game, but you got to produce. And again, I
think he's played fine, but he has one goal in
nine games so far.
Speaker 10 (37:27):
Yeah, I mean, I just want to splash a coiven
and up there. I want to see not fall in
love with Allan there. But I guess Sid is just
gonna want to play with him until Roquel gets back.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
And I don't know.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
I mean, like you know, I I wish Sid was
more open to, like, you know, guys coming in and
out of that wing from night to night until somebody
catches fire and stays there for a.
Speaker 10 (37:45):
Bit, kind of like how Soli used to do right
where he would pair him up right like the one.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
No, that's that's actually a rather prevalent coaching technique where
you don't have lines. You have forwards and pairs of
two when you mix and match with the third guy.
Speaker 10 (37:56):
Yeah, so you just sit and rust together always and
then you kind of just slide him in and out
be a Hollander. It can be a coivnin And it's
not just you know, game to game, it's shift to shift.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
Sometimes Rush's coming on and that's good for him because
I think he was reading the room.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (38:08):
That's it for the Hockey Night Show.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Up next, it's the Penguins Network pre game. After that,
the Penguins and the old enemy, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Speaker 5 (38:18):
Here all the action right here on one oh five
ninety X.
Speaker 7 (38:30):
With other language learning apps.
Speaker 10 (38:32):
I was just playing games.
Speaker 7 (38:33):
I wasn't really learning. That was different
See Exit one zero, five to nine.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
These Steelers feel like they're trade at quicksand joining me
on to talk about it. He covers the team for
the Athletic. Always a pleasure to talk to, Mike de Fabo. Mike,
the Steelers are four and three and on top of
the AFC North. But do they kind of feel done
to you anyway? Because I don't see that defense improving.
It's it's too flawed and too old.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, I mean, any ceiling that the Steelers had this
season was directly tied to this defense being very good.
And right now, this is not a hot take, It's
just a fact they are bad, and they are one
of the worst, if not the worst defense in the league,
especially in their secondary, and like they're about to face
(00:47):
a bunch of talented offenses.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Not only do they have to face the Colts and.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Shane Szeichen who always has Mike tom and Tarrel Austin's number,
but later this season that four game stretched at the end,
you know, they played three the top offenses from last year,
and the Lions, the Ravens and the Bills, and who
knows what state the defense is going to be at
that point. So I agree with you, Mark, like, if
they're going to improve defensively, it's not going to because
(01:14):
not going to be because the competition is getting any easier.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Who's the biggest scapegoat on that defense?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I can't decide between the whole secondary and PJ.
Speaker 6 (01:22):
Watt.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Yeah, those are two good places to start. I think
also coaching definitely with this group because you look around
the league and there are so many other defenses that
have so much less talent and yet they're able to
play as one, and the Steelers just don't do that.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
And you hear.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Criticism from former players like Julian Edelman saying that the
Steelers defense is stale, it's stagnant, it's predictable, and then
you hear those same comments from Jamar Chase saying we
knew exactly what the Steelers were going to do. And
I think the biggest problem is when there are pre
snap shifts and motions, the Steelers might be in the
coverage the sky, but after those shifts and motions, it's
(02:03):
so obvious what coverage they're in that somebody like me
can see it. That definitely, somebody who's an experienced quarterback
can see So, you know, I think that the scheme
is a problem.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
I think that the.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Coaching is a problem first and foremost.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
But then obviously this secondary that was so overhyped before
the season hasn't come anywhere close to living up to
its billing, and you know, especially after they lose to
Shawn Elliott, I don't have a tremendous amount of faith
that it's going to get any better.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
You mentioned the coaching, and I agree.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I think the coaching has been terrible with the defense,
and really the entire team has been has been poorly guided.
Speaker 7 (02:39):
What is Mike Toma more likely.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
To do magtactical changes along with personnel changes which are limited,
not much choice there. Well, he just stick to his
guns because he likes to be right more than anything.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I think they're going to keep doing a lot of
what they've been doing because it's what they've been doing for.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
The last decade.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
And if it was even in the first round of
the playoffs year after year, after the way the season
unraveled last year didn't prompt change, then I feel like
nothing is going to prompt change, So I expect very
much a lot more of the same.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You talked about the secondary before. I want to get
back to them for just a moment. It was too
easy for Jordan Love and for Flacco the prior week,
and probably for Danny Dimes this coming Sunday.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
Too many easy completions.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I look at that coverage and guys aren't even close, Mike.
I don't understand what they're even trying to do.
Speaker 6 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I think one of the problems is there's like a
saying in defensive football, you don't cover grass, you cover people.
