HR 2- Mike Defabo Talking Steelers, Phil Bourque Talkin Hockey

Mark is joined by Mike Defabo to talk Steelers this hour. The old 29er joins to talk Pens. Ask MArk Anything

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
If the Steelers really want to win Monday Night against
Houston in that playoff game, they'll start Will Howard, so
it has been said, So it should come to pass.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Shady McCoy x of pitt.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
The Steelers already won a fake playoff game either, going
to try to ruin a real playoff game that's Monday
night at home against Houston. Come watch the game with
me at Pittsburgh Brewing Company. Just off through twenty eight
and Creighton joining me now from the Athletic does a
great job covering the hypocycloid.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's Mike de Fabo.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Mike, how can the Steelers cope with that Houston defense
in that pass rush?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah, I think that's going to be a huge problem.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
You look just two weeks ago what kind of a
challenge Miles Garrett was for the Steelers. And I understand
that he did not break the sack record against the Steelers,
but he did wreck the game without even getting on
the stat sheet. Because of the fact the Steelers realize
they've got a forty two.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Year old quarterback.

Speaker 4 (00:59):
He's mobile as he once was, and so they tried
to get the ball out of his hands quickly. It's
going to be even more of a problem because not
only do the Houston Pextans have one great Pro Bowl
edge rusher and Will Anderson, They've got another up and
coming very good just as good edge rusher and then
Hunter and the Steelers typically would use a guy like

(01:23):
Darnell Washington and he would be a huge part of
this game plan and the pass protection plan. Not having
Darnell Washington in this game, I think he's going to
be a huge.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Factor in this one.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
And I think that's that's probably my biggest concern is
can Aaron Rodgers not only win this game, can he
survive it because of the hits and because of the
type of pressure he's going to be under.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
No, that's very well put.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
And it's worth noting that Baltimore is a far superior
team to Cleveland. But the Steelers lost to Cleveland and
beat Baltimore because Baltimore has no pass rush, their pressure
was minimal and Rodgers had a lot of time, didn't.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
He Yeah, exactly, And you know, like the Houston Texans,
they're not going to try to trick Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
A lot of times.

Speaker 4 (02:05):
It's been like Aaron Rodgers experience has been such an
X factor.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
But The way Houston.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
Plays defense is almost the way the Steelers wish that
they could. They just line up, you know what kind
of defense they're going to be in, but they can
beat you because they've got Pro Bowl players at all
three levels.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
We just talked about the edge rushers.

Speaker 4 (02:24):
They've also got a linebacker Aziz al Shayer, who's a
Pro Bowler, and then Derek Stingley Junior.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Who's a Pro Bowl corner.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
I think that he could match up really well against
DK Metcalf and for a Steelers team that has one weapon,
a huge gap and then everybody else, you know, it's
gonna be a big challenge against the defense like that
that has such an elite, shutdown type of corner.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
YEA, let's stay with DK for a second because can
his return make a major difference given what Houston has
on defense, Like you just talked about Mike, because it's
not like he's got great stats in the first place,
or even had many big games. But when I hear
Tomlins saying we're not gonna rely on DK to win
the game or words to that effect today, I'm thinking, well,

(03:07):
you better because I'm not sure how many options you
got offensively.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
Yeah, I think that they would have zero chance without K.

Speaker 3 (03:15):
They have a much better chance with DK.

Speaker 4 (03:19):
And and as I mentioned, I'm curious to see whether
Derek Stingley is going to be shadowing or following DK
throughout the game at a minimum, at least then like
if those guys, if he wipes out DK at least,
then you're taking the best cornerback out of the equation
and then you can try to, you know, hurt the
other guys. So they're in a better position because they've

(03:42):
got DK. But this is one of the best secondaries
in the league. And Mike Toman always talks about how
you've got to marry Russian coverage. No one marries rush
and coverage better than the Houston Texans. They're just such
a good defense because they've got such They're just good
all around. They've got great personnel, and they can just
match up and beat you.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
Houston's offense won't overwhelm, will it.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
I kind of feel like Demico Ryans is a very
similar coach to Tomlin, and then he likes to let
the defense hold the lead rather than the offense extended.
And they don't have a great offensive line either.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Do they.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (04:19):
I think that creating pressure is going to be one
of the biggest factors for the Steelers defense, because you know, CJ.
Stroud burst into this league in twenty twenty three. He
did a lot of great things, and last year was
really a sophomore slump for him.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
And you look at the reason why.

Speaker 4 (04:34):
The biggest reason was because he was on his back
a lot and he was running for his life a lot.
And the Houston Texans changed their offensive line coach coming
into this year, but they.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Didn't really necessarily upgrade the personnel.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
So they're playing more cohesively upfront and doing a better
job of protecting CJ. Stroud, But still they don't have great' that's.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Their weak link, I would say, is probably their offensive line.
So if TJ.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
Watt, Alps high Smith and whoever else, if they're impact
players and they can.

Speaker 3 (05:03):
Get after CJ.

Speaker 4 (05:04):
Stroud, I think that that's maybe one of the few
areas where the Steelers could have a competitive advantage.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Am I wrong to feel like the Steelers still don't
rely on the run enough?

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Mike?

Speaker 1 (05:13):
It was like a two thirds split in favor of
the pass against Baltimore, and I know that's what Rogers wants.
I also know a lot of those passager just flicks
to the running back, but I nonetheless don't get it.

Speaker 4 (05:24):
Yeah, and I think that it's going to be really
critical for the Steelers to be able to run the
ball effectively in this game.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
It's not going to be easy.

Speaker 4 (05:31):
Houston enters this game fourth in rushing defense, allowing ninety
three yards per game there, but if the Steelers aren't
successful first and second down, and they're in obvious passing
situations on third down, that's a recipe for disaster for
Aaron Rodgers against those pass rushers. So to your point,
the Steelers are going to have to be able to
be balanced, more balanced than they've been in the past,

(05:53):
and run the ball more effectively than they have in
the pass if they're going.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
To win this game.

Speaker 2 (05:58):
Where's the Steelers defense? What's good and what's bad?

Speaker 3 (06:03):
You know?

