Pregame Show - Steelers Win, Notre Dame Crybabies

Mark and Tommy radio talk about the Steelers win in Baltimore, the College football playoff, some Penguins and more

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Well, well, well, the Steelers won yesterday somehow, and now
the narrative kicks back up. Toman is a great coach.
Why would you ever want to fire him? This team
might peak at the right time. The AFC is wide open.

(00:28):
Any team could win it. You just need to make
the playoffs. Rogers is a gutsy winner and all that
blah blah blah, and some of that stuff might even
be true. The optimism will be unbearable because the Steelers
are still so obviously a man football team. But the

(00:51):
only real currency from yesterday at Baltimore is that the
Steelers won in our in first place in the AFC North.
And all of the game's big calls went against Baltimore,
and honestly out of call two of them the opposite way.

(01:14):
I felt Baltimore came away with the ball last and
finally on that Knees done batted ball with Rogers and
I felt likely had clear possession of the ball in
the end zone on that touchdown that didn't count. There
was a third call, the one for roughing Christian Koontz
on the field.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Goal the long snapper.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
It gave the Steelers a first down and they went
and scored a touchdown instead of settling for three. The
Steelers got all the calls, but up, you can't complain.
That's what decides football games. Sometimes it goes the other way.
We all remember Jesse James. This is the Mark Madden Show.

(01:58):
You can follow me on Twitter at Mark mad An X.
Let's talk to Tommy Radio. Tom how would you have
called that negated touchdown?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Where likely had the ball for what I felt was
long enough. We're told he didn't finish the catch. How
you figure he took a couple of strides and the
initial call was a touchdown.

Speaker 4 (02:19):
I personally think that is a touchdown, just like I
thought the Jesse James one was a touchdown, just like
I thought, you know, the des Bryant one in the
playoffs once upon a time was a completed catch. It's
just such a crapshoot. I feel like when it comes
to that play, especially when it comes to the end
zone part of that play, where it's you know, a
touchdown once you get possession, I would have ruled it
a touchdown. But I'm not surprised that they took it

(02:40):
away because it's just again, it goes back and forth.
Roman Wilson, you remember the touchdown he scored in garbage
time against the Packers this year, kind of a very
similar play to what it likely did, and they called
it a touchdown. So it's just inconsistency there. Yeah, but
nobody cared about that call because the game's garbage time. Yeah,
it had already been decided.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Now, now, what about a negated turnover where Rogers had
possession with his knees?

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Don I don't get that one.

Speaker 4 (03:03):
I actually think that the John Harbaugh explanation in his
postgame press conference, I buy into that, Like he's trying
to catch the ball. Now, he is not a quarterback anymore.
He is a pass catcher. Pass Catchers have to survive
the ground with the football, which Rogers clearly did not
in that game. He didn't slide, No, he wasn't giving
himself up. No, he tipped the ball back to himself.
Became a pass catcher. So by the letter of the law,

(03:25):
Harball's right in that he's a pass catcher. He has
to survive the ground. He did not survive the ground, right,
the ball from the Ravens ball.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Yeah, in any fight for fumble, the ball invariably goes
to whoever has the last.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Right, pretty much.

Speaker 4 (03:38):
I mean that's basically the case the guy who comes
out of the pile you mean, holding up the ball
saying like I got the reward.

Speaker 5 (03:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
You never see the ref say no, no, you ended
up with the ball. But I saw when he had
his knees doed and had the ball for split second.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
YadA, YadA, YadA.

Speaker 4 (03:51):
That's like two out of ten times, because most of
the times there's just too much of a massive bot.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Ain't even two out of ten times. And again I'm
an outraged tom. It's a couple of tight calls, three
if you count the kouts one and they all went
the Steelers way.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
The Kons call my problems more with the rule. I
don't know why we need to protect the long snapper.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
And that has become a specialty position, right because usually
he used to have to find a lineman that could
do it correct, like you had to find a guard
or a backup center that was better at it, or
even your starting center may be okay at doing lot.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
Christian Koon's played football in Ducute. He did that tells
all the people need to know.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
So great for him and great for everybody that get
this kind of specialty position. Now invented for them. But
I think it is stupid. I think you should go
back to the days where you find a person on
your roster who's an actual football player on the offensive line.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
To do your long snapping.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
No, I don't care who does it, but just don't
think that got well, then you should find a backup.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
If that's what you're saying.

Speaker 4 (04:50):
I agree with that, yeah, I mean, like the rule
is there to protect people that shouldn't be in those
car crashes, in those trenches, because I mean, Christian Kuntz
is not an offensive lineman.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Right, you're snapping them and you're saying, Okay, this one
guy in the trenches in the line of scrimmage can't
be touched.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
It's absurd, it is. And you saw I think it
was Travis Jones on that play. He didn't do it
on purpose. It's ten bodies mashed together. He just got
pushed into him.

Speaker 5 (05:14):
You know.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
It's funny because because part of me feels like we're
spending too much time talking about those three calls to
open the show, Tom.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
But they decided the game period.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
If any one of those calls goes against the Steelers,
Baltimore wins.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
I mean the field goal one and the Rogers interception one.
I guess you could find a little bit of like
pushback to what you're saying there the likely ones dead
to rights though, I mean, that's the game winning touchdown
right there in his hands that touched on conce Baltimore wins,
and you and I both agree that it should have
probably counted.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, but again I'm not outraged, not because we see
it taking away all the time.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
But you know, Steeler fans think it's the good call
for one reason, one reason only because it went their way.
If it had gone against them, that was a bad call.
You know, if Baltimore would if the touchdown counts, it's
a bad not because it's a bad call, but because
it went the wrong way.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
I hate that pathetic nature of some fans. Just admit it.
I totally no, no, no, I hate that part.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
I hate when you're just like, great call, not even
gonna hear anything about it. Oh, bad call because it
went against us. Recognize how lucky you were there. Go
we kind of got away with one there. But that's okay.

