December 1, 2025 • 40 mins
Mark is joined by Phil Bourque to talk Penguins before the Flyers game. Brian Batko joins for Steelers talk. Ask Mark Anything!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Penguins at the old Enemy tonight, Philadelphia, come watch the
game with me at Pittsburgh Brewing Company of Creyton, biggest
big screen TV ever. We're joined now by the two
times Stanley Cup champion. He is the Penguins color analyst,
Phil bork Borky, the winger. Rector McGroarty has been summon
from Wilkes and we've got a kid line of McGroarty,
(00:22):
Kindall and Cliven and tonight I like to see it.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, good afternoon, Doublem.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Good to be on with you like always, and yeah same.
I was hoping that mccordy would be put with Kendall
and Corvenan, and you got McGroarty at twenty one, Kindle
at eighteen, and corvenan's the old man on the line
at twenty two. So yeah, we've seen this before from
other teams and that's had success with it. And I
(00:49):
think it's it's imperative that this line not only looks
good and gels quickly, but when you get right down
to it, mark they really need some five on five
scoring from their bottom six, and all three of those
guys have the ability to put the biscuit in the basket.
And I just think there's been too much top heavy
since we put the calendar to November. Now that we've
(01:10):
put the calendar to December, I really think that we
need to get that bottom six, putting bicskets in the basket.
And that line just on paper, looks like it could
do that.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yeah, because you could sit on one line, Malkin on another,
and maybe the kids on the third. The whole can
be greater than the sum of the parts. I'm glad
to see mus go in this direction. I can't help
but wonder if maybe Kyle Dubis mandated it because I
didn't like Bros Being called up and being scratched.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Two or three games.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
This is about development, about kids. I know you want
to win, but I think Kristan Bros Could help you
do that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Too, now I know, and I think we'll see Bros
up here again sooner instead of later. It was kind
of odd he you know, he was okay in his
first game. But here's the thing is, I think they've
decided that Ben kindall to get the best out of
Ben is to have him in that three sea hole,
(02:06):
not as a winger, but as a third line center,
and that's where Bros plays. Also but you know, I'm
almost contradicting myself here that bros Can play all three
forward positions, So I don't know if he I assume
he can play the right wing. Also, you're talking about,
you know, a left shot with Bros, a left shot
with McGroarty. H We'll see how corven In plays out here,
(02:27):
because you know Billy's he's strugglingly degenerate offense. You know,
just passing the eye tends you see a lot of
good things.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
You see you're skating.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
He can pass the part, obviously, but at the end
of the day, when you've got that much skill, you've
got to start scoring.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
And you hate to kind of get to that point.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
But now we're over twenty games where he doesn't have
a goal in the National Hockey League, and you certainly
don't want to.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Go you got to school. You got to school.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
You gotta score, you know, like that doesn't help anything,
but right you gotta sco Like, at some point you
have to start scoring because that's what you do best,
and when you're not scoring, you don't do a whole
lot of other things to help the Penguins win. So,
you know, I wonder if maybe at some time during
the season, we'll see McGarty kindle and bros.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
As your kid lined.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
McGarty had four goals in five games with Wilkes after
coming back from his injury.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Burky, do you see him as a big time score?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I think he might be like to solid twenty twenty
five goal guy, like a great middle six winger.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
It's boring radio when you and I agree, but I
do agree. Yeah, I think he's he's.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
More of that twenty twenty five, you know, fifty sixty
point guy. But I don't think Rucker mcgroarty's one of
those guys that you measure him just on on points
because he does do a lot of other things. I
think he has the capabilities to do a.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Lot of other things.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
And you know, and being in a leadership role, whether
it's that in Michigan or with the nd TP, you know,
the National Development Program up there in ann Arbor where
he played under Dan Muse, and then you know his
you know, World junior experiences as a captain. It goes
to show you that he's got a lot of leadership qualities.
And so that's the guy that if even at a
(04:03):
young age, if you have been given that letter c
on your left shoulder.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
It's because you do more than score, you know, it's
because the.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Intangibles in the room, the intangibles on the bench, and
then when you're not scoring, what else are you doing
to help the team win? And I think Rutgor McGroarty
checks a lot of those boxes. You know, he could
be physical, He can you know, he can maybe set
up a play by digging a puck out of the corner.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
He could take a hit to make a play.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Like those things that don't make it out to the
score sheet, But I know your eyeballs picked them up.
And as I mentioned, Corven and not as much in
those things. But McGroarty, I think he does more of
those little tangible things that help the team win when
he's got ending up on the score sheet.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
We're talking to Phil Borgfield two nin er here on
the Mark Madden Show. This segment brought to us by
eighty four Lumber. I didn't feel like the weekend went
great for the Penguins, Bordki. The Penguins played one good
period out of six. That said, the third Columbus was great,
as was the overtime.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Yeah, but they got to start putting sixty minutes together.
I mean, there's been too many moments where they've had
a great period of great two periods and you know,
either lose the game in overtime shootout or lose the
game in regulation, which they've done also, So you know,
when you look at the month of November it and
(05:21):
does injuries.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Play a role on I don't know where you are
on this mark.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I think you get to a point when you've gone
this long without you know, Brezo and without Raquel and
without a Chari, that you've got some players that can
kind of put the finger in the dike a bit
and the whole, but at some point the water starts
leaking out. And I think that's where we were in November,
that those players were dearly missed because of the fit
they were in the balance and chemistry that this team had, but.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Exactly mark they did.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And as much depth as we have on this hockey team,
which is significantly better than it was two or three
years ago, those players that I'm talking about fit certain
roles that were significant in the team winning hockey games,
going a two and two in October.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Now, I've been saying that we have decent depth, but
limited fit, and that's what's catching up with us right now.
How about Sid's touch in close on both goals versus
Columbus and the goal versus Toronto. I mean, my god,
Don Low, it was I mean, this goes way back.
Reminded me of phill Le's posito where you're like in
the middle of a big jam and suddenly the puck's
(06:29):
in the net.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Well, you get my u You get me all jumping
up and down here when you talk to a kid
from Boston about phill up posito.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
But you're right.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Because the times he makes it look easy, right, and
it's not easy.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
You know, just the two goals that you were talking about.
You know, I was doing the the.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Pre and post on the TV side with Jay Coffeel
and we broke that thing down. It was probably about
I don't know, maybe eleven different points that we made
on how that goal actually happened, and just the way
that Sid's mind slowed everything down. I don't know if
there's another player in the league, whether you're talking to
McKennon and McDavid, any of the other greats, Koutrov could
(07:08):
have done what Sid did.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
And then the goal that you're talking about the other night,
where he's in so tight on the backhand, you know,
on a six foot seven goaltender with really long legs,
you know, and he'll be make make them look kind
of silly, right, It just made it look so easy.
But when you're in that tight on your backhand, it's
really hard to beat a goaltender like Sid did right there.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
And it's just it's incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
It's incredible what he keeps on keeping on.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Uh he you know, he.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Hasn't gotten more than two games without a point all year.
We talked about you probably asking me this question ten
years ago when I started coming on your show, that
you know, the model of consistency that Sid is about
the standard. There's nobody else, there's nobody else in the
league that does what Sid does night in and night out.
End of story, exclamation part. That's point, that's that's who
(08:01):
he is, and he takes a lot of pride in
that night in and night.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Out is Jarry establishing himself as the number one goalie.
He's stolen the points a couple of times since coming back,
which he hasn't always. And I don't want to say
Shilloffs is falling apart, but he's not quite what he
started out.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
As Yeah, there's a little bit of both, right that
she lost has it's kind of faulted off a little
bit after you know, winning three of his first four games.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
That uh, he he has stumbled a little bit. His
goals against in the same percentage prove it, and uh,
he's just not getting the w's like he was early on.
He's got to find this game again.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Uh you know.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
But with all that being said, Tristan has just kept
on keeping on. Right, there's there's what we were looking
for is the confidence and the consistency. Right, those are
the two things we never doubted how good of a
goaltender he was. But we also we scratched our head
on why it would go sideways and go sideways for
so long.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And so if he.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Has a bad goal or he has a bad period
and he's gonna he has right now he has the
mental toughness and the confidence to bounce right back and
reel it back in again. And that's something that was
missing the last couple of years, because when he just
stumbled a little bit, he tripped and fall down the
stairs twenty steps. You know, now he just picks himself
back up again and puts one foot in front of
(09:21):
the other.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
And maybe it is, you know.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Newly being a dad. Maybe that has something to do
with it. Maybe he was just sicking sent down to Wilksbury,
as he did two times last year. But there's a
maturity to Tristan. There's a there's just a certain body
language to the way he is. Just he I just
bumped into him in the hotel here earlier today. There's
just a certain air about him now that is a calmness,
(09:44):
a coolness, a collectiveness and a confidence.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
The power Play had been really chugging along, number one
in the league and all that. Now it's three for
its last seventeen and to me, port gets evident why
they scored goals for a while another trying too hard,
trying too much, try it too fancy, backdoor passes all
the time.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
This segment sucks. Here we go, here we go. I agree.