Speaker 4 (06:04):
I think that Cam Hayward and some of the guys
up front have come along as the season has progressed.
Like early on, I was really underwhelmed with Keanu Benton.
I felt like he hadn't really taken that big step
forward that we were expecting. He had a really good
game against the Ravens and it was a big part of
shutting down Derrick Henry Kim Hayward. Similarly, I think he
had a little slow start to the year. He's come
along better, So I liked them there. Mike Tombin made

(06:29):
an interesting point today and he said that it was
like they chose their hill to die on and they
did not want Lamar Jackson to beat them with their legs,
and that left them vulnerable in coverage. And they certainly
were vulnerable in coverage, and I just I think that
they still have some room to grow, and at this point,
there's no time to do it. Within that secondary. It's

(06:53):
been a revolving door. It's been constant change, it's been
moving pieces around, and I don't know that it'll necessarily
hurt them in this game, in particular against an offense
is kind of game manager like, But going forward, I
think that it is something that they're.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Going to have to fix.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
And one thing that I'm really looking when I look
at this game, I think that it's almost a test
of how well the Steelers have drafted and developed because
they made such a concerted effort to rebuild the trenches,
and those guys are going to be tested against this
talented edgecandem.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
But then they went out and they got Joey Porter Junior.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
And if you go back to twenty twenty three when
Houston Texans played the Steelers last, Nico Collins went absolutely
off against the Steelers. He went for one hundred and
seventy yards two touchdowns, and that was in Week four,
and that was the pivot point when the Steelers decided,
we've got to start playing Joey Porter Junior a lot
more because we don't have what it takes in the secondary.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
So I think this is a.

Speaker 4 (07:53):
Huge test for Joey Porter Junior and that secondary, because
you know, Nico Collins is a big, physical receiver, creates
yards after the catch. Guys like t Higgins who are
in a similar mole would have been nightmares for Joey
Porter causing it to be a flag fest.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
So really, he is going to be one of the
guys that's going to be under.

Speaker 4 (08:11):
The microscope along with some of those other recent draft
picks along the offensive line.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
That said, and I've been saying this all week, Mike,
I feel like we underestimate Joey Porter Junior. I know
he's handsy and gets some flags, but not as many
this year ain't a lot of touchdown in almost fifteen
hundred snaps, and I compare him to Jalen Ramsey, who
seems to be falling apart. If the Baltimore game's any indication, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
I think that Joey has continued to progress quietly, and
I know that people do get on him for the flags,
and that is something that he needs to clean up.
But it's kind of like a double edged sword because
part of what makes him good and part of what
the Steelers wanted was a physical pressman corner and they've
got that in him. But he can't get so physical

(08:56):
that then obviously he crosses that line. So finding that
line is really an important factor for Joey, and especially
in this game against a guy like Nico Collins, and he's.

Speaker 3 (09:05):
Probably going to be on a lot.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
So yeah, I agree with you that I think that
he's moving in the right direction. He's not where he
wants to be, but I think that he is moving
in the right direction.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
Was the win over Bottom, We're convincing it certainly was dramatic,
but what kind of well, I guess the emotional foundation
that provides can't be underestimated.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
Yeah, I mean, I think that like, maybe one of
the best things that's going on for the Steelers right
now is it's kind of the inverse of last year.
Last year they qualified for the playoffs, they kind of
took their foot off the gas pedal and eased into
things and as a result, they completely fell apart, whereas
this year their backs were against the wall and they

(09:47):
played what Rogers called playoff like games.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
Now, I don't give them any credit.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
They don't get a check mark for me in terms
of accomplishing anything for a playoff like game, but that
mindset I think can be helpful where you're used to
being a team that's desperate, a team that has a
sense of urgency, and I think that those are things
that you can carry with you into a playoff game.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
But let me say what I think could be a
deturn to that urgency. It feels like winning that fake
playoff game against Baltimore has satisfied the optics, and I
think it means tom Win comes back for sure, not
that there was ever much danger he wouldn't, Mike, but
I think Rogers comes back now as well if he
wants to.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Yeah, I would think so. I mean, it's going to
be really interesting.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
I have a bad feeling we're going to be talking
about Rogers and his indecisions for months again this offseason.
His comments last week were really interesting because we were
kind of asking him about his future and he could
have just said, look, man, I'm interested.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
I'm only focused on this game right in front of me.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
We've got a game that we've got to win, and
that's all I'm focused on right now.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
He didn't say that.

Speaker 4 (10:55):
What he said was after the year, I'm going to
be a free agent and I'm going to have options.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
And who knows what Rogers really means, but my reading
between the lines interpretation.

Speaker 4 (11:06):
Of that was, I think there's maybe a fifty percent
chance he retires. I think there's maybe a thirty percent
chance he's back with the Steelers. I think there's a
twenty percent chance that he's back, but he's with another
team like the Vikings, And so I think it's going
to create a really interesting scenario where we might be
releaving history where we're it's just gonna be like last

(11:27):
year where we're kind of waiting out Rogers, waiting through
free agency, waiting through potentially even the draft to see
if the Steelers pick a quarterback. In the first round
and what that means for Rogers until we finally get
that answer.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, and I agree, it's gonna be a gigantic pain.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
But by way of giving the devils due, well, first off,
I don't think another team's gonna want him.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
I don't think he's done that good this year. Minnesota
didn't want him.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
I think his options will probably be more limited than
he thinks, Mike. But he was great at the end
against Baltimore. Like you wrote, at least we got one
less us. Look at that Aaron Rodgers, however.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Brief.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
Yeah, I think that that's what That's kind of what
you were hoping for with Aaron Rodgers is he's not
what he once was.

Speaker 3 (12:15):
And honestly, if you think that he's what he once was.

Speaker 4 (12:17):
That's honestly a disrespect and an insult to the greatness
that he was. He was the kind of quarterback that
could walk into any stadium and be by far the
best player on the field. He's a top five quarterback
of all time, and the stats in the eye test
and everything backs that up.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
He's not like that now. But what he still has
is he can still rip the ball.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
He still has his fastball and he still has the
experience in the mind and so in moments and in flashes,
he can elevate a team, just like he did last week.
But you know, the Steelers have to be careful not
to put too much on his plate in this game
and expect him to win it single handedly, because even

(13:00):
though he has shown that he can do it in flashes,
I still don't think, you know, he's not the same
quarterback that.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
He was at twenty five years old.

Speaker 2 (13:07):
You know what's weird, Mike.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
I don't want to pick him to win, and I
don't know how they're gonna win. I feel like they
might win anyway.

