January 22, 2026 • 39 mins
Mark and Tommy Radio talk about the Penguins and do very little Steelers coaching talk. They also talk about snow storms in movies
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, well, well, there's a new sheriff in town, and
it ain't the friggin Steelers' coaching search. Penguins winn at
Calgary last night.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
For to one.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Penguins are nine two and two since the holiday break,
second place in the Metro Division, second fewest regulation losses
in the Eastern Conference twenty four, fourteen and eleven record.
Just imagine if the Penguins were any good at shootouts. No, seriously,
just imagine if the Penguins were any good at shootouts.
(00:35):
The whole Geno line scored last night, every guy, Gino, Novak, Chinnikov,
but it was the cliched and proverbial team efforts. Penguins
almost totally in control, no doubt about it. There's a
structure there with Muse that went there down the stretch
(00:58):
the last few years with Mike Sullivan. Actually, there's a
structure there with the Penguins we really haven't seen since
way back in the Kevin Constantine era. And there was
like wife swapping involved there, so kind of a mixed bag.
Let's bring on now, Tommy Radio, Tom what about the
(01:19):
peng was in Calgary last night? No Carlson, no Latang
and no problem.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
It was just a perfect effort from them really from
start to finish. I guess there was maybe a little
lull there and they fell asleep at the end of
what was it, the second period.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Goal with two point seven seconds left.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I know that sucked for Stu too, because I thought
he was playing so well right up into that point.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
But he's to blame too for letting that in. But
sac it was.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
It was a deflection, but yeah, just to give up
a goal, it sucks, yeah, at that point. But but
the thing is, they went into the intermission, you know,
having conceded that goal in the lead cut in half.
But then Russ scored fifty seconds into the third period.
He circumvented squeaky bum time restored the lead of three
to one. Like I said, it was almost never in
(02:00):
dot last night, but for that one goal.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
And this was Skinner's second start in a row.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
He obviously won't start tonight and she lost that tonight
in the back to back, but they got to make
the shift to him kind of be in the starter.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
It just feels like a better team with it. I
don't know that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
They're gonna do that, Like we discussed yesterday, I think
they switched Skinner to Calgary for avoid to avoid him
playing against this old team in Edmonton, to make the
game as vanilla as possible.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Would you, though, would you start shifting towards you personally
Stuart Skinner kind of being goalie one, you know, starting
him in Vancouver, and then even though it would be
she lost, started in Chicago on Thursday when they come
back home, give that to Skinner again.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It depends how she lof's place tonight. Again, I mean,
if Edmonton doesn't shoot him full of holes, that would
be a step in the right direction, because, like I'm
gonna talk about later at length, Edmonton has beat the
Penguins in nine of the last ten meetings, and Pittsburgh's
playing back to back, whereas Edmonton was there in Edmonton
waiting for them and didn't play last night. But but yeah,
(02:56):
I would start shifting a little bit towards Skinner. But
I'm still not going to abandon shilloffs. But I also
still would switch him out for the shootout. What about
that that Geno line Gino one, the wing, Novak and center.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Each of them scored Chinnakov two.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I can't believe Chinnikov's release four balls in eleven games
is a Penguin, and thank god he didn't get along
with that coach in Columbus Evison. What's weird about that too,
is they traded chinnakoff because of that rift between him
and the coach, and then they fired Everson right after.
You'd think they would have seen the coaching change coming
and figured, Okay, maybe the next coach, Rick Bonus can
(03:37):
do better with this talent. But I'm glad it happened
the way it did.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
No question about it.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
You know, he's the part of that line that I
don't want to focus on right now because he looks
like he can be a really legitimate goal scorer in
this like you know, twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Five goals, top six wins, absolutely, and the guy who.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Can play with good players as he's doing with Gino
right now.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
And that's another thing that's so huge for him is
getting that Russian connection right now and being able to
you know, have that in the locker room with him.
I'm sure that's helpful for him. So it's been perfect.
And Tommy Novak, I mean, you gotta give him credit,
right like, he just keeps coming, he keeps playing well
this year being thrust into that top six role.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, no, I give that line. I mean he's centering
if Genny Malkin. Yeah, I mean that line's good.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
The only problem I have is they got kindled between
the Twin Towers, Braso and Mantha, and it's not gone
as well for them. But still there's no denying the
chemistry of the Malkin line. And they had to find
out about Chinnikov and get him going. Yes, you couldn't
bring him in and put him in a minor role,
otherwise there was no point of getting it.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
And don't you think that's something that mus can keep
in his back pocket with the twin towers in Malkin Still, like,
if there is a little bit of a law, you
can push that button, get Geno back at center between
those two. I think that can be something that can
sparka team that's kind of in a little bit of
a stretch that you know is gonna come.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's part of the hockey season. We still got a
long way to go here.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, I wouldn't be, you know, looking to do that
as long as the should I call it the Malting
line or the Novak line, technically it's the Novak client.
Because Novak's at center, you should call it the Russian connection. Yeah,
but Novak's not Russian whatever, right, maybe good to say,
I don't know, he's from over there somewhere. He can
maybe get a passport. Now, now we've got Pittsburgh at
Edmonton tonight, like we talked about, and I'll recite a
(05:18):
lot of numbers later. Uh, Edmonton has has just dominated
Pittsburgh won nine of the last ten, and the dominance
goes beyond that. And McDavid kills the Penguins. But nonetheless
it's Sid versus McDavid. That's that's Mark Kee and I
think the NHL should be a shamed they haven't built
that rivalry up more. Although it's maybe hard to do
(05:40):
when the players and teams are in opposite conferences and
so rarely play each other.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Then again, that should give it even more of a
big event feel.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yeah, and you should always just be looking out for
when you're making the schedule. Okay, we gotta line these
games up for you know, a TNT eight o'clock puck drop.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Now, I don't know, isn't.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
There's no TNT games tonight. There's an ESPN game on
it tis.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
The thing is, I hate that between periods and you
know the panels show that TNT does so much with
with with Hollywood Bis and so forth, that I just
I dread when the games are on TNT.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
But you know my point, like put it on national TV,
so forget TNT, then put it on ESPN. Minnesota versus
Detroit is the game that ESPN selected tonight at nine thirty.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
No, No, I would prefer it's on national TV for
the exposure. The league should too, but uh, Minnesota at Detroit.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
That's the game at nine thirty on ESPN nationally.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, I'll get to see Johnny Whitehall anyway, and at
any rate, i'll be it beyond Purple, although although there
there will be the game will be on TV at Jurgles.
When I'm watching Beyond Purple, I'll be able to watch both.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's a great setup. It's funny.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Reb was there with his solo band Red Beach one
time and it was the Pirates playoff game against the
Cubs where Schwarber hit the ball into a boat right
away and like, yeah, I like ReBs playing a solo
and I like a grimaced and he noticed it, like
what the what the frig?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, but McDavid does kill the Penguins.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
But then again, and the Penguins, like I said, nine
to two and two since the break, that's pretty incredible.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
And how about here, here's one good sign Tom.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
The Penguins actually have more points than the Oilers now
by one point.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah, Penguins just really feel like a playoff team. And
the positioning that they have put themselves now in the standings,
it's you're not You're never gonna feel comfortable in This
race in the Eastern Conference is just way too tight
for that. But they're other than the shootout stuff theyre
is about as good as you could ever ask for
right now.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
No, they're a lot better than I thought. And I'm
actually working on a column for the Trib kind of
analyzing exactly why they are. And a big part of
it is goaltending. And one thing that that makes tonight's
match up better than Vanilla is Jari isn't goal for
Edmonton playing against the Penguins. I got to figure the
(07:47):
guy owes us a goal on the first shot. That's
the least he can do after all the times he
did it to the Penguins and not for the Penguins,
and It's not that Skinner and shilloffs have been great.
They've been very good, but was the face of failure
for the Penguins everythince he lost those playoff series in
twenty one and twenty two, in particular twenty one when
(08:07):
he made that turnover in overtime to give the Islanders
that overtime goal by Bailey that turned the series around.
And I said then they he should never have played
for the Penguins again. Nobody could trust them the dressing room,
even though they thought they trusted.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Him, they just did. You don't get rid of an
f up like that, a memory like that. He did
like the exact same thing too.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Did you see that like a week ago with Edmonton,
Like just had a terrible turnover, guy came screaming right
back in and put a game winning goal on him.
I think it was even in overtime at an end
of the game.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Goaltendings for sure has been such a difference maker for
the Penguins this year, and I just you just feel
more comfortable, like with both of them in the net,
but especially with Skinner, and I saw Josh getzof tweet
this out today. A huge factor two has to be
special teams. He said, they're the only team in the
NHL right now that goes into the games tonight with
a top five unit in both PK and power play.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, three power plays, five question, and you gotta look
at coaching for that. I thought taking Kendel off PP
one would would lead to a decline. It is not,
although I still would have Kindle on PP one. Cool
night for him being back where he played juniors with
his billet family. You know the he works with some
special now about a sixteen year old kid, which is
what Kindle was when he got to Calgary immediately started
(09:15):
working with special needs kid.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Kendall's a special guy.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I wish he wasn't so kind of like reclusive, but
you know, he'd be a guy like the chat with more.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
But that's kind of creepy. I'm like grandpa to a
kid like that.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Edmonton tonight one good sign Tom no dry Sidle. He's
back in Germany for some kind of family thing and
we wish him well, but I'm glad he's not there.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
I don't know, it's a it's a matter of do
you feel lucky?
Speaker 1 (09:40):
But but like I said, it's a back to back
for the Penguins and Edmonton didn't play last night.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Uh you know who got third Star last night?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Tom This says it all about where the Penguins are
at and why they're surviving at the level they are,
Jack Say and Ivany he got He got two assists
and had like a show biz block. Did you see
that block where was like a big rip from in
tight He just dove in front of it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
It was awesome. He looked like Virgil van Dijk.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Now they're getting it from everybody, which is a great sign.