I agree again with you. Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Because we mardeled at the simplicity of the part of
the power Play And that's not the sexy answer, but
it's the right answer.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
That they've got the.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Way with that that it's almost like they're again I'm
not I'm being a little dramatic here, but it's.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Almost like, ah, that was too easy. Let's try that.
Let's try the tough stuff again. That's way more fun.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Well, the tough stuff is it doesn't work. You know
what I mean about the tough stuff. It's trying to,
you know, make passes that are not there, you know,
make east west passes. We have to go through skates
and sticks.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Uh. When the simple player was just get it to
the damn net.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
We get guys down low with the skill that they have,
you know, whether it's Kindle or or Gino or or
Russy or Skid, whoever it is, you know. And Eric Halson,
I'm not saying he's the guilty party here, but he's
one of five that's a guilty party that when that
just that simple wrist shot hard and low and the
(11:07):
feet of the goaltender is there, they're thinking, nah, I
did that in October. I want to I want to
make that back to a pass to sit for the tap,
and that's way more fun and looks better on TV.
They're going to get back to just simplifying thing. They'll
they'll be fine if they do that. It's not they'll
continue to be on this slow, downward spiral.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
It's weird too, Niner. I'm not crazy about where the
Penguins wrap, but I don't hate it either.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
It's a long project.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I don't feel uncomfortable right now, but I just want
to see a little more uptick, a little more return
to where they were in October.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, I agree with you, and that's why I brought
up the injuries. It feels like a long time that
we saw ricond Kel and I don't think it's around
the corner. I think Brazo, Yeah, but you know, hopefully
justin Brezo is the Brazo we saw on October, because
you know, a big body, and it's tough to get
the big body moving again. And that was just we
couldn't even put our finger on why there was so
(12:05):
much chemistry between Manta, Malkin.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
And Brazil, but it was. And so will it still
be there when he comes back? I hope so. And
you know, Chari is a Charry, you know, a Charty.
We know we're gonna get with a Chari.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
He's built like a coke machine. He's he's a bowl
in the china shop, you know. I think that's as
long as he plays like that, And and the other
team wants to knock his block off, then Nola Chari
will be Nola Chari.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
But I get that feeling. You kind of had this uneasiness.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
About where the Penguins were in October, and why have
we got to the point now where the very tip
of our fingernails were hanging on to a wild card
spot when we should be battling with with New Jersey
and Carolina for that number one spot in the metro.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
So I agree with you. I had that same uneasiness
that you have.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Now we got the old enemy tonight and talk has
them playing better. But I still like our roster better
than I like theirs. I liked that they caught up
my mom and too, because the Flyers pulled some crap
the last.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Time they did and the guy with the most punishable
face on that team, and Trevor Ziegers was the guy that.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Kind of couldn't melt him down and pour him into
a fight.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
No, no, but here's the thing.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
First you beat him on the scoreboard, then you beat
the snot out of him, and you're right with Boco
Omama in the lineup.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Here's the thing about Boco. Boco can play.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You know, he's said a.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Good set of myths. He'll play the game.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
He And here's it's gonna sound like a silly statement,
but I think.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
You understand it. Mark.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
He can throw a body check. He can throw a
body check to hurt somebody and not take a penalty.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
That's what I mean. He could play the game. He
could skate. He can get there.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
He's not he's not chasing after the checks because he
got slow feet. He can move his feet and get
there and make those body checks and make him legal.
And he can intimidate the game that way, if you
want to drop the gloves.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
He's a technician. Mark.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
I talked to him the other day about this guy
and that guy and these other players. And and I
don't know if Nick Laurier is gonna Nick Laurier's in
the lineup here tonight. It didn't look like he was,
which I find hard to believe that we're talking would
not put him in.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
But if that's the case, that's the case.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Because Bokoamama, if he doesn't have a dance partner, he'll
go out and play. He'll intimidate the game with physicality
without the fist of cuffs, right, he can do that.
And so and here's the other thing did Gino Rusty
tanger Car.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Guess what they're They're popping.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Out their chests a little bit more knowing that number
four teams in the lineup. Whether they'll admit it or not,
it's an absolute fact that they love having this guy
in the lineup.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
No question, barking. There's always a pleasure, great insight. Enjoy
the game tonight and we'll see you at the rink,
cut boy next week.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
You guys are gone for a while.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Huh yeah that we're going to Tampa and Dallas. But hey,
you do a little thing thing tonight, the little watch
party tonight.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Pittsburg Brewing Company on Creighton Big creyton Pa biggest, big screen, Borkie,
you should see this TV.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Well, I'd love to maybe partake one time, not for
a Penguins game, but maybe some other event with you.
Are you going to have those Flyer jerseys? Because you
know how I feel about the Flyers and when they
start your command against with that Jack Ascid, you got it,
you got the jersey.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
I'll have them there tonight, believe me. The T shirts.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah, and not only that, Porky, we've expanded operations.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
We now have Orange and black.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I don't even eat Orangeminem's.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Yeah, but you'd wear this shirt. It looks too good.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
All right, buddy, I enjoyed our time together. This was
good lucky talk.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
That's Phil Bourk com Mark Madden, get your calls in now,
calls on the fifteens. Trey Essex can't join us today,
had a prior commitment. Interfere Brian Batko from the post
because that at four thirty, one oh five to nine.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
It's the Woody Show week mornings at six.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah, and what do you what?
Speaker 4 (15:41):
What do you want?
Speaker 7 (15:42):
Damn it?
Speaker 5 (15:43):
D exit one oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Once again, calls on the fifteen's proving to be sporadic.
We were packed for three fifteen, not so much now,
but you can call it now eight three to three,
four one two WXDX. We got Brian batt in just
a few moments in any case, and it's a short
segment here anyway.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
But here's Aaron Rodgers after.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Yesterday's game calling out John news Smith for winning an
improper route.
Speaker 8 (16:13):
When there's film sessions, everybody shows up. And when I
checked to a route, you do the right route.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
You know, Like.
Speaker 8 (16:26):
John and I just were on same page. I checked
to his ian breaker and he ran out breaker. You know,
I'm John is a true professionals. I'm sure he's you know,
he's sick, sick about that.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
There is there's Aaron Rodgers. I know, welcome to Pittsburgh,
but I honestly don't blame him. Aaron Rodgers did not
come to Pittsburgh expecting this, this fiasco. Aaron Rodgers believed
in the Steelers myth and the Tomlin myth after observing
from Afar, and now he's smelling the excreman up close.
(17:04):
Like Tim Ben said on his podcast, if Rogers had
it to do over, he'd probably be Minnesota or Bust.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Here's Cam.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Hey, we're talking about Josh Allen allegedly kneeing him in
the stomach yesterday.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Being need in my stomach and then it was drawing
back and forth, and then you know he tacked off
the entire game because as a quarterback they're protected.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
But I'm not just pisses me off saying yes, that's exactly.
Speaker 7 (17:36):
What I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (17:37):
Did you cross the line throughout the game? I say
that was that one incident?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Is that on purpose for him?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yes?
Speaker 9 (17:45):
You can said after you why I had to do
something to get.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
You off of me.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Oh boohoo, cam Y Sissy, Mary, where's the tape? I
didn't see it. Alan didn't heed you and the balls
because I'm not sure you have any the way you've
played this year. Actually, that's unfair. He's battled. He's just
old and can't get as much done as he used to.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Okay, now I gotta talk about bet Parks. Where's my paper?
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Here?
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It is because I love bet Parks.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
The bet Parks on a like casino in sportsbook is
the only app I use and recommend and love because
whether your team wins or not, there's always another way
to win. With bet Parks, odds, bets, slots and games
all right in the palm of your hand. The bet
Parks on the Casino in sportsbook has got you covered
for the pro football season. Plus, Betwire is now live
(18:38):
right inside the bet Parks app. Betwire is the all
new sports betting live feed with game picks from all
across the country. Scroll tailor pick and get fired up
with bett Wire, the live sports betting content feed right
inside the bet Parks app.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
New users get up to one thousand.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Dollars cash back see Betparks Dot Comfort terms and conditions.
You must be twenty one and in PA, New Jersey
or Maryland gam with problem called one eight hundred gambler.
You love to play, you play to win. You bet
bet Parks. Ryan back cooed the Post Becauzette. Up next
one oh five to nine, Oh.
Speaker 10 (19:14):
Drews, It's the XES Kick Ass Christmas Show with highly
Suspect the Tuesday Deceimmer ninth at stay Je.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Get your tickets now at WXDX dot com.
Speaker 10 (19:30):
Okay, highly Suspects with flight attendance.
Speaker 11 (19:33):
Same bet.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Tisness.
Speaker 9 (19:39):
He's into the jolly party, rockin' something.