Speaker 4 (13:16):
Yeah, the Steelers were a weird team because I kind
of feel like if you were to look at the
AFC and maybe take two or three teams at the
top out of it, you could flip a coin and
the Steelers, no matter if it's a team like the
Browns or a team as good as the Patriots, Steelers
are kind of a coin flip team against a lot
of them. But there's no doubt that the Houston Texans

(13:39):
are a better team than the Steelers. You look at
the Steelers barely barely beat the Ravens, because of a
controversial collin Baltimore in a miss field goal. In Pittsburgh,
the Houston Texans smoked the Ravens forty four to ten.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
The Steelers got smashed by the.

Speaker 4 (13:55):
Chargers, and the Houston Texans beat the Chargers.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Steelers got the doors.

Speaker 4 (14:00):
Blown off by the Bills, and the Texans beat the
Bills and the Steelers. Their signature win of the season
was against the team people thought was going.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
To be pretty good in the Lions, and the Houston.

Speaker 4 (14:14):
Texans best win of the year is against the team
that really is good, in the forty nine Ers. So
the Houston Texans says, no doubt they are a better team.
But I feel like at home on Monday night football
and in a coin flip type game with a quarterback
who has experienced, I'll give the Steelers at least a
punching chance in this one.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
Mike is always great stuff. Great work covering the Baltimore game.
We'll do it again next week.

Speaker 3 (14:39):
All right, sounds good, Mark, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (14:41):
That's Mike the Fable of the Athletic. Check out his
work there. Brought to us by Armstrong the Internet. You
kind of on the people you trust Armstrong one wire
dot Com. We got Phil Bark at the bottom of
the hour, Eric Carlson of the Penguins tomorrow. Right now,
it's time for calls on the fifteens dial eight three
to three, four to one two WSDX, or use our
krick backdoor number four one two three three three w

(15:03):
XDX one oh five.

Speaker 5 (15:04):
Nine Thursday night, the Pens take on the Devils. Game
time is seven. Our coverage starts at six here every game,
and the best coverage right here on your home of
the Pens one o five nine d X.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
The music we listen to all year long.

Speaker 6 (15:22):
Madden.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Let's face it, You've always been in love with me,
and this is just your moment of clarity.

Speaker 7 (15:27):
I don't think, oh I know.

Speaker 8 (15:29):
So the X at one oh five nine A.

Speaker 1 (15:40):
Three three four one two w XDX, we played that
sound bite a little bit ago from k Adams saying
that Rogers can put this team on his back.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
I just don't think that's possible at forty two.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
I think the occasional great drive like he had at
the end to win the Baltimore game, I think that's
the most that Steelers can hope for. So this Houston game,
it's going to be a lot like the Baltimore game.
Play it close to the vest, don't fall too far behind.
And really I felt that ten points behind was too
far behind against Baltimore and it wasn't. But ten points

(16:14):
behind against Houston with that defense is an absolute death stense,
maybe literally. So if that pass rush can really tee
off on Aaron Rodgers. So people think that I'm criticizing
Rogers when I rebuke Kay Adams for saying he can put.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
The team on his back.

Speaker 1 (16:30):
I just don't think that's possible at his age, except,
like I said, for three periods your thoughts eight three, three,
four one two WXDX. We got Phil Burk in a
few moments, looking forward to having Eric Carlson on tomorrow.
I heard that that the b team wanted to get

(16:50):
the priest on Father Maximilian, but the Steelers wouldn't allow
him to come on. Don't know why, but they wouldn't
allow him to come on. I don't want a priest
on my show. This show already features more than enough hypocrisy,
not on my part.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
Let's go to Rick, Rick, you're own with double.

Speaker 6 (17:06):
M hey Mark, so you know how Tomlin is Todd
with nol for regular season wins now right, I genuinely
believe that just proves that Tomlin is a better coach
than Nol.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Yeah, you call every day under a different name.

Speaker 1 (17:28):
It obviously doesn't prove Tom Wins a better coach than
Nol anything else.

Speaker 7 (17:33):
It does prove it.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
Now tell me why it does.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
Not prove that mark because Chuck Nole won four Super
Bowls and Mike Tomlin hasn't won a playoff game in
eight years. Okay, Yeah, if you think that Chuck Nole
is a inferior coach to Mike Tomlin, then you just
don't belong calling this show. And like I keep saying,
and I wish some of you would take my advice,
there's never been a better time to not listen. Somebody

(18:00):
out there thinks that, I mean, Tomin's not a better
coach than Cower. Tom Wins won no playoff games in
eight years. Tom wins winning percentage in the playoffs is
just about forty percent.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
Noles was a sixty six percent.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
And like all that Tom went and I've given that
guy enough chances where I don't feel bad even for
a second to hang up on him. And using a
different name every day, that's a little sad, of course.
Then again, I bet his wife uses a different name
every time she sleeps with a stranger. Anyway, there's no
metric that suggests Tom Win is a better coach than

(18:35):
Chuck Nole. And when he gets one more regular season
win next year, you think and he goes out and
all that'll just be all the more diabolical that that's happened.
It makes me sick. It makes me want to puke.
Ag fluke like that puke. It's it's funny. A lot
of good quarterbacks Tom and I talked about this on
the pregame show. A lot of good quarterbacks in this

(18:58):
era never gonna win a Super Bowl. I mentioned seven
names early in the program, Burrow, Lamar, Josh Allen, Dak Herbert,
Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence. I would not be surprised
at all. In fact, I would bet that six of
those seven never win a super Bowl. One will slip
through somehow, but Mahomes. Mahomes blocked it for a lot

(19:19):
of people for a long time, as did Brady and
Peyton Manning. And the fact that Ben slipped through and
won two Super Bowls is a testimony to his greatness,
which goes underappreciated, although full disclosure, he never did beat
Brady in a playoff game, not when he did. Live
sports betting is better on the bet Park's app. You

(19:40):
can bet on that get some skin in the game.
Live betting makes watching the game more fun. You can
bet more than the score baby bet touchdown scores, bet
player performances for passing, rushing, and much more. Plus, bet
Parks has a great holiday offer for new users. Get
a fifty dollars casino bonus on the new hot on
line slot huff and lots of puff. Plus get up

(20:03):
to a thousand dollars casino bonus back if you're done
in your first twenty four hours. I love the bet
Parks app. I use it, I recommend it. You can
bet on sports and play all your favorite classict casino
games like blackjack, craps, roulette, and slots. Plus, the bet
Park's online sports book at casino gives you another way

(20:24):
to win. I'm talking double the spread on one select
pro football game every weekend. Check the bet Parks app
every Friday afternoon. You gotta be twenty one and in PA,
New Jersey or Michigan. Betparks dot Com got all the deats.
You got a gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler
up next, Phil Bork one oh five to nine.