Speaker 1 (06:19):
Now, Rogers was real good, two hundred and sixty four
yards passing through a touchdown, even ran for a touchdown
and just threw a bunch of good balls.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yeah, without question, I think it's fair to say that
might have been his best game of the season. I
know he had a couple of fears so.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Only played two or three. They're easy to pick the.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Four touchdown games, the Jets and the Bengals game, or
the other other two options this year.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
Anti Rodgers, that's stuff about how the media should shut
up a few juniors. You've been here, You've been here
about fifteen minutes, and you've only played a couple of
good games.

Speaker 4 (06:45):
That's what we expected though, right, Like, that's what he
does at all the stops. He saw the look that
he shot the media when he said it. He was like,
you like that one liner that I just got in there.
He lives for that stuff.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Excuse me, Grandpa, I couldn't hear you.

Speaker 4 (06:55):
He did look even older somehow in that game with
the Beard, the gray Beard is really coming in and
not doing him.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
I will say, when he ran for the touchdown, you
know what I thought, the old man finally realized the
bust just isn't coming.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Did you think he was gonna make it? There was
so much space, so much space.

Speaker 4 (07:12):
Yeah, but I thought for a split second there maybe,
oh god, he could get hurt real bad here.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
We could have Mason Rudolf time soon.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
Now.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
DK Metcalf broke out a buck forty eight receiving yards.
But otherwise the offense wasn't great. The Steelers just can't
run the ball period period.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
They got crushed in time of possession again too. In fact,
their league worst average of twenty seven minutes, they were
below that. They had like twenty six minutes of time
of possession in this game. So running the football is
a big problem there, and it didn't rear its ugly
head in this game because you were doing so well
with Rogers and DK Metcalf until you needed it to
salt away the game in the fourth quarter, and he
just kept going three and out, three and out, three

(07:47):
and out and giving the Ravens life.

Speaker 2 (07:48):
Well, I hated that play calling in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
They were just giving the ball back to the Ravens
just you know, they threw short of the sticks one time,
simple running plays that were totally without rip can They
just relied on the defense And this time though, the
defense did come through, I.

Speaker 4 (08:04):
Guess, and with all the success you saw in the
first half of the game going to metcalf deep and
pushing the ball downfield. How did you not think in
that moment in the fourth quarter to say, hey, let's
dial up a shot here, because that could really solidify
the win for us, Like you don't have to be
super conservative to ice a game.

Speaker 1 (08:19):
I will say they did dust the long ball off
a little bit, didn't they more than they have?

Speaker 4 (08:23):
So credit to them there, and I think that was
a lot of Rogers is doing. I think he was
probably pushing that a lot this week, saying you can't
win not throwing more than fifteen yards down the field.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Ever, I'm not.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
Sure if the defense was good or if Lamar was shaky.
He threw some awful balls. His two minute drill at
the end should have been to the accompaniment of yakkty Sacks,
but Baltimore did not Kane Pittsburgh play over one hundred yards,
which is scary.

Speaker 4 (08:47):
It's really weird to me how I evaluate the defense
after this game, because a lot of it I think
is Lamar just isn't Lamar right now. I mean, getting
sacked on the last play of the game, like regular
quarterbacks usually don't let that happen. The way he did
where he got out of the pocket. That was so
weird for Lamar to allow that to happen by Alex Highsmith.

(09:07):
But the rush defense is where I'm really hung up on.
I mean, they gave up two hundred and seventeen yards
on the ground. That's back to back the games of
two hundred yards.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
And Baltimore didn't even really get dedicated to the run
till the second half.

Speaker 4 (09:18):
Yeah, that's the thing, Like you didn't feel like you
were getting dominated on the ground.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Then you look at this box scoring one long run
by the backup to.

Speaker 4 (09:24):
Backup Keaton Mitchell, which I just do you think the
Steelers were just like shocked by the change up there,
Like you're pounding Henry all game long and then all
of a sudden the speedback gets in.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
I think they were shocked.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
They didn't pound Henry as much in the first half
as I would have expected.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Who the Ravens.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
Yeah, and they did that the first meeting last year too, right,
not to this degree because he did end up again.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yeah, you know that.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
We know hig Smith was real good though, Tom you
mentioned him a sack and three tackles for loss, and
like you said, the sack at the very end.

Speaker 4 (09:50):
Yeah, and credit to him for getting hurt early in
the game and coming back. He, Queen and Benton all
got banged up in the game. And if any of
those guys would have just said I'm done, I can't
play for the rest of the game, they would have
been screwed. So credit to all three of them, because
especially Benton Mark, with all the injuries they have on
the d line, if he went out in like the
second play of the game, if he couldn't come back,
they would have been so dead. But anyway, they gave
up on hundred and seventeen yards on the ground with

(10:12):
him anyway, So how how much worse could it have been?

Speaker 1 (10:15):
First hour of the Mark Madden Show brought to us
by the personal injury expert Senderovi, Sendrovich and Fishman. They
got your back, Nut, your wallet got a great show today.
We got Trey Essex, the two time Super Bowl champ
at four point thirty, Matt Williamson before that at three thirty.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
This is one oh five nine y X.

