February 23, 2022 • 27 mins
In this episode, Rhett Lewis is joined by insider Aditi Kinkhabwala for perspective on the Pittsburgh Steelers organization during a time of transition. Aditi shares how the Steelers will be looking at draft prospects and where they stand on finding their next franchise quarterback. Aditi also gives insights into the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring of Brian Flores and then she gives her unsolicited advice on why the Cincinnati Bengals need to keep Jessie Bates, why Jarvis Landry needs to be a major part of the Browns future, and how the Baltimore Ravens can fortify their identity.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm Rhet Lewis, and this is NFL Inside Report today,
talking to our paladin de Kinkawalla, who's got tons of
inside around the a f C North, including with the
Pittsburgh Steelers, where g M. Kevin Colbert just addressed the
media this week. We have the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger,
many changes coming to that Steelers organization, including coaching staff
(00:33):
shake ups. Will get into all of that, but a
D D. Great to have you back here with us.
Let's start right there with what feels like an end
of an era of sorts. Obviously, with Ben Roethlisberger retiring,
g M. Kevin Colbert will soon make his exit as
well following the draft. UM, what's the feeling around the
organization around this time of transition, if you will. I
(00:55):
don't know if there's a full acknowledgment that it really
is a turning of a chapter. And I think so
much of it Red has to do is if it
really is a turning of a page, because let's not
forget that probably the most dominant personality in that entire
organization is Mike Tomlin, and Mike Tomlin's not going anywhere.
And when we talk about Kevin Colbert and him being
(01:16):
the general manager. This is probably the best example in
the entire National Football League of a head coach and
a GM working in concert together. And as we head
into the Pro day circuit. In fact, I'll throw this
out there right now, I'm dying to be a fly
on the wall with Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colburn on
the Pro day circuit. And Mike Tomlin will of course
(01:37):
never allow it. But that's because there's nobody travels together
like the two of them. I mean, they are at
almost every single Pro Day with each other, and um,
you know, whether they're flying on a jet together or
driving in a car or whatever it is, however they
get there. They take prospects to dinner together, they have
dessert with Prospects together. They have PSCA parents together, like
(02:01):
they did with the Edmunds brothers when they took out
Germaine and Terrell Edmunds and their parents. And the two
of them, really, I don't want to say they see
eye to eye, but I don't want that to sound
negative because it's not. Either man is afraid to say
I view this this way, and the other one says
I view this this way. I think there's a really
(02:23):
good conversation and meeting of the minds all of that.
And so it's funny because we met with Kevin Colbert
this week, rat and we and he is a part
of the process in choosing his successor or in helping
our Rooney the team president owner choose his successor. And
I said, well, what about Mike Tomlin, Like, isn't my
Tomlin part of that? Because Mike Tomlin is so used
(02:47):
to working hand in hand with his general manager that
you think that it would really matter who he is
comfortable with and who he wants to be with. And
you know, you mentioned the pro day appearances, which I
feel like will be more intriguing and more talked about
in terms of their attendance at which pro days, probably
more so this year than ever. Now knowing we knew
(03:10):
before that the Steelers were gonna need a quarterback at
some point, it seems a little bit more desperate now
this year to find that next guy. Right, even though
Kevin Colbert said it his press conference, you know this
week that Mason Rudolph would be the starter at the
season started today, and it's nice to have that. Hey
do drag that one out if the season started to
(03:32):
day right, which doesn't thankfully for everyone. I think so.
Um yeah, so if the season starting today, Mason Rudolph
would be the starter, and that's a nice luxury for
them to have at least the only quarterback that is
currently undercomtact under contract on the right because Dwayne Haskins
is what in r f A or you have a
free agent of some sort. Um, Okay, So where do
(03:55):
you feel like the plan for a quarterback stands at
this point? With Pro days coming up, with the Combine
on the horizon next week, and a chance to really
start to get a feel for some of these players.
So I think the truth of the matter is is
that there's not necessarily a very very obvious franchise quarterback
in the draft, you know, like the way a Joe
Barrow was perhaps, um, I don't know quite frankly that
(04:18):
Ben Roethlisberger was an obvious this is a guy that's
going to lead our club for the next eighteen years,
but there was a very very strong feeling of who
he was and what his potential was. Is there the
same strong feeling for a quarterback in this draft who
could step in immediately? You know, we've heard a lot
about how Mike Tomlin has made eyes at Malik Willis. Well,
(04:40):
let's be honest, He's made eyes at Aaron Rodgers, and
he made eyes at Mason Rudolphin. Mike Common makes eyes
at people. So I don't know that I'm willing to
read into that. But for everything I've heard about the
young quarterback from Liberty is that he's still a project
and that while he may have a great amount of potential,
he's even further behind than try Lance was. And Trey
(05:00):
Lance couldn't get on the field this past year as
a starting quarterback. So is that necessarily a real answer? Now,
everybody in the city of Pittsburgh would love, love, love,
love for Kenny Pickett to be the answer, and for
(05:21):
Kenney Pickett and his allegedly small hands to come in
and rival Joe Burrow and be the savior. I don't know.