Speaker 10 (19:43):
It's the XES Kickass Christmas Show from one oh five.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
To nine the x.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
So be It Baby VX at one oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Steeler talk is boiling over. Joining me now to indulge
from the Post Caazette's Brian. Brian, We've been talking a
lot about the third quarter yesterday in particular. That's about
as bad as it's gotten for the Steelers in quite
some time.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Isn't it.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 10 (20:10):
I mean luckily Mark I was back from the Nacho
bar just in time, sitting down at my seat in
the press box and boom, Joey Bosa coming in like
a freight train hitting Aaron Rodgers. And you know, I
think every week that they lose in every game that
goes left like that. The players sort of maybe maybe
it comes from Mike Tomlin, but they sort of see
(20:32):
the Pond one play and they say, oh, that was
the turning point and we didn't do a good enough
job responding to that. The strip sack was that play
for them yesterday. I assume that'll be the talking point
for Mike again tomorrow at his presser. But I think
we all know that the issues are bigger and more
grandiose than that they just happened to materialize specifically on
(20:52):
that play.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
I give Rogers a lot of credit for playing with
now the bum nose and the bum rists too, But
should he be playing He seems very limited and tentative
given the circumstance.
Speaker 10 (21:06):
I mean, I don't want to say he shouldn't. But
someone asked me that in my chat today on the
PG site, like, is it a good idea to have
your quarterback in there when he can't take snaps under center?
And I'm not an exason O's guru, but I would
say no anytime that you can't open up the entirety
of your playbook, especially when you're the Steelers and you're
running this offense, that can't be a good thing to
(21:27):
play into the hands of defensive coordinators who are.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
X's and O's guru.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
So I feel like that's.
Speaker 10 (21:32):
Kind of why Mike Tomlin went the route.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
That he did a week ago with Rudolph.
Speaker 10 (21:36):
In Chicago, and now he's trying this and just like
many other things with the Steelers, they try some different things,
but ultimately it lands them back in the same spot.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Rogers talked about the why that's winning the wrong route
on Checkdown's Johnny Smith, in particular the tight end, but
Mike thought, it's week thirteen. I mean, I can see
him getting frustrated. But if they're not on the same
page by now, Brian.
Speaker 10 (22:02):
Yeah, And let me just set the scene a little
bit for context. That was the last question of the
Rogers presser, which had already sort of been all over
the place. He was criticizing their practice week, but then
he was taking up for the coaches and Mike Tomlin,
and then he was making comments about the game day
experience not being up the par whatever that means, and
(22:26):
then sort of a granular inside football question about getting
on the same page as receivers with routes, and the
Smith one was mentioned specifically, and then he almost just
couldn't help himself, and that's when he started saying the
stuff about when there's film sessions, be at the film
session when I check to a route, run the right route,
(22:47):
and I hope to see all the boys at our
next meeting. So he's almost leading us on this witch
hunt to find out who has not bought in on
this offense. And I tend to think that he's not
talking about Johnny Smith, because he did take great pains
to say he's a true professional, albeit blamed him for
that miscommunication. But man, this is the kind of stuff
(23:08):
that followed Rogers here from New York and even a
little bit of Green Bay before then, and.
Speaker 9 (23:14):
It's it's looking somewhat messy at the moment.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Well, one guy who doesn't have to bother to run
the right rode or wrong LT is Pat Frarman.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
He's disappeared, hasn't he.
Speaker 10 (23:24):
Yeah, And if you really want to get the microscope
out and try to figure out who Rogers is talking about,
you can pretty much eliminate friar of you from that
list because you have to play to not be on
the same.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
Page as the quarterback.
Speaker 10 (23:36):
And you know, I think those two have have been
very happy and willing to work together from day one
that Rogers signed here. So I don't know what's going
on with the tight end adjudication of snaps. I thought
for the better part of a month now that John
hu Smith good guy, good locker room presence. I like him,
(23:56):
but he's not providing much when he's out there. So
it's either time to slash the snaps for him in
this rotation or simply phase him out and just make
him a straight up back up to Pat Fryer. Muse
it would be admitting defeat as.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
Far as acquiring him goes.
Speaker 10 (24:12):
But as Mike Toman always says, the road is getting narrow,
and just like a college basketball coach in March madness,
might be time to shorten the rotation in the bench.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
What is their offensive identity? And that almost sounds like
a trick question.
Speaker 10 (24:28):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think they really have one.
And this is one of those things that comes up
when a team is struggling. It's sort of an easy
crutch for players to use. Over we're looking for our identity.
We need to get back to our identity. I think
the best offense is you know, they have one, but
it's because it's something that they're really good at and
they can also beat you in other ways. This offense
(24:51):
doesn't really have either. I guess if I were forced
to choose, I would say their identity is being physical,
the jumbo package, Darnell Washington, Spencer andrews In lining up
nine hundred pounds of.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
Man meat on the edge running at you.
Speaker 9 (25:04):
But that's not really working right now either.
Speaker 10 (25:07):
It certainly didn't work on that fourth and two with Anderson,
you know, the bacto slot receiver and Kenneth Gainwell just
getting absolutely stuffed. So I think they want that to
be their identity. I don't think they've been particularly good
at it as of late, and that's probably what they
have to tap into if they have any hope of
(25:28):
turning this around down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
We're talking to Brian Batco at the Post Gazette, and
that's the funny part, Brian.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
They're still in it.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
They're still tied for the top of the division, still
six and six. This game Sunday is a monstrous game,
and the Ravens aren't great either. They're six and six two.
Yet I have zero faith in the Steelers.
Speaker 10 (25:47):
I agree, I acknowledge everything you say, and you know,
I guess I wouldn't be shocked if the Steelers find
a way, and it wouldn't even really be me praising
or crediting them.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
It would probably be.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
More of just this is what the NFL is in
twenty twenty five. Goofy stuff happens on a weekly basis,
with no real rhyme.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
Or reason to it or way to predict it.
Speaker 10 (26:09):
And yet I am not going to predict they go
down to Baltimore and win at the raven two. You
know that lost to the Bengals while putrid on Thanksgiving
might have actually been a wake up call for a
team that.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
Had been rolling in the win column.
Speaker 10 (26:22):
At least, you know, they weren't winning fluidly, as Tomlin
would say, but at least they were stacking wins. Maybe
they actually needed that to humble them refocus them. I
don't have nearly as much faith that the Steelers are
going to be able to do that, not after the
way they collapsed around this time last season, and not
after the way that they've been playing these last seven games.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
What's wrong with the defense? Because it offensely should not
be that bad.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
It's so high priced, all those big names, but there
ain't nobody there really doing.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Anything, is there?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Right?
Speaker 10 (26:53):
I don't think guys are defeating blocks up front, and
that's where it starts.
Speaker 9 (26:58):
And then I don't think the.
Speaker 10 (26:59):
Lineback behind them are playing well enough to make up
for that. You know, if there was any silver lining,
you know, the secondary I guess was okay, Brandon eccles
made a couple of nice plays and they weren't getting.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
Beat over the top.
Speaker 9 (27:13):
But that's damning with faint.
Speaker 10 (27:14):
Praise because the Bills didn't really even have to do
any of that. And you know, the corners were getting
gouged on the edges by James Cook in the running game,
other than Joey Porter Junior coming up with some good
tackling and run support. But yeah, I mean, it seems
like it's just sort of a total system failure defensively,
where they plug one hole and then another one just
(27:35):
comes gaping wide open. I think it's getting late early
for Taroll often, even if he's just the de facto
defensive coordinator and he's running what Mike wants him to run,
and he's doing what Mike wants him to do. We
all know that football is big business, and you know,
people have to pay the price and fall on the
sword when things go south, and things are going very
(27:55):
south for that unit.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Yeah, I can't figure out well, I mean I can't.
It's actually Evanent, but like, Heywards just not that good anymore.
Wat's even not that good anymore. Ramsey's not that good anymore.
Like I wasn't sure that all the old timey guys
would be great. I wasn't sure that all fall off
like they appeared to have.
Speaker 10 (28:16):
Remember Darius slay Pour a little bit out for him.
He was in street clothes for that game, just straight
up inactive. So I mean that tells you just how
bad that signing was. That that's gonna go down. I
guess as one of the worst, considering he wasn't even
active for a huge game in the AFC in week thirteen.
(28:36):
But yeah, I guess that's neither here nor there because
he wasn't on the field, And you're right, those guys
who were weren't doing much of anything yesterday. I think
Kean Ubenton still really struggles against the run, particularly, he
might just be miscast in this defense, this whole defense
might be miscast because the good teams, at least for
the most part, have seemingly figured it out long ago,
(28:59):
and occasionally they rise up with some superhuman plays by
Hayward or Watt to help beat the Ravens or help
beat the Colts. But we know when the Chips are
down with the Chiefs, with the Ravens, with the Bills
have done to them, and.
Speaker 9 (29:15):
I don't see that changing in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
What could they change? What could they fix?
Speaker 1 (29:21):
And I asked that knowing that they don't seem like
they see the need to change much.
Speaker 9 (29:27):
You're talking about this season or just big picture.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
No, as in by Sunday, oh.
Speaker 9 (29:33):
Chief by Sunday.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
I don't know.
Speaker 10 (29:36):
I really don't, because the Ravens just pushed them around
last year, and.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
You know, pushes them around now, Brian.
Speaker 10 (29:44):
Every game, Yeah, Jets and Seahawks first couple of weeks
of the season. Absolutely, you can't just pretend those games
didn't happen.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
So, yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 9 (29:53):
But this game, specifically, this was.
Speaker 10 (29:56):
What was fresh in their minds this offseason when Tomlin
and Omar Khan and Andy Whida went out to sign
Malik Harrison as the free agent, to draft Derek Harmon
and Ye Black and try to remake this group and
do a more physical defense. And pardon the pun, but
no one's been raven about the acquisitions so far this season.