Speaker 5 (10:31):
Tomorrow nights, the Penns square up against the Ducks. Game
time is seven. Our coverage starts at six here every
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of the Pens one oh five nine d X.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
West Ruler here stay up to date with everything happening
in Steelers Nation.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
On five nine the X.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Okay, So, do you feel like the Steelers are in
control of the AFC North or will it still come
down to Week eighteen when Baltimore visits Pittsburgh and Candy
Steelers win a playoff game if they win the division
and like play Buffalo at homes sake?

Speaker 2 (11:16):
Could they win that game?

Speaker 1 (11:18):
They just got killed by Buffalo last week at Aquashore.
That's when the fans were chanting to fire Tomlin. By
the way, Aaron, you want the media to shut up.
It was the fans that were chanting fire Tomlin, not
the media. Then again, that's only because I wasn't there.

(11:39):
I feel like the Steelers might be in control of
the division, if only because Baltimore might suck a little
bit worse as far as the playoff game goes. I
certainly wouldn't been on the Steelers beating Buffalo or Houston
even at Aquashore.

Speaker 2 (11:54):
But maybe the La Chargers.

Speaker 1 (11:56):
I bet Indy doesn't make it now with Dandy dimes out,
that's the best case scenario that Indy gets the number
one wild card and comes to ackershore with I mean,
my godd, that rookie quarterback Richardson's hurt. So I think
they're gonna slide out the playoff picture though, and I
don't think it'll take too.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Long for that to happen.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
But the Steelers have injury problems too, concussion problems, specifically Washington,
Malie Harrison, Andrews, Pete, Brandon eckles with Washington an't they
actually had to play John Eu and Friarmuth. It was
weird seeing him out there so much. That's a lot
of concussions. Will Smith gonna have to make a sequel.

(12:39):
Miami is coming here from Monday Night football. Now. Miami
is six and seven and has now won four in
a row. They ain't beat nobody, but they still won
four in a row, and the Dolphins are kind of
in the wild card hunt. I still feel the Steelers
aren't very good. Can't run the ball, Friarmouth still invisible.
They allowed four hundred yard yesterday, including over two hundred

(13:02):
yards rushing again and somehow still won the game. Steelers
only had the ball for twenty six minutes. You take
those stats and stir in them. Three calls that went
to Steelers. Way.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yeah, it's a flukey win.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
I'm really not sure how the heck the Steelers won,
but they did. And there's a lot to be said
for that. Tom or the Steelers in control of the
AFC North or will it come down to week eighteen
when Baltimore visits.

Speaker 4 (13:30):
It might come down to week eighteen still, but I
do feel pretty confident that they're in control.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
Nine's gonna get it done.

Speaker 4 (13:36):
That's the Dolphins game and the Browns game on the
road that gets you to nine.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
The Ravens have to go to No hold it.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
If the Ravens, you know, beat the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
I mean you look at their schedule, they could win nine.

Speaker 4 (13:50):
Two eh, Patriots at green Bay have to go to
play Cincinnati and Joe Burrow again.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (13:55):
I think the Ravens have a tougher sledding heading forward
than the Steelers.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
They definitely do, you know. I still think their roster
is good. I just just can't get it together this year. Yeah,
they're probably not going to. Sometimes teams have a bad season,
and Lamar's having a bad year, whether it's because he's
banged up.

Speaker 4 (14:10):
Or for whatever reason. I just think it's gonna be
a wasted year for them. They'll probably come back and
win the AFC North next year. It's just not gonna
happen this year. Now, your second part of what you
have to open the segment, are they good enough to
win a playoff game?

Speaker 2 (14:22):
I'm not there yet with the Steelers at all.

Speaker 4 (14:24):
It's such an important thing to who the matchup's gonna
be for that playoff game, and I see it as
either being the Bills or the runner up in the
AFC South, which would be Jacksonville or Houston as the
fifth wild card coming to Act.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
I think it could be Jacksonville. Yeah, that's the one
that I think they could beats.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
Deft did knock Rogers to fregot the game.

Speaker 4 (14:43):
With Mahomes now out for good. Because of Houston's defense,
they could run the table with that defense, don't you
think get through the AFC playoffs. Let's eliminate Drake, may
eliminate Bonnicks. Yeah, I think so too. And then Buffalo,
I mean, Steelers just aren't gonna be Josh and I
know they did in that season opener up in Buffalo Once.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
Upon a time that was a difference team in a
different Josh Allen, why can't the Steelers win the ball?
Because they really can't at all at all.

Speaker 4 (15:05):
And I don't know if it's a commitment issue, because
there's been positive signs in the running game and they
just haven't leaned on it, dump out.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
Of it first chance they get every game.

Speaker 4 (15:16):
And in this game, it was kind of like there
wasn't a reason to, you know, keep running the ball
when your passing game was so successful and the Ravens
were actually stopping the run well early in the game,
like they gave you a reason to dump out of it,
but you still had to lean on it late in
the game have some success in it. You couldn't find
any success on it whatsoever. It's a lot of It's funny.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
Even when Baltimore had all those chances at the end
to win the game, I never felt like they were gonna.
I mean, even when the guy cut the ball likely
and they took the touchdown away. I wasn't surprised because
Baltimore just never seemed to threat to me. They just
are very disheveled, lamar dishoveled most of all.

Speaker 4 (15:53):
That's kind of where I'm at with it when it
comes to this game is. Yeah, it was a good
win for the Steelers, but the Ravens just looked so
blah as well out there. It was just kind of
like a mid off between these two teams, and the
Steelers were able to come out on top and probably
will win the North because of it. But yeah, I'm
just so unimpressed with Baltimore. That was the main takeaway.
It was just like they're never going to figure out,

(16:13):
and I thought they would at some point this year
put it together make a run.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
I thought they had the best ross in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (16:19):
I don't think you were wrong at the beginning of
I'm happy with the way it worked, Dot Toung because
we all like a good mid off.