I mean, pitt the Steelers have about as much familiarity
with Picket as they can any player, right. I mean,
they play at the same stadium, they train at the
same building. Literally, for any of your listeners who don't
(05:43):
know Rhett, the Steelers and the pit Panthers share the
same exact building. There's just kind of a dividing line
in between. It's the same parking lot, it's the same building.
The practice fields are all out back, and everybody could
look out upon them, So at any point Mike Tomlin
could have stepped up and looked out his back window
and seen Kenny Pickett. I think because there has been
(06:06):
so much chatter about the desire for a veteran quarterback,
the Steelers have always had four quarterbacks going into camp.
Kevin Colbert said their expectation is to have four quarterbacks
going into camp. I really feel they will bring in
a veteran quarterback who can compete. Now, you mentioned Malik Willis,
and uh, you know, I do another podcast with my
(06:29):
pal Daniel Jeremiah Bucky Brooks Smooth the Sticks. Um. We
were talking on Monday, UM, and DJ made it very
clear Um as he pegged these Steelers to select Malik
Willis in his latest mock draft. He does these mock
drafts based on what he's hearing around the league, and
the sentiment around the league more than any other sentiment
around any player, is that the Steelers love Malik Willis. Well,
(06:52):
Leake Willis will step up directing traffic. Now he's gonna run.
That's a long way to go. It is a bunch
of where those that ten. But he also mentioned this
in his description of the pick. The Steelers are looking
to get more dynamic at quarterback, and yes, Malik Willis
(07:17):
is an athletic playmaker, and so that fits there, which
would be you know a little bit of a departure
the way that they've played quarterback in the last you know,
eighteen years, Right, Red, Red, I'm sorry that I'm laughing,
but did you do you remember who they trotted out
at quarterback a year ago? I mean, God bless Ben
Roethlisberger at thirty nine years of age. Well, that's what
I'm saying. It's a yes, getting more dynamic from that
(07:40):
more dynamic quarterback. I think that's true, but it feels
like a stylistic type of movement at least in the
way that we're talking about it here at this stage
on you know, February end of February. Well, you know
what to be fair, and this is another interesting point
as related to Mason Rudolph and the fact that there
are offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who is in his second
(08:02):
year and who was not really given kind of a
fair assessment or should not be assessed off of last
year because again he was left with thirty quarterback Ben
Laffabooker right, who had a way of playing, a way
of doing business, in a way of not being able
to move anymore. Um, which again at thirty nine years
of age and all of the hits that he took.
I am not knocking him for that, but in any case, um,
(08:25):
Mike Tomlin has made a point of saying that he
is intrigued by quarterback mobility and that that is something
he is studying, going back all the way to the
bye week, I mean when the stewards were coming out
of the bye week and the question was how did
you spend your bye week? He went out of his
way to say that he had been studying quarterback mobility. Man,
(08:45):
quarterback mobility is value, um, not only by me but everyone. Um.
It's just a component of today's game and increasingly so.
And that that is something that he has brought up,
and the stewlers have, you know, institutionally tried to dial
back a little bit and say that mobility is not
necessarily Lamar Jackson mobility. Um, it may not even be
(09:07):
Joe Burrow being able to lead out of a rush
and escape from the pocket. Mobility, but just mobility a
little bit, you know, as a defensive mind. And he
thinks about the way that the game is changing and
what you need to shut down and what you need
to contain and what you need to stop. Then what
is the opposing offense there? And I think that he
(09:28):
believes it's a quarterback that has more athleticism, that can
not only move the pocket, but maybe bleed out of
the pocket, or maybe being eleventh guy you need to
account for, um, a guy that means that you can't
ever leave a gap unblocked. Like all of that. I
think that that's a piece of it. But again the
question is the Pittsburgh Steelers will always tell you that
(09:52):
they are competing for a Super Bowl every single year,
that they are never in rebuild mode, that they are
never treading water, that they are not looking for a
bridge anyway. But having said that, if you don't see
a franchise quarterback in the draft this year, and there
is not in Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson available to
(10:13):
you at a reasonable price, then is getting you a
bridge to be able to compete? Is shoring up that
offensive line and running the ball, playing great defense and
running the ball, the old formula of what the National
Football League was forever and how the Pittsburgh Steelers won
their Lombardi Trophies. Can that get you somewhere? Free agency
(10:35):
is something add that we don't typically spend a lot
of time talking about the Steelers with right. I think
what Kevin Colber mentioned it this week, they don't typically
have the cap room to go out and make those
types of moves, right, And he's like, well, now we
have all this cap room when we do with it, Um,
what do you what do you see on the free
agency front? Oh my god, I would love some aggression.
(10:56):
I do love the story of that, like, oh my god,
to be I finally have money. Let's go spend it. Um,
I don't you know again? And this is one of
those things where Kevin Colbert said, traditionally, this is not
a team that is, you know, at the forefront of
being hyper aggressive when it comes to free agency. A
lot of that because is because they're institutional philosophy is
(11:19):
that they grow and develop their own But I do
think that when you see I think we've seen some
adjustments or breaks from tradition in the last few years.