Speaker 8 (20:43):
Hey, we're in your smart speakers sucking. Listen to the
X everywhere you go.

Speaker 2 (20:49):
Tell your smart speakers blocks play one oh five point
nine the X on iHeartRadio.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
This report games sponsored by Healthy Choice.

Speaker 4 (20:56):
Right in the forecast tonight than cloudy overnight dropping down
to an over a low of forty two.

Speaker 2 (21:01):
Clouds will prevail tomorrow. Look for high forty seven for.

Speaker 3 (21:04):
Healthy delicious food.

Speaker 8 (21:05):
You don't have to eat out.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
You can enjoy delicious meals from Healthy Choice.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Like there's simply steamers, grilled chicken and broccoli alfredo at
home or commit.

Speaker 9 (21:13):
So let's have it.

Speaker 8 (21:14):
He's a little guy.

Speaker 9 (21:16):
I'd love to get the balls to say.

Speaker 8 (21:18):
Very good point the exit one oh five nine.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
Peng was on a five game heater, joining me now
to talk about it. You hear him on radio, you
see him on TV. He's a two time Stanley Cup champion.
It's the old two niner. Phil Burke, uh two nine
five wins in a row for the Penguins, Who and
what have been the main catalyst for that.

Speaker 7 (21:41):
Good afternoon double I'm good to be on with you,
like always. Who has been the catalyst? Son, Well, I'll
say Blake was out. How's that? I'll start with Blake
was out, because that's no coincidence that when Blake Leott
came back in the lineup, the Penguins started to get
some traction. Uh, the captain City Crosby. Absolutely, you have
to include him. The goaltending has been very well improved.

(22:03):
We've got guys going throughout the lineup, so there's more
of a balanced attack.

Speaker 3 (22:08):
It wasn't.

Speaker 7 (22:09):
It's not so much top heavy, and it's not just
the guys that score all the time. It seems like
everybody's got an oar in the water and wants to
be a part of this right now. It's really remarkable, Mark,
I mean, you know, we tught we thought it was
remarkable the eight two and two start in October and
then they came down to earth and I think, you know,
some of the talking heads, maybe myself included, thought, is this.

Speaker 5 (22:31):
Who they really are?

Speaker 2 (22:31):
Like, No, I don't.

Speaker 7 (22:33):
This is a good hockey team. It's a well constructed
hockey team. They even just forget how to play, and
in some remarkable way they were able to dust themselves
off during the Christmas break. So let's give a little
credit to the Christmas break because last year, Mark, if
you remember, the Penguins were on a bit of a
heater before the Christmas break. There were ten three and one.
They spank the Philadelphia Flyers a couple of days before

(22:55):
Christmas seven to three on home mikes, and then they
were never the same coming out of the break. So
a little tip of the jopa to the Christmas break
because it seems to be just what the pay was needed.

Speaker 1 (23:05):
You mentioned Lazotte, and I totally agree, but let me
go a little bit deeper. I like that fourth line,
but only when both a Chari and Lizotte are available.
Like when a Chari's been out, that fourth line is
kind of stumbled too. They need both of those guys,
They need.

Speaker 3 (23:20):
All the guys.

Speaker 7 (23:20):
I said this the other night I was doing a
game between the benches. I feel that Doer needs Lozatte
and Achari. A Chari needs Lazatte and Doer, and Lazotte
needs a Chari like they need each other, you know,
in a roundabout type of way. Individually they're good players,
but together they're they're unbelievable. They're as good a fourth

(23:41):
line it's in the National Hockey League right now, and
that's you're getting offense. Allows me to say that because
if they're not scoring, you like, that's a really good
fourth line. They do a lot of little things, right,
but now that they're chipping in offensively, that puts the next.

Speaker 2 (23:57):
Level Gino's been on.

Speaker 1 (23:59):
It looks like he's gonna come back Thursday night against
New Jersey.

Speaker 2 (24:02):
What kind of impact will he have?

Speaker 1 (24:03):
And would you pop him right back between the two
big guys Braso and Manta.

Speaker 7 (24:09):
Yes, let me think about it, Yes and double yes, absolutely,
I put him right back in there. And listen, that's
nothing against Tommy Novac. Tommy Novak has been a breath
of fresh air. Tommy Novak continues to impress me. I
find myself, you know, as the color guy, I don't
have to watch the puck, but I find myself watching
the little things that he does, and I'm like, Wow,

(24:29):
this must be what Dan Mues seasoned him. Because early on,
I'll be honest with you, I didn't see it. Maybe
I wasn't looking for it as much. Dan Mues saw
something and Tommy and all that he stuck with him
and put him up and down the line. He just
kept keeping on. And I think ever since he came
off of Sid's left wing where he was okay and
put in that two hole that to see where Gino was,

(24:51):
he's really made that line go. And you know Brazil
and Mantha, you know they can create some on their own,
but they need to fulfill a right then he was
center riceman to help, you know, make the train go
down the tracks. And but I would absolutely put Gino
back in there. I would put Tommy Novak down with
Ben Kindall and uh Kinnikov. Yes, I would.

Speaker 1 (25:21):
Let me tell you, okay, it is my god.

Speaker 7 (25:27):
No, no, listen, you got to earn your strikes, Mark,
you got to earn your sef. He has not identified
himself on his role on this team and his role
in the national hockey He's a really good player. He's
going to be an NHL player for a long time.
But he's got to figure out he's not good enough
to go tiptoeing through the tulips. He's got to be
a son of a you know what. He's got to
be a Patrick Honquick, he's got to be a Chris Kunitz.

(25:48):
He's got to be a he's got to get the
other team to hate him more because he's just going
up and down and the puck's not finding him because
he's not getting his nose dirty enough. He's not a
skilled enough player to play way he's playing right now.
He's got to get his nose dirtier right now. And
there's other guys that are taking a spot. Listen, I'm
not saying, you know, Boom, send them down with Wilks

(26:09):
for the rest of the season. But I'm saying you
might have to take a number here in the Deli line.