And the Steelers they have what's called like country coverages,
which is basically like a spot drop zone coverage where
it's like you're playing Madden, like people who play Mad
and you say, oh, and cover three, this linebacker's supposed
to be here, and you draw a little circle and
(03:57):
that's their zone.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Well, that's not how the modern nfls played.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The good defenses in the NFL play a lot of
pattern matching zones or man matching zones, where when a
guy comes into your zone, you pick him up like
it's man and maybe if you even follow him into
a different zone. And I think that's the biggest problem
is when you when you face an experienced quarterback and
they look at it and they know this is cover three,
This is cover two. They know where the soft spots
(04:23):
are in those zones, and they're throwing to them. And
I think that's one of the biggest problems for the
defense right now. I think, and then and then when
they try to play man coverage, which was supposed to
be the whole point of remaking this defense. I don't
think that Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey can play man.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Coverage at an elite level anymore. They just cannot.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I mean, like Slay was pretty transparent throughout the season.
I think one of the most telling comments that he said, Yeah,
would have been great to have all these all these
dvs together if.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
We were a bit younger. And that's exactly what it is.
Slay is not what he once was. He was six times.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
He is a thirty four year old corner and there's
a big difference between the two.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
We're talking to Mike de Febo, brought to us by
Armstrong the Internet. You count on the people you trust, Mike.
I don't mind the offense. I think it's been mostly okay.
But why does Steelers abandon the run in the second
half against Green Bay, not least when they had a
lead after three quarters.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
I completely agree with you.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
Mark.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
You know, I've been pleasantly surprised by Aaron Rodgers this season.
He's two or three notches above what I expected, and
my expectations.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Were pretty low going into this year.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
But that said, he's not going to stand toe to
toe in a shootout with Jordan Love. You need to
have some semblance of balance. And all the things the
Steelers did in the game Sunday, there weren't a lot
of good things, but the biggest positive was against one
of the NFL's best rushing defenses. They were still productive
running the football, and I felt like that put them
(05:56):
in a really good position because my biggest concern going
into that game was the pack are going to turn
them one dimensional. Micah Parsons was going to get after
Aaron Rodgers and it was just going to be a
miserable day. Well, the Packers didn't make the Steelers one dimensional.
The Steelers made themselves one dimensional. And I don't know
whether it was Archer Smith calling more pass plays in
(06:16):
the second half or Often those players are kind of
packaged where you have two or three plays called in
the huddle and maybe a quarterback can decide the line
of scrimmage what to do.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Maybe it was Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
I don't have clarity on exactly who was the one
calling the shots and.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Going with the pass more, but.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I completely agree that that this offense has found an
identity when it runs the football at least to create
some type of balance, and when they aren't a balanced offense,
that's where the wheels fall off.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Well, and staying with that, if cemald can't play, how
does the O line shake down? And did the Steelers
have to abandon that jumbo package? Because the jumbo package
is something I hated initially, but now I think it's
the closest thing they have to building an offense identity.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Just so they've got a couple options, I think to
answer your question quickly, if Samalu cannot go, Spencer Anderson
would be the next man up. And then the question
would be, you know, within the game on Sunday when
they lost Samalo, they were go using like traditional twelve personnel,
so they're using five linemen and then they would just
put Darnel Washington and then one of the other tight
(07:25):
ends next to him. It's not as effective as having
a three hundred pound guy, especially because John new Smith
is not a good blocker.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
He's just not.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
He can do a lot of different things. He's he's
a Swiss army knife. One of those weapons is not
as a blocker. He can't execute basic blocks, let alone
the kind of blocks that Spencer Anderson can do. So
if the Steelers do want to continue doing their jumblo packages, yeah,
I think one possibility would be you bring in a
guy like Andres Pete at guard and then you move
(07:56):
Spencer Anderson over to that extra lineman position at the
end of the line of screen image.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Maybe that's a.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Possibility, but you know, I think it is going to
definitely change some of their thinkings, some of their thought
process here because that was one of the most effective
packages running and throwing the football, and now it could
be shaken up, or at least they're gonna have to
reimagine it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Are there crack showing with Aaron Rodgers, Not in terms
of his play Mike, because I think he's been more
than fine. He's I've done my expectations too, but he's
snapping the teammates. He got pissed after a metcalf drop
against Green Bay, and if he's frustrated, I certainly don't
blame him.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of in the camp that
I think it's a good for the most part. When
he shows emotion and when he calls use teammates, like
especially in a practice setting, I think that he's.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Raised the bar there.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
But right now, like when things are going well for
this team, you can you can view it through that prism.
But if things start to unravel, I think I wonder
if we're going to start seeing some more frustrations.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Like right now now, there's so much talk about how
the Steelers.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Are like drama free compared to what the Jets were
with Aaron Rodgers. Will that continue if the results aren't there?