Speaker 2 (16:24):
What was Rogers thinking when he ran it in for
a touchdown?

Speaker 1 (16:28):
Like I said earlier, I think the old man finally
realized the bus wasn't coming and decided to hoof it up,
and then he did the discount double check, which is
a which is a dive deep into the past.

Speaker 4 (16:40):
I think he was doing it because it was clearly
was a busted playload. But I think there was a
rollout action on that play. But he was not supposed
to run that. There was definitely a split second calculus
going on if he could make it or not. But
He's what I've been really impressed with Rogers is.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
Do you think he held the ball out to make
sure it was going to get over the goal line?
N that was cocky really because him, I think he knew.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
I'd hit him.

Speaker 4 (16:59):
I'd hit him a little. Wait, I did hit him
once he was across the line. I don't think that
was to get the ball out. You would like dive
if you were going to do that. I think that
was a little cocky to die. But he does have balls,
you know what I mean, like playing through these injuries.
He's taken some hits this year too and bounced back
from them. So not that surprising that he would hoofit.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
In just the moment, we'll we'll put the Steelers on
the shelf the discussion for just a little bit. We'll
talk about the college football playoff because people are mad.
I just want to say, by way of introduction to
the conversation coming up f Notre Dame nine X It's.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
The Oy Show weekend mornings at six on.

Speaker 1 (17:38):
X IS.

Speaker 3 (17:39):
This season, when you're in the mood for holiday musiclleend x.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Here's the nutty stuff, because it's brought every nutcase, especially
every Notre Dame not case. After woodwork, they announced the
college football playoff. Miami made it, Bama made it, Notre
Dame didn't make it, and then Notre Dame declined to
play in a bowl game because there are a bunch
of big friggin' babies and they're bitching about the acc

(18:16):
some having screwed them, which I don't quite understand. How
look at nothing subjective is ever gonna get it one
hundred percent right.

Speaker 2 (18:26):
And nobody who didn't make it had a chance to
win it.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
Notre Dame one could have win, and Texas could have
made it too, one could have win it.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
And if you want to argue.

Speaker 1 (18:38):
That James Madison and Tulane shouldn't be in it, I
don't think they should be either, because you can't replicate
March madness. You're not gonna get that upset of bottom
over top in football.

Speaker 2 (18:51):
It's just not gonna happen.

Speaker 1 (18:53):
But I just don't think it's a biggie that Notre
Dame in Texas didn't make it. Maybe they have a
gripe bit again, ain't neither one was going to win it.
I mean, I will say religion figured into this. The
people involved with the College Football Playoff are clearly atheist
heathens who didn't want to let the Catholic school into
the college football Playoff.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
Uh, Tom, what was your take?

Speaker 1 (19:15):
I was a little surprised they spurned Notre Dame just
because of the brand name and because the fallout.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
I mean, this was inevitable.

Speaker 4 (19:23):
I thought the brand name was going to carry Notre
Dame in even at the expense of leaving Miami out.
Despite Miami beating them head to head in the first
week of the season.

Speaker 2 (19:31):
I thought.

Speaker 1 (19:31):
I think they sat in the room and they would
rather put Notre Dame in ahead of Miami. I think
so too, But I think they wanted to get an
ACC school win and they couldn't justify putting Notre Dame
in when they had lost to Miami.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
Yeah, Duke blew it all up.

Speaker 4 (19:44):
If if Virginia would have just won the ACC championship
game and been able to get the automatic bid for
the ACC. I wonder if Notre Dame would have slid
in over Miami, they wouldn't have felt that guilt of.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
Like forget my ignorance. Why didn't Duke get the automatic.

Speaker 4 (19:55):
Bid because it's the five highest ranked conference champions and
since Duke won the ACC but they were not one
of the five highest range Finnish championships JMU with their
Sun Belt championship.

Speaker 1 (20:04):
Did you know that Notre Dame supposedly has an agreement
in place, yes, starting next year that if they're ranked
twelfth or higher, they are guaranteed a spot in the
college football playoff.

Speaker 4 (20:14):
Yeah, that's why I think this winding is even more
ridiculous that that fact has come to me.

Speaker 1 (20:17):
Well, they should have been made to join a conference
years ago. Absolutely, they're They're not special anymore. I understand
they have their lucrative TV deal. Okay, well stay with
your lucrative TV deal with then you're not involved in this.

Speaker 4 (20:30):
Isn't there a way to come to the negotiating table
too and keep the NBC thing going with Notre Dame
and their TV money, but also join a conference, Like
wouldn't the conference be able to give a little bit
to Notre Dame there as far as revenue sharing is concerned?
And Notre Dame makes some concessions back i e. Joining
a conference and playing the conference schedule. It is archaic
for them to be the only independent school, and it
hurt them this year. So you'd think that there would

(20:52):
be maybe some reflection from Notre Dame. Do we need
to change our ways? But nah, Instead it's all about
pointing fingers to everybody else and blaming everybody else.

Speaker 1 (20:58):
The Notre Dame people, I know the fans are really mad.
I got a call today from my buddy Tim Feeney,
who runs pro nit where a great guy.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
He was mad about Notre Dame.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
Not that mad, But then Kevin Kelly on Twitter, who's
my friend as well Pro Wrestling at is like livid.
Like the Notre Dame people, They're not half mad, they're
all the way live. No.