(30:19):
Every guy doesn't really give me any hope that they
are going to change anything this week. And you know,
you want to talk about personnel changes, what's left? I mean,
there's really not much less, So I don't have an
answer for you on that one.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
What's going to happen Sunday at Baltimore, because like this
seems like do or die, even though there'll only be
a game behind if they lose, and they would have
a rematch with the Ravens at Pittsburgh, but clearly there's
only that be one playoff team from the AFC North.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
This game seems like all or nothing.
Speaker 10 (30:55):
I think the Ravens are going to win, and win
pretty comfortably because, like I said, I think this really
is the game of two teams that need to respond
to a horrific home loss, and I think the Ravens
are better built to do that based on the quarterback
for one, who I know is not playing is best football,
but I still think he's better than Aaron Rodgers in
(31:16):
his current state, the talent around him for two, and
then just recent history for three in this matchup, but
also how the Ravens have peaked at the end of
the regular season. Now, don't get me wrong, they can't
get over the hump ultimately in the postseason. But I
can't see them losing at home again to the Steelers.
Speaker 9 (31:39):
But maybe this.
Speaker 10 (31:39):
Will be mutually assured destruction in the Bengals will ride
in here hot and run the table and win the
AFC North, and we'll have missed the forest for the
trees all along.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Hey, don't kid yourself, right, If they win on Sunday,
it'll be like nothing bad happen and the storyline will
be the AFC is a mess, They're a threat win
it all.
Speaker 10 (32:02):
Yeah, I guess all I would take is a TJ.
Watt stripsack there, a Jalen Ramsey tipped interception here on
Lamar Jackson, and a you know, a high school sort
of wishbone offensive game plan, because I thought that was
the recipe we were trending toward, uh last night until
Joey Bosa came in like a Mac truck.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Brian, great stuff, as always, enjoy the game Sunday. We'll
talk again soon, I hope, great work.
Speaker 9 (32:30):
Thanks Mark Cia.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
That's Brian Batco of the Post Gazette. This segment brought
to us by I can't find it the hell with
it time not as Mark anything eight three three four
one two wxdx eight three three four one two wxdx
call now a three three four one two wwxdx four
(32:51):
leave a talk back via the microphone icon at the
iHeartMedia app one oh five nine.
Speaker 11 (32:57):
Tonight the Penn's face off against the Flyers. 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.
Speaker 12 (33:09):
Nine d X.
Speaker 11 (33:12):
Behold the Alpha Mother in the Holiday Wild. She prowls
the digital survivors for dealers to satisfy Virginius, Mark Maddenberginius, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Mark, welcome show.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
Well if I won you pertating Dusty Road, Youmican dream,
so be it.
Speaker 5 (33:27):
Bating the x at one five nine.
Speaker 4 (33:42):
As Mark anything.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Reckless by People's Natural Gas, People's and es Sense Utilities Company,
People's Hyphengas dot Com. Let's go to land and Land
and ask Mark anything?
Speaker 7 (33:57):
Hey Mark?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Ye?
Speaker 4 (34:00):
What's up buddy?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
All right?
Speaker 7 (34:02):
I just wanted to say that I think the defense
played pretty well yesterday and Mike Promlin raises leaders.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Yeah, kid, Uh, your dad told you to say that
to make you sound stupid because he's ashamed of you
and your grades probably aren't that good at school. If
I were, you auld wise up to listen to somebody
else besides your dumb dad that told you to say that.
Thank you for the call. What's good to Jay in Bridgeville?
J Ask Mark anything?
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Hey Mark?
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Hey Mark?
Speaker 3 (34:32):
I'm just gonna say I didn't even the defense played
that bad and I.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Think let's go to Roddington Roddington, you're all with double.
Speaker 5 (34:39):
M What.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Up?
Speaker 4 (34:45):
Hey, Mark?
Speaker 13 (34:45):
I'm after that dumpster fire performance for the Steelers yesterday,
I wanted to get your thoughts on who's your leading
contender for Douchebag of the Year for the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
That's a good question, but I think Cam Hayward's going
to be the leader in the clubhouse, right.
Speaker 13 (35:02):
I totally agree with you, But after what Patrick Queen
did the tray yesterday, I think he's my leading and tender.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Yeah, Patrick Queen popping off in a two time super
Bowl champion and bringing up individual accolades. That really revealed
the Steelers culture now as what it is, selfish and
not oriented on winning.
Speaker 13 (35:24):
I think their culture is that they're not real Steelers
in our major frauds.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
But I think.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Kim's body of work in terms of being what douchebag
of the year.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
Yeah, I think Kim's.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
Body of work dating back two holdings ago cannot be ignored.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
I mean, Cam was put in work for this year
last year.
Speaker 13 (35:45):
Yep, totally agree with you. He's probably the leading contender,
but I would say TJ. Watt and Patrick Queen are
a close second.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
Let's go to Silky Silky. Ask Mark anything, what's up?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Super g?
Speaker 12 (35:59):
I got a calm, I get a it was I
couldn't agree with you more about the sideline reporter is useless?
A suggestion what do you think about using the boogie
by UFO as one of your intros?
Speaker 2 (36:11):
And a question Bookie is.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Like UFO even before I started listening to them. That
predates Shenker even so no, that's not no, no dice okay?
Speaker 12 (36:23):
And a question as we get older, we're supposedly able
to get Wiser, Did you ever think about getting retested
on your IQ?
Speaker 1 (36:31):
No, there's no need to. IQs do not increase or
decrease as you get older. They are innate. They are
the intelligence that you have naturally, So there's no need.
Let's go to call and call and ask Mark anything
calling you there?
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Oh?
Speaker 13 (36:49):
Hello, this isn't calling, This is Greg. Great, Sorry about that, double.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
M Okay, what you called in and said you were calling?
Speaker 4 (36:55):
So we'll move on to the next caller. Let's go
to Mike.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Mike, you're own with double m.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
Hey, Mark, how are you great?
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Hey?
Speaker 3 (37:03):
If let's say Toman does exit this after the.
Speaker 8 (37:06):
Season, it's his first non losing season, what do you
think the national narrative will be around that, that.
Speaker 4 (37:12):
The Steelers let him down.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
We're already seeing that as the national narrative when Rex
Ryan said to the Steelers should do Tom Win a
favor and fire him because he could get a job.
Five minutes later somewhere else, the national narrative is that it's.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Not Tomin's fault.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
In fact, there's already groundwork being laid, like the Chris
can'ty sound we heard earlier that it's Rogers's fault.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
It ain't Rogers' fault. This is all Tomlin's fault.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
This is one hundred percent, one thousand percent, a million
percent Tomlin's fault. His fingerprints her over everything bad, all
over everything bad with this franchise, no doubt, ondoubt.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
Let's go to a.
Speaker 10 (37:52):
Talkback, Mark, do you think there was any chance TJ
or Cam are not Steelers next year?
Speaker 1 (38:06):
No, because I don't think anybody would want them. I
think at one point, I think you could have got
even as much as a second round pick for TJ
this year, not next year. And Cam should just quit.
Cam's just done. Although Cam, I gotta tell you, Cam's
playing better than TJ. Cam gets out there and does
the gruntwork in the trenches. He just not getting numbers
to show for it. That was always what made Cam special.
(38:28):
He was a defensive end in a three to four,
which is not a job designed to get sacks, but
he got him anyway. It's a it's a job designed
to eat up blockers, but he did more than that.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
But now he's not. Let's go to a talkback.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Hey, Mark, why did they yell sell the team for
Art Rody during the NFL Draft?
Speaker 5 (38:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Like I said, I think Art Rooney's biggest fear should
be that Steeler fans ruin the draft if this season
continues to go stop. The draft is the moment that
his family works so hard for, that his dad dreamed
of it's coming to Pittsburgh. And if Steeler fans were
disruptive and chanted fire Tom win and sell the team,
I think that would ruin the draft and and really
(39:11):
cause him great distress. I'm not saying go out there
and do that. I'm just saying, let's see how the
rest of this season goes. Let's go to Tom.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Tom.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
You're all with the.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Mark, you know.
Speaker 7 (39:25):
I know yesterday's game was bad and people are talking
about pointing to the play where Rogers got strips sacked.
But I'm wondering what your thoughts are, Allen, And is
that the reason that in the second half they ran
the same running play five straight times to shove it
(39:45):
down our throws. I thought that was the most embarrassing thing.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
I think they I think they just did it because
it was working. And believe me, there are a bunch
of things about yesterday's game and about the Steeler season
and j that have been mega embarrassing. Brov Uh but that, yeah,
that ranks right up there. They just kept doing the
same thing. The Steelers pride themselves in you can know
(40:09):
what we're gonna do, but you can't stop us. Well
that's not the case anymore. And the Bills took that,
reversed it, and shoved it right up. The Steelers took us.
Let's go to a talkback, hey, March.
Speaker 10 (40:21):
Even if we did pick up Herbert during the Amika trade,
it won't matter.
Speaker 5 (40:26):
Tomlan would have screwed that up too. What's your thoughts
on that?