And I think that that should be a concern going forward.
I wonder if everyone's going to continue to be, you know,
sunshine and rainbows and everything's great, and our quarterback's aus
and then we all love each other and we hold hands,
(09:23):
you know, if things start going sideways, what.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Rather Rogers snapping somebody then I mean you hear Cam
talking about the team don't have no fight in it.
I mean that's on Cam. Cam's a captain, Patrick Queen.
The same way San their timid Well do something about it.
Speaker 6 (09:38):
Then.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, I completely agree with you. I mean, I was
raised in the era of Bill Tower football, where when
he would go up and just you would see that
jaw going and you would speak see the spit flying.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
That was a good thing.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
And maybe that was just the way that I was
raised too, where you know, if you make a mistake,
you're gonna hear about it. And so I think that
for the most part, Rogers demanding perfectionist mindset has been
a good thing for this offense. But you know, only
it's only if the results continue this way, and I
do wonder, you know, if they start.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
To struggle, if if that that kind.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Of approach will be interpreted different differently by teammates.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
This Indie game seems a crossroads, don't it, like the
Final Frontier? Because Indies offense is a juggernaut, the Steelers
defense is bad. And what's the aftermath going to be
if the coach come to Akershrom and put up forty
or forty five points, Because that could very easily happen.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Yeah, this seems like a nightmare scenario for the Steelers defense.
You know, looking back over the last couple of years,
Shane Stikeen is a really good offensive mind who was
held back by Anthony Richardson, who doesn't belong at quarterback.
He just can't throw, he can't complete a pass. So
you know, I've seen Shane stikeing eat Mike Tommantarol since
lunch with Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco at quarterback. Now
(11:05):
he has a pretty reliable quarterback that fits his system.
So that's a horrible matchup for the Steelers. She like
converts whoever is coordinating their defense. That's a horrible matchup
against Jonathan Taylor because Jonathan Taylor is one of the
best backs in the NFL. And not only is he
a big, bruising ball carrier that's going to grind out
(11:25):
those hard yards, he has elite home run hitting ability,
which is what makes him such a unique weapon. And
the Steelers have been inconsistent against the run over the
last several years, and they've been really bad at allowing
this explosive running plays. And then on top of it,
you know, you just look at the way the Steelers
secondary is playing, and they're about to play the best
(11:46):
passing offense in the NFL. Everything about this matchup looks
like a nightmare. And I didn't even mention the tight end.
The tight end two. The Steelers can never have never
been able to cover tight ends for the last couple
of years, and now they've got one of the best
tight ends, or one of the best young tight ends
at least in the league, coming. Reversatile guy, a powerful guy.
(12:06):
Every single piece of the Colts offense looks like a
horrible matchup for the Steelers.
Speaker 8 (12:13):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Now, something you said, I want to, you know, clarify,
because I don't think it could be clarified enough. Mike,
Mike Tomlin's the real defensive coordinator, right He's determining the scheme,
he's calling the plays. Tara Austin's kind of his lackey.
And I say that because I know for a fact
he usurped Dick Lebou when Lebau was the coordinator of
those last couple of years, and certainly Butler as well.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Well, you know, here's one thing I'll say about that.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
So Taroll Austin at practice has a walkie talkie and
is communicating directly with Patrick Queen. And in the games,
I think play to play, he's calling the actual plays.
But I completely agree with you that it's Mike Tomlin's
scheme and his system, and within game planning week to week,
Mike Tomlin has a tremendous say and then within games,
Mike Tomlin, I'm sure he is trying, I mean in
(13:00):
him saying what kind of plague he wants to run.
And one specific example to that point, you know, Terry
Awsin actually philosophically is a blitz guy, but when he
came to Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin wanted to just rush for
And so that's why you saw, you know, the Steelers
over the last two seasons when Terol Austin was technically
defensive coordinator, not really bring a lot of different pressures
(13:23):
because that's what Mike Tomlin wanted.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
It was Mike Tomlin's decision.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And I feel like a lot of these other things
that we're talking about, in terms of which coverages they play,
the personnel usage, you know, philosophically, game plan specific kind
of things, a lot of those are Mike Tomlin decisions.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Well, the Steelers and Tomlin ever begin to doubt their
method and make significant change in their approach.
Speaker 7 (13:49):
I know it's tough to do.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
Mid season, but things ain't going so good.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
I don't think that they will just because if you
look at it, from the time they drafted Cam Hayward
until the time that they acquired MIKEA. Fitzpatrick with a
first round pick, they spent first round picks on defense
nine to ten years, and that wasn't good enough. They
still weren't a good defense. So then they had to
go out and pay guys like Patrick Queen from the
(14:16):
outside of Jalen Ramsey to pay this defense even more.