Speaker 4 (21:18):
I get it, well, I get it from their perspective
as a fan, but I think it's hilarious that they
were the team that was snubbed.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
I just never thought that a brand name like that
would be on the cutting block.

Speaker 4 (21:28):
I ain't seen Texas bitching of you. Well, they were
nine to three, Like how much of a they really have? Again,
I give the committee credit because they would have liked
to have arch manning oh without questioning that brand too listen,
if the committee could have would.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Be a better playoff, if you could knock out James
Madison and Toulane and put it in Texasas.

Speaker 4 (21:45):
Or even BYU instead of Texas or somebody like that,
any of those teams.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
But you want Texas, you want the brand, you want
the arch manning.

Speaker 1 (21:51):
I would have put BYU against Notre Dame. Have the
two religions face off from Mormons vversus the Catholics right right,
and whoever wins has to has to go to the
go to the fifty and participate in the other teams
religious ceremony after the game.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
They have to betray their God after losing, like.

Speaker 4 (22:08):
The Mormons have to take Eucharist, like have to take
the body of Christ, the communion, and.

Speaker 2 (22:13):
They have to divorce all but one of their wives
in the Catholic tradition, so they have just one wife.

Speaker 1 (22:19):
Let's not get started on the Catholic tradition. But but yeah, so,
I I mean, I don't feel bad at all for
Notere Dame. I would have felt worse if they hadn't
all overreacted as one they're fans.

Speaker 4 (22:29):
I think it's funny though, to see them whinding like this,
it gives them that sense.

Speaker 2 (22:33):
If they think they're holier than now, which I always do,
then they think them not being in it matters.

Speaker 4 (22:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
Right, it just doesn't.

Speaker 4 (22:39):
Matter because your point at the very beginning of this
was so spot on. No one cares really who the
tenth ninth team is. They have no chance to win
this thing. The funniest thing to me, Mark, there's probably
only four teams that can win this thing this year,
and they're all, I think the top four seeds Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia,
and Texas Tech.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
Did you we were good at four teams? Did you
watch Indiana and Ohio State? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (22:59):
I watch the whole game. I watched it two believe.

Speaker 4 (23:01):
It or not.

Speaker 1 (23:01):
I was in I was in the very popular Gino
Brothers Pizza. I didn't have pizza, but my Harmorville. I
went to see Pitt Hockey play and we went there
afterwards and watched Indian Ohio State.

Speaker 2 (23:12):
And full credit to Indiana for winning.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
Okay, but I've never seen a game where one team
visibly cared a lot more than the other visibly cared.
Indiana was so into it, and I'm not saying Ohio
State tanked it, but maybe not.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
Far from that.

Speaker 4 (23:26):
Has there ever been a one to two matchup in
a championship game that meant as less as that to
get of the conference champions Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
It's a farce.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
My method which I've talked about, where you have the
four divisions of eleven geographically aligned, and you have the
top two go to the national tournament, and whoever wins
the regular season in each conference is declared conference champion.
I would love to go in front of the committee
and just present that to him and say, okay, tell
me why you can't do it. And every reason they
would tell me why they can't would involve power, mostly power,

(23:58):
not money even as much, but mostly power.

Speaker 4 (24:00):
No, you're one hundred percent right. I mean, it's still
just such an arbitrary way to crown a champion. There
is no concrete way at the beginning of the year.
Do you do this, this and this and you get
in the playoffs and you get to win a national championship.
It's still subjective. It's up to a committee. Your way
fixes that if you expand to sixteen teams and kind
of do like a little European soccer kind of thing, right,

(24:20):
four SEC teams, four big ten teams to ACC. You
at least have an app an actual path laid out
in front of you. Do this stuff, you get in
with a chance to win.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
Well, I would with my conferences, like I said, I
would align geographically totally dependent on geography, and I would
I would call them by you know, sec ACC, et cetera.
I might even knock got Big twelve and have like
a PAC instead with the with the Western teams.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
And I think that is what's in a name, that
that is the least of the concerns in my method.

Speaker 4 (24:51):
I think that's the biggest sin when it comes to
the death of college football is the just ritting of
geographic and the relevance of that.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
All the stuff that's gone on with what like this
committee and with the conferences over expanding and far farces
like the ACC what their championship game turned out to be.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
Tom. It is literally why I do not watch. I
get you.

Speaker 4 (25:11):
It ruined the sport and I still love watching college
football and I still watch it, but I recognize that
the sport has been ruined from what it once was,
and I would have loved it to been in my
prime watching the sport back then when it was in
that geographic conferences matter and the rivalries matter so much.
And yeah, you didn't make the playoff for the national championship,
but you go to a good bowl game and that
matters still to the team.

Speaker 1 (25:30):
And there are people now saying, well, why did you
watch that game in the bar? Fat ass Indiana and
Ohio State. I'll tell you why we couldn't find a
hockey game. That's the only reason why. Speaking of which, Tom,
I'll get to this later. But the Penguins are zero
to four and shootouts this year, and now I have
an eight game losing streaking shootouts. You can't lose every
shootout for a change. It wasn't the goalies home sorry,

(25:51):
stopped two out of three. Would you start trying new shooters?
I would start trying the kids.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yes, I would.

Speaker 1 (25:57):
Lean on the kids on this team in every possible
way you could lean on kids.

Speaker 4 (26:01):
I mean, they did start practicing shootouts, right, didn't we
find that out that they did start practicing. This was
the only way you're gonna ever find out who was
actually good at it? Like, how else was Dan Mus
gonna know who he had on his roster that could
do it?