Speaker 1 (26:14):
Yeah, I will agree to disagree, and I'm gonna be honest.

Speaker 2 (26:17):
The guy I would sit would be Tommy Novak.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
I think he's done good in filling in in the
top six, but I think he's a top six style player.
I don't think he'll thrive on the third line and
when he's scored, when he's not scoring, he doesn't help you.

Speaker 7 (26:31):
Well, he's scoring more than Rutger is right now.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
Right now, he is one of his best.

Speaker 7 (26:34):
Hockey as a Pittsburgh pregnant. That's what I'm saying about,
Like a Retker's gonna have to wear this term because
he did nothing to separate himself where he should be
get a jersey every single night. And that's maybe that's
me the old guy and some tough love, you know,
because I just feel like there's a lot more there
for Rutger and he's not giving it to you right now.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
What's your other returns on Chinnikov who scored a great
goal at Detroit and a great pass from Kendall.

Speaker 7 (26:59):
Incredibly talented shot is yeah, really talented. His shot is
above average. And I feel like, you know, remember when
we got Mike Mathieson from Florida.

Speaker 3 (27:12):
Yeah, you know, he was he was right.

Speaker 7 (27:14):
He was kind of like he's kind of damaged a
little bit right as far as his his ego, his confidence,
his you know, it's kind of everything right, and we
rehabilitated him and he became a really good hockey player.
And I think that's where tinacovs right now. I just
think it was a toxic environment. If you know Dean Everson,
the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, he's an

(27:36):
old school guy. He were even more old school hard
ass than I am. And I just don't think they
saw I right from the get go. And it just
wasn't gonna work.

Speaker 2 (27:45):
A lot.

Speaker 7 (27:45):
It happens a lot coaches just kind of have a
guy that they don't they don't like. They don't like
the way he plays, maybe they don't like the way
they dress, maybe don't like the way they walk, maybe
don't like the way they cut their cobnate hair. I
don't know. It just does not There's nothing good about
him being in Columbus and he probably feels like, Wow,
this is awesome to be You can see he's just
playing free. And you know he had an assist on

(28:07):
the overtime winner for sid in Columbus and that beautiful
goal that he had in Detroit. Let's see if that
will give him some traction and confidence because he's incredibly talented.

Speaker 1 (28:17):
We're talking to the old two to niner here on
the Home of the Penguins one oh five nine The
x H. We got Eric Carlston on the program tomorrow, BORKI,
and like you, I've been up and down with him,
but I think this has been his best season with
the Penguins out of the three, and I think that's
a little bit of a law.

Speaker 2 (28:33):
He's picked it up the last couple of games what's say.

Speaker 7 (28:35):
You nope, I concur go, then we will agree on
this one. When the Penguins have won games and played
their best, a lot of it is because Eric Carlson's
playing a simple defense first, picking his spots offensively type
of style, getting shots on the net, trying not trying
to too much of the shot pass or too much

(28:55):
of the far post, and then he's got an incredible shot,
just like Crystal ten when they get the puck on
the net. So many times, it's not that shot that
goes in, it's what happens after it, because goaltenders have
a tough time corralling the rebound and putting it in
the corner because they shoot it so hard. And I
really liked his dedication to defense, and I'm gonna say this,

(29:17):
I hope I see it the right way. He still
makes mistakes with the puck, but this is not something
he did under Mike Sullivan. There's so many times this
season when he's made it, he's had a hiccup and
he has just put his head down and he has
flipped on the nitrous ox side and he has backchecked
like his hair's on fire. It's it's I mean, the
care and the want to do it is there, and

(29:40):
so I can really appreciate that that I just, you know,
I love to compete and to see Eric Carlson compete,
and no, hey, he's still gonna make mistakes, but if
he can cover up for his own mistakes with his
great skating ability, then you know, we'll take this version
of the Eric Carlson Because more times than not, when
the Penguins win a hockey game, at the end of

(30:02):
the night, you walk out of the rink and you're like, wow,
EACHK sixty five was really solid defensively.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
Tonight, no question, Borky. We got to talk about that
win at Detroit, which was the.

Speaker 1 (30:11):
Second leg of a home and home, but the Penguins
only a lot twelve shots on the road in a
road game. That's their all time low for road game
in franchise history.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
I got to be honest, I was.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
Watching the game and I thought I accidentally switched the channel.
I couldn't believe it was these Penguins playing like that,
and not least through the neutral zone.

Speaker 7 (30:30):
Here's I'll throw another thing at you. That was a
twelve o'clock start mark, I know, you know, and a
lot of a lot of teams are sleepy, right. The
Penguins were not. And again I think it starts with
their captain. You know that first shift, I did you
get the first save from your goaltender? It was Stuart
Skinner the other night and the Penguins, it's it's almost
just laying the foundation and laying out the terms of

(30:51):
the way the game is going to be played. And
that's an impressive win because you're right, Detroit's a really
good team and they've got unbelievable my out of offensive
talented not only up front of the forwards, but they've
got some defensemen that can really jump up on the
rush and create offense that way too. And to limit
them to twelve shots while you're on the road, that

(31:13):
was that was really something else to behold. It was,
and that's after you know, some other games with the
Penguins were rock solid too, even like the Carolina game.
Like usually the Penguins have had those moments right mark,
where they've had those really stellar defensive games and then
the next game you're like, where the where the hell
is it? Like, where's the where's the same team that

(31:34):
we saw last night? Right? You know what I'm talking about?
And for them to kind of double down on it
and to keep it going and to be that and
even be better defensively against Detroit than they were against Carolina.
Now that's something the hang you have on.

Speaker 1 (31:48):
And then the Columbus game where they were down four
to one, although Borky I could kind of feel that
one coming. I even tweeted when they were done four
to one, this game still winnable because I just, I'll
be blunt, I just don't believe it all in Columbus.
I think that's a pretty bad roster. I like some
of the players, like Wrensky and Fantilly, but otherwise not
so much. And even at four to one, I thought
the Penguins had been playing okay. I thought they were

(32:11):
a bit hard done by to that point.