And somehow Tomlin has convinced whoever is making the decisions,
Colbert and now Omar Kahn, we need more guys. That's
the problem. The problem isn't the scheme, the coaching, you know,
the tactical decisions.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
The problem is.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
We don't have good enough guys. Well, there's no excuse
for that. Now you have a lineup that's full of
Pro Bowl, All Pro, future Hall of Fame guys, and
they're just not getting the job done. They're one of,
if not the worst defenses. And I feel like tom
On realizes that if you just put a ton of
playmakers or talent on defense, you can have a high
(14:59):
floor and you can get to ten wins and you
could preserve the non losing season streaks.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
And it seems like that's.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
What matters to them more than actually raising their ceiling,
actually having a competent offense, actually surrounding Aaron Rodgers with
weapons so that you can win in the modern NFL,
because I think the sample size is large enough that
if you've had the NFL's high speed defense for now
four years and you're still allowing Lamar Jackson to have
(15:27):
the best playoff game of his entire life, if you're
allowing Patrick Mahomes to score so many points in the
playoff games that the Chiefs.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
Literally run out of fireworks.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Because they're scoring so quickly and so much, and then
you still double and triple down on defense by going
out and spending even more. You know, there is no change.
This team is who they are. They're going to be
another ten and sevent team. They're going to be another
year where we talk about another first round exit in
the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
That's very well said, Mike, but I'd be shocked if
they get to ten and seven. Great stuff. Enjoy the game,
we'll talk next week.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
All right, sounds great, Mark, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
That's Mike de Faba, brought to us by Armstrong the Internet.
You count on the people you trust Armstrong on Wired
dot Com. Some Penguins those they just called up Owen
Pickering the defenceman. That makes it a lefty righty pair
thing again, they don't have to go righty righty. What
this means for Brunick tonight at Philadelphia and moving forward,
I do not know. We get a truncated show today
(16:28):
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the Hockey Night Show.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
At four thirty up.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Next, ask mark anything early edition dial a three three
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the iHeartMedia app. We're also gonna do a quick list
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(16:52):
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Speaker 2 (18:14):
It's the Hockey Night Show. Joining me now to talk
about the Penguins. He's the assistant sports editor for the
trib he is Jonathan BUMBOLLI, jb Uh, what do you
think the Penguins are gonna do with Brunick and Kindle?
I would have thought that keeping both was a lock,
but Brunick has struggled mightily lately.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
One are the pros and cons.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
I mean, I still think Brunick's been, on balance more
good than bad, but definitely more bad lately. I think that,
you know, I think some of Dubas's comments that we're
telling were that he's talked about. I've heard him talk
about how everyone talks about the nine game threshold, the
ten game threshold where you lose a year on the
(18:56):
entry level contract, but there are also other threshold There's
the you know, there's a forty game threshold that has
something to do with contractual stuff, and there's also the
World Juniors, so that they could keep a guy until
the World Juniors and then send him back to his
junior team after that. So I think you have to
take that into consideration, that it's it's not it's not
(19:17):
a binary. You know, there's not a hard deadline at
ten games, and Dubas is looking at it that way.
I think those guys are better than the replacements that
would replace them in the line up generally speaking, Now,
I don't know that that's the the and and that's
the that's the criteria that you know, the veterans in
(19:39):
the room are going to wait, They're gonna want Dubis
to use you know, they're not gonna want them to say, hey, well,
maybe this will be better for us, you know, six
years down the road when we don't have to pay
this guy so. And I think I think that's probably
what's gonna end up happening. I think that the start
being as good as it has been seven to and
one means that you are at this point there's definitely
an l element of we have to make these decisions
(20:02):
based on what makes our team better right now, in
addition to looking at the future.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
I mean, Dimmis has always said that, he's always said.
Speaker 8 (20:08):
That his goal was to it was too you know,
he had two prongs to his his mandate, and it
was to make this team better.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
Now and in the future.
Speaker 8 (20:16):
Well, right now, this team's better with Kendall and Brunick,
despite Brunick's you know, struggles the last couple of games.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
No, I agree last game, I agree with that, and
I think that's the direction they're likely to head. I
want to add two. I don't want to subtract from
the energy in that room that these kids have brought.
And it's a group of kids, and Brunick's part of
that group. I don't want to diminish that even a
little bit.
Speaker 8 (20:37):
Yeah, and I come back to this. I've said this
number of times, probably even on your show. I found
something super interesting at the beginning of the year in
training camp. Sid said, just because you're getting younger doesn't
mean you're getting worse.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
And I think that's one hundred percent true.