So I remember the year before the Steelers traded a
number one overall pick for Minca Fitzpatrick. I was really
(11:41):
pressing Mike Tomlin because at the time Patrick Peterson, the
Steelers were desperate at corner. Patrick Peterson was supposedly getting
out of Arizona or wanted out of Arizona. And I
just remember asking Mike Tomlin, why would you not trade
a first round pick for a known commodity as opposed
to somebody that you're a son actually taking a flyer on.
You know, the first round pick is not a guaranteed deal,
(12:03):
no matter what position you're at. Actually, yes, Like I'm
old enough to remember when people thought t. J. Watt
was a reach in the first round. You know, like
there there, you never really know. And so my argreament
was essentially, if you've got a guy who's been in
the league for a year or two and you know
exactly how he is, and now he plays in the
NFL game, why not go get him because you know
(12:25):
exactly what you're getting out of him, and he's still
on his rookie deal. And Mike Tomlin was just adamant, No,
we want our own, we want to grow and develop
our own way. You know, blah blah blah, we want
our own And an exhibit B is that the Steelers,
just like the Packers and the Bengals, have never guaranteed
money beyond the first year of a deal. Well, a
deal wasn't getting done with t J. Watt without doing so.
(12:47):
And so after you know, weeks and weeks and weeks
of back and forth and nothing happening, and t J.
Watt practicing over on the side of training camp kind
of having a hold in into some sort and my
getting ripped every chay by a segment of Steelers fandom
because I kept saying, just because you've always done business
one way, it doesn't mean you have to keep doing
it that way. The Steelers did, indeed, go ahead and
(13:10):
adjust the way they create contracts, make t J's camp
a little bit happier, make themselves a little bit happier.
T J. Watt is here, and look at what he
rewards them with, Defensive Player of the Year. And so
I say all of that in a very long winded way,
Rhett to say that we love to say the Steelers
are slave to tradition, that the Steelers stand by their
(13:31):
traditions that the Steelers have certain bed rock principles that
they stand by, maybe more than any other organization in
the NFL. But in the last few years we have
indeed seen them break from some of that tradition. And
so if they have more salary cap room and more
cash than they have ever had in Kevin Colbert's tenure,
and Kevin Colbert is on his way out, why not
(13:54):
go out with a bang spends and I love it? Um, No,
he does have hees. Can I get you to repeat
that and send that to my husband spend spend spent, Yeah, yeah,
I know. I'll record it for you later in a
separate one. Just send it off to Yeah, let's spend it.
Do whatever you want with it, Burn it if you want.
(14:16):
Sometimes it's the same spending it right. Um. And look,
there are some decisions to make with players that are
on their roster now, Devin Bush being one of them. Uh,
fifth year option is coming up here. I know they
talked about that a little bit too, um. And we
can get into that, you know, once those decisions become final. Um.
But yeah, decisions to make in your own house, decisions
to make outside with bringing people in. It's gonna be
(14:38):
an interesting offseason here for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in
terms of players and I have some new faces coaching them,
especially on the defensive side. Get into that right after this.
(15:02):
All right back here with you on NFL Inside Report,
colleague d D. Kinkobala, back here with us talking Steelers
at a f C North. Here we'll get into some
unsolicited advice that ADD had for the a f C
North outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we'll do that
here just a moment. But first let's start with the
changes coming to the Steelers coaching staff, particularly on the
defensive side. Keep Butler's out as defensive coordinator. Terrell Austin
(15:24):
is in as the defensive coordinator who spent a couple
of years with the Detroit Lions, and her Gym Caldwell
spent some time with the Baltimore Ravens Uh and then
of course the Just recently, the Steelers make official the
hire of Brian Flores, as we all know, fired by
the Miami Dolphins, suing the National Football League and three
(15:45):
individual clubs as well on the basis of racial discrimination.
Yet the Steelers still wanted to bring him onto the staff,
and I think it's not surprising considering the Steelers commitment
um to minority hires and to hiring good coaches in general.
And I felt like that's kind of how Kevin Colburn
(16:05):
answered it when he was asked, um, you know what
it meant to bring Brian Flores into the organization? Add
what what insight do you have into that higher that
process at all? This is a no drama club. And
it's funny yet because I was just asking about this
actually the other day, and I think it was on
the air UM on NFL Network. And if there's one
(16:26):
thing about the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there's one thing about
Mike Tomlin in ten years of covering Mike Tomlin, if
he does not want to answer a question, he is
not going to answer a question. So if he does
not want to create a big deal about Brian Flora
is getting a you know, as it's been said, a
lifeline or a landing spot or any of that, then
(16:47):
it's not going to be a deal. And this is
you know, this is one of the things that you
have to love about the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they
sit here and they say there's a great coach available
and we have a position for him, and he's mostly
overqualified for it. But he says, sure, I'll come aboard
and help you win. Okay, done deal, Like, why does
it have to be anything more than that? But again,
(17:09):
let's not forget that it's Art Rooney's late father, Dan Rooney,
who is the namesake of the Rooney role, has really
taken a hit red the last few years, and that's
simply because of what Brian Flores is saying. Right, but
I mean, all around, we're sitting here and saying does
this even work and does it even make sense? And
(17:30):
how much of this is since youre and genuine and
just kind of trying to check the boxes and cross
the teas and dot the eyes, and so to that sense,
whether it is a conscious statement or not, the Steelers
are indeed saying this is something that we care about.