That's what playoff teams do. And how about the sequence
before they let in that goal at the end of
the second period, when Skinner lost his stick in the corner,
it was just chaos, but the flames could hit the.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Net actually everywhere. We got to get him on the
show soon. Skinner with he won't mind doing he he
likes the microphone. But but you know what he did
that all goalie should do. He refused to stick from
from a teammate. And that makes sense because the little
stick won't do the goalie no good and then you're
taking one less defender out of the play.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Smart.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
He said, he's been in two Stanley Cup finals like
He's not a perfect goalie, but he's got experience.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
No other goalie I've ever heard of does that the
Stanley Cup finals.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
He just smarter, Yeah, he just he just doesn't adhere
to the tradition.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
It's like, like even better goalies, you're saying, we'll take
the stick of the defense.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, I've never seen a goalie not take the stick. Okay,
but it's here's an example. Dave Schultz to hammer the Goo,
the all time penalty minute leader, I think still in
the NHL. He came from the Flyers in their broad
Street Bully Stanley Cup teams, which I hate, and I
like Dave though I as a kid. He was like
a nice guy when I was like, you know, getting
autographs and stuff. But when he came to Pittsburgh he
(11:18):
broke his stick one time in the defensive zone. He
went to the bench to get another stick, and like
Johnny Wilson was the coach, then he went nuts. The
whole bench went nuts. And he said after the game,
he goes, we got ton Philadelphia. Well, you play a
man don for two minutes all the time, it would
be better to come to the bench and get a stick.
You play Don for like what ten seconds, but then
(11:38):
it's back to full strength and you got a stick.
Otherwise you're out there useless without a stick. And years
later I told that story to Ray Shiro the Penguinch
GM and he goes, that's dumb. You got to stay
out there, And I go, well, have you thought to
think that it was your dad's idea?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Fred?
Speaker 1 (11:54):
He coached the Flyers back then, and it's what you
should do. It's absolutely we should do. So big IQ
points for Stuart Skinner there. Up next we'll talk about
something other than the e fingk Steelers coaching starts, because
I've never given a crap about anything less more in
my life. They're gonna run it back, be the same team, FU.
If you want to talk about it, go down to dial.
(12:15):
We're talking other stuff here. One oh five nine The X.
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Does and this year you help decide winners in eleven
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See all the nominees and get your votes in now
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Speaker 3 (13:24):
Splash warrens, Someone's looking for you, some of the region's
top the.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Steelers coaching search. That's what the people want you to
talk about. Yeah, but it's not what I want to
talk about. I mean, my god, I've been doing this
for thirty years. Some of you all been listening for
thirty years, and I'm not grateful for that. I did
you the favor even more so now. I mean, I'm
the guy who's different even more so now. And how
could you know how to figure it out that this
show is primarily for me. It's the me show, not
(13:56):
the U show.
Speaker 6 (13:58):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
On the other hand, here's a tweet from just a
Citizen pointing out if the NHL regular season concluded last night,
Kyle Dubas would be a strong candidate for Executive of
the Year. And he lists drafted, Kendall signed, Braso signed,
Mantha signed, Watherspoon, traded Jari for Skinner, and Kulak traded
(14:20):
for Chinnikov. And even more than that, Dubas has laid
a foundation to move forward. That team that's doing the
coaching search, they have no foundation laid to move forward.
Penguin's going to be legit again before the Steelers are.
I Guaran fing t that. So let's not forget the
(14:41):
pinball wizard Kyle Dubas his role in this tom I
want to talk about I do want to talk some football,
and this is really cliche sports talk, but the NFL
and Austen's finalists for MVP. They are Matthew Stafford, Drake May,
Josh Allen, Christian mccaffe, and Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Who would be your choice? My choice would be Drake May.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
But it seems like they just go back and forth
a year to year as far as is it most
valuable Player, as far as who got you know, a
team with low expectations way over those expectations, or is
it just who was the best quarterback in the league,
Like it's a quarterback award? I mean, he has no
choice now, He's just kind of a token running back
that you throw in there. He probably will finish fifth
or fourth in the voting. But like last year, Mark,
you know, Lamar Jackson had the better statistical year as
(15:27):
a quarterback, he was first team All Pro. Then those
same AP voters gave the MVP to Josh Allen. Okay, fine,
you just think Josh Allen's more valuable this year though
it's going to go to Stafford.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
But I think Drake May's more of that.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Which is why these awards become more meaningless every year
because so many narratives get thrust into the voting process,
as opposed to, in the case of this award, who
is most valuable and if you go by the word valuable.
You're right, Drake May should be the guy. He took
a four and thirteen team. It's the most improbable story.
We're all, you know, messing our drawers over Indiana's you know,
(15:59):
come from behind, and what about New England's come from behind?
And Drake May is the guy by far, even more
than the coach Frable, by far, the guy who's most
responsible for it. But I agree with you too that
Matthew Stafford's gonna get it. And here's why, it really
is a tight race between Stafford and May. I think
they're clearly the guys at the top of the table.
(16:19):
But Stafford's never won it. They're gonna figure May has
plenty of time to win it. Stafford's gonna get it
as kind of a lifetime achievement thing.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
And don't you hate that? I mean, I absolutely hate that.
I mean, there is no guarantee that May is gonna
win it. What if May blows his outbout out next
year and this was his MVP season. He deserves to
get the MVP. He put up that kind of season
this year. I don't like being like, well, we got
a long time to give Drake May his evybo No No,
you're totally right.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
But as a great man once said, I judge myself
by Stanley Cuppson scoring titles because nobody votes on those.
But I think Stafford is gonna get it. I think
May deserves it, but only by a slight marg like,
I won't be outraged if Stafford does.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Now the other awards. Do you care about the other
awards at all?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
I don't like Offensive Player of the Year, that's just
the poor man's non quarterback MVP.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Yeah, they've kind of like specialized, like almost like a
Cy Young and an MVP, right, you know what I mean.
I would guess McCaffrey gets that right probably, or maybe
Jackson Smith and Jigba the wide receivers.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Here's a weird statistical nuance with McCaffrey. I think he
got a thousand yards both receiving and rushing, over two
thousand yards total offense, but his yards per rush is
only three point nine And I've always felt, you know,
four point oh is the is the is the line
of demarcation for even having had a decent season running
(17:36):
the ball? And as if to confirm, I think only
two running backs in the Hall of Fame have a
rushing average below four point.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh, isn't jeralm one of them?
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Yes, the best one of them Jerome and John Riggins. Yeah,
but McCaffrey as a receiver, that's what you got a
factor into. He's one of the most gifted players as
far as you know catching the ball at that position,
and he puts up tons of numbers and did again
this year in that aspect. I think Smith and Jigba
might actually win that award as far as which is
weird that he's not a finalist for the MVP. McCaffrey is.
But there's just no consistency with this. Do you care
(18:06):
at all about Coach of the Year. That's kind of
the only one that I kind of have a minimal
that's gonna be Tomlin Well not anymore. Or do you
think they give it to him on the way out? Yes,
lifetime achievement.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
No, I think that's an overrated award. Like like I
just said, I look at New England. Rabel could get
coached here, probably will, but he's a finalist. I think
May's had far more impact.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Yeah, I mean I always lean towards the players. Ben
Johnson I think would be the coach of the Year,
like he just seems to me like what he did
in Chicago seems like a future up and coming genie.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
And never mind the record and jumping over, you know,
his divisional rivals from when he was in Great Division,
from when he was the coordinator in Detroit. He is
making Caleb.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
So, I mean, if you want to if it was
most valuable coach, he would be a runaway winner to me.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah, I mean cayleb gets deserves credit too for what's
happening right now. He qull but yeah, Ben Johnson's unlocking
something there, whereas with the Patriots and Rabel, it's it's
McDaniels who's helping May along and unlocking things with him,
not Rabel.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I heard the B team today.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
They were trying to talk themselves out of making Miles
Garrett the obvious recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year.
They said, oh, Burrow laid down on that last sack,
which he didn't do. And that's the thing about sucks
about Brett Farr when he laid down for Strahan. A
cat's suspicion moving forward, especially if it's convenient for the
misbegotten argument. In this time, the TJ Watt is somehow
(19:24):
fit to tie Miles Garrett shoes, which he is not.
He couldn't carry Miles Garrett's jock in a hockey equipment bag.
And that's not just this year, that's on his career,
although TJ did have a couple better years. But how
could you not give it to Garrett?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
He's such an overwhelming favorite.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
It's like the books aren't even entertaining anybody else possibly
winning this award. Even if he didn't get the sack
record mark, he's probably still the defensive player of the year.
Like that's like a default. Oh sack record, make him deepoy,
But he was so overwhelmingly the best defensive player in
football it would be stupid to give it to somebody else.
The runner up odds wise is Brian Burns on the Giants.
Another like, what are you gonna give it to a
(20:01):
guy in the Giants?
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Well, you know what?
Speaker 1 (20:04):
And like I just love I mean, I think TJ.
Wat's an arrogant ass. I think he's an underachieving gym teacher,
underachieving team wise. In fact, I have the line I'm
gonna use when he retires, but I can use it
now and just use it again. Then no one will
ever have a greater career that was less impactful than TJ.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Watt.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
That's pretty harsh statement, but how could you deny it
when you don't have a playoff win? I mean, that's
what it all comes down to. That's the currency, right
that you deal with when you're talking about your true
legendary show. Certainly in Pittsburgh, Oh yeah, absolutely, and a
certain franchisees that just comes with the territory. Pittsburgh is
one of them, might be the one of them. But
that brings me Tom.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
We're gonna do an end depth discussion on this at
some point, but just too many topics came up today,
not least the Penguins winning at Calgary, not playing at
McDavid tonight against Jari as well. But if you had
the name one person on this show, and I'm putting
you on the spot, but don't be afraid to ruffle
my feathers. If you had the name one person on
show I've been unnecessarily or improperly disrespectful to.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Who would it be?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I don't know, I don't I don't know if I
can bring that up, But you're gonna think it's the Corsi, right,
or are people giving you a push back on the
course of course?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, because you guys can go back and forth. Screwed
de Coursey? Who cares?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
He's a great guy, he's great on the air, he's
my friend, he's Liverpool. But no, that's great, right, I'm
talking about a figure like a McCutcheon.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
A what.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Talking about I'm thinking about the Coursey.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
The Corsey didn't even buy into the play by play
on the Soba's lie goal yesterday.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Oh my, my TV's behind. Who cares? I told he scored?