Speaker 1 (40:32):
No Lies Detected? It's the mark Man Show one oh
five ninety x
Penguins at the old Enemy tonight, Philadelphia, come watch the
game with me at Pittsburgh Brewing Company of Creyton, biggest
big screen TV ever. We're joined now by the two
times Stanley Cup champion. He is the Penguins color analyst,
Phil bork Borky, the winger. Rector McGroarty has been summon
from Wilkes and we've got a kid line of McGroarty,
(00:22):
Kindall and Cliven and tonight I like to see it.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, good afternoon, Doublem.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Good to be on with you like always, and yeah same.
I was hoping that mccordy would be put with Kendall
and Corvenan, and you got McGroarty at twenty one, Kindle
at eighteen, and corvenan's the old man on the line
at twenty two. So yeah, we've seen this before from
other teams and that's had success with it. And I
(00:49):
think it's it's imperative that this line not only looks
good and gels quickly, but when you get right down
to it, mark they really need some five on five
scoring from their bottom six, and all three of those
guys have the ability to put the biscuit in the basket.
And I just think there's been too much top heavy
since we put the calendar to November. Now that we've
(01:10):
put the calendar to December, I really think that we
need to get that bottom six, putting bicskets in the basket.
And that line just on paper, looks like it could
do that.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yeah, because you could sit on one line, Malkin on another,
and maybe the kids on the third. The whole can
be greater than the sum of the parts. I'm glad
to see mus go in this direction. I can't help
but wonder if maybe Kyle Dubis mandated it because I
didn't like Bros Being called up and being scratched.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Two or three games.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
This is about development, about kids. I know you want
to win, but I think Kristan Bros Could help you
do that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Too, now I know, and I think we'll see Bros
up here again sooner instead of later. It was kind
of odd he you know, he was okay in his
first game. But here's the thing is, I think they've
decided that Ben kindall to get the best out of
Ben is to have him in that three sea hole,
(02:06):
not as a winger, but as a third line center,
and that's where Bros plays. Also but you know, I'm
almost contradicting myself here that bros Can play all three
forward positions, So I don't know if he I assume
he can play the right wing. Also, you're talking about,
you know, a left shot with Bros, a left shot
with McGroarty. H We'll see how corven In plays out here,
(02:27):
because you know Billy's he's strugglingly degenerate offense. You know,
just passing the eye tends you see a lot of
good things.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
You see you're skating.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
He can pass the part, obviously, but at the end
of the day, when you've got that much skill, you've
got to start scoring.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
And you hate to kind of get to that point.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
But now we're over twenty games where he doesn't have
a goal in the National Hockey League, and you certainly
don't want to.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Go you got to school. You got to school.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
You gotta score, you know, like that doesn't help anything,
but right you gotta sco Like, at some point you
have to start scoring because that's what you do best,
and when you're not scoring, you don't do a whole
lot of other things to help the Penguins win. So,
you know, I wonder if maybe at some time during
the season, we'll see McGarty kindle and bros.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
As your kid lined.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
McGarty had four goals in five games with Wilkes after
coming back from his injury.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Burky, do you see him as a big time score?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I think he might be like to solid twenty twenty
five goal guy, like a great middle six winger.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
It's boring radio when you and I agree, but I
do agree. Yeah, I think he's he's.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
More of that twenty twenty five, you know, fifty sixty
point guy. But I don't think Rucker mcgroarty's one of
those guys that you measure him just on on points
because he does do a lot of other things. I
think he has the capabilities to do a.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Lot of other things.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
And you know, and being in a leadership role, whether
it's that in Michigan or with the nd TP, you know,
the National Development Program up there in ann Arbor where
he played under Dan Muse, and then you know his
you know, World junior experiences as a captain. It goes
to show you that he's got a lot of leadership qualities.
And so that's the guy that if even at a
(04:03):
young age, if you have been given that letter c
on your left shoulder.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
It's because you do more than score, you know, it's
because the.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Intangibles in the room, the intangibles on the bench, and
then when you're not scoring, what else are you doing
to help the team win? And I think Rutgor McGroarty
checks a lot of those boxes. You know, he could
be physical, He can you know, he can maybe set
up a play by digging a puck out of the corner.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
He could take a hit to make a play.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Like those things that don't make it out to the
score sheet, But I know your eyeballs picked them up.
And as I mentioned, Corven and not as much in
those things. But McGroarty, I think he does more of
those little tangible things that help the team win when
he's got ending up on the score sheet.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
We're talking to Phil Borgfield two nin er here on
the Mark Madden Show. This segment brought to us by
eighty four Lumber. I didn't feel like the weekend went
great for the Penguins, Bordki. The Penguins played one good
period out of six. That said, the third Columbus was great,
as was the overtime.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Yeah, but they got to start putting sixty minutes together.
I mean, there's been too many moments where they've had
a great period of great two periods and you know,
either lose the game in overtime shootout or lose the
game in regulation, which they've done also, So you know,
when you look at the month of November it and
(05:21):
does injuries.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Play a role on I don't know where you are
on this mark.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I think you get to a point when you've gone
this long without you know, Brezo and without Raquel and
without a Chari, that you've got some players that can
kind of put the finger in the dike a bit
and the whole, but at some point the water starts
leaking out. And I think that's where we were in November,
that those players were dearly missed because of the fit
they were in the balance and chemistry that this team had, but.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Exactly mark they did.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And as much depth as we have on this hockey team,
which is significantly better than it was two or three
years ago, those players that I'm talking about fit certain
roles that were significant in the team winning hockey games,
going a two and two in October.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Now, I've been saying that we have decent depth, but
limited fit, and that's what's catching up with us right now.
How about Sid's touch in close on both goals versus
Columbus and the goal versus Toronto. I mean, my god,
Don Low, it was I mean, this goes way back.
Reminded me of phill Le's posito where you're like in
the middle of a big jam and suddenly the puck's
(06:29):
in the net.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Well, you get my u You get me all jumping
up and down here when you talk to a kid
from Boston about phill up posito.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
But you're right.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Because the times he makes it look easy, right, and
it's not easy.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
You know, just the two goals that you were talking about.
You know, I was doing the the.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Pre and post on the TV side with Jay Coffeel
and we broke that thing down. It was probably about
I don't know, maybe eleven different points that we made
on how that goal actually happened, and just the way
that Sid's mind slowed everything down. I don't know if
there's another player in the league, whether you're talking to
McKennon and McDavid, any of the other greats, Koutrov could
(07:08):
have done what Sid did.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
And then the goal that you're talking about the other night,
where he's in so tight on the backhand, you know,
on a six foot seven goaltender with really long legs,
you know, and he'll be make make them look kind
of silly, right, It just made it look so easy.
But when you're in that tight on your backhand, it's
really hard to beat a goaltender like Sid did right there.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
And it's just it's incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
It's incredible what he keeps on keeping on.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Uh he you know, he.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Hasn't gotten more than two games without a point all year.
We talked about you probably asking me this question ten
years ago when I started coming on your show, that
you know, the model of consistency that Sid is about
the standard. There's nobody else, there's nobody else in the
league that does what Sid does night in and night out.
End of story, exclamation part. That's point, that's that's who
(08:01):
he is, and he takes a lot of pride in
that night in and night.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Out is Jarry establishing himself as the number one goalie.
He's stolen the points a couple of times since coming back,
which he hasn't always. And I don't want to say
Shilloffs is falling apart, but he's not quite what he
started out.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
As Yeah, there's a little bit of both, right that
she lost has it's kind of faulted off a little
bit after you know, winning three of his first four games.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
That uh, he he has stumbled a little bit. His
goals against in the same percentage prove it, and uh,
he's just not getting the w's like he was early on.
He's got to find this game again.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Uh you know.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
But with all that being said, Tristan has just kept
on keeping on. Right, there's there's what we were looking
for is the confidence and the consistency. Right, those are
the two things we never doubted how good of a
goaltender he was. But we also we scratched our head
on why it would go sideways and go sideways for
so long.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And so if he.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Has a bad goal or he has a bad period
and he's gonna he has right now he has the
mental toughness and the confidence to bounce right back and
reel it back in again. And that's something that was
missing the last couple of years, because when he just
stumbled a little bit, he tripped and fall down the
stairs twenty steps. You know, now he just picks himself
back up again and puts one foot in front of
(09:21):
the other.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
And maybe it is, you know.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Newly being a dad. Maybe that has something to do
with it. Maybe he was just sicking sent down to Wilksbury,
as he did two times last year. But there's a
maturity to Tristan. There's a there's just a certain body
language to the way he is. Just he I just
bumped into him in the hotel here earlier today. There's
just a certain air about him now that is a calmness,
(09:44):
a coolness, a collectiveness and a confidence.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
The power Play had been really chugging along, number one
in the league and all that. Now it's three for
its last seventeen and to me, port gets evident why
they scored goals for a while another trying too hard,
trying too much, try it too fancy, backdoor passes all
the time.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
This segment sucks. Here we go, here we go. I agree.
I agree again with you. Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Because we mardeled at the simplicity of the part of
the power Play And that's not the sexy answer, but
it's the right answer.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
That they've got the.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Way with that that it's almost like they're again I'm
not I'm being a little dramatic here, but it's.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Almost like, ah, that was too easy. Let's try that.