Speaker 2 (26:12):
Seems to not matter to him.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
Unless unless Sid rusty, and Rusty has been really good.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
Pretty good.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
Well, I mean he's not so good that I would
use him every single time. Yeah, but like, but like
they're using Sid and Latang because and Gino didn't play,
which actually makes their effort against Dallas all the more
impressive because they played basically without a second line center.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
Well hazy, but but.

Speaker 1 (26:35):
But you you you use your best players. A lot
of coaches do, like you said, as a default. That's
why Sid and Latanger goes. I know what Sid and
Latang are gonna do before they go. He said that
about Sid for a couple of years down on the show.
This move has become very predictable.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
For the love of God, try something different.

Speaker 1 (26:55):
I remember when he went to that back end and
knocked the water bottle off in the shootout against Jose Tador,
when he when Sid was like a rookie. I think
that's the last time we saw him go to the
back end.

Speaker 4 (27:03):
So you love leaning into the kid line and I
do too. Why not lean into the kids for your
first three shooters next time out? Coven and Kendall McGroarty
see how it goes.

Speaker 2 (27:11):
Why not? You know what I can't see a reason
to not.

Speaker 4 (27:16):
I mean, I think Coyvenon has a good track record
of it too, down in the minors. Like, I think
he is a pretty good shootout player. He's a tracker
of it. But I don't understand why you wouldn't at
least try that when you can't score with There was.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
A report that Kendall was going to get loan the
World Dance for Canada. Yes, every single person covering the
peng was refuted that inside like ninety sec. You know
why they do that. That's a Canadian writer hoping he
can create a self fulfilling prophecy that they get kindled
to the team Canada. Yeah, yeah, which obviously Dubas isn't
gonna take over. Get that tweet and say, you know what,

(27:48):
maybe I should loan. I mean, Kendall is one of
their top five.

Speaker 4 (27:51):
Players right right in the midst of a playoff push
where the East is so compact. We're gonna it was
it two weeks that World Juniors would be in Canada.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
I mean, if if you can't trade Jarr, you can't
loan Kindle. Brunic's gonna go though, right he should? He should? Yeah,
that's stuff's here right now. I'd play him tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (28:09):
Just to see, just to see where he's at if
that conditioning did anything to him.

Speaker 1 (28:12):
No, I want to see if we can win without
Matt Dumba, although he's not okay, at least he has
some balls.

Speaker 4 (28:18):
You have to be really impressed with how the Blue
Lines played this year, because we thought that was gonna
be like the big black hole with this team. Like
that's one of the reasons why you were like, Mershaw
might not be able to play, just because how bad
the defense is gonna be.

Speaker 1 (28:27):
I I look at that defense. What do you think
of the defense? Is the most surprising thing that's gone right?

Speaker 4 (28:35):
I think Shane Weatherspoon and those two being good tandem
with Lettang and Carlson.

Speaker 2 (28:40):
It's not It's not even closer. Okay.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
The most surprising thing is that Eric Carlson has turned
into Eric Carlson again.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
I thought where you've been for two years?

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Pal.

Speaker 2 (28:51):
I don't want to say that he didn't like He.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
Ain't that Eric Carlson, but he's as close as you
can expect him to be to that Eric Carlson at
this point.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
In his career.

Speaker 4 (28:58):
I don't want to say that he didn't like playing
under Mike Sullivan, but I think he likes playing under
Dan Muse a little bit more. But I think the
main driving force is the Sweden thing, and it's Olympic year.
Be on team Sweden.

Speaker 1 (29:08):
You know, you know what sucks. I've been trying to
get ahold of our buddy Logan Cooley. Remember he took
that need and he hit. I don't know if it's
a residue of that, but he is hurt. He's out
indefinitely with the lower body and driving. Heard back from
him yet, but that's okay. You touch your sony. I
can just go in their locker room afterwards and complain
about Sully with with Ian Cole one O five nine

(29:29):
The X.

Speaker 6 (29:33):
It's the XES kick Ass Christmas Show with highly Suspect.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
Tuesday the simmer Nights at Stay Je Get.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
Your tickets now at WXDX dot com.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
Okay, highly Suspects with flight attendance tis this SE's into
the jolly forty rocking something. It's The X's kick Ass
Christmas Show from one oh five to nine d X
from the Dollar Energy Fund Weather Center. This report is

(30:11):
furnished buying genuine cloudy and cold today.

Speaker 1 (30:13):
Look for a high of twenty eight, partly cloudy tonight
and very cold dropping to seventeen.

Speaker 2 (30:18):
Cloudy sky is on the way tomorrow with a high
of thirty eight.

Speaker 6 (30:21):
You cannot just hear it, but you also see it
on the iHeart Radio app. With iHeart Radio Highlights, you'll
get the best moments of the Woody Show. Search the
Woody Show and the iHeart Radio App and type highlights
to experience our show like never before.

Speaker 2 (30:34):
Furnished by genuine Remember behind Dax first dollar of the
Mark Man Show.

Speaker 1 (30:44):
Brought to us by Shandrovich, Shandrovitch and Fisherman Tom.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
What do we got for today's trifecta?

Speaker 4 (30:49):
For today's triffect and Mark, there's a lot of optimism
after the Steelers win yesterday. But here's three reasons that
give me pessimism. Three things that happen from who I
think there's a lot of optimism out there about the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
Don't this should be tempered? Double? Go ahead? What do
you got tempered optimism?

Speaker 1 (31:01):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (31:01):
Number three for me for pessimism.