Speaker 5 (21:33):
Act?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Come on to course my act, sell it, sell it
under the wall? What a great free kick? Who's been
unfair to as far as an athlete?
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Though? And then the phrase I'm using is or coach
disrespected unreasonably.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
You're just such a truth teller. It's really hard to
pin someone down like that. You respect McCutcheon. It's what's
happening now that that's the one. You could make a case.
Really you didn't think.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
In his prime he was a great player. He's obviously
a great player. You belittled him, then, I don't think so.
I just called him a dollar general level franchise legend. Well,
look at the other legends when you look at this franchise. Yeah,
I mean maybe I'm just maybe I'm a smidge too far.
I'm not with what I'm not with wa Wat's done
nothing cuts an MVP. I mean, what didn't win anything?
(22:15):
I mean he just he's a stats he's a stats
and money guy. You look, you look at the Watts.
They what did they win at Wisconsin?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Nothing?
Speaker 1 (22:21):
I mean I would bet they didn't win in high school.
I bet all they did in high school was bully
kids in the hall, like some of the gym lockers
and bullie the fat kids. I'm getting even for the
fat kids and go like six and four. Now, somebody's
gonna look say, well they won states and is shut up?
I don't care. But but yeah, I mean maybe Cutch
May you know, you know who else you could make
a case for. See, I'm taking away the future discussion
(22:42):
of this. I'm gonna cut off at this and we'll
pick it up tomorrow. How's that sounds great? You could
make a case for Malkin one oh five nine.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
God, it's the Woody Show week mornings at six.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Doesn't really matter on.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
The X, Hey where are you? Everyone's here?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Eh?
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Not really feeling it tonight. You're gonna miss out again.
It's out on what.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
The rush of the tables, the thrill of the winds,
the cheers, the selfies, of the memories they'll never forget.
Don't be the one hearing about it tomorrow, Rivers Casino,
don't miss the moment.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Winters can be brutal in Pittsburgh. And if your heat's
running NonStop, but you're smed for you Gay show one DX.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Pat McAfee went on a rant fat shaming all the lazy,
fat slobs who are gonna be joining him on radio
row at the Super Bowl, people he doesn't respect because
they're wasting their lives through improper eating. Yeah, some of
those will even be radio professionals. Pat, I can understand
why you wouldn't like that, but hey, Pat's the most
(23:58):
popular media act in the country, which speaks ill of
the country more than it does good of Pat. That's
America now, bullies and bros. I called out Pat for
fat shaming on Twitter. A bunch of people said, well,
you're fat. What would you say? It's okay to fat
shame f you America? Uh? I do feel obligated at
(24:19):
some point Tom to talk a bit about the about
the coaching search. Brian floor As re upped as Minnesota's
defensive coordinator, but he's got an out if he can
get a head coaching job. The Steelers in Baltimore both
reportedly interested. I remain convinced to be just an awful
choice because he failed at that job in Miami. Been
ten days since the job opened up. It feels like
(24:42):
everything's been said that can be except Dulac said that
Shieldhouse really impressed the Steelers in his interview. So Jerry
joins us the three thirty to expand on that. Uh
And I'm hearing more and more that the Steelers may
pitch that combination of Shula and Sielhouse a little ramjam action,
(25:03):
bringing a couple guys from LA. But that'd be too
expensive because you'd have to pay both guys big. So
I bet it comes back to McCarthy at a relatively
cheap price, and the Steelers hire their usual el cheapost staff.
So A Tom, why I think Flora is re up
with an out. Who's that help Himer Minnesota. It's obviously
(25:25):
a safety net, I guess for both sides. I think
it obviously helps Slors the most.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
He knows he's got a secure job in Minnesota if
this spinning the carousel with Baltimore or Pittsburgh doesn't work out,
And maybe he's also reading the tea leaves a little
bit after his interviews with Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and he's
coming back and he's saying to Minnesota, let's let's get
this contract done, because I don't think I'm gonna get
these jobs. I'd be surprised if it doesn't. I want
to take them if I do, but I don't think
it's happening.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I bet Minnesota came to him and said, listen, we
need to know you're coming back if you don't get
a job, and maybe Minnesota raid the tea.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Leaves you ain't getting this head coaching job. We've talked
to some people, right like our owner has dug into
it a little bit and talked to their owners maybe
even and said and ain't happening.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Or maybe they said, listen, we've seen you coach here.
You ain't no head coach. You fed up in Miami.
Just sign on the dotted line, young man.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Thank you. Uh you know it.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
I do like the combination of Shula and Shieldhouse. But
the Steelers are cheap that it costs too much. You
would have to give Shula obviously head coach money probably,
and you'd have to give Shielhouse I think, close to
head coach money.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
And who would in that scenario.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
You think Shula would be the head coach or Selhouse
would be the head coach working on I.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Don't Sula would. He's been a coordinator. Sel Hoss is
not there, really is?
Speaker 5 (26:29):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
I have people tell me, you know, guys who were
you know, no ball as they unfortunately say who say
that you got to be a coordinator before your head
coach and Selhouse hasn't.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I don't know is that true though, I mean, I
don't know who knows if that's I don't know, maybe
take a swing at Schielhouse and maybe.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Only a coordinator for when he got the job, right.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I think Sheelaus has picked up a thing or two
under McVeigh, but you wouldn't expect him to come in
and then Shula to work underneath him. I don't think
Shula would like that or want to do that any
other way around. I like the Schelhouse thing, like like
take a very aggressive wild swing, and that seems like
that's what it would be.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
That's my choice for head coach, just because he's the
offensive guy. Well McCarthy is too, but that's the two
times recycled. That's a little different. Uh. The first hour
of the show brought to us by our good friends
at Shanderovich, Shandrorovitch and Fishman.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
They got your back, not your wallet.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Uh. It flies under the radar that that Rooney's a
tight wad, But the evidence is there smallest and cheapest
staff in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Yeah, no question about it. And was it always that way?
Speaker 3 (27:29):
I mean, like I feel like Lebou obviously had to
command a pretty decent salary, right like you would think.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
So I don't think his love for the Steelers count.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And I think BA got a decent Haley too when
they brought him on that was a former head coach.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
The staff was still small. Oh that's a good point.
Like they kept it small, like there's no quarterback coach.
I remember they said there's no quarterback coach for Mason
Rudolph And they're like, how in the hell is that possible.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
It's been the smallest staff in the league for as
long as I can remember. Yeah, I mean that's just
not the way, you're Chuck Noll coached by himself staff.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
That's not true.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Slipped by They had bad rad weedonhaffer. They oh he had,
Chuck had.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Great assistants, great assistant Don't you.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Think that's true at every level of sport now too,
there's just too many people on benches that goes down
to like high school.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Some well funny you mention that, because I do get
wanting to keep a staff somewhat compact. Like, listen to this,
Tom Tampa Bay staff has twenty eight coaches with BA
in charge. Might I added the football ops guy? That's
what he is now down there? Why the freak do
you need twenty eight coaches? And now they added a
mascot and Danny Smith, But they got like assistance.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
To the assistant.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
That's ridiculous, quality control, a director of rehabilitation, to women,
neither of whom played in the league. It's just all
over killed. I mean, twenty eight that's too much. The
Steelers had nineteen coaches last year. That's under the league average.
I think it's the smallest and a lot of them
were cheap hires. But you get what you paid for.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
I mean, you really think you need coordinators? Special teams, offensive, defensive,
a head coach, maybe an assistant head coach, like an
associate head coach, or you can make a that and
then just the position coach. Right, So that's like what
eight more coaches there, but we're talking like fourteen coaches.
Fifteen coaches is all you need?
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Twenty eight? Doesn't it feel more and more like it's
going to come back to McCarthy. I really do feel
like that we're heading in that direction the interview.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Here's why cheap local. You can run it back, maybe
get Rogers, but run it back with the retreat at
quarterback at any rate. Now if you are going to
draft your long term quarterback this year next, McCarthy is
good with quarterbacks. I mean he's proven that with lesser lights,
Like who is the bummy guy in New Orleans when
he was down there?
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I can't remember all the way back to that that
he kind of jumped started. What about the guy? He
did good with Dak, He made dakodad.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
He won twelve games three straight years with Dak, and
then Dak got hurt and the guy then they fired
Cooper Rush.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah he was fine, Yeah, seven wins.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Cooper Rush did pretty good. So I won't be outraged
when it comes back to McCarthy. I'm not even saying
it's bad. It's just not what I would do, because
you know, you're not moving forward. You know, once again
the crucifying themselves on the cross of right now that
it's just gonna be try to go nine to eight.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
At least I could at least talk myself into it
a little bit though, because of the offensive side of things,
like this is this is something different, Like he's bringing
acumen too that side of the football. He's gonna put
an emphasis on that side of the football. He knows
how important it is and probably knows how to go
out and find that quarterback. So MacArthur, you could talk
yourself into it, but I want to do all of
those things with Shilhas and just see if he's, you know,
(30:26):
the one. What if he is the next McVeigh up
and coming, Like Sean McVay was obviously a coordinator before
he got the head coaching job, but he was still
an unknown. Now he's the best coaching football, Like.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Just take a stab.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
It might turn out that way, or he might stink
and you can fire him in three years and do
it all over again.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Tom By way of teasing, I want you to, for
tomorrow's show, come up with a list of people you
feel I've unreasonably maligned on this program. We're talking athletes
and coaches, right, athletes and coaches, right right? I mean
like anybody like you know I I regularly maligned, like
you know, you know I do. I was thinking about
this just right now. I do feel bad about me
(30:59):
and Pat falling out, but I never thought the show
was any good, Okay, I just think it's total lowest
common denominator bully ball stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
I'm not jealous of the money.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I'm more than comfortable, and I've done things would I
feel using a respectful method, and you know and people
I'm gonna tell you right now. I had an opportunity
to a bunch of wrestling podcasts, and Pat hired me
and his producer at the time, Mike man Sort to
do one and pull the plug after ten weeks. I
remember because he got hired by WWE, and I understand that.