Speaker 8 (20:51):
I also think it's interesting that if this team were
to say there were some injuries, well, a perfect example
is Rikel going down. Rakel goes down, who comes up.
It's not you know, some minor league g lifer. It's
coyven In, who, despite not playing particularly well last night,
is a you know, a good prospect. And if another
for you know, another forward were to go down and
be Tristan Brows, who's a pretty good prospect later down
(21:14):
the road when he's healthy, it might be wrecker of
ma Groarty. This team's going to get younger as the
season goes on.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
Just by you know the natural course of things. That's exciting.
Speaker 8 (21:24):
I mean because you know, when you're when you're there's
always injuries, you're always losing players, and when you replace
those guys with honest to goodness prospects, I mean, geez,
when was the last time dependants were able to do that?
Speaker 2 (21:36):
It's been years, it might be decades. What's your take
with Hallander on Sid's line. I thought it would be
coyn in uh, but I understand Hollander. I mean, he
had a great season in Sweden last year and he
is not the reft of offensive skills.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
No, I'm really I.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Don't know what to make of Hollander.
Speaker 8 (21:53):
He's I mean I thought I knew what to make
of Hollander, you know, in his first couple of tours,
as he was coming up through the I thought he
was a you know, bottom six guy who could play
center or wing. And and you know what you saw
him do playing with the Crosby line last night was
he did some of the dirty work, Like he did
some of the digging in the corners to get those
(22:14):
guys a puck and let let Crosby and Russ you know,
do the do the scoring. And that's a formula of
the work. I mean, you know Sid loves it when
a guy I mean the reason Sid loved do Please
so much. I mean there's a number of reasons, but
one of them was because Duple would back check like
a maniac and Sid didn't have to worry about that.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
Calend will do that.
Speaker 8 (22:35):
He'll back check like a maniac to keep his job.
So but the reason why he's hard to figure out is, Okay,
his profile is good defensive guy, good on the penalty, kill,
win some face offs for you, and then he goes
back to Sweden last year and his second in the
Swedish league in scoring, and You're like, where the.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
Hell did that come from? So that that's what makes.
Speaker 8 (22:52):
You think that maybe there's something else in there in
terms of unlocking some offensive potential. Sid could do that,
of course, I mean he's done it before. I'd like,
I don't know what to make of them. I think
he's a He's never going to be a net negative
for your hockey team because he's a good two way player.
The question is he going to be a positive? And
that's what I'm really not sure about yet.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Sid reached seventeen hundred points last night. Can he get
to two thousand one of the factors. I find that
intriguing because I think Sid playing long enough to get
to two thousand, JB will have nothing to.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Do with getting to two thousand.
Speaker 8 (23:25):
Oh yeah, I'm sure it's not necessarily a goal. I mean,
I guess it could be if he got real close, right,
you know, like if you got into the upper nineteen hundreds,
it might be something that crossed his mind. Well, I mean, offensively,
there's no reason to believe that he's going to have
the best you know, season for a player his age,
probably in the history of the NHL this year. I mean,
(23:48):
you know, that's that's the way it's trending. And so
you know, I mean there's certainly no slowing down. So
you're talking about roughly around a point per game, even
if it dips, it's going to be fairly close to that.
Speaker 6 (23:59):
So the question is that he have you know, two
hundred and some.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
Games lest in him, or I guess it would be
three hundred and some games left in them. So you're
talking about Yeah, I don't know, I mean four years.
I don't know if he does, it's up to him.
I mean, you know, nobody's gonna kick him out the
way he's playing.
Speaker 5 (24:17):
Well, JB.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I've been saying that he will want to play in
the league as long as he's a legitimate top six center.
He won't be like Trotz, who just wants to keep
playing as a third liner to try to keep winning.
I think said has a clear vision of the type
of player he wants to be, and when he isn't.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
He'll hang him up.
Speaker 8 (24:35):
I think that's absolutely true. I mean, he's definitely not
the type. This is a this is a completely insane analogy.
I'll give it to you anyway. I heard an interview
with AJ Styles. AJ Styles said he said, I want
to retire at forty and everybody's like, nobody believes that
because wrestlers always say that. But he said, look, I
don't want to be a guy that they just trot
out there and he can't have a good match. I
(24:57):
don't want to be like gorgeous George when he was
you know, you know, just dragging him out there for.
Speaker 6 (25:03):
His name value.
Speaker 8 (25:04):
Sid will never want to be dragged out there for
his name value. But I mean, we're so far away
from that day. It seems like it seems like it's
years down the road. I mean, he's still an elite,
elite talent.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
What is the fall out of the coaching change JB.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Obviously it's fresh, sure, they're not stale, there's more adrenaline,
But what are the Penguins doing different under muse?