(17:51):
We're not going to leave a great coach just hanging
and flying in the wind or flapping in the wind
simply because he's calling a wrong or wrong. It's not
for me to say whether Art Rooney went to Mike
Tomlin and said, hey, we should do this, whether it
was Mike Tomlin saying for the first time in fifteen years,
(18:14):
because look, let's be very honest about this. Let's be upfront.
A fact is a fact. In fifteen years, he hasn't
never had a black quarterbacks coach. He has never had
a black offensive coordinator. He's never had a minority offensive coordinator.
You know, he has not had a minority defensive coordinator
until again this year with the elevation of t A.
(18:35):
And so it's hard to say, oh, Mike Tomlin was
just kind of trying to make a grand statement or
or do this or do that. Um, it's hard to
say that Art Rooney forced that because he certainly wasn't
forcing anything like that in the last fifteen years. Look,
and I told the story read so I'll tell it again.
(18:55):
The first time I met Brian Flores was in two
thousand eighteen. It was the no, actually, I'm sorry, it
was two thousand nineteen. It was right after the Super
Bowl in Atlanta, and Brian Flores Patriots had just shut
down what was supposed to have been a high flying
Rams offense in the Super Bowl, and Flores was about
(19:17):
to be introduced, i believe, the very next day, in fact,
as the Miami Dolphins head coach. And I'm walking out,
and Steve Weisch was with me, and I see Brian Flores.
I see him outside and I jokingly say to him,
you just won the Super Bowl, you just designed the
defense that won the super Bowl. You're about to become
one of thirty two head coaches in the NFL, and
(19:38):
you don't rate car service, Like you're literally walking a
mile to your hotel with a five year old and
a se and what's going out here? And he just
looked around and he laughed. Me said, I'm a man
among the people, like I'm no different than anything else.
And I remember thinking this a dad. That to me,
(20:02):
I just thought like, Okay, this is a dude. So
what does Brian Flores bring to this coaching staff and
how can he help a player like former first rounder
Devin Bush, who the Steelers need to make a decision
on here relatively soon. You mentioned Devin Bush earlier. Devin
Bush is a young man that Kevin Colbert traded up for.
Kevin told Colbert had only traded up for in the
NFL Draft in two decades only twice before, once for
(20:24):
Troy Palamala, who is a Hall of Famer, and once
for Santonio Holmes who won in Super Bowl MVP. Yeah,
And so the third time he traded up for was
Devin Bush. And in that draft it was seen as
Devin White and Devon Bush where the two best linebackers available,
and Devin White obviously wasn't going to be available to
the Steelers. They moved up to ten, they took Devon Bush.
He got hurt last year was the first year off
(20:48):
of that a c L surgery. There's a lot of
talk that, you know what, it really takes a full
year off of that, especially at that position. But there's
also been a little bit of a question about Bush's
mindset and who he is and how committed he is,
which is kind of crazy because the young man was like,
coming in he was the biggest gym rat that ever existed.
He's the son of a former NFL player, allegedly came
(21:09):
out of the womb reading a playbook. So I think
that the Steelers moving on from Joe Schobert, who is
a veteran linebacker that they kind of brought in at
the last minute to wear the green dot where the
headset helmet, giving Devin Bush that back, having a coach
like Brian Flores to really push him and get the
most out of him. I just think that there's a
lot of tentacles to it. I think that t A
(21:29):
is a very open minded guy who's got a lot
of strong ideas and proven ideas. I think we're in
flat Brian Flores is a guy who's got strong, proven ideas,
and you know, it's kind of like team of rivals.
I don't know that Mike Tomlin's gonna listen to everybody,
but at least the ideas will be out there in
the room. What is that thing? And I love that
sentiment from a from a head coach like Mike Tomlin.
(21:51):
It takes some comfortability in your own skin, you know,
to do that too, you know. And when I was
first hired here in the city of Pittsburgh, my tom
and had three former head coaches on his staff. Dick
Lebo was his defensive coordinator. He'd been a head coach,
Todd Haley, who had been a head coach in Kansas City,
was his offensive coordinator, and Mike Munchak, who had also
(22:13):
been a head coach in Tennessee, was his line coach
and ran his kind of run game in many ways.
So at the time, you know, there were four head
coaches on this staff, and that team did have a
lot of I mean that team won a lot of games, certainly.
Um okay, outside of the Steelers, who I think we've
figured out need a quarterback. Um. You mentioned some other
(22:36):
advice for some teams around the division. Bengals, of course
signing Jesse Bates priority one, right, not just because he's
a great player, he's like a foundational piece and you know,
there's the Banks had really turned over their roster in
the last few years and remade it in many ways.
And the one thing that Duke Tobin, who's in charge
(22:57):
of personnel in there, had said to me was kind
of the priority is we want guys that love ball,
and Jesse Bates is just such a smart, smart, smart, heady,
insightful player. He's a leader in the sense that he's
not going to yank you aside in front of everyone,
but he's not afraid to pull you aside and talk
to you quietly if you think something isn't right. And
(23:19):
when you look at that way, the the way that
the Bengals defense played, but they didn't necessarily have gaudy
numbers like you weren't like, oh, this is the number
one pass rushing unit or oh, this is number one
in turnovers. But this group came up with the big
play when they needed to come up with the big play.