Speaker 7 (32:14):
No, I agree, And the players acknowledged that the goal
by at Chari early on in that second period kind
of they kind of lit the few. They kind of
gave them hope, right, And so to be down like
like that and to mount that kind of comeback, and
and to do it in a kind of a cool way, right,
You got the goal by Novak on the power play,
and the power play Pengas are on the power play

(32:37):
because china Kov was able to draw the penalty right,
and then you have and then you have the lake
goal by Raquel and then the ot winner by Sid
and again we don't even get there if she loss
doesn't make three or four unbelievable saves just to keep
it within striking difference. So so that's the thing.

Speaker 3 (32:54):
Mark.

Speaker 7 (32:54):
We've seen it on the other side. So it's kind
of like, you know, when you step in that dog
poop and you smell your shoe when you're like, yeah,
that's dog poop. Right when you see it, you're kind
of like, yeah, that kind of looks like dog poop.
Then when you smell it, you're like, that's we kind
of right, and Columbus is like, okay, yeah, we've smelled
this before. We know the way this goes. It was
just good. That was the Penguins. We're not the one

(33:17):
stepping in the dog poop. It was Columbus Blue Jackets.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
You know, it's funny, Borsky because sometimes I feel we
talk too much about Sid, like the hockey media me
in particular, but.

Speaker 2 (33:26):
You can't, like, you can't talk too much about him.
He's a freaking alien.

Speaker 1 (33:30):
He's thirty eight I've never seen a thirty eight year
old play this way.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
And that might be true in any sport.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
I mean, baseball is not really a sport, but in football,
the quarterback just takes a snap. But but I've never
seen a hockey player play like this at thirty eight,
for sure, No doublem.

Speaker 7 (33:45):
I think we're equal in the way we kind of
check ourselves and yeah, listen, we get the block and
gold pomp Poms out come on. We love our Penguins,
you know, but you know, we start talking about sid
and we're like, okay, we're going over the top here,
and you're like the intert no. And I don't listen
to a lot of other you know, media in Canada
or or even national media that much in the US.

(34:07):
I like the local stuff, but the national media is
really on board with this too, even north of the border,
where you know, they love the bash Mario and they
love the bash Shid when they're not wearing the maple leaf. Right,
and now they're all just everybody just can't can't believe it.
And around the league. Now you're having generations, right, guys
that were like five, six, seven years old that were like, yeah,

(34:31):
Sidney Crosby poster on my wall when I first started
playing hockey. And now they're in the league, you know,
and Sid's still doing it. So it's just right. He's
a creature, he's a freak in a good way, and
he just has this. Listen, you get to the NHL,
you have this unbelievable appetite to compete and to be
great and to do everything you possibly can to get there. Right,

(34:53):
then there's it, right, And it's like, I don't know if,
like Nathan McKinnon works out with Sid. And I think
that's why. It's because this is the only way I
can watch video, I can talk to see, I can
I can talk to his coach, I can hire his coach.
But unless I am going step by step with him,
I'm never going to really understand what it takes to

(35:14):
get the Sid level. And that's the thing. There's this
love and there's this passion not only for the game,
but also for the city. You know, what kid puts
in his body, what he drinks, what he eats, how
he sleeps, all the things, the things he does day
in and day out. It's for you. It's for you,
it's for me, it's for everybody. That loves that black

(35:36):
and gold jersey. He has this unbelievable he feels of
responsibility and he's willing to every single day go through
that toll boost and pay that toll whatever it might be,
to be the greatest because he just loves the game
and loves the Penguins that much.

Speaker 1 (35:51):
You're right in that the North American media, the national
hockey media has kind of, you know, fallen back in
love with Sid or giving him credit. But we'll know
for sure how much they've they've they've jumped on the bandwagon.
If Sid gets ninety points and the Penguins make the playoffs,
he's got to be.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
The friggin MVP.

Speaker 1 (36:11):
But he's been cheated out of MVP enough times, just
like Mario was that they don't mind doing it again.

Speaker 7 (36:18):
WM. Do you know how long it's been since then
Sid has won an award in the regular season that's
voted off ahead twenty fourteen, ridiculous, twenty fourteen. It's been
It's been a long time, in a long time, and
you know what, you know Mario enough, but like that's
why Barrio was, like he just wanted to win the

(36:40):
Ross or win the Rashard, you know, those type of.

Speaker 8 (36:43):
No, no, no.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Mario said on my show the first time he retired,
like his exit interview in ninety six or ninety seven,
whenever it was, I asked him what he learned when
he got totally cheated in eighty nine with one hundred
and ninety nine points they gave Gretzky the MVP, and
he said, I learned to judge myself Stanley cupps and
scoring titles because nobody votes.

Speaker 7 (37:03):
On those beautiful Yeah, and that's it, and that's if
you walk in those scandals, you'll be okay at the
end of the day. And that's all that really matters.

Speaker 3 (37:13):
But you make a good point.

Speaker 7 (37:14):
At some point, at some point, the people that have
been given this responsibility to vote on, you know, whatever
it is, the herd or whatever it is, you got
to start looking at eighty seven and not that he
wants it. He'll never admit that, and you're right, all
he cares about are Stanley Cups. But at some point,
come on, you got you gotta acknowledge what this guy's doing,

(37:37):
because it really is incredible.

Speaker 2 (37:39):
Four Ky, you are the man. Great stuff. We'll see
it Thursday night.

Speaker 7 (37:43):
I'm good, double one. Enjoy our time together. This was
good hockey talk.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
That's Phil Bourd.

Speaker 1 (37:48):
Now it's time to ask Mark anything eight three three
four one two w xd X eight three three four
one two w xd x or call the secret back
door number. You need lube for that one four one
two three three three wxdx. Just put on your fingers
easier to dial and UH and you can also leave
a talk back via the iHeartMedia app.

Speaker 2 (38:08):
Just click on the microphone icon.

Speaker 1 (38:11):
It's smart Man Show one O five to nine.

Speaker 8 (38:14):
It's The Woody Show.

Speaker 1 (38:16):
You can stream the X and us The Woody Show
on the free iHeartRadio app weekday mornings at six one
nine X.

Speaker 5 (38:23):
Take your career to the next level with a graduate
degree from Laross University. Choose from online evening and hybrid
courses flexible for ask you right, goodbye.