Speaker 6 (25:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (25:28):
Okay, So the things I wish I was First of all,
I wish I was smarter and knowing what I'm watching
that he's doing differently.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
So that's the caveat to start with.
Speaker 8 (25:36):
But the things that I've noticed is the number one
thing I've noticed is puck support.
Speaker 6 (25:41):
So and he talks about it.
Speaker 8 (25:43):
It's a buzzword of muses. It's connectivity, and you don't
see like they're not making long breakout.
Speaker 6 (25:48):
Passes and hoping for the best.
Speaker 8 (25:50):
It's short breakout passes and it's supporting the puck carrier
by skating.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
And to me, this it's perfect for this roster because.
Speaker 8 (25:59):
When you end up in a situation with this team,
which has happened over the last few years, where you're
making long breakout passes, you've got forwards that are offensively
minded and they're thinking, let's go. We're making these breakout
passes and then it gets broken up and boom, you're
coming back the other way odd man against. If you're
coming through the neutral zone as a pack and there's
a turnover, you're more equipped to defend that turnover. So
(26:19):
I think that's a to me, that's a big thing
that I've seen. I also think, you know that in
the D zone, I think they defend like the house
that the area of the high slot between the hash marks,
defend that area more religiously than they ever did under Sullivan.
And I think that matters because.
Speaker 6 (26:39):
They I feel like they're.
Speaker 8 (26:41):
They're more there's more of a focus under Mews of
quality over quantity. So it seems like they're they're content
to give up low quality chances and and they're defending
against high quality chances, and and that's sort of the
that's like sort of the wave of the future.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
There was a big stretch.
Speaker 8 (26:59):
That started and the Penguins were winning their last two
Cups where it was about, you know, chances, quantity of chances,
get in the offensive zone, get your shots, get your
shot attempts. That was the you know, the real currency.
And it seems like that's shifting a little bit where
it's more about the quality.
Speaker 6 (27:18):
Of the chances.
Speaker 8 (27:19):
Like you look at last night's game is a perfect example.
I was looking at the numbers from that game shot attempts.
The Blues had a huge advantage sixty six to forty seven.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
I think it was something like that high danger scoring chances.
Speaker 8 (27:31):
The Penguins had an advantage thirteen to ten, and I
think that's really really telling, Like they don't in the
offensive zone. I don't think mus cares about the number
of shots, and in the defensive zone, I think he
cares about their quality of shots. And I think that's
sort of what you're seeing. Like I said, I wish
I was smart enough to tell you why that's happening specifically,
but it's definitely happened.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Well, the one thing I know, because the player told me,
they still want the defense to activate and pinch, but
the minute of defenseman that the high forward starts to
circle back, so they're not getting caught out as much
with odd man breaks up. Finally, JB cliched question, but
they're seven.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
Two and one.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
If they can kind of maintain that cushion even go
five hundred e between now and Thanksgiving, they're going to
be in a playoff spot. And traditionally, if you're in
a playoff spot at Thanksgiving, you make the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
Can this team do that?
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Well?
Speaker 8 (28:27):
You know, you look at the A big reason for
their success so far is traditional hockey puck luck kind
of stuff. It's shooting percentage and it's safe percentage.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
And right now they're first.
Speaker 8 (28:38):
In the league and shooting percentage almost fifteen percent. They're
third in the league in save percentage nine one five.
Can those things hold up over the course of the year.
My you know, your inclination is to say, no, it's
going to even out over the course of the year.
I mean that save percentage, it would have been first,
it would have been tied with Winnipeg last year over
a full season, and they have the best goalie in
(28:59):
the league. So you know, the safe percent is gonna
come down a little bit, the shooting percentage is gonna
come down a little bit.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
But so you're my inclination.
Speaker 8 (29:07):
Is to say it's gonna even out. But here's the thing.
Washington had an awesome year last year using that exact
same formula. I mean, it's not like Washington. You look
at their roster and last year's Washington roster isn't any
better than this.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
Year's Penguins a roster. I'm not sure that it is.
Speaker 8 (29:22):
And yet they had a great year all year long,
made the playoffs were in contention because they just got
that little tick up, a few more pucks went in,
a few more pucks stayed out. Could this be the
year the Penguins do that, No doubt about it. It's
not like the East is covering itself in glory in
the first ten games of the season. To you know,
wedge your way into the last couple of playoff spots
(29:43):
wouldn't surprise.
Speaker 6 (29:44):
Me in the least.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
But you know what, Mark, we said that.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
We said that before the season started.