And this group was so nimble in adjusting on the fly.
I mean, we saw that in two Kansas City games,
(23:40):
right like completely being destroyed in the first half and
then coming out in the second half and shutting things down.
So much of that is because of those two safeties
mon Bel and jess Place. It's sort of the back
end communication is so important and the way that Bond
Bell and Jessie Bait read each other and talk to
each other and work with each other, and you know,
have forced the secondary to meet every Tuesday on their
(24:03):
day off over Chick fil A. And you know, I
just this is one of those guys you need to
keep and for the Browns, Jarvis Jarvis Landry. Tell him
you love him and you want him back and you
need him involved. But I feel like even bigger than that,
(24:24):
are they sold on Baker Mayfield. Yeah, I don't think so,
But I think that has a lot to do with
whether you know, Jarvis Landry is a part of the
picture moving forward to well, yeah, I mean I'm sure
and That's why I said be involved. Like, there are
certain players that you need to actually speak to who
feel so invested in the growth of the team and
(24:45):
the shape of the team and what the team should
look like. And that's one of those bedrock guys that
I personally believe. You know, it's almost separative position. It's
very easy to say that the quarterback can be a leader, right,
but like, sometimes it's another guy that sets the tone
for a locker room. Sometimes it's another guy who's really
(25:05):
really smart and can have a read on what the
team should be and what the team needs, and can
give you a true and honest and fair read of
what the pulse of the lacker room is. And I
just think that at this point in his career, this
is a guy that you can absolutely trust. This is
a guy that has given you everything that he possibly
can for four years. And am I biased because I
just love the way he approaches the game, Yes I am,
(25:28):
but so sure part of our job. The Ravens have
seen some pass rushers leave on free agency, Matthew Judan
most recently last year and a great year within New
England Patriots. Uh, they drafted a guy like Jalen Ferguson
in the third round a couple of years agout a
lot of tech hasn't seen a ton from him. Starting
to get some out of Tias Bowser, who was the
second round pick a few years back this past year,
(25:48):
and then Achilles. He tours Achilles. So how long is
he out for? Right? Houston is a free agent um
pronoun laxee. I don't know what he's doing. I think
he might be retiring. I'm not sure, you know, other
than and let's other than a dafe away. Who do
you really feel the rookie the when he's out of
rookie now it'll be a second player out of pensity,
(26:10):
a dafe away outside of him? Who are you feeling
is really rushing the pastor? And if you were the
Baltimore Ravens, you just you? I mean, that's your identity.
I'm sorry. Yeah, I have to make life hell for
the passer, no doubt that's what they do. Um, But
that's a like easier said than Donald though this is
a great draft class, by the way, to need to
find some pass rushers because it's arguably the strongest position
(26:33):
group in this entire class. Did say that he went
out of his way to say that it's deep at
wide receiver, deep at outside linebacker, deep at cornerback, not
necessarily deep at center and guard. Which, even as we
talk about all these things with the a f C
North look other than the Browns, everybody needs a new
offensive line. The Bengals need a new offensive line, the
Steelers need a new offensive line, and the Ravens need
(26:54):
to address their offensive line. Yeah, there you go. D D.
Kinka walla fantastic insight on all things Steelers in a
f C North, and please catch her and co host
Mike Yam on the NFL Explained podcast. They do a
fantastic job over there, and of course always look forward
to our next chat here on NFL Inside Report. Thanks
to Datie, thank you for having me. That's gonna do
(27:26):
it for this episode of NFL Inside Report. Thanks so
much for being with us here. Reminder to download, rate
review our show on the I Heart Radio app, on
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. We certainly
appreciate it and we'll catch you right back here next
week from Indianapolis in the NFL Scouting Combine for producers
Thomas Warren and Tim Peracca. I'm your host rtt Lewis,
We'll get you next time. NFL Inside Report is the
(27:47):
production of the NFL and partnership with I Heart Radio.
For more official podcasts from the NFL, visit the i
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Rhet Lewis, and this is NFL Inside Report today,
talking to our paladin de Kinkawalla, who's got tons of
inside around the a f C North, including with the
Pittsburgh Steelers, where g M. Kevin Colbert just addressed the
media this week. We have the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger,
many changes coming to that Steelers organization, including coaching staff
(00:33):
shake ups. Will get into all of that, but a
D D. Great to have you back here with us.
Let's start right there with what feels like an end
of an era of sorts. Obviously, with Ben Roethlisberger retiring,
g M. Kevin Colbert will soon make his exit as
well following the draft. UM, what's the feeling around the
organization around this time of transition, if you will. I
(00:55):
don't know if there's a full acknowledgment that it really
is a turning of a chapter. And I think so
much of it Red has to do is if it
really is a turning of a page, because let's not
forget that probably the most dominant personality in that entire
organization is Mike Tomlin, and Mike Tomlin's not going anywhere.