Let's try the tough stuff again. That's way more fun.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Well, the tough stuff is it doesn't work. You know
what I mean about the tough stuff. It's trying to,
you know, make passes that are not there, you know,
make east west passes. We have to go through skates
and sticks.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Uh. When the simple player was just get it to
the damn net.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
We get guys down low with the skill that they have,
you know, whether it's Kindle or or Gino or or
Russy or Skid, whoever it is, you know. And Eric Halson,
I'm not saying he's the guilty party here, but he's
one of five that's a guilty party that when that
just that simple wrist shot hard and low and the
(11:07):
feet of the goaltender is there, they're thinking, nah, I
did that in October. I want to I want to
make that back to a pass to sit for the tap,
and that's way more fun and looks better on TV.
They're going to get back to just simplifying thing. They'll
they'll be fine if they do that. It's not they'll
continue to be on this slow, downward spiral.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
It's weird too, Niner. I'm not crazy about where the
Penguins wrap, but I don't hate it either.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
It's a long project.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I don't feel uncomfortable right now, but I just want
to see a little more uptick, a little more return
to where they were in October.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, I agree with you, and that's why I brought
up the injuries. It feels like a long time that
we saw ricond Kel and I don't think it's around
the corner. I think Brazo, Yeah, but you know, hopefully
justin Brezo is the Brazo we saw on October, because
you know, a big body, and it's tough to get
the big body moving again. And that was just we
couldn't even put our finger on why there was so
(12:05):
much chemistry between Manta, Malkin.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
And Brazil, but it was. And so will it still
be there when he comes back? I hope so. And
you know, Chari is a Charry, you know, a Charty.
We know we're gonna get with a Chari.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
He's built like a coke machine. He's he's a bowl
in the china shop, you know. I think that's as
long as he plays like that, And and the other
team wants to knock his block off, then Nola Chari
will be Nola Chari.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
But I get that feeling. You kind of had this uneasiness.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
About where the Penguins were in October, and why have
we got to the point now where the very tip
of our fingernails were hanging on to a wild card
spot when we should be battling with with New Jersey
and Carolina for that number one spot in the metro.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
So I agree with you. I had that same uneasiness
that you have.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Now we got the old enemy tonight and talk has
them playing better. But I still like our roster better
than I like theirs. I liked that they caught up
my mom and too, because the Flyers pulled some crap
the last.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Time they did and the guy with the most punishable
face on that team, and Trevor Ziegers was the guy that.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Kind of couldn't melt him down and pour him into
a fight.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
No, no, but here's the thing.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
First you beat him on the scoreboard, then you beat
the snot out of him, and you're right with Boco
Omama in the lineup.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Here's the thing about Boco. Boco can play.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You know, he's said a.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Good set of myths. He'll play the game.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
He And here's it's gonna sound like a silly statement,
but I think.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
You understand it. Mark.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
He can throw a body check. He can throw a
body check to hurt somebody and not take a penalty.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
That's what I mean. He could play the game. He
could skate. He can get there.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
He's not he's not chasing after the checks because he
got slow feet. He can move his feet and get
there and make those body checks and make him legal.
And he can intimidate the game that way, if you
want to drop the gloves.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
He's a technician. Mark.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
I talked to him the other day about this guy
and that guy and these other players. And and I
don't know if Nick Laurier is gonna Nick Laurier's in
the lineup here tonight. It didn't look like he was,
which I find hard to believe that we're talking would
not put him in.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
But if that's the case, that's the case.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Because Bokoamama, if he doesn't have a dance partner, he'll
go out and play. He'll intimidate the game with physicality
without the fist of cuffs, right, he can do that.
And so and here's the other thing did Gino Rusty
tanger Car.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Guess what they're They're popping.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Out their chests a little bit more knowing that number
four teams in the lineup. Whether they'll admit it or not,
it's an absolute fact that they love having this guy
in the lineup.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
No question, barking. There's always a pleasure, great insight. Enjoy
the game tonight and we'll see you at the rink,
cut boy next week.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
You guys are gone for a while.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Huh yeah that we're going to Tampa and Dallas. But hey,
you do a little thing thing tonight, the little watch
party tonight.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Pittsburg Brewing Company on Creighton Big creyton Pa biggest, big screen, Borkie,
you should see this TV.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Well, I'd love to maybe partake one time, not for
a Penguins game, but maybe some other event with you.
Are you going to have those Flyer jerseys? Because you
know how I feel about the Flyers and when they
start your command against with that Jack Ascid, you got it,
you got the jersey.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
I'll have them there tonight, believe me. The T shirts.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah, and not only that, Porky, we've expanded operations.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
We now have Orange and black.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I don't even eat Orangeminem's.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Yeah, but you'd wear this shirt. It looks too good.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
All right, buddy, I enjoyed our time together. This was
good lucky talk.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
That's Phil Bourk com Mark Madden, get your calls in now,
calls on the fifteens. Trey Essex can't join us today,
had a prior commitment. Interfere Brian Batko from the post
because that at four thirty, one oh five to nine.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
It's the Woody Show week mornings at six.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah, and what do you what?
Speaker 4 (15:41):
What do you want?
Speaker 7 (15:42):
Damn it?
Speaker 5 (15:43):
D exit one oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Once again, calls on the fifteen's proving to be sporadic.
We were packed for three fifteen, not so much now,
but you can call it now eight three to three,
four one two WXDX. We got Brian batt in just
a few moments in any case, and it's a short
segment here anyway.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
But here's Aaron Rodgers after.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Yesterday's game calling out John news Smith for winning an
improper route.
Speaker 8 (16:13):
When there's film sessions, everybody shows up. And when I
checked to a route, you do the right route.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
You know, Like.
Speaker 8 (16:26):
John and I just were on same page. I checked
to his ian breaker and he ran out breaker. You know,
I'm John is a true professionals. I'm sure he's you know,
he's sick, sick about that.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
There is there's Aaron Rodgers. I know, welcome to Pittsburgh,
but I honestly don't blame him. Aaron Rodgers did not
come to Pittsburgh expecting this, this fiasco. Aaron Rodgers believed
in the Steelers myth and the Tomlin myth after observing
from Afar, and now he's smelling the excreman up close.
(17:04):
Like Tim Ben said on his podcast, if Rogers had
it to do over, he'd probably be Minnesota or Bust.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Here's Cam.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Hey, we're talking about Josh Allen allegedly kneeing him in
the stomach yesterday.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Being need in my stomach and then it was drawing
back and forth, and then you know he tacked off
the entire game because as a quarterback they're protected.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
But I'm not just pisses me off saying yes, that's exactly.
Speaker 7 (17:36):
What I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (17:37):
Did you cross the line throughout the game? I say
that was that one incident?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Is that on purpose for him?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yes?
Speaker 9 (17:45):
You can said after you why I had to do
something to get.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
You off of me.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Oh boohoo, cam Y Sissy, Mary, where's the tape? I
didn't see it. Alan didn't heed you and the balls
because I'm not sure you have any the way you've
played this year. Actually, that's unfair. He's battled. He's just
old and can't get as much done as he used to.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Okay, now I gotta talk about bet Parks. Where's my paper?
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Here?
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It is because I love bet Parks.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
The bet Parks on a like casino in sportsbook is
the only app I use and recommend and love because
whether your team wins or not, there's always another way
to win. With bet Parks, odds, bets, slots and games
all right in the palm of your hand. The bet
Parks on the Casino in sportsbook has got you covered
for the pro football season. Plus, Betwire is now live
(18:38):
right inside the bet Parks app. Betwire is the all
new sports betting live feed with game picks from all
across the country. Scroll tailor pick and get fired up
with bett Wire, the live sports betting content feed right
inside the bet Parks app.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
New users get up to one thousand.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Dollars cash back see Betparks Dot Comfort terms and conditions.
You must be twenty one and in PA, New Jersey
or Maryland gam with problem called one eight hundred gambler.
You love to play, you play to win. You bet
bet Parks. Ryan back cooed the Post Becauzette. Up next
one oh five to nine, Oh.
Speaker 10 (19:14):
Drews, It's the XES Kick Ass Christmas Show with highly
Suspect the Tuesday Deceimmer ninth at stay Je.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Get your tickets now at WXDX dot com.
Speaker 10 (19:30):
Okay, highly Suspects with flight attendance.
Speaker 11 (19:33):
Same bet.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Tisness.
Speaker 9 (19:39):
He's into the jolly party, rockin' something.
Speaker 10 (19:43):
It's the XES Kickass Christmas Show from one oh five.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
To nine the x.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
So be It Baby VX at one oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Steeler talk is boiling over. Joining me now to indulge
from the Post Caazette's Brian. Brian, We've been talking a
lot about the third quarter yesterday in particular. That's about
as bad as it's gotten for the Steelers in quite
some time.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Isn't it.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 10 (20:10):
I mean luckily Mark I was back from the Nacho
bar just in time, sitting down at my seat in
the press box and boom, Joey Bosa coming in like
a freight train hitting Aaron Rodgers. And you know, I
think every week that they lose in every game that
goes left like that. The players sort of maybe maybe
it comes from Mike Tomlin, but they sort of see
(20:32):
the Pond one play and they say, oh, that was
the turning point and we didn't do a good enough
job responding to that. The strip sack was that play
for them yesterday. I assume that'll be the talking point
for Mike again tomorrow at his presser. But I think
we all know that the issues are bigger and more
grandiose than that they just happened to materialize specifically on
(20:52):
that play.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
I give Rogers a lot of credit for playing with
now the bum nose and the bum rists too, But
should he be playing He seems very limited and tentative
given the circumstance.