Speaker 4 (31:04):
Aaron Rodgers had just as many receptions as all other
Steelers wide receivers not named DK metcalf in this game.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
Oh that kind of a reception. Yes, it counts as
a catch for Aaron Rodgers one catch, zero yards.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
I still think they did Baltimore should have got the
ball there.

Speaker 4 (31:17):
Yeah, anyway, that was a turnover. But anyway, there's just
nothing else in that receiver room.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
But DK Metcalf. At least in this game, you had
DK Metcalf.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
Show up him. Don't kiss me off. Scratching Roman Wilson
for the old bass.

Speaker 4 (31:28):
Steelen and Dadas Scantling. Yeah, put one of the old
basters out there. Do we need both Vautas, Scanling and Feelin.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
They just think Roman Wilson sucks, which is on them
for drafting him and failing to develop him.

Speaker 4 (31:38):
Boy, we're heading down that path with Caleb Johnson too,
aren't we another third round pick that they're just deciding sucks.

Speaker 1 (31:43):
It's a joke of an organization. Nobody wants to say that, Lott.
I'm more than happy.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
To number two.

Speaker 4 (31:49):
Reasons for pessimism just got washed in time of possession again.
Twenty six minutes for the Steelers, thirty four minutes for
the Ravens.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
That was how they probably look at it. They had
the ball eight minutes more than they did against.

Speaker 4 (31:59):
Buffalo, which is unbelievable because against Buffalo, yes it was
twenty six minutes, is a minute less than their average
time of twenty seven minutes on the season, and that
average time is worse than the league. So they were
worse than their worst than the league average for two
straight weeks. And that just goes into running the ball
and them not being successful there. But my number one
reason for pessimism is that run defense. They gave up

(32:20):
two hundred plus yards for on the ground back to
back weeks. Henry wasn't dominant, but he was effective. They
allowed a fifty plus yard rush to the backup. I mean,
two hundred yards and back to back weeks is a problem.

Speaker 2 (32:30):
You know what's weird. Though, here's where it shows. It's
a fine line.

Speaker 1 (32:33):
And I do think they were lucky to win given
the three calls that all went Pittsburgh's way and stuff
like we're talking about not time of possession, et cetera.
But there were a couple of times where they stopped
Henry on big plays.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
They definitely did. I I don't think they failed against.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
The seemed more fluky than gearing up for the big down,
but they stopped them.

Speaker 4 (32:53):
They did and he was under one hundred yards rushing.
He averaged only three point eight yards per carry. They
did an okay job against but at the end of
the day, you let up two hundred and seventeen yards
on the ground. That's unacceptable.

Speaker 1 (33:05):
The trifecta brought to us by Danny's petern hogis Pittsburgh's
original oven bake Togy since nineteen sixty. That's Danny's a
Bethel Park. Don't forget we have I forgot to write
it down. The talk show crazed at sweeping the nation.
Caller participation that say something something sensation calls on the fifteens,

(33:25):
So get your calls in now, wait in line A
three three four one two wxdx. That's a three three
four one two wxdx. Sure it's a segment a half away.
We get busy, get in line.

Speaker 4 (33:38):
Can I say one more thing about the rush defense too? Yes,
the Dolphins this week ran for two hundred and thirty
nine yards against the Jets and that's been their bread
and butter on their four game winning.

Speaker 2 (33:46):
This game is losable for the Steelers. Absolutely is, because
the Dolphins Dolphins have won less win than the Steelers. Yes,
and they're running it down everybody's.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
Throats, and you know it'll be the Dolphins' biggest weapon
in this game. That the Steelers, for sure, after beating
ball more and being in first place, will underestimate Miami
for sure. You know it's going to come in and
blow the game up. Mick, that's who.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Write it down. You heard it here.

Speaker 4 (34:07):
I forgot about that angle too, the revenge factor for
Maka Fitzpatrick.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
He's for sure going to blow it up. They're gonna
run for two sexual harassment again while he's in town.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
Did I say that out loud? Okay, Tom, we got
to talk about this.

Speaker 2 (34:20):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (34:20):
The Pirates supposedly made a four year offer to Kyle
swarb Er, the free agent, four years over one hundred
million dollars. I don't believe that offer was made, and
it's not enough to get Schwarber.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
It's just more buckos bs.

Speaker 4 (34:36):
I think the offer could have been made, but it
was made with the knowledge that he would never accept
it and we can just get some nice pr out
there that we offered for him one hundred million dollars.
No ing Schwarber in no world would say ye. Maybe
light of the Jari thing with Edmonton. Maybe they had
Dubas make the offer. What make a totally BS offer. Yeah,
I can do that. And now you got the fan
base so excited because look, they're trying. They spent one
hundred million theoretical dollars on trying to get Kyle Schwarber

(34:58):
in town.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
What if Schwarber double cross them and said yes, that
would be tremendous. Do you think they'd renig the offer.
They'd pull it back. I do.

Speaker 4 (35:05):
He'd say something like he failed as physical, right, Like
they'd bring him in a bit.

Speaker 2 (35:08):
Like for sure, believable, believable.

Speaker 4 (35:11):
Failed as physical. Can't offer him this contract. He's gonna
stay in Philly, have him like.

Speaker 1 (35:15):
When you pick him up at the airport, drive him
like through the Taco Bell drive through. Make sure he
fails that physical He he doesn't need any way.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
How overweight is he?

Speaker 4 (35:25):
Uh, he's probably getting close to what two fifty two
sixty five something like that.

Speaker 1 (35:30):
Tom I got what could be the clincher and bringing
him here one hundred million, four years awake in one
eighty sponsorship.

Speaker 4 (35:37):
Get that weight down. Do we want the weight down?
Though he hits a lot of home runs with that weight.
I don't think he wants the weight down.