And when we talk about Kevin Colbert and him being
(01:16):
the general manager. This is probably the best example in
the entire National Football League of a head coach and
a GM working in concert together. And as we head
into the Pro day circuit. In fact, I'll throw this
out there right now, I'm dying to be a fly
on the wall with Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colburn on
the Pro day circuit. And Mike Tomlin will of course
(01:37):
never allow it. But that's because there's nobody travels together
like the two of them. I mean, they are at
almost every single Pro Day with each other, and um,
you know, whether they're flying on a jet together or
driving in a car or whatever it is, however they
get there. They take prospects to dinner together, they have
dessert with Prospects together. They have PSCA parents together, like
(02:01):
they did with the Edmunds brothers when they took out
Germaine and Terrell Edmunds and their parents. And the two
of them, really, I don't want to say they see
eye to eye, but I don't want that to sound
negative because it's not. Either man is afraid to say
I view this this way, and the other one says
I view this this way. I think there's a really
(02:23):
good conversation and meeting of the minds all of that.
And so it's funny because we met with Kevin Colbert
this week, rat and we and he is a part
of the process in choosing his successor or in helping
our Rooney the team president owner choose his successor. And
I said, well, what about Mike Tomlin, Like, isn't my
Tomlin part of that? Because Mike Tomlin is so used
(02:47):
to working hand in hand with his general manager that
you think that it would really matter who he is
comfortable with and who he wants to be with. And
you know, you mentioned the pro day appearances, which I
feel like will be more intriguing and more talked about
in terms of their attendance at which pro days, probably
more so this year than ever. Now knowing we knew
(03:10):
before that the Steelers were gonna need a quarterback at
some point, it seems a little bit more desperate now
this year to find that next guy. Right, even though
Kevin Colbert said it his press conference, you know this
week that Mason Rudolph would be the starter at the
season started today, and it's nice to have that. Hey
do drag that one out if the season started to
(03:32):
day right, which doesn't thankfully for everyone. I think so.
Um yeah, so if the season starting today, Mason Rudolph
would be the starter, and that's a nice luxury for
them to have at least the only quarterback that is
currently undercomtact under contract on the right because Dwayne Haskins
is what in r f A or you have a
free agent of some sort. Um, Okay, So where do
(03:55):
you feel like the plan for a quarterback stands at
this point? With Pro days coming up, with the Combine
on the horizon next week, and a chance to really
start to get a feel for some of these players.
So I think the truth of the matter is is
that there's not necessarily a very very obvious franchise quarterback
in the draft, you know, like the way a Joe
Barrow was perhaps, um, I don't know quite frankly that
(04:18):
Ben Roethlisberger was an obvious this is a guy that's
going to lead our club for the next eighteen years,
but there was a very very strong feeling of who
he was and what his potential was. Is there the
same strong feeling for a quarterback in this draft who
could step in immediately? You know, we've heard a lot
about how Mike Tomlin has made eyes at Malik Willis. Well,
(04:40):
let's be honest, He's made eyes at Aaron Rodgers, and
he made eyes at Mason Rudolphin. Mike Common makes eyes
at people. So I don't know that I'm willing to
read into that. But for everything I've heard about the
young quarterback from Liberty is that he's still a project
and that while he may have a great amount of potential,
he's even further behind than try Lance was. And Trey
(05:00):
Lance couldn't get on the field this past year as
a starting quarterback. So is that necessarily a real answer? Now,
everybody in the city of Pittsburgh would love, love, love,
love for Kenny Pickett to be the answer, and for
(05:21):
Kenney Pickett and his allegedly small hands to come in
and rival Joe Burrow and be the savior. I don't know.
I mean, pitt the Steelers have about as much familiarity
with Picket as they can any player, right. I mean,
they play at the same stadium, they train at the
same building. Literally, for any of your listeners who don't
(05:43):
know Rhett, the Steelers and the pit Panthers share the
same exact building. There's just kind of a dividing line
in between. It's the same parking lot, it's the same building.
The practice fields are all out back, and everybody could
look out upon them, So at any point Mike Tomlin
could have stepped up and looked out his back window
and seen Kenny Pickett. I think because there has been
(06:06):
so much chatter about the desire for a veteran quarterback,
the Steelers have always had four quarterbacks going into camp.
Kevin Colbert said their expectation is to have four quarterbacks
going into camp. I really feel they will bring in
a veteran quarterback who can compete. Now, you mentioned Malik Willis,
and uh, you know, I do another podcast with my
(06:29):
pal Daniel Jeremiah Bucky Brooks Smooth the Sticks. Um. We
were talking on Monday, UM, and DJ made it very
clear Um as he pegged these Steelers to select Malik
Willis in his latest mock draft. He does these mock
drafts based on what he's hearing around the league, and
the sentiment around the league more than any other sentiment
around any player, is that the Steelers love Malik Willis. Well,
(06:52):
Leake Willis will step up directing traffic. Now he's gonna run.