Speaker 10 (21:06):
I mean, I don't want to say he shouldn't. But
someone asked me that in my chat today on the
PG site, like, is it a good idea to have
your quarterback in there when he can't take snaps under center?
And I'm not an exason O's guru, but I would
say no anytime that you can't open up the entirety
of your playbook, especially when you're the Steelers and you're
running this offense, that can't be a good thing to
(21:27):
play into the hands of defensive coordinators who are.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
X's and O's guru.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
So I feel like that's.
Speaker 10 (21:32):
Kind of why Mike Tomlin went the route.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
That he did a week ago with Rudolph.
Speaker 10 (21:36):
In Chicago, and now he's trying this and just like
many other things with the Steelers, they try some different things,
but ultimately it lands them back in the same spot.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Rogers talked about the why that's winning the wrong route
on Checkdown's Johnny Smith, in particular the tight end, but
Mike thought, it's week thirteen. I mean, I can see
him getting frustrated. But if they're not on the same
page by now, Brian.
Speaker 10 (22:02):
Yeah, And let me just set the scene a little
bit for context. That was the last question of the
Rogers presser, which had already sort of been all over
the place. He was criticizing their practice week, but then
he was taking up for the coaches and Mike Tomlin,
and then he was making comments about the game day
experience not being up the par whatever that means, and
(22:26):
then sort of a granular inside football question about getting
on the same page as receivers with routes, and the
Smith one was mentioned specifically, and then he almost just
couldn't help himself, and that's when he started saying the
stuff about when there's film sessions, be at the film
session when I check to a route, run the right route,
(22:47):
and I hope to see all the boys at our
next meeting. So he's almost leading us on this witch
hunt to find out who has not bought in on
this offense. And I tend to think that he's not
talking about Johnny Smith, because he did take great pains
to say he's a true professional, albeit blamed him for
that miscommunication. But man, this is the kind of stuff
(23:08):
that followed Rogers here from New York and even a
little bit of Green Bay before then, and.
Speaker 9 (23:14):
It's it's looking somewhat messy at the moment.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Well, one guy who doesn't have to bother to run
the right rode or wrong LT is Pat Frarman.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
He's disappeared, hasn't he.
Speaker 10 (23:24):
Yeah, And if you really want to get the microscope
out and try to figure out who Rogers is talking about,
you can pretty much eliminate friar of you from that
list because you have to play to not be on
the same.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
Page as the quarterback.
Speaker 10 (23:36):
And you know, I think those two have have been
very happy and willing to work together from day one
that Rogers signed here. So I don't know what's going
on with the tight end adjudication of snaps. I thought
for the better part of a month now that John
hu Smith good guy, good locker room presence. I like him,
(23:56):
but he's not providing much when he's out there. So
it's either time to slash the snaps for him in
this rotation or simply phase him out and just make
him a straight up back up to Pat Fryer. Muse
it would be admitting defeat as.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
Far as acquiring him goes.
Speaker 10 (24:12):
But as Mike Toman always says, the road is getting narrow,
and just like a college basketball coach in March madness,
might be time to shorten the rotation in the bench.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
What is their offensive identity? And that almost sounds like
a trick question.
Speaker 10 (24:28):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think they really have one.
And this is one of those things that comes up
when a team is struggling. It's sort of an easy
crutch for players to use. Over we're looking for our identity.
We need to get back to our identity. I think
the best offense is you know, they have one, but
it's because it's something that they're really good at and
they can also beat you in other ways. This offense
(24:51):
doesn't really have either. I guess if I were forced
to choose, I would say their identity is being physical,
the jumbo package, Darnell Washington, Spencer andrews In lining up
nine hundred pounds of.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
Man meat on the edge running at you.
Speaker 9 (25:04):
But that's not really working right now either.
Speaker 10 (25:07):
It certainly didn't work on that fourth and two with Anderson,
you know, the bacto slot receiver and Kenneth Gainwell just
getting absolutely stuffed. So I think they want that to
be their identity. I don't think they've been particularly good
at it as of late, and that's probably what they
have to tap into if they have any hope of
(25:28):
turning this around down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
We're talking to Brian Batco at the Post Gazette, and
that's the funny part, Brian.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
They're still in it.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
They're still tied for the top of the division, still
six and six. This game Sunday is a monstrous game,
and the Ravens aren't great either. They're six and six two.
Yet I have zero faith in the Steelers.
Speaker 10 (25:47):
I agree, I acknowledge everything you say, and you know,
I guess I wouldn't be shocked if the Steelers find
a way, and it wouldn't even really be me praising
or crediting them.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
It would probably be.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
More of just this is what the NFL is in
twenty twenty five. Goofy stuff happens on a weekly basis,
with no real rhyme.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
Or reason to it or way to predict it.
Speaker 10 (26:09):
And yet I am not going to predict they go
down to Baltimore and win at the raven two. You
know that lost to the Bengals while putrid on Thanksgiving
might have actually been a wake up call for a
team that.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
Had been rolling in the win column.
Speaker 10 (26:22):
At least, you know, they weren't winning fluidly, as Tomlin
would say, but at least they were stacking wins. Maybe
they actually needed that to humble them refocus them. I
don't have nearly as much faith that the Steelers are
going to be able to do that, not after the
way they collapsed around this time last season, and not
after the way that they've been playing these last seven games.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
What's wrong with the defense? Because it offensely should not
be that bad.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
It's so high priced, all those big names, but there
ain't nobody there really doing.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Anything, is there?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Right?
Speaker 10 (26:53):
I don't think guys are defeating blocks up front, and
that's where it starts.
Speaker 9 (26:58):
And then I don't think the.
Speaker 10 (26:59):
Lineback behind them are playing well enough to make up
for that. You know, if there was any silver lining,
you know, the secondary I guess was okay, Brandon eccles
made a couple of nice plays and they weren't getting.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
Beat over the top.
Speaker 9 (27:13):
But that's damning with faint.
Speaker 10 (27:14):
Praise because the Bills didn't really even have to do
any of that. And you know, the corners were getting
gouged on the edges by James Cook in the running game,
other than Joey Porter Junior coming up with some good
tackling and run support. But yeah, I mean, it seems
like it's just sort of a total system failure defensively,
where they plug one hole and then another one just
(27:35):
comes gaping wide open. I think it's getting late early
for Taroll often, even if he's just the de facto
defensive coordinator and he's running what Mike wants him to run,
and he's doing what Mike wants him to do. We
all know that football is big business, and you know,
people have to pay the price and fall on the
sword when things go south, and things are going very
(27:55):
south for that unit.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Yeah, I can't figure out well, I mean I can't.
It's actually Evanent, but like, Heywards just not that good anymore.
Wat's even not that good anymore. Ramsey's not that good anymore.
Like I wasn't sure that all the old timey guys
would be great. I wasn't sure that all fall off
like they appeared to have.
Speaker 10 (28:16):
Remember Darius slay Pour a little bit out for him.
He was in street clothes for that game, just straight
up inactive. So I mean that tells you just how
bad that signing was. That that's gonna go down. I
guess as one of the worst, considering he wasn't even
active for a huge game in the AFC in week thirteen.
(28:36):
But yeah, I guess that's neither here nor there because
he wasn't on the field, And you're right, those guys
who were weren't doing much of anything yesterday. I think
Kean Ubenton still really struggles against the run, particularly, he
might just be miscast in this defense, this whole defense
might be miscast because the good teams, at least for
the most part, have seemingly figured it out long ago,
(28:59):
and occasionally they rise up with some superhuman plays by
Hayward or Watt to help beat the Ravens or help
beat the Colts. But we know when the Chips are
down with the Chiefs, with the Ravens, with the Bills
have done to them, and.
Speaker 9 (29:15):
I don't see that changing in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
What could they change? What could they fix?
Speaker 1 (29:21):
And I asked that knowing that they don't seem like
they see the need to change much.
Speaker 9 (29:27):
You're talking about this season or just big picture.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
No, as in by Sunday, oh.
Speaker 9 (29:33):
Chief by Sunday.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
I don't know.
Speaker 10 (29:36):
I really don't, because the Ravens just pushed them around
last year, and.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
You know, pushes them around now, Brian.
Speaker 10 (29:44):
Every game, Yeah, Jets and Seahawks first couple of weeks
of the season. Absolutely, you can't just pretend those games
didn't happen.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
So, yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 9 (29:53):
But this game, specifically, this was.
Speaker 10 (29:56):
What was fresh in their minds this offseason when Tomlin
and Omar Khan and Andy Whida went out to sign
Malik Harrison as the free agent, to draft Derek Harmon
and Ye Black and try to remake this group and
do a more physical defense. And pardon the pun, but
no one's been raven about the acquisitions so far this season.