(31:31):
But I bypassed a lot of opportunities to do that.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Pat was supposed to sponsor a charity that cocky tournament
for the LEMW Foundation. He pulled the plug on that
like two weeks before, and that cost me personally, like
like three or four thousand bucks because I had to
make up the difference. I'm not gonna screw Mario to
THELEMW Foundation. You're screwing kids that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, well, I mean I don't think Pat saw it
that way. And I'm not even sure Pat made the
decision his Like, you know, that's probably a management person,
one of his high school buddies. Somebody will watch the
money we decided that And and the other thing that
is that you know, I was the first guest ever
on Pat show, ever, first one.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Yeah, he's the when I first started producing for he'd
come on all the time. I texted, I remember that.
But like he just forgot that. And that's one thing
that maybe is a little personal. I mean, according to
people I know that are there that work there, he
decided I didn't fit the show anymore. Well I I
fit it when you couldn't get any.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Guests at all, no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Business honestly a little bit like this too, because you
gave Biz a lot of stuff early on in his career.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Well, Biz, I got pissed off at and Whitney too
because they run that Chicklis cup balls and they just
make it. Maybe they make a sport I've worked decades
to build into a joke.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
She played at an international level on I didn't play
a coach.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Well you know I went near that good but yeah,
I mean, like the Herb Brooks, but just made it
into a joke, like like when established players would go there,
Like you know, they call them by names, demeaning nicknames,
but that just buy into it. And and and just
because you know they're getting famous, at least as famous
as they're probably gonna bit had all the time, you
(33:08):
had guys drinking on the bench at the tournament.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
And I'm sorry, I built that. I built that health
Yeah you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
And if like, here's the thing, those guys don't understand
biz Wit and Pat two. The criticism of what they
do does not necessarily initiate a blood feud. But they
don't understand that because they're just not professionals. They they
just but but then again, they're the new professionals because
pretty soon, Tom, there won't be anybody with a microphone
that wasn't an.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Ex player, No question about that part.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Mark about the blood feud part, like if if Pat
was open to coming on the show, I'm sure you
talked to Pat about football. If BIZ wanted to talk
some hockey at some point, you would have.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Not this point. Now, it's way too far gone at
this point.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
But like after that stuff initially happened, it wasn't like
I screw you with the ball hockey thing, you'll never
come on my show again, Or maybe it was.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
I've barely mentioned it till now, right, Pat stuff, I've
never mentioned it brought up to you, yeaheah, No, I
never mentioned it. No, I never laid out the falling
out occurred from my endure. And the thing is Pat
thinks that I'm sure Pat thinks to know who's he.
He's beneath me. I'm I'm way bigger than he'll ever be.
It shouldn't be the case, but you know, you know,
I mean, I don't know. No, well, no, Pat, Pat's
(34:12):
the biggest media personality in the country, certainly biggest sports.
But he reflects just frankly decline in our culture in
every way our culture has declined, not to be critical
one oh five nine The X.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
Tonight's the Pens go head to head against the Oilers.
Game time is nine. Pregame starts today, Listen to every
game and the best Pens coverage on your home and
the Pittsburgh Penguins one oh five nine d X.
Speaker 5 (34:42):
From the one oh five nine The ex Weather Center
Is Report is sponsored by Audible.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
It's gotta be clouding today with a few flurries On
one oh five nine d X. The first hour of
The Mark Man Show, brought to us by our good
friends at Shandorovich, s Rovich and Fishmen. You know, Fishman,
if you're listening, how come we ink on the Firebirds lately?
Get them devilled eggs.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
They got.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
A great sound bite from Danie Rolofski on ESPN basically
saying the Steelers would be idiots to hire Mike McCarthy
and run it back with Aaron Rodgers. But that's only
because they'd be idiots to hire Mike McCarthy and running
back with Aaron Rodgers. I'd have less of a problem
with hiring McCarthy. I just don't want Rogers back, and
I especially don't want him to take until however many
months from not to decide which he will, because it's
(35:29):
always all about Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
You know what's weird?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
People said he was a good teammate this year, and
I'm sure he was, but yet it's still always all
about him, Tom, what.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Do we got for the trifectum?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
For today's trifector mark, have you seen this forecast of
snow that we're supposed to get over the weekend?
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yes, twelve inches, thirteen inches.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Some people are, oh little teaser, Tom, I'm I'm going
to watch the Penguin game and the conference championship games
at one of these sidelines locations neither or so weickly,
but we're not announcing till we know about the snow in.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
The heart of a snowstorm. Potentially with that in mind,
though Mitro effected. Today are three movies marked that a
big snowstorm are central too. Number three, the one that
you didn't see for sure, I'm gonna knock this out.
It's called snow Day. It's kind of a coming of
age movie about kids with snows. But Chris Elliott's in
it a snowplow man and Chevy Chase plays a weather
man in it.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
I did see, you saw it, You've seen it. It's
absolutely terrible.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
No, it's a great movie. It's one of my favorite movies.
It's a pillar number two of the shining. Obviously a
huge snowstorm there that brings Jack Torrans and his family
into that mansion.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Get some trapped there for the entire winter.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Who was the the female beating that Nicholson's wife, Oh
my god, Shelly Dovall Chlley Dwall.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
She was brilliant, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
It's one thing for Jack to be scary, which he's
very good at, but for her to be terrified, that's
a bit of a tougher ask.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
And she was great. She was fantastic at it.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Have you ever seen the like behind the scenes footage,
you know, the famous here is Johnny scene of Jack
Nicholson pumping himself up to do it.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
It's wild. He's like jumping up and down like he's
getting ready to play a football game. Here's Johnny's one
of the greatest scenes in any horror movie ever, without question.
Yeah A that is that a top three horror movie
as far as the.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Quality of movie is concerned. Like it's a it's gotta
be up there, uh number one? Those Groundhog Day right,
no question? Stranded in Pucksatwani what blizzard It's a couple
of flakes and Bill Murray.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
By the way, had Bill Murray chosen differently, he would
have been a marvelous weatherman.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Oh. I mean, he wouldn't have been no Joe DiNardo,
but it had been pretty good. Bill Connors.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
The trifecta brought list by Danny's PiZZ and Hogies family
owned and operated since nineteen sixty. That's Danny's en Route
eighty eight and met the Park. And I will let
people know about my sidelines, gig. We're gonna decide tomorrow,
although I think we should just do it and then
if if you're in a snowstorm, that's fun. If we
have to cancel it, I'll just charge the guy double no.
I told Bob, Bob Miller a great guy when charge
(37:45):
him at all.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
So we'll see.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
We'll let you know tomorrow. Tom Up, we'll probably talk
more about this tomorrow. We got the conference championship games
on Sunday. I kind of like Denver upset New England.
Denver's a slightly better team, better coach and Sean Payton,
Rabels and meat had and Stidham can do enough at
quarterback to win that game. At quarterback, he won't be great,
but he can do enough.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
I kind of like Denver too. I think it's just
funny people are kind of writing them off. And in
the NFL, it just kind of goes that way, right
when somebody's like, Oh, it's so obvious New England's gonna
win the sticals. Yeah, and especially when the teams are
at this level like the Denver Broncos as a team
or a great team that can rally around Stidham for
one game. You said it yesterday. Stidham's just got to
win one game. He's just got to play good one time,
and then he's like a hero forever, even if they
(38:27):
lose the Super Bowl. It's like he got us there.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
And you know, they were talking about shooting bow Nicks
up with like I guess horse tranquilizers to get him
to play. I mean, I mean, do you think they
could get him back out there.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
For the Super Bowl after three weeks off, shooting him
up like he's an actual Bronco and getting him out
there to play.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
There's no chance he could do that, no way.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
I definitely like seattle over the La Rams just so
the Steelers can finally interview in person the two coaches.
That doesn't matter though, and sheilas Oh really, can they
do it and do it in person? No matter what
after this weekend. I think Seattle's the best team in
football overall. And you talk about great stories, what's better
than the ballot of Sam Darnold.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah, that's the team I'm kind of pulling for.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Sam. Donald's as big an individual underdog as Indiana University
was a team underdog in context.
Speaker 3 (39:11):
That's a pretty good call. And I just think Seattle
is the best team either way. I think this is
kind of a de facto super Bowl, right the NFC
Championship game. I think these two are clearly the better team.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
You heard that Arlovsky SoundBite, right, Yeah, it's pretty brutal,
really honest.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Yeah, well, I mean I'm with them.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
By the way, since we basically have let this show
de evolve to the point where I, like, you know,
ask and receive personal messages over it, I'm gonna see
Beyond Purple the Deep Purple, a Family Tree tribute band,
tonight at Jurgles. I'd like to know what time they
go on. We try to call there, Tom. It doesn't
say on the website, So if anybody knows what time
(39:47):
Beyond Purple Jimmy Bell guitar player. If you're listening, let
me know. God knows this is a good plug. One
oh five nine y x
Well, well, well, there's a new sheriff in town, and
it ain't the friggin Steelers' coaching search. Penguins winn at
Calgary last night.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
For to one.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Penguins are nine two and two since the holiday break,
second place in the Metro Division, second fewest regulation losses
in the Eastern Conference twenty four, fourteen and eleven record.
Just imagine if the Penguins were any good at shootouts. No, seriously,
just imagine if the Penguins were any good at shootouts.