Speaker 8 (29:48):
We said it wouldn't shock us if they were seventh
or eighth in the East. And I think that's still
definitely the case.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
Oh No, it's a bad conference.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
I'm not saying it's going to happen, but I agree
that it could happen.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
JB. Great stuff. Enjoy the game tonight.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Enjoyed the Frozen and Frenzy Penguins are the first game
kicking off. Every NHL playing team playing tonight, All thirty
two up next. Gonna keep talking pucks with my producer
Tom Offraman, talking Penguins and Flyers with Tommy Radio.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
Just around the corner here.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
On one oh five nine, The X The Home of the.
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Cash, keep money like that act.
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Speaker 7 (30:34):
On one oh five nine, The X Smark Madden Talk It.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Is stand the man Gableva you doing Mark?
Speaker 5 (30:43):
I'm doing good? The X at one o five nine,
Welcome back to the Hockey Night Show.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
We got the Penguins at Philadelphia tonight fifty years, no
cups here, all the action right here. On one oh
five nine The X. I'm joined now by Tommy Radio.
Tom here's a clicheed question, and coming out of last
night's win at PPG over Saint Louis, sid got to
seventeen hundred points, he's thirty eight. Can he become the
second player in NHL history to get to two thousand points?
Speaker 6 (31:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 10 (31:13):
I think he absolutely can become that. I'm not so
sure that we can, you know, start to look at
it as it's gonna be something we can expect just yet.
But it's getting there too, like it can become an
expected thing.
Speaker 7 (31:25):
Mark.
Speaker 10 (31:25):
He keeps playing like this, why wouldn't he keep playing
until he's forty two, forty three years old?
Speaker 5 (31:29):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:29):
But at thirty eight, it's expecting a locker room to
keep playing like this.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
Is it that he keeps proving us wrong until he
does it?
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Though? I mean Age wins in the end every time.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
So I'm honestly not sure if he gets to two thousand,
because he won't hang on to get it. He won't
stick around as a third liner. He won't keep playing
based on numbers. He'll keep playing as long as he's
a top six center.
Speaker 10 (31:56):
You've often said that, and always said that, really is
the second he would down to being like a third
line center and try to be a role player. That's
just not for him. He just rather pack his bags
and go home and call it a career and start
the clock ticking for him to the Hall of Fame.
That's the read that you get on it, and I
agree with question. I agree with that read. It's just
every time a milestone is brought up to him, you
can feel him get uncomfortable, even when you bring it
(32:18):
up on the show, when he's interviewed, he's you can
feel him just be like, I don't care.
Speaker 7 (32:21):
Can we move on?
Speaker 2 (32:21):
We celebrate too many of his milestones they're piling up. Now,
let's just get excited for the really big ones. Although
seventeen hundred points is a pretty big one. And the
old guys are the theme right now for the Penguins, well,
the young guys too, But statistically, you got Geno tied
for the NHL points lead and his number one in assists,
and nobody's carrying him. It's not like he's out there
(32:43):
feeding snipers. He's out there with Mantha and Brazil.
Speaker 10 (32:46):
No, he's the one carrying those guys. And I still
just don't know how long this can last for Gino.
With Sid, I'm sure he's gonna have a great season.
As long as he stays healthy. He'll be a point
per game player, He'll score a lot of goals. He'll
be Sid. But with Gino, you know, you still just
kind of want is that other shoe gonna drop? As
we start getting into the dog days of the season.
This is the first back to back game of the
season for the Penguins tonight, Mark, so you kind of
(33:07):
keep an eye on that.
Speaker 7 (33:08):
How's the recovery there? That's a serious question. I think for.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Gina, Oh no, no question, and no, I think eventually
he will fall off production wise for sure. Then again,
he's been real good on the power play, which the
myth is that he's real.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
Good with the man advantage. The reality is he's off
and not.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
But if he can keep that up on the power
play unit, maybe he can keep the point total up.
Speaker 5 (33:32):
And I want to talk about Anthony Mantha.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Who's got five goals in ten games, scored again last night.
He's a big body, he goes to the net. Braso
does it as well. When them guys do that, especially
when they score right in the blue paint, it looks
so foreign Tom in these jerseys.
Speaker 11 (33:50):
It's been a long time, a lost concept with this franchise,
I know, but you love to see it. And with Mantha,
you kind of buy him a little bit more than Brawsers, right,
Like he has a bit more of a pedigree.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
He's the former first round draft pick.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
Yeah he said some twenty plus goal seasons.
Speaker 10 (34:07):
Right, So like Mantha and Malcoln, I think could really
be a thing as far as the season's longevity is concerned.