Speaker 8 (38:32):
DX at one O five nine.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
I'm not an as Mark anything A three three four
one two WXVX couple notes.

Speaker 8 (38:44):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
Harrison Brunnick is in Pittsburgh, apparently after having played for
Canada and helping them win bronze at the World Juniors.

Speaker 3 (38:53):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
I guess they're going to decide what to do with him,
but all signs point to him going back to juniors.
This bite him, having already burned the year of his
contract by playing for Pittsburgh as much as he did.

Speaker 2 (39:07):
They mangled that situation.

Speaker 1 (39:09):
They just didn't do him any favors, his development, his confidence.
They just should have made a decision NHL all season
or juniors all season at the beginning and.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
Stuck with it. But they didn't.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
Also that Okamoto, the Japanese third basement that signed with Toronto,
that a lot of you foolishly thought the Pirates might get.

Speaker 7 (39:29):
You.

Speaker 1 (39:30):
Gotta go get your sushi. A giant eagle now, just
like always. He apparently picked the Blue Jays because he
liked their logo. I'm not sure I believe that, but
it is a funny story. Going to the North Hills
basketball games tonight, girls play first and boys second out

(39:50):
at North Hills. That's where my mom taught. We did
the scholarship thing there. It's funny because I'm gonna see
Mike White from the Post because that who I worked
with for years.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Good guy.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
He is an assistant coach for or Hills or is
it the JV coach, so I'm sure i'll see him there.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
And Joe Starkey from the B team.

Speaker 1 (40:05):
He's an assistant coach at the girls level or maybe
eighth grade, I'm not sure which, but so I'm kind
of looking forward to that. You know, It's funny because
I will mention like Joe's name on the air, whoever's
name on the air from.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
The B team, because I don't think it matters.

Speaker 1 (40:18):
They're not allowed to mention my name, and nor are
they supposed to interact with me on Twitter, although Muller
does and Crowley a case me this Austin Beck told,
But you know, it's it's just not that big a deal.
It's not that big of a competition, even though I
always win it. I mean, I just don't get why
you can't, you know. I mean, I'm the patriarch of this,

(40:39):
no matter what anybody wants to say or not say
about me.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
Any hoodles as mark anything. Let's go to Sean Sewan,
go ahead, double m hey.

Speaker 10 (40:51):
I was wondering, with the yes they've had, or at
least part so far this season, with the young players
they have and they draft they have coming up, what
the realistic expectations for when the pen can deep back,
not just in a as a playoff contender, but an
actual contender.

Speaker 1 (41:09):
There's just no way to say that this next draft
will telltale because one thing they lack in the system
is a legitimate top line forward. They got everything else
coming through, but a legitimate top line forward, so there's
just no way to predict.

Speaker 2 (41:22):
Thank you for the call. And that's one thing. I mean.

Speaker 1 (41:24):
I'm glad they're doing good, but I like you heard
Porky talk about McGroarty maybe being scraped.

Speaker 2 (41:28):
Toss them back to the minders. I mean, what the frig?
What the frig?

Speaker 1 (41:31):
Yeah, let's get Tommy Novak in there, because he'll be
a round when we're a good team again. He ain't
even a good player now, he's just playing a couple
of good games, and the idea of him playing bottom six,
it's just not a good one.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
Let's go to art art Eskmark anything, Hey Mark.

Speaker 7 (41:47):
What happens now with the Thomasina Zamola trade.

Speaker 1 (41:50):
Well, yeah, Zamola refused to report they released them. I
think they just keep Tomasino and the Penguins didn't want
him anyway. I'm sure they're glad they're not be paying Zamola.
I think ever any wins. Thank you for the call.
Let's go to a talkback.

Speaker 9 (42:05):
Hi, Mark.

Speaker 5 (42:05):
I know you talked a little bit about how you
don't like the fourth line because it's veterans and.

Speaker 9 (42:11):
This team should be rebuilding.

Speaker 3 (42:14):
But don't you think it'd be irresponsible to.

Speaker 7 (42:16):
Break up that line when they're playing so well?

Speaker 2 (42:20):
Well, I don't say break it up.

Speaker 1 (42:21):
I just wonder what your goals are because they're getting
like more minutes than the third line some nights. So
I mean, I give all due respect to a Charie
and Lozade, I think doers a dime a dozen. But yeah,
those two are playing really well. The line's playing really well.
But I mean, what are your goals? Is it to
squeak into the number eight scene get killed in the

(42:42):
first round or is it to make young players like
McGroarty betters you can be legitimate contender down the road.
I know what my goal is. I'm not sure what
THEIRS is. I used to be sure, Now I'm not.
Let's go to Donnie.

Speaker 9 (42:55):
Hey, Mark, So I'm not gonna believe anything until I
see it. But I was reading about some of the
speculations about Tomlin possibly leaving Pittsburgh, taking off a year
doing only to do TV or whatever, and then go
back to coaching. But I was reading that whatever team
he chooses to coach for, he's gonna seek stake ownership,

(43:19):
and I was just wondering, I.

Speaker 2 (43:20):
Would I would, I would.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
I wouldn't give some guy who won't won a playoff
game in eight year stake ownership. Who the freak does
he think he is? I mean freaking Noel never asked.
I mean, like, I seriously, if that's true. You know,
I don't believe it's true, because I think Tomlin is
a thousand percent full of minure and has yupras out
the yin yang that rivals very few people. But even

(43:42):
I don't believe he's narcissistic enough to think he could
get ownership to coach.

Speaker 9 (43:48):
That's what I was thinking.

Speaker 2 (43:50):
I could not if he asked me for that.

Speaker 1 (43:52):
I was art runey the second I could not tell
him to go f himself quickly enough.

Speaker 2 (43:56):
Thank you for the call. Let's go to a talkback.

Speaker 3 (43:59):
Hey, Mark, if the Steelers beat the Texans on Monday night,
do you think Mike Tomlin signs an extension?

Speaker 8 (44:07):
Thanks?

Speaker 2 (44:09):
I think he'll coach the Steelers as long as he
wants to.

Speaker 1 (44:12):
We got the Hebrews, Yeah, the exit. We got breaking
news Baltimore fired John Harbaugh, as if that kicker didn't
feel bad enough. He misses the field goal, keeps his

(44:33):
team from winning the division and making the playoffs, gets
abused on social media, and now his coach got fired.
I wonder if they were gonna move on from him anyway, because,
as I heard of Baltimore radio hosts say earlier in
the week, well yesterday, it's Tuesday.