Speaker 2 (35:42):
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 4 (35:43):
If you could eat like he does and still be
a world class athlete, I mean that's a dream, right,
Like you can go to Tacobout all you want and
still hit fifty home runs get paid one hundred million dollars.
I thought I saw it was Philly's and Red Sox
were like the two clear front runners that people should
take seriously. There's a little bit of Cincinnati creeping into
it because of home town connection, and I think, you know,
I don't think.

Speaker 1 (36:02):
At the end of the day, Cincinnati would pull the
trigger under necessary offer.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
I I don't think so either.

Speaker 4 (36:06):
But if it was between the Reds and the Pirates,
he would choose the Reds go to Tito Francona. They'd
probably actually pay him more money, and they're a team
that has some promise instead of the Pirates. I think
that will be how it goes, but I'm not I
wouldn't rule out Boston making an aggressive push to try
to grab him, because Boston.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
This is another BS, Like there was a big thing
I think in the trib gorm Rode Pirates make record
offer to Schwarbur like like this is a real thing,
and don't be wrong.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
Maybe they did make the offer. I doubt it.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
I don't trust him, but they didn't make an offer
he might take. And that is the difference between a
record offer and a bunch of crap.

Speaker 4 (36:44):
And listen, this is an entire front office when it
comes to their baseball offices.

Speaker 2 (36:49):
Is malpractice. They they are the best at that.

Speaker 4 (36:53):
But isn't it malpracticing to be entertaining the Schwarber fantasy
right now and this one hundred million dollar offer instead
of actually going out and you know, some fringe guys
that could help this team, some fringe that's a minor
leaguer though that they're hoping pans out. I'm done with that.
I need a real big league bat. The password needs
to be your fourth big move in the offseason. Your
palin Drome scored twice for Liverpool Saturday.

Speaker 2 (37:12):
Did you win on Saturday? Three three draw, blew a
two nil lead, blew a three two leads? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (37:18):
No, I do you act like this is something I
just noticed that that things have gone disappointing. But the
Palindrome did score twice. But yeah, this, uh, this, this
offered to swarp. But it's just the biggest bunch of
crap and people keep buying into it because Pirate fans.
There is no stupider fan based in Pittsburgh than Pirate fans,
no bigger stooges among a team's media than the Pirate media.

(37:40):
And think about what kind of grind that takes in
with those Steeler stooges so firmly.

Speaker 4 (37:44):
Entrenched, when your national media stoogent for the Pirates too.
I mean, the stuff we were dealing with Pissan, with
the who was it to Josh Naylor? Stuff with the
Seattle Mariners and that croc that we had to deal
with a couple of weeks ago. Rosenthal's out there reporting
this too, like, oh, Pirates make the record offer to
swar whe They're putt four years, one hundred million dollars
on the table.

Speaker 1 (38:02):
You know, Bosenthal, who was our savior for the passing bs.

Speaker 4 (38:05):
It's gonna put this crap out there. And again, maybe
it is an actual deal that was offered. So Rosenthal
is just reporting the deal. But you know better than
they think it needs one hundred million for four years.
Let's say it's a hundred million. Even that ain't gonna
come calt.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
I mean, what's he gonna get I think for the
pirates to get him, for the pirates to get him,
because you'd have to go over the top for the
pirates to get him.

Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yes, I think you'd have toraw from.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
Thirty million a year minimum for six years, minimum one
hundred and eighty for six years, and I think two
hundred might actually get it done.

Speaker 4 (38:36):
I think thirty million is what he wants from the Phillies,
from the Red Sox anyway a year and twenty five
million a year is just not gonna get anywhere close
to what you need to for him.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
Souse, you know what the Phillies are gonna get eventually,
who skates take a swing at him?

Speaker 1 (38:50):
They every so often they go all in to get
a guy like a Harper.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
I bet it'll be swore for this time when the
time comes.

Speaker 5 (38:59):
Now.

Speaker 2 (38:59):
Now remember they went in with Halliday too once upon
a time.

Speaker 1 (39:02):
Right now, schemes might just want to go to New York.

Speaker 2 (39:05):
Cousin the missus.

Speaker 4 (39:06):
She has influence in it. Oh don't you think she
might have the most influence in it? But you know
how his career. Let me tell you, she's pretty hot.
He could do better. Oh and he's the catch for her.
I mean, he's about to make half a billion dollars.

Speaker 1 (39:20):
What I mean?

Speaker 2 (39:21):
What I mean?

Speaker 1 (39:22):
One other thing, Tom Barry Bonds did not make the
Hall of Fame like the old time at Committee meant.

Speaker 2 (39:27):
But here's the best part, Jeff Kent did.

Speaker 1 (39:31):
Everybody used to intentionally walk Barry Bonds to pitch to
Jeff Kent, and now Jeff Kent made it. How funny
is that? And how have you ever seen a bigger
indictment of the folly of the Hall of Fame than that? No?
I have not.

Speaker 2 (39:45):
Jeff Kent.

Speaker 4 (39:45):
I'm looking him up right now, very good player, MVP
two four hundred.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
They used to walk Barry Bonds intentionally to pitch to
Jeff Kent a hundred some times a year.

Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yeah, that's not good. That's not good optics for Jeffkent.

Speaker 4 (39:58):
But I was just trying to see if he deserves
it anyway, and I don't think he does deserve the
Hall of Fame anyway, to be honest with you.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
Plus he was known to be a kind of a dink.
So FM one oh five nine is Travis weekday morning
starting at ten. I'm failing at Pittsburgh