(00:35):
The whole Geno line scored last night, every guy, Gino, Novak, Chinnikov,
but it was the cliched and proverbial team efforts. Penguins
almost totally in control, no doubt about it. There's a
structure there with Muse that went there down the stretch
(00:58):
the last few years with Mike Sullivan. Actually, there's a
structure there with the Penguins we really haven't seen since
way back in the Kevin Constantine era. And there was
like wife swapping involved there, so kind of a mixed bag.
Let's bring on now, Tommy Radio, Tom what about the
(01:19):
peng was in Calgary last night? No Carlson, no Latang
and no problem.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
It was just a perfect effort from them really from
start to finish. I guess there was maybe a little
lull there and they fell asleep at the end of
what was it, the second period.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Goal with two point seven seconds left.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I know that sucked for Stu too, because I thought
he was playing so well right up into that point.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
But he's to blame too for letting that in. But
sac it was.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
It was a deflection, but yeah, just to give up
a goal, it sucks, yeah, at that point. But but
the thing is, they went into the intermission, you know,
having conceded that goal in the lead cut in half.
But then Russ scored fifty seconds into the third period.
He circumvented squeaky bum time restored the lead of three
to one. Like I said, it was almost never in
(02:00):
dot last night, but for that one goal.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
And this was Skinner's second start in a row.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
He obviously won't start tonight and she lost that tonight
in the back to back, but they got to make
the shift to him kind of be in the starter.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
It just feels like a better team with it. I
don't know that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
They're gonna do that, Like we discussed yesterday, I think
they switched Skinner to Calgary for avoid to avoid him
playing against this old team in Edmonton, to make the
game as vanilla as possible.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Would you, though, would you start shifting towards you personally
Stuart Skinner kind of being goalie one, you know, starting
him in Vancouver, and then even though it would be
she lost, started in Chicago on Thursday when they come
back home, give that to Skinner again.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It depends how she lof's place tonight. Again, I mean,
if Edmonton doesn't shoot him full of holes, that would
be a step in the right direction, because, like I'm
gonna talk about later at length, Edmonton has beat the
Penguins in nine of the last ten meetings, and Pittsburgh's
playing back to back, whereas Edmonton was there in Edmonton
waiting for them and didn't play last night. But but yeah,
(02:56):
I would start shifting a little bit towards Skinner. But
I'm still not going to abandon shilloffs. But I also
still would switch him out for the shootout. What about
that that Geno line Gino one, the wing, Novak and center.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Each of them scored Chinnakov two.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I can't believe Chinnikov's release four balls in eleven games
is a Penguin, and thank god he didn't get along
with that coach in Columbus Evison. What's weird about that too,
is they traded chinnakoff because of that rift between him
and the coach, and then they fired Everson right after.
You'd think they would have seen the coaching change coming
and figured, Okay, maybe the next coach, Rick Bonus can
(03:37):
do better with this talent. But I'm glad it happened
the way it did.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
No question about it.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
You know, he's the part of that line that I
don't want to focus on right now because he looks
like he can be a really legitimate goal scorer in
this like you know, twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Five goals, top six wins, absolutely, and the guy who.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Can play with good players as he's doing with Gino
right now.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
And that's another thing that's so huge for him is
getting that Russian connection right now and being able to
you know, have that in the locker room with him.
I'm sure that's helpful for him. So it's been perfect.
And Tommy Novak, I mean, you gotta give him credit,
right like, he just keeps coming, he keeps playing well
this year being thrust into that top six role.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, no, I give that line. I mean he's centering
if Genny Malkin. Yeah, I mean that line's good.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
The only problem I have is they got kindled between
the Twin Towers, Braso and Mantha, and it's not gone
as well for them. But still there's no denying the
chemistry of the Malkin line. And they had to find
out about Chinnikov and get him going. Yes, you couldn't
bring him in and put him in a minor role,
otherwise there was no point of getting it.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
And don't you think that's something that mus can keep
in his back pocket with the twin towers in Malkin Still, like,
if there is a little bit of a law, you
can push that button, get Geno back at center between
those two. I think that can be something that can
sparka team that's kind of in a little bit of
a stretch that you know is gonna come.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's part of the hockey season. We still got a
long way to go here.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, I wouldn't be, you know, looking to do that
as long as the should I call it the Malting
line or the Novak line, technically it's the Novak client.
Because Novak's at center, you should call it the Russian connection. Yeah,
but Novak's not Russian whatever, right, maybe good to say,
I don't know, he's from over there somewhere. He can
maybe get a passport. Now, now we've got Pittsburgh at
Edmonton tonight, like we talked about, and I'll recite a
(05:18):
lot of numbers later. Uh, Edmonton has has just dominated
Pittsburgh won nine of the last ten, and the dominance
goes beyond that. And McDavid kills the Penguins. But nonetheless
it's Sid versus McDavid. That's that's Mark Kee and I
think the NHL should be a shamed they haven't built
that rivalry up more. Although it's maybe hard to do
(05:40):
when the players and teams are in opposite conferences and
so rarely play each other.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Then again, that should give it even more of a
big event feel.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yeah, and you should always just be looking out for
when you're making the schedule. Okay, we gotta line these
games up for you know, a TNT eight o'clock puck drop.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Now, I don't know, isn't.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
There's no TNT games tonight. There's an ESPN game on
it tis.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
The thing is, I hate that between periods and you
know the panels show that TNT does so much with
with with Hollywood Bis and so forth, that I just
I dread when the games are on TNT.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
But you know my point, like put it on national TV,
so forget TNT, then put it on ESPN. Minnesota versus
Detroit is the game that ESPN selected tonight at nine thirty.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
No, No, I would prefer it's on national TV for
the exposure. The league should too, but uh, Minnesota at Detroit.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
That's the game at nine thirty on ESPN nationally.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, I'll get to see Johnny Whitehall anyway, and at
any rate, i'll be it beyond Purple, although although there
there will be the game will be on TV at Jurgles.
When I'm watching Beyond Purple, I'll be able to watch both.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's a great setup. It's funny.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Reb was there with his solo band Red Beach one
time and it was the Pirates playoff game against the
Cubs where Schwarber hit the ball into a boat right
away and like, yeah, I like ReBs playing a solo
and I like a grimaced and he noticed it, like
what the what the frig?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, but McDavid does kill the Penguins.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
But then again, and the Penguins, like I said, nine
to two and two since the break, that's pretty incredible.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
And how about here, here's one good sign Tom.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
The Penguins actually have more points than the Oilers now
by one point.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah, Penguins just really feel like a playoff team. And
the positioning that they have put themselves now in the standings,
it's you're not You're never gonna feel comfortable in This
race in the Eastern Conference is just way too tight
for that. But they're other than the shootout stuff theyre
is about as good as you could ever ask for
right now.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
No, they're a lot better than I thought. And I'm
actually working on a column for the Trib kind of
analyzing exactly why they are. And a big part of
it is goaltending. And one thing that that makes tonight's
match up better than Vanilla is Jari isn't goal for
Edmonton playing against the Penguins. I got to figure the
(07:47):
guy owes us a goal on the first shot. That's
the least he can do after all the times he
did it to the Penguins and not for the Penguins,
and It's not that Skinner and shilloffs have been great.
They've been very good, but was the face of failure
for the Penguins everythince he lost those playoff series in
twenty one and twenty two, in particular twenty one when
(08:07):
he made that turnover in overtime to give the Islanders
that overtime goal by Bailey that turned the series around.
And I said then they he should never have played
for the Penguins again. Nobody could trust them the dressing room,
even though they thought they trusted.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Him, they just did. You don't get rid of an
f up like that, a memory like that. He did
like the exact same thing too.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Did you see that like a week ago with Edmonton,
Like just had a terrible turnover, guy came screaming right
back in and put a game winning goal on him.
I think it was even in overtime at an end
of the game.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Goaltendings for sure has been such a difference maker for
the Penguins this year, and I just you just feel
more comfortable, like with both of them in the net,
but especially with Skinner, and I saw Josh getzof tweet
this out today. A huge factor two has to be
special teams. He said, they're the only team in the
NHL right now that goes into the games tonight with
a top five unit in both PK and power play.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, three power plays, five question, and you gotta look
at coaching for that. I thought taking Kendel off PP
one would would lead to a decline. It is not,
although I still would have Kindle on PP one. Cool
night for him being back where he played juniors with
his billet family. You know the he works with some
special now about a sixteen year old kid, which is
what Kindle was when he got to Calgary immediately started
(09:15):
working with special needs kid.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Kendall's a special guy.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I wish he wasn't so kind of like reclusive, but
you know, he'd be a guy like the chat with more.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
But that's kind of creepy. I'm like grandpa to a
kid like that.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Edmonton tonight one good sign Tom no dry Sidle. He's
back in Germany for some kind of family thing and
we wish him well, but I'm glad he's not there.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
I don't know, it's a it's a matter of do
you feel lucky?
Speaker 1 (09:40):
But but like I said, it's a back to back
for the Penguins and Edmonton didn't play last night.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Uh you know who got third Star last night?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Tom This says it all about where the Penguins are
at and why they're surviving at the level they are,
Jack Say and Ivany he got He got two assists
and had like a show biz block. Did you see
that block where was like a big rip from in
tight He just dove in front of it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
It was awesome. He looked like Virgil van Dijk.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Now they're getting it from everybody, which is a great sign.