Then maybe he just slide McGroarty in there for brawsers
and then that line can really start to cook and
then Genos.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
I still put McGroarty with Kindle, the kid line and
Covid and when the time comes, but there it's gonna
be what another month at least, I think until mcgroarty's
available and Ye kind of gets his game back together
with a stretch in Wilkes.
Speaker 5 (34:35):
And speaking of the kids, I think Kindle.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Is safer to stay and not get return to Junior's
right now than Brunick. Brunick struggled mightily last night. I'm
not saying I wouldn't keep him. I probably would, but
they do have, you know, good numbers on the right
side of defense. Dumbus played well on the wrong side
since he got forced into the lineup by Caleb Jones' injury.
(35:01):
I would keep Runic, but I think for the first
time there's doubt in their minds as to whether they will.
Speaker 10 (35:06):
Is the back to back scratch game kind of what
started to plant the seed of them having understand that.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
I think it buys time because you know, you've got
nine games with him in the lineup before you have
to decide whether to keep them or send them back
to juniors.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
But I know they're wondering right.
Speaker 10 (35:22):
Now as far as his development goes, and that's most important.
It's just probably not gonna do anything for him to
play in juniors. Like I would rather just keep him here.
If you scratch him more often than even you anticipated
with load management, than you scratch them more off.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
But when you start seven to two and one, it
kind of changes what you're basing that decision on, at
least to some small degree.
Speaker 10 (35:42):
Yeah, you're right about that. I hope they both stay.
So do you think Kendall's almost getting towards Locke territory
to be a penguin for the year.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
I wish he was more productive. I think the fact
that he has two goals and no helpers ain't good.
But I see him creating chances. I see him maybe
most important, with such great defensive acumen for an eighteen
year old, I would for sure keep him.
Speaker 10 (36:01):
Yeah, like to see him on the path when he
gets a chance to be on the power play. I
didn't have a chance last night, But when he gets
out there, don't figure when he gets out there for
the first time, maybe that'll start to, you know, spark
his point production a little bit.
Speaker 7 (36:12):
Well, here's the other thing you can't ignore.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
I know you want to look at you know, how
they play and production and everything on the ice. But
one other important thing with the kids, Tom, it's changed
the dynamic of the room, the energy and since they
did start seven too and one, I'm not sure you
want to change that now. Is that a good enough
reason to keep Brunic here if he's struggling. No, But
(36:33):
but to me, I would add it to the equation.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (36:37):
But also, if you went the route of sending Brunick
back to juniors, it's not like you'd be cutting off
all of that youth. You'd still have Kendle, you still
have koaven In a bros is gonna come up and
mcgroarty's gonna come back.
Speaker 7 (36:48):
There's still gonna be energy guys there.
Speaker 5 (36:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (36:50):
But it's a group of kids and he's one of
the group, the original part of the group too.
Speaker 6 (36:54):
Yeah. Start.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
So if it's up to me, I keep both Kindle
and Brunic that's my call.
Speaker 10 (36:59):
I mean, I know Sid is Sid, but like, I
don't think there's a coincidence with him and Gino start
with this kind of youth movement and also the freshness
of the coach. I think it's good for them as resistance,
as resistant as they may have been when you would
have broached the subject of moving on to Soli in
the past.
Speaker 7 (37:12):
I bet you right now they're like, this is kind
of nice. I like this, refreshing this.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Finally, Tom Philip Hollander was okay on Sid's wing last night,
first game, but you got to produce. And again, I
think he's played fine, but he has one goal in
nine games so far.
Speaker 10 (37:27):
Yeah, I mean, I just want to splash a coiven
and up there. I want to see not fall in
love with Allan there. But I guess Sid is just
gonna want to play with him until Roquel gets back.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
And I don't know.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
I mean, like you know, I I wish Sid was
more open to, like, you know, guys coming in and
out of that wing from night to night until somebody
catches fire and stays there for a.
Speaker 10 (37:45):
Bit, kind of like how Soli used to do right
where he would pair him up right like the one.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
No, that's that's actually a rather prevalent coaching technique where
you don't have lines. You have forwards and pairs of
two when you mix and match with the third guy.
Speaker 10 (37:56):
Yeah, so you just sit and rust together always and
then you kind of just slide him in and out
be a Hollander. It can be a coivnin And it's
not just you know, game to game, it's shift to shift.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
Sometimes Rush's coming on and that's good for him because
I think he was reading the room.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (38:08):
That's it for the Hockey Night Show.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Up next, it's the Penguins Network pre game. After that,
the Penguins and the old enemy, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Speaker 5 (38:18):
Here all the action right here on one oh five
ninety X.
Speaker 7 (38:30):
With other language learning apps.
Speaker 10 (38:32):
I was just playing games.
Speaker 7 (38:33):
I wasn't really learning. That was different
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