(30:19):
Every guy doesn't really give me any hope that they
are going to change anything this week. And you know,
you want to talk about personnel changes, what's left? I mean,
there's really not much less, So I don't have an
answer for you on that one.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
What's going to happen Sunday at Baltimore, because like this
seems like do or die, even though there'll only be
a game behind if they lose, and they would have
a rematch with the Ravens at Pittsburgh, but clearly there's
only that be one playoff team from the AFC North.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
This game seems like all or nothing.
Speaker 10 (30:55):
I think the Ravens are going to win, and win
pretty comfortably because, like I said, I think this really
is the game of two teams that need to respond
to a horrific home loss, and I think the Ravens
are better built to do that based on the quarterback
for one, who I know is not playing is best football,
but I still think he's better than Aaron Rodgers in
(31:16):
his current state, the talent around him for two, and
then just recent history for three in this matchup, but
also how the Ravens have peaked at the end of
the regular season. Now, don't get me wrong, they can't
get over the hump ultimately in the postseason. But I
can't see them losing at home again to the Steelers.
Speaker 9 (31:39):
But maybe this.
Speaker 10 (31:39):
Will be mutually assured destruction in the Bengals will ride
in here hot and run the table and win the
AFC North, and we'll have missed the forest for the
trees all along.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Hey, don't kid yourself, right, If they win on Sunday,
it'll be like nothing bad happen and the storyline will
be the AFC is a mess, They're a threat win
it all.
Speaker 10 (32:02):
Yeah, I guess all I would take is a TJ.
Watt stripsack there, a Jalen Ramsey tipped interception here on
Lamar Jackson, and a you know, a high school sort
of wishbone offensive game plan, because I thought that was
the recipe we were trending toward, uh last night until
Joey Bosa came in like a Mac truck.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Brian, great stuff, as always, enjoy the game Sunday. We'll
talk again soon, I hope, great work.
Speaker 9 (32:30):
Thanks Mark Cia.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
That's Brian Batco of the Post Gazette. This segment brought
to us by I can't find it the hell with
it time not as Mark anything eight three three four
one two wxdx eight three three four one two wxdx
call now a three three four one two wwxdx four
(32:51):
leave a talk back via the microphone icon at the
iHeartMedia app one oh five nine.
Speaker 11 (32:57):
Tonight the Penn's face off against the Flyers. 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.
Speaker 12 (33:09):
Nine d X.
Speaker 11 (33:12):
Behold the Alpha Mother in the Holiday Wild. She prowls
the digital survivors for dealers to satisfy Virginius, Mark Maddenberginius, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Mark, welcome show.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
Well if I won you pertating Dusty Road, Youmican dream,
so be it.
Speaker 5 (33:27):
Bating the x at one five nine.
Speaker 4 (33:42):
As Mark anything.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Reckless by People's Natural Gas, People's and es Sense Utilities Company,
People's Hyphengas dot Com. Let's go to land and Land
and ask Mark anything?
Speaker 7 (33:57):
Hey Mark?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Ye?
Speaker 4 (34:00):
What's up buddy?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
All right?
Speaker 7 (34:02):
I just wanted to say that I think the defense
played pretty well yesterday and Mike Promlin raises leaders.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Yeah, kid, Uh, your dad told you to say that
to make you sound stupid because he's ashamed of you
and your grades probably aren't that good at school. If
I were, you auld wise up to listen to somebody
else besides your dumb dad that told you to say that.
Thank you for the call. What's good to Jay in Bridgeville?
J Ask Mark anything?
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Hey Mark?
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Hey Mark?
Speaker 3 (34:32):
I'm just gonna say I didn't even the defense played
that bad and I.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Think let's go to Roddington Roddington, you're all with double.
Speaker 5 (34:39):
M What.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Up?
Speaker 4 (34:45):
Hey, Mark?
Speaker 13 (34:45):
I'm after that dumpster fire performance for the Steelers yesterday,
I wanted to get your thoughts on who's your leading
contender for Douchebag of the Year for the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
That's a good question, but I think Cam Hayward's going
to be the leader in the clubhouse, right.
Speaker 13 (35:02):
I totally agree with you, But after what Patrick Queen
did the tray yesterday, I think he's my leading and tender.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Yeah, Patrick Queen popping off in a two time super
Bowl champion and bringing up individual accolades. That really revealed
the Steelers culture now as what it is, selfish and
not oriented on winning.
Speaker 13 (35:24):
I think their culture is that they're not real Steelers
in our major frauds.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
But I think.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Kim's body of work in terms of being what douchebag
of the year.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
Yeah, I think Kim's.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
Body of work dating back two holdings ago cannot be ignored.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
I mean, Cam was put in work for this year
last year.
Speaker 13 (35:45):
Yep, totally agree with you. He's probably the leading contender,
but I would say TJ. Watt and Patrick Queen are
a close second.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
Let's go to Silky Silky. Ask Mark anything, what's up?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Super g?
Speaker 12 (35:59):
I got a calm, I get a it was I
couldn't agree with you more about the sideline reporter is useless?
A suggestion what do you think about using the boogie
by UFO as one of your intros?
Speaker 2 (36:11):
And a question Bookie is.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Like UFO even before I started listening to them. That
predates Shenker even so no, that's not no, no dice okay?
Speaker 12 (36:23):
And a question as we get older, we're supposedly able
to get Wiser, Did you ever think about getting retested
on your IQ?
Speaker 1 (36:31):
No, there's no need to. IQs do not increase or
decrease as you get older. They are innate. They are
the intelligence that you have naturally, So there's no need.
Let's go to call and call and ask Mark anything
calling you there?
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Oh?
Speaker 13 (36:49):
Hello, this isn't calling, This is Greg. Great, Sorry about that, double.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
M Okay, what you called in and said you were calling?
Speaker 4 (36:55):
So we'll move on to the next caller. Let's go
to Mike.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Mike, you're own with double m.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
Hey, Mark, how are you great?
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Hey?
Speaker 3 (37:03):
If let's say Toman does exit this after the.
Speaker 8 (37:06):
Season, it's his first non losing season, what do you
think the national narrative will be around that, that.
Speaker 4 (37:12):
The Steelers let him down.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
We're already seeing that as the national narrative when Rex
Ryan said to the Steelers should do Tom Win a
favor and fire him because he could get a job.
Five minutes later somewhere else, the national narrative is that it's.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Not Tomin's fault.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
In fact, there's already groundwork being laid, like the Chris
can'ty sound we heard earlier that it's Rogers's fault.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
It ain't Rogers' fault. This is all Tomlin's fault.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
This is one hundred percent, one thousand percent, a million
percent Tomlin's fault. His fingerprints her over everything bad, all
over everything bad with this franchise, no doubt, ondoubt.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
Let's go to a.
Speaker 10 (37:52):
Talkback, Mark, do you think there was any chance TJ
or Cam are not Steelers next year?
Speaker 1 (38:06):
No, because I don't think anybody would want them. I
think at one point, I think you could have got
even as much as a second round pick for TJ
this year, not next year. And Cam should just quit.
Cam's just done. Although Cam, I gotta tell you, Cam's
playing better than TJ. Cam gets out there and does
the gruntwork in the trenches. He just not getting numbers
to show for it. That was always what made Cam special.
(38:28):
He was a defensive end in a three to four,
which is not a job designed to get sacks, but
he got him anyway. It's a it's a job designed
to eat up blockers, but he did more than that.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
But now he's not. Let's go to a talkback.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Hey, Mark, why did they yell sell the team for
Art Rody during the NFL Draft?
Speaker 5 (38:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Like I said, I think Art Rooney's biggest fear should
be that Steeler fans ruin the draft if this season
continues to go stop. The draft is the moment that
his family works so hard for, that his dad dreamed
of it's coming to Pittsburgh. And if Steeler fans were
disruptive and chanted fire Tom win and sell the team,
I think that would ruin the draft and and really
(39:11):
cause him great distress. I'm not saying go out there
and do that. I'm just saying, let's see how the
rest of this season goes. Let's go to Tom.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Tom.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
You're all with the.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Mark, you know.
Speaker 7 (39:25):
I know yesterday's game was bad and people are talking
about pointing to the play where Rogers got strips sacked.
But I'm wondering what your thoughts are, Allen, And is
that the reason that in the second half they ran
the same running play five straight times to shove it
(39:45):
down our throws. I thought that was the most embarrassing thing.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
I think they I think they just did it because
it was working. And believe me, there are a bunch
of things about yesterday's game and about the Steeler season
and j that have been mega embarrassing. Brov Uh but that, yeah,
that ranks right up there. They just kept doing the
same thing. The Steelers pride themselves in you can know
(40:09):
what we're gonna do, but you can't stop us. Well
that's not the case anymore. And the Bills took that,
reversed it, and shoved it right up. The Steelers took us.
Let's go to a talkback, hey, March.
Speaker 10 (40:21):
Even if we did pick up Herbert during the Amika trade,
it won't matter.
Speaker 5 (40:26):
Tomlan would have screwed that up too. What's your thoughts
on that?
Speaker 1 (40:32):
No Lies Detected? It's the mark Man Show one oh
five ninety x
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.