That's what playoff teams do. And how about the sequence
before they let in that goal at the end of
the second period, when Skinner lost his stick in the corner,
it was just chaos, but the flames could hit the.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Net actually everywhere. We got to get him on the
show soon. Skinner with he won't mind doing he he
likes the microphone. But but you know what he did
that all goalie should do. He refused to stick from
from a teammate. And that makes sense because the little
stick won't do the goalie no good and then you're
taking one less defender out of the play.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Smart.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
He said, he's been in two Stanley Cup finals like
He's not a perfect goalie, but he's got experience.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
No other goalie I've ever heard of does that the
Stanley Cup finals.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
He just smarter, Yeah, he just he just doesn't adhere
to the tradition.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
It's like, like even better goalies, you're saying, we'll take
the stick of the defense.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, I've never seen a goalie not take the stick. Okay,
but it's here's an example. Dave Schultz to hammer the Goo,
the all time penalty minute leader, I think still in
the NHL. He came from the Flyers in their broad
Street Bully Stanley Cup teams, which I hate, and I
like Dave though I as a kid. He was like
a nice guy when I was like, you know, getting
autographs and stuff. But when he came to Pittsburgh he
(11:18):
broke his stick one time in the defensive zone. He
went to the bench to get another stick, and like
Johnny Wilson was the coach, then he went nuts. The
whole bench went nuts. And he said after the game,
he goes, we got ton Philadelphia. Well, you play a
man don for two minutes all the time, it would
be better to come to the bench and get a stick.
You play Don for like what ten seconds, but then
(11:38):
it's back to full strength and you got a stick.
Otherwise you're out there useless without a stick. And years
later I told that story to Ray Shiro the Penguinch
GM and he goes, that's dumb. You got to stay
out there, And I go, well, have you thought to
think that it was your dad's idea?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Fred?
Speaker 1 (11:54):
He coached the Flyers back then, and it's what you
should do. It's absolutely we should do. So big IQ
points for Stuart Skinner there. Up next we'll talk about
something other than the e fingk Steelers coaching starts, because
I've never given a crap about anything less more in
my life. They're gonna run it back, be the same team, FU.
If you want to talk about it, go down to dial.
(12:15):
We're talking other stuff here. One oh five nine The X.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Listen to the X everywhere you go, No anywhere everywhere.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
Tell your sport device Alexa play one oh five point
ninety X on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Our twenty twenty six iHeart Radio Music Awards are coming.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
To Fox right from Los Angeles. There is day March
twenty six Music Prayers.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Will Lonner is the biggest star from all genres of music.
That you loved listening to all year long on your
favorite iHeart Radio station and the iHeart Radio app.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
We are here to present the iHeart Radio Music Awards.
Speaker 5 (12:50):
How manyas include.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Tai, I'm Taylor Swift, Sommer. Hey is Morgan Wall. This
is Jacob Noel from Sublime, mis you go, KLi Be,
What's ups?
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Doci?
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Hey l this is Kuji Raamal.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
This is Sabena.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Carpenter, Bonny Baby Blue.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Hey, It's Bradford Cage The Elephant and Alex Warren.
Speaker 6 (13:07):
Thank you, Thank you everyone, Thank you so much. I
love you.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
Does and this year you help decide winners in eleven
dan voted categories.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Thank you to the beautiful, amazing fans who have helped get.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
The song tors.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
See all the nominees and get your votes in now
at iHeartRadio dot com.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Splash warrens, Someone's looking for you, some of the region's
top the.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Steelers coaching search. That's what the people want you to
talk about. Yeah, but it's not what I want to
talk about. I mean, my god, I've been doing this
for thirty years. Some of you all been listening for
thirty years, and I'm not grateful for that. I did
you the favor even more so now. I mean, I'm
the guy who's different even more so now. And how
could you know how to figure it out that this
show is primarily for me. It's the me show, not
(13:56):
the U show.
Speaker 6 (13:58):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
On the other hand, here's a tweet from just a
Citizen pointing out if the NHL regular season concluded last night,
Kyle Dubas would be a strong candidate for Executive of
the Year. And he lists drafted, Kendall signed, Braso signed,
Mantha signed, Watherspoon, traded Jari for Skinner, and Kulak traded
(14:20):
for Chinnikov. And even more than that, Dubas has laid
a foundation to move forward. That team that's doing the
coaching search, they have no foundation laid to move forward.
Penguin's going to be legit again before the Steelers are.
I Guaran fing t that. So let's not forget the
(14:41):
pinball wizard Kyle Dubas his role in this tom I
want to talk about I do want to talk some football,
and this is really cliche sports talk, but the NFL
and Austen's finalists for MVP. They are Matthew Stafford, Drake May,
Josh Allen, Christian mccaffe, and Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Who would be your choice? My choice would be Drake May.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
But it seems like they just go back and forth
a year to year as far as is it most
valuable Player, as far as who got you know, a
team with low expectations way over those expectations, or is
it just who was the best quarterback in the league,
Like it's a quarterback award? I mean, he has no
choice now, He's just kind of a token running back
that you throw in there. He probably will finish fifth
or fourth in the voting. But like last year, Mark,
you know, Lamar Jackson had the better statistical year as
(15:27):
a quarterback, he was first team All Pro. Then those
same AP voters gave the MVP to Josh Allen. Okay, fine,
you just think Josh Allen's more valuable this year though
it's going to go to Stafford.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
But I think Drake May's more of that.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Which is why these awards become more meaningless every year
because so many narratives get thrust into the voting process,
as opposed to, in the case of this award, who
is most valuable and if you go by the word valuable.
You're right, Drake May should be the guy. He took
a four and thirteen team. It's the most improbable story.
We're all, you know, messing our drawers over Indiana's you know,
(15:59):
come from behind, and what about New England's come from behind?
And Drake May is the guy by far, even more
than the coach Frable, by far, the guy who's most
responsible for it. But I agree with you too that
Matthew Stafford's gonna get it. And here's why, it really
is a tight race between Stafford and May. I think
they're clearly the guys at the top of the table.
(16:19):
But Stafford's never won it. They're gonna figure May has
plenty of time to win it. Stafford's gonna get it
as kind of a lifetime achievement thing.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
And don't you hate that? I mean, I absolutely hate that.
I mean, there is no guarantee that May is gonna
win it. What if May blows his outbout out next
year and this was his MVP season. He deserves to
get the MVP. He put up that kind of season
this year. I don't like being like, well, we got
a long time to give Drake May his evybo No No,
you're totally right.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
But as a great man once said, I judge myself
by Stanley Cuppson scoring titles because nobody votes on those.
But I think Stafford is gonna get it. I think
May deserves it, but only by a slight marg like,
I won't be outraged if Stafford does.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Now the other awards. Do you care about the other
awards at all?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
I don't like Offensive Player of the Year, that's just
the poor man's non quarterback MVP.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Yeah, they've kind of like specialized, like almost like a
Cy Young and an MVP, right, you know what I mean.
I would guess McCaffrey gets that right probably, or maybe
Jackson Smith and Jigba the wide receivers.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Here's a weird statistical nuance with McCaffrey. I think he
got a thousand yards both receiving and rushing, over two
thousand yards total offense, but his yards per rush is
only three point nine And I've always felt, you know,
four point oh is the is the is the line
of demarcation for even having had a decent season running
(17:36):
the ball? And as if to confirm, I think only
two running backs in the Hall of Fame have a
rushing average below four point.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh, isn't jeralm one of them?
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Yes, the best one of them Jerome and John Riggins. Yeah,
but McCaffrey as a receiver, that's what you got a
factor into. He's one of the most gifted players as
far as you know catching the ball at that position,
and he puts up tons of numbers and did again
this year in that aspect. I think Smith and Jigba
might actually win that award as far as which is
weird that he's not a finalist for the MVP. McCaffrey is.
But there's just no consistency with this. Do you care
(18:06):
at all about Coach of the Year. That's kind of
the only one that I kind of have a minimal
that's gonna be Tomlin Well not anymore. Or do you
think they give it to him on the way out? Yes,
lifetime achievement.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
No, I think that's an overrated award. Like like I
just said, I look at New England. Rabel could get
coached here, probably will, but he's a finalist. I think
May's had far more impact.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Yeah, I mean I always lean towards the players. Ben
Johnson I think would be the coach of the Year,
like he just seems to me like what he did
in Chicago seems like a future up and coming genie.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
And never mind the record and jumping over, you know,
his divisional rivals from when he was in Great Division,
from when he was the coordinator in Detroit. He is
making Caleb.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
So, I mean, if you want to if it was
most valuable coach, he would be a runaway winner to me.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah, I mean cayleb gets deserves credit too for what's
happening right now. He qull but yeah, Ben Johnson's unlocking
something there, whereas with the Patriots and Rabel, it's it's
McDaniels who's helping May along and unlocking things with him,
not Rabel.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I heard the B team today.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
They were trying to talk themselves out of making Miles
Garrett the obvious recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year.
They said, oh, Burrow laid down on that last sack,
which he didn't do. And that's the thing about sucks
about Brett Farr when he laid down for Strahan. A
cat's suspicion moving forward, especially if it's convenient for the
misbegotten argument. In this time, the TJ Watt is somehow
(19:24):
fit to tie Miles Garrett shoes, which he is not.
He couldn't carry Miles Garrett's jock in a hockey equipment bag.
And that's not just this year, that's on his career,
although TJ did have a couple better years. But how
could you not give it to Garrett?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
He's such an overwhelming favorite.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
It's like the books aren't even entertaining anybody else possibly
winning this award. Even if he didn't get the sack
record mark, he's probably still the defensive player of the year.
Like that's like a default. Oh sack record, make him deepoy,
But he was so overwhelmingly the best defensive player in
football it would be stupid to give it to somebody else.
The runner up odds wise is Brian Burns on the Giants.
Another like, what are you gonna give it to a
(20:01):
guy in the Giants?
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Well, you know what?
Speaker 1 (20:04):
And like I just love I mean, I think TJ.