Speaker 2 (44:52):
You know what's there between eight and nine and nine
and eight.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
But the answer to that is winning the division to not,
So that is a big difference.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
But I I look at it this way.

Speaker 1 (45:00):
I think that there was obviously something to that story
in the Baltimore Son about Lamar and Harbaugh not getting along,
and Lamar won the war, which unsurprisingly so although a caveat,
I think he's closer to the end than he is
the middle. I think he's leaving his prime. I think
he will, now moving forward, be perpetually dinged up. And

(45:24):
I thought he was a lesser player, certainly against the
Steelers Sunday night because of that mobility limited didn't make
plays with his legs, although the Steelers tried to cut
that off and succeeded so, but the endgame in Baltimore
is John Harbaugh got fired. And if I'm Kevin Stefanski,

(45:48):
who I think is the number one coaching candidate out there,
I try to get hired at Baltimore to work with
Lamar if indeed he doesn't view him as a coach
killer after what just happened with Harball getting fired. Stefanski's
a really good coach. Here's in a nutshell. He would
have succeeded even more at Cleveland, and he did beat
the Steelers in the playoff game without even being there.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Don't forget he had COVID.

Speaker 1 (46:11):
He did beat the Steelers in the playoff game, and
he did have a great defense despite being an offensive
minded coach. He gave you the best of both worlds.
And the only reason Stefanski didn't succeed more at Cleveland
was because the owners interfered and basically ruined the team
for a decade with that Deshaun Watson contract, which is
I recall Stefanski did not want. He was perfectly content

(46:34):
with Baker Mayfield. So Harbuff fired by Baltimore.

Speaker 2 (46:42):
And by the way, I met.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
What I said yesterday when I said I would fire
Tom on har Stefanski.

Speaker 2 (46:49):
He's just a better coach. It's like those idiots Hayden
and Harrison.

Speaker 1 (46:54):
We didn't get to that sound by today, but they
were talking about how Burrow laid down for the sack
by Garrett to break director because he hates the Steelers.
What a couple of blow hard a holes. Those two
are a couple of bully meathead idiots. Okay, Like I
said earlier, why would Burrow hate the Steelers. Burrow's been

(47:17):
in the league six years. In those six years, the
Steelers won two division titles, but so did the Bengals,
and the Steelers ain't won a playoff game, and the
Bengals got to a Super Bowl into another AFC Championship game.
The whole world doesn't revolver on the MF and Pittsburgh Steelers,
no matter what idiots like Harrison and Hayden think.

Speaker 2 (47:39):
Oh God, how stupid is that to say that?

Speaker 1 (47:42):
But then again, I guarantee Harrison lied, and so did
oh Joe Sinko about talking to DK after the incident
with the van in Detroit and said it was a
racist common I guarantee they never talked to him, or
if they did that, DK didn't say that I guarantee
that they just lied to get attention and because they

(48:03):
don't understand my business journalists and they just don't think
there's any piper to pay. But for them, there isn't.
There isn't. People are scared of James Harrison. Tomlin was
scared of James Harrison. The whole Steelers organization is scared
of James Harrison to this day.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
When he did.

Speaker 1 (48:21):
That that finagling to get to New England, that one
year he crapped all over the logo in the organization.
They still welcome him back with open arms because they're
scared to death of them.

Speaker 2 (48:35):
F him, James.

Speaker 1 (48:36):
If you're listening, fu and roll over and tell Joe
Hayden the news. A three three, four one two WXDX
is the number to call, boy.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
You know what.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
The Steelers being in the playoffs reminds me. I really
love hockey. Can't wait that Eric Carlson on tomorrow. Can't
wait for the Penguins to beat Home against the Devils
on Thursday. Penguins, but again, I'm mad that they seem
to be getting away from developing young guys and emphasizing
the cookie line. By the way, I hate it when

(49:10):
every like when the players do it. It's one thing
when the media calls at Chari by his nickname Cookie,
it's just like cringeworthy.

Speaker 2 (49:17):
Have I ever done that?

Speaker 1 (49:18):
Have I ever called players by their nicknames? I probably have,
But if I do, I suck, absolutely suck. But you know,
in some ways, the worst thing the Penguins could do
is make the playoffs, just like the worst thing the

(49:39):
Steelers can do is win this game Monday night. Then again,
by winning the fake playoff game, they've probably already guaranteed
the Tom win return, which was never much in doubt.
And then Aaron Rodgers is going to come back next year.
And by the way, I'm not criticizing Aaron Rodgers at all.
I think for the most part, he's been exactly what
the Steelers should have expected. Well, he gets a little

(50:01):
bitchy and grouchy, and he kind of tunes out in
some games. He's played some really bad games, like the
La Chargers game, he looked like he just didn't want
to play. The Cleveland Bronze game just a couple weeks back,
he looked like he really didn't want to play. But
for the most part, he's been, you know, a stand
up teammate and he's been.

Speaker 2 (50:22):
I mean I would have picked him his MVP offensively
and not gain Well.

Speaker 1 (50:26):
That's no knock on gain Well, but by the same
token I would have picked in retrospect, Joey Porter Junior
is the MVP on defense since those Matt Williamson stats
came to light, almost fifteen hundred STAPs without allowing a TD,
twice as long as the second longest streak among DB's
in the NFL. But no, I think Aaron Rodgers has

(50:48):
done a really great job. I just wouldn't bring him
back at forty three if they don't at least get
to the AFC Championship Game this year. It's a wasted
year without moving forward to quarterback. And you might say, well,
you can't move forward a quarterback?

Speaker 2 (51:02):
Why you think so?

Speaker 1 (51:03):
With Will Howard, And that's their fault for drafting Kenny Pickens,
setting the franchise back at least half a decade, maybe longer.
You know what's funny, I remember people saying when they
traded Kenny, well, he's gonna come back and haunt the Steelers. Yeah,
he's gonna haunt the UFL soon if he's even good

(51:25):
enough to be wanted there. It's a shame there's no
arena ball anymore because that would be Kenny Picktt's level,
all right. Up next, going to talk hockey with the
Great Pierre Maguire. One oh five ninety x Eric Radio
Alter Ego text the nationwide keyword music to the number
two