That's a long way to go. It is a bunch
of where those that ten. But he also mentioned this
in his description of the pick. The Steelers are looking
to get more dynamic at quarterback, and yes, Malik Willis
(07:17):
is an athletic playmaker, and so that fits there, which
would be you know a little bit of a departure
the way that they've played quarterback in the last you know,
eighteen years, Right, Red, Red, I'm sorry that I'm laughing,
but did you do you remember who they trotted out
at quarterback a year ago? I mean, God bless Ben
Roethlisberger at thirty nine years of age. Well, that's what
I'm saying. It's a yes, getting more dynamic from that
(07:40):
more dynamic quarterback. I think that's true, but it feels
like a stylistic type of movement at least in the
way that we're talking about it here at this stage
on you know, February end of February. Well, you know
what to be fair, and this is another interesting point
as related to Mason Rudolph and the fact that there
are offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who is in his second
(08:02):
year and who was not really given kind of a
fair assessment or should not be assessed off of last
year because again he was left with thirty quarterback Ben
Laffabooker right, who had a way of playing, a way
of doing business, in a way of not being able
to move anymore. Um, which again at thirty nine years
of age and all of the hits that he took.
I am not knocking him for that, but in any case, um,
(08:25):
Mike Tomlin has made a point of saying that he
is intrigued by quarterback mobility and that that is something
he is studying, going back all the way to the
bye week, I mean when the stewards were coming out
of the bye week and the question was how did
you spend your bye week? He went out of his
way to say that he had been studying quarterback mobility. Man,
(08:45):
quarterback mobility is value, um, not only by me but everyone. Um.
It's just a component of today's game and increasingly so.
And that that is something that he has brought up,
and the stewlers have, you know, institutionally tried to dial
back a little bit and say that mobility is not
necessarily Lamar Jackson mobility. Um, it may not even be
(09:07):
Joe Burrow being able to lead out of a rush
and escape from the pocket. Mobility, but just mobility a
little bit, you know, as a defensive mind. And he
thinks about the way that the game is changing and
what you need to shut down and what you need
to contain and what you need to stop. Then what
is the opposing offense there? And I think that he
(09:28):
believes it's a quarterback that has more athleticism, that can
not only move the pocket, but maybe bleed out of
the pocket, or maybe being eleventh guy you need to
account for, um, a guy that means that you can't
ever leave a gap unblocked. Like all of that. I
think that that's a piece of it. But again the
question is the Pittsburgh Steelers will always tell you that
(09:52):
they are competing for a Super Bowl every single year,
that they are never in rebuild mode, that they are
never treading water, that they are not looking for a
bridge anyway. But having said that, if you don't see
a franchise quarterback in the draft this year, and there
is not in Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson available to
(10:13):
you at a reasonable price, then is getting you a
bridge to be able to compete? Is shoring up that
offensive line and running the ball, playing great defense and
running the ball, the old formula of what the National
Football League was forever and how the Pittsburgh Steelers won
their Lombardi Trophies. Can that get you somewhere? Free agency
(10:35):
is something add that we don't typically spend a lot
of time talking about the Steelers with right. I think
what Kevin Colber mentioned it this week, they don't typically
have the cap room to go out and make those
types of moves, right, And he's like, well, now we
have all this cap room when we do with it, Um,
what do you what do you see on the free
agency front? Oh my god, I would love some aggression.
(10:56):
I do love the story of that, like, oh my god,
to be I finally have money. Let's go spend it. Um,
I don't you know again? And this is one of
those things where Kevin Colbert said, traditionally, this is not
a team that is, you know, at the forefront of
being hyper aggressive when it comes to free agency. A
lot of that because is because they're institutional philosophy is
(11:19):
that they grow and develop their own But I do
think that when you see I think we've seen some
adjustments or breaks from tradition in the last few years.
So I remember the year before the Steelers traded a
number one overall pick for Minca Fitzpatrick. I was really
(11:41):
pressing Mike Tomlin because at the time Patrick Peterson, the
Steelers were desperate at corner. Patrick Peterson was supposedly getting
out of Arizona or wanted out of Arizona. And I
just remember asking Mike Tomlin, why would you not trade
a first round pick for a known commodity as opposed
to somebody that you're a son actually taking a flyer on.
You know, the first round pick is not a guaranteed deal,
(12:03):
no matter what position you're at. Actually, yes, Like I'm
old enough to remember when people thought t. J. Watt
was a reach in the first round. You know, like
there there, you never really know. And so my argreament
was essentially, if you've got a guy who's been in
the league for a year or two and you know
exactly how he is, and now he plays in the
NFL game, why not go get him because you know
(12:25):
exactly what you're getting out of him, and he's still
on his rookie deal. And Mike Tomlin was just adamant, No,
we want our own, we want to grow and develop
our own way. You know, blah blah blah, we want
our own And an exhibit B is that the Steelers,
just like the Packers and the Bengals, have never guaranteed
money beyond the first year of a deal. Well, a
deal wasn't getting done with t J. Watt without doing so.
(12:47):
And so after you know, weeks and weeks and weeks
of back and forth and nothing happening, and t J.
Watt practicing over on the side of training camp kind
of having a hold in into some sort and my
getting ripped every chay by a segment of Steelers fandom
because I kept saying, just because you've always done business
one way, it doesn't mean you have to keep doing
it that way. The Steelers did, indeed, go ahead and
(13:10):
adjust the way they create contracts, make t J's camp
a little bit happier, make themselves a little bit happier.