Wat's an arrogant ass. I think he's an underachieving gym teacher,
underachieving team wise. In fact, I have the line I'm
gonna use when he retires, but I can use it
now and just use it again. Then no one will
ever have a greater career that was less impactful than TJ.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Watt.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
That's pretty harsh statement, but how could you deny it
when you don't have a playoff win? I mean, that's
what it all comes down to. That's the currency, right
that you deal with when you're talking about your true
legendary show. Certainly in Pittsburgh, Oh yeah, absolutely, and a
certain franchisees that just comes with the territory. Pittsburgh is
one of them, might be the one of them. But
that brings me Tom.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
We're gonna do an end depth discussion on this at
some point, but just too many topics came up today,
not least the Penguins winning at Calgary, not playing at
McDavid tonight against Jari as well. But if you had
the name one person on this show, and I'm putting
you on the spot, but don't be afraid to ruffle
my feathers. If you had the name one person on
show I've been unnecessarily or improperly disrespectful to.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Who would it be?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I don't know, I don't I don't know if I
can bring that up, But you're gonna think it's the Corsi, right,
or are people giving you a push back on the
course of course?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, because you guys can go back and forth. Screwed
de Coursey? Who cares?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
He's a great guy, he's great on the air, he's
my friend, he's Liverpool. But no, that's great, right, I'm
talking about a figure like a McCutcheon.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
A what.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Talking about I'm thinking about the Coursey.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
The Corsey didn't even buy into the play by play
on the Soba's lie goal yesterday.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Oh my, my TV's behind. Who cares? I told he scored?
Speaker 5 (21:33):
Act?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Come on to course my act, sell it, sell it
under the wall? What a great free kick? Who's been
unfair to as far as an athlete?
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Though? And then the phrase I'm using is or coach
disrespected unreasonably.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
You're just such a truth teller. It's really hard to
pin someone down like that. You respect McCutcheon. It's what's
happening now that that's the one. You could make a case.
Really you didn't think.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
In his prime he was a great player. He's obviously
a great player. You belittled him, then, I don't think so.
I just called him a dollar general level franchise legend. Well,
look at the other legends when you look at this franchise. Yeah,
I mean maybe I'm just maybe I'm a smidge too far.
I'm not with what I'm not with wa Wat's done
nothing cuts an MVP. I mean, what didn't win anything?
(22:15):
I mean he just he's a stats he's a stats
and money guy. You look, you look at the Watts.
They what did they win at Wisconsin?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Nothing?
Speaker 1 (22:21):
I mean I would bet they didn't win in high school.
I bet all they did in high school was bully
kids in the hall, like some of the gym lockers
and bullie the fat kids. I'm getting even for the
fat kids and go like six and four. Now, somebody's
gonna look say, well they won states and is shut up?
I don't care. But but yeah, I mean maybe Cutch
May you know, you know who else you could make
a case for. See, I'm taking away the future discussion
(22:42):
of this. I'm gonna cut off at this and we'll
pick it up tomorrow. How's that sounds great? You could
make a case for Malkin one oh five nine.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
God, it's the Woody Show week mornings at six.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Doesn't really matter on.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
The X, Hey where are you? Everyone's here?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Eh?
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Not really feeling it tonight. You're gonna miss out again.
It's out on what.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
The rush of the tables, the thrill of the winds,
the cheers, the selfies, of the memories they'll never forget.
Don't be the one hearing about it tomorrow, Rivers Casino,
don't miss the moment.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Winters can be brutal in Pittsburgh. And if your heat's
running NonStop, but you're smed for you Gay show one DX.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Pat McAfee went on a rant fat shaming all the lazy,
fat slobs who are gonna be joining him on radio
row at the Super Bowl, people he doesn't respect because
they're wasting their lives through improper eating. Yeah, some of
those will even be radio professionals. Pat, I can understand
why you wouldn't like that, but hey, Pat's the most
(23:58):
popular media act in the country, which speaks ill of
the country more than it does good of Pat. That's
America now, bullies and bros. I called out Pat for
fat shaming on Twitter. A bunch of people said, well,
you're fat. What would you say? It's okay to fat
shame f you America? Uh? I do feel obligated at
(24:19):
some point Tom to talk a bit about the about
the coaching search. Brian floor As re upped as Minnesota's
defensive coordinator, but he's got an out if he can
get a head coaching job. The Steelers in Baltimore both
reportedly interested. I remain convinced to be just an awful
choice because he failed at that job in Miami. Been
ten days since the job opened up. It feels like
(24:42):
everything's been said that can be except Dulac said that
Shieldhouse really impressed the Steelers in his interview. So Jerry
joins us the three thirty to expand on that. Uh
And I'm hearing more and more that the Steelers may
pitch that combination of Shula and Sielhouse a little ramjam action,
(25:03):
bringing a couple guys from LA. But that'd be too
expensive because you'd have to pay both guys big. So
I bet it comes back to McCarthy at a relatively
cheap price, and the Steelers hire their usual el cheapost staff.
So A Tom, why I think Flora is re up
with an out. Who's that help Himer Minnesota. It's obviously
(25:25):
a safety net, I guess for both sides. I think
it obviously helps Slors the most.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
He knows he's got a secure job in Minnesota if
this spinning the carousel with Baltimore or Pittsburgh doesn't work out,
And maybe he's also reading the tea leaves a little
bit after his interviews with Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and he's
coming back and he's saying to Minnesota, let's let's get
this contract done, because I don't think I'm gonna get
these jobs. I'd be surprised if it doesn't. I want
to take them if I do, but I don't think
it's happening.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I bet Minnesota came to him and said, listen, we
need to know you're coming back if you don't get
a job, and maybe Minnesota raid the tea.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Leaves you ain't getting this head coaching job. We've talked
to some people, right like our owner has dug into
it a little bit and talked to their owners maybe
even and said and ain't happening.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Or maybe they said, listen, we've seen you coach here.
You ain't no head coach. You fed up in Miami.
Just sign on the dotted line, young man.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Thank you. Uh you know it.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
I do like the combination of Shula and Shieldhouse. But
the Steelers are cheap that it costs too much. You
would have to give Shula obviously head coach money probably,
and you'd have to give Shielhouse I think, close to
head coach money.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
And who would in that scenario.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
You think Shula would be the head coach or Selhouse
would be the head coach working on I.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Don't Sula would. He's been a coordinator. Sel Hoss is
not there, really is?
Speaker 5 (26:29):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
I have people tell me, you know, guys who were
you know, no ball as they unfortunately say who say
that you got to be a coordinator before your head
coach and Selhouse hasn't.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I don't know is that true though, I mean, I
don't know who knows if that's I don't know, maybe
take a swing at Schielhouse and maybe.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Only a coordinator for when he got the job, right.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I think Sheelaus has picked up a thing or two
under McVeigh, but you wouldn't expect him to come in
and then Shula to work underneath him. I don't think
Shula would like that or want to do that any
other way around. I like the Schelhouse thing, like like
take a very aggressive wild swing, and that seems like
that's what it would be.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
That's my choice for head coach, just because he's the
offensive guy. Well McCarthy is too, but that's the two
times recycled. That's a little different. Uh. The first hour
of the show brought to us by our good friends
at Shanderovich, Shandrorovitch and Fishman.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
They got your back, not your wallet.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Uh. It flies under the radar that that Rooney's a
tight wad, But the evidence is there smallest and cheapest
staff in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Yeah, no question about it. And was it always that way?
Speaker 3 (27:29):
I mean, like I feel like Lebou obviously had to
command a pretty decent salary, right like you would think.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
So I don't think his love for the Steelers count.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And I think BA got a decent Haley too when
they brought him on that was a former head coach.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
The staff was still small. Oh that's a good point.
Like they kept it small, like there's no quarterback coach.
I remember they said there's no quarterback coach for Mason
Rudolph And they're like, how in the hell is that possible.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
It's been the smallest staff in the league for as
long as I can remember. Yeah, I mean that's just
not the way, you're Chuck Noll coached by himself staff.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
That's not true.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Slipped by They had bad rad weedonhaffer. They oh he had,
Chuck had.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Great assistants, great assistant Don't you.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Think that's true at every level of sport now too,
there's just too many people on benches that goes down
to like high school.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Some well funny you mention that, because I do get
wanting to keep a staff somewhat compact. Like, listen to this,
Tom Tampa Bay staff has twenty eight coaches with BA
in charge. Might I added the football ops guy? That's
what he is now down there? Why the freak do
you need twenty eight coaches? And now they added a
mascot and Danny Smith, But they got like assistance.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
To the assistant.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
That's ridiculous, quality control, a director of rehabilitation, to women,
neither of whom played in the league. It's just all
over killed. I mean, twenty eight that's too much. The
Steelers had nineteen coaches last year. That's under the league average.
I think it's the smallest and a lot of them
were cheap hires. But you get what you paid for.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
I mean, you really think you need coordinators? Special teams, offensive, defensive,
a head coach, maybe an assistant head coach, like an
associate head coach, or you can make a that and
then just the position coach. Right, So that's like what
eight more coaches there, but we're talking like fourteen coaches.
Fifteen coaches is all you need?
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Twenty eight? Doesn't it feel more and more like it's
going to come back to McCarthy. I really do feel
like that we're heading in that direction the interview.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Here's why cheap local. You can run it back, maybe
get Rogers, but run it back with the retreat at
quarterback at any rate. Now if you are going to
draft your long term quarterback this year next, McCarthy is
good with quarterbacks. I mean he's proven that with lesser lights,
Like who is the bummy guy in New Orleans when
he was down there?
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I can't remember all the way back to that that
he kind of jumped started. What about the guy? He
did good with Dak, He made dakodad.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
He won twelve games three straight years with Dak, and
then Dak got hurt and the guy then they fired
Cooper Rush.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah he was fine, Yeah, seven wins.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Cooper Rush did pretty good. So I won't be outraged
when it comes back to McCarthy. I'm not even saying
it's bad. It's just not what I would do, because
you know, you're not moving forward. You know, once again
the crucifying themselves on the cross of right now that
it's just gonna be try to go nine to eight.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
At least I could at least talk myself into it
a little bit though, because of the offensive side of things,
like this is this is something different, Like he's bringing
acumen too that side of the football. He's gonna put
an emphasis on that side of the football. He knows
how important it is and probably knows how to go
out and find that quarterback. So MacArthur, you could talk
yourself into it, but I want to do all of
those things with Shilhas and just see if he's, you know,
(30:26):
the one. What if he is the next McVeigh up
and coming, Like Sean McVay was obviously a coordinator before
he got the head coaching job, but he was still
an unknown. Now he's the best coaching football, Like.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Just take a stab.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
It might turn out that way, or he might stink
and you can fire him in three years and do
it all over again.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Tom By way of teasing, I want you to, for
tomorrow's show, come up with a list of people you
feel I've unreasonably maligned on this program. We're talking athletes
and coaches, right, athletes and coaches, right right? I mean
like anybody like you know I I regularly maligned, like
you know, you know I do. I was thinking about
this just right now. I do feel bad about me
(30:59):
and Pat falling out, but I never thought the show
was any good, Okay, I just think it's total lowest
common denominator bully ball stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
I'm not jealous of the money.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I'm more than comfortable, and I've done things would I
feel using a respectful method, and you know and people
I'm gonna tell you right now. I had an opportunity
to a bunch of wrestling podcasts, and Pat hired me
and his producer at the time, Mike man Sort to
do one and pull the plug after ten weeks. I
remember because he got hired by WWE, and I understand that.
(31:31):
But I bypassed a lot of opportunities to do that.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Pat was supposed to sponsor a charity that cocky tournament
for the LEMW Foundation. He pulled the plug on that
like two weeks before, and that cost me personally, like
like three or four thousand bucks because I had to
make up the difference. I'm not gonna screw Mario to
THELEMW Foundation. You're screwing kids that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, well, I mean I don't think Pat saw it
that way. And I'm not even sure Pat made the
decision his Like, you know, that's probably a management person,
one of his high school buddies. Somebody will watch the
money we decided that And and the other thing that
is that you know, I was the first guest ever
on Pat show, ever, first one.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Yeah, he's the when I first started producing for he'd
come on all the time. I texted, I remember that.
But like he just forgot that. And that's one thing
that maybe is a little personal. I mean, according to
people I know that are there that work there, he
decided I didn't fit the show anymore. Well I I
fit it when you couldn't get any.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Guests at all, no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Business honestly a little bit like this too, because you
gave Biz a lot of stuff early on in his career.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Well, Biz, I got pissed off at and Whitney too
because they run that Chicklis cup balls and they just
make it. Maybe they make a sport I've worked decades
to build into a joke.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
She played at an international level on I didn't play
a coach.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Well you know I went near that good but yeah,
I mean, like the Herb Brooks, but just made it
into a joke, like like when established players would go there,
Like you know, they call them by names, demeaning nicknames,
but that just buy into it. And and and just
because you know they're getting famous, at least as famous
as they're probably gonna bit had all the time, you
(33:08):
had guys drinking on the bench at the tournament.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
And I'm sorry, I built that. I built that health
Yeah you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
And if like, here's the thing, those guys don't understand
biz Wit and Pat two. The criticism of what they
do does not necessarily initiate a blood feud. But they
don't understand that because they're just not professionals. They they
just but but then again, they're the new professionals because
pretty soon, Tom, there won't be anybody with a microphone
that wasn't an.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Ex player, No question about that part.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Mark about the blood feud part, like if if Pat
was open to coming on the show, I'm sure you
talked to Pat about football. If BIZ wanted to talk
some hockey at some point, you would have.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Not this point. Now, it's way too far gone at
this point.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
But like after that stuff initially happened, it wasn't like
I screw you with the ball hockey thing, you'll never
come on my show again, Or maybe it was.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
I've barely mentioned it till now, right, Pat stuff, I've
never mentioned it brought up to you, yeaheah, No, I
never mentioned it. No, I never laid out the falling
out occurred from my endure. And the thing is Pat
thinks that I'm sure Pat thinks to know who's he.
He's beneath me. I'm I'm way bigger than he'll ever be.
It shouldn't be the case, but you know, you know,
I mean, I don't know. No, well, no, Pat, Pat's
(34:12):
the biggest media personality in the country, certainly biggest sports.
But he reflects just frankly decline in our culture in
every way our culture has declined, not to be critical
one oh five nine The X.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
Tonight's the Pens go head to head against the Oilers.
Game time is nine. Pregame starts today, Listen to every
game and the best Pens coverage on your home and
the Pittsburgh Penguins one oh five nine d X.
Speaker 5 (34:42):
From the one oh five nine The ex Weather Center
Is Report is sponsored by Audible.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
It's gotta be clouding today with a few flurries On
one oh five nine d X. The first hour of
The Mark Man Show, brought to us by our good
friends at Shandorovich, s Rovich and Fishmen. You know, Fishman,
if you're listening, how come we ink on the Firebirds lately?
Get them devilled eggs.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
They got.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
A great sound bite from Danie Rolofski on ESPN basically
saying the Steelers would be idiots to hire Mike McCarthy
and run it back with Aaron Rodgers. But that's only
because they'd be idiots to hire Mike McCarthy and running
back with Aaron Rodgers. I'd have less of a problem
with hiring McCarthy. I just don't want Rogers back, and
I especially don't want him to take until however many
months from not to decide which he will, because it's
(35:29):
always all about Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
You know what's weird?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
People said he was a good teammate this year, and
I'm sure he was, but yet it's still always all
about him, Tom, what.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Do we got for the trifectum?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
For today's trifector mark, have you seen this forecast of
snow that we're supposed to get over the weekend?
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yes, twelve inches, thirteen inches.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Some people are, oh little teaser, Tom, I'm I'm going
to watch the Penguin game and the conference championship games
at one of these sidelines locations neither or so weickly,
but we're not announcing till we know about the snow in.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
The heart of a snowstorm. Potentially with that in mind,
though Mitro effected. Today are three movies marked that a
big snowstorm are central too. Number three, the one that
you didn't see for sure, I'm gonna knock this out.
It's called snow Day. It's kind of a coming of
age movie about kids with snows. But Chris Elliott's in
it a snowplow man and Chevy Chase plays a weather
man in it.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
I did see, you saw it, You've seen it. It's
absolutely terrible.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
No, it's a great movie. It's one of my favorite movies.
It's a pillar number two of the shining. Obviously a
huge snowstorm there that brings Jack Torrans and his family
into that mansion.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Get some trapped there for the entire winter.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Who was the the female beating that Nicholson's wife, Oh
my god, Shelly Dovall Chlley Dwall.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
She was brilliant, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
It's one thing for Jack to be scary, which he's
very good at, but for her to be terrified, that's
a bit of a tougher ask.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
And she was great. She was fantastic at it.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Have you ever seen the like behind the scenes footage,
you know, the famous here is Johnny scene of Jack
Nicholson pumping himself up to do it.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
It's wild. He's like jumping up and down like he's
getting ready to play a football game. Here's Johnny's one
of the greatest scenes in any horror movie ever, without question.
Yeah A that is that a top three horror movie
as far as the.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Quality of movie is concerned. Like it's a it's gotta
be up there, uh number one? Those Groundhog Day right,
no question? Stranded in Pucksatwani what blizzard It's a couple
of flakes and Bill Murray.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
By the way, had Bill Murray chosen differently, he would
have been a marvelous weatherman.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Oh. I mean, he wouldn't have been no Joe DiNardo,
but it had been pretty good. Bill Connors.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
The trifecta brought list by Danny's PiZZ and Hogies family
owned and operated since nineteen sixty. That's Danny's en Route
eighty eight and met the Park. And I will let
people know about my sidelines, gig. We're gonna decide tomorrow,
although I think we should just do it and then
if if you're in a snowstorm, that's fun. If we
have to cancel it, I'll just charge the guy double no.
I told Bob, Bob Miller a great guy when charge
(37:45):
him at all.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
So we'll see.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
We'll let you know tomorrow. Tom Up, we'll probably talk
more about this tomorrow. We got the conference championship games
on Sunday. I kind of like Denver upset New England.
Denver's a slightly better team, better coach and Sean Payton,
Rabels and meat had and Stidham can do enough at
quarterback to win that game. At quarterback, he won't be great,
but he can do enough.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
I kind of like Denver too. I think it's just
funny people are kind of writing them off. And in
the NFL, it just kind of goes that way, right
when somebody's like, Oh, it's so obvious New England's gonna
win the sticals. Yeah, and especially when the teams are
at this level like the Denver Broncos as a team
or a great team that can rally around Stidham for
one game. You said it yesterday. Stidham's just got to
win one game. He's just got to play good one time,
and then he's like a hero forever, even if they
(38:27):
lose the Super Bowl. It's like he got us there.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
And you know, they were talking about shooting bow Nicks
up with like I guess horse tranquilizers to get him
to play. I mean, I mean, do you think they
could get him back out there.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
For the Super Bowl after three weeks off, shooting him
up like he's an actual Bronco and getting him out
there to play.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
There's no chance he could do that, no way.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
I definitely like seattle over the La Rams just so
the Steelers can finally interview in person the two coaches.
That doesn't matter though, and sheilas Oh really, can they
do it and do it in person? No matter what
after this weekend. I think Seattle's the best team in
football overall. And you talk about great stories, what's better
than the ballot of Sam Darnold.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah, that's the team I'm kind of pulling for.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Sam. Donald's as big an individual underdog as Indiana University
was a team underdog in context.
Speaker 3 (39:11):
That's a pretty good call. And I just think Seattle
is the best team either way. I think this is
kind of a de facto super Bowl, right the NFC
Championship game. I think these two are clearly the better team.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
You heard that Arlovsky SoundBite, right, Yeah, it's pretty brutal,
really honest.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Yeah, well, I mean I'm with them.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
By the way, since we basically have let this show
de evolve to the point where I, like, you know,
ask and receive personal messages over it, I'm gonna see
Beyond Purple the Deep Purple, a Family Tree tribute band,
tonight at Jurgles. I'd like to know what time they
go on. We try to call there, Tom. It doesn't
say on the website, So if anybody knows what time
(39:47):
Beyond Purple Jimmy Bell guitar player. If you're listening, let
me know. God knows this is a good plug. One
oh five nine y x
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