T J. Watt is here, and look at what he
rewards them with, Defensive Player of the Year. And so
I say all of that in a very long winded way,
Rhett to say that we love to say the Steelers
are slave to tradition, that the Steelers stand by their
(13:31):
traditions that the Steelers have certain bed rock principles that
they stand by, maybe more than any other organization in
the NFL. But in the last few years we have
indeed seen them break from some of that tradition. And
so if they have more salary cap room and more
cash than they have ever had in Kevin Colbert's tenure,
and Kevin Colbert is on his way out, why not
(13:54):
go out with a bang spends and I love it? Um, No,
he does have hees. Can I get you to repeat
that and send that to my husband spend spend spent, Yeah, yeah,
I know. I'll record it for you later in a
separate one. Just send it off to Yeah, let's spend it.
Do whatever you want with it, Burn it if you want.
(14:16):
Sometimes it's the same spending it right. Um. And look,
there are some decisions to make with players that are
on their roster now, Devin Bush being one of them. Uh,
fifth year option is coming up here. I know they
talked about that a little bit too, um. And we
can get into that, you know, once those decisions become final. Um.
But yeah, decisions to make in your own house, decisions
to make outside with bringing people in. It's gonna be
(14:38):
an interesting offseason here for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in
terms of players and I have some new faces coaching them,
especially on the defensive side. Get into that right after this.
(15:02):
All right back here with you on NFL Inside Report,
colleague d D. Kinkobala, back here with us talking Steelers
at a f C North. Here we'll get into some
unsolicited advice that ADD had for the a f C
North outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we'll do that
here just a moment. But first let's start with the
changes coming to the Steelers coaching staff, particularly on the
defensive side. Keep Butler's out as defensive coordinator. Terrell Austin
(15:24):
is in as the defensive coordinator who spent a couple
of years with the Detroit Lions, and her Gym Caldwell
spent some time with the Baltimore Ravens Uh and then
of course the Just recently, the Steelers make official the
hire of Brian Flores, as we all know, fired by
the Miami Dolphins, suing the National Football League and three
(15:45):
individual clubs as well on the basis of racial discrimination.
Yet the Steelers still wanted to bring him onto the staff,
and I think it's not surprising considering the Steelers commitment
um to minority hires and to hiring good coaches in general.
And I felt like that's kind of how Kevin Colburn
(16:05):
answered it when he was asked, um, you know what
it meant to bring Brian Flores into the organization? Add
what what insight do you have into that higher that
process at all? This is a no drama club. And
it's funny yet because I was just asking about this
actually the other day, and I think it was on
the air UM on NFL Network. And if there's one
(16:26):
thing about the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there's one thing about
Mike Tomlin in ten years of covering Mike Tomlin, if
he does not want to answer a question, he is
not going to answer a question. So if he does
not want to create a big deal about Brian Flora
is getting a you know, as it's been said, a
lifeline or a landing spot or any of that, then
(16:47):
it's not going to be a deal. And this is
you know, this is one of the things that you
have to love about the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they
sit here and they say there's a great coach available
and we have a position for him, and he's mostly
overqualified for it. But he says, sure, I'll come aboard
and help you win. Okay, done deal, Like, why does
it have to be anything more than that? But again,
(17:09):
let's not forget that it's Art Rooney's late father, Dan Rooney,
who is the namesake of the Rooney role, has really
taken a hit red the last few years, and that's
simply because of what Brian Flores is saying. Right, but
I mean, all around, we're sitting here and saying does
this even work and does it even make sense? And
(17:30):
how much of this is since youre and genuine and
just kind of trying to check the boxes and cross
the teas and dot the eyes, and so to that sense,
whether it is a conscious statement or not, the Steelers
are indeed saying this is something that we care about.
(17:51):
We're not going to leave a great coach just hanging
and flying in the wind or flapping in the wind
simply because he's calling a wrong or wrong. It's not
for me to say whether Art Rooney went to Mike
Tomlin and said, hey, we should do this, whether it
was Mike Tomlin saying for the first time in fifteen years,
(18:14):
because look, let's be very honest about this. Let's be upfront.
A fact is a fact. In fifteen years, he hasn't
never had a black quarterbacks coach. He has never had
a black offensive coordinator. He's never had a minority offensive coordinator.
You know, he has not had a minority defensive coordinator
until again this year with the elevation of t A.
(18:35):
And so it's hard to say, oh, Mike Tomlin was
just kind of trying to make a grand statement or
or do this or do that. Um, it's hard to
say that Art Rooney forced that because he certainly wasn't
forcing anything like that in the last fifteen years. Look,
and I told the story read so I'll tell it again.
(18:55):
The first time I met Brian Flores was in two
thousand eighteen. It was the no, actually, I'm sorry, it
was two thousand nineteen. It was right after the Super
Bowl in Atlanta, and Brian Flores Patriots had just shut
down what was supposed to have been a high flying
Rams offense in the Super Bowl, and Flores was about
(19:17):
to be introduced, i believe, the very next day, in fact,
as the Miami Dolphins head coach. And I'm walking out,
and Steve Weisch was with me, and I see Brian Flores.
I see him outside and I jokingly say to him,
you just won the Super Bowl, you just designed the
defense that won the super Bowl. You're about to become
one of thirty two head coaches in the NFL, and
(19:38):
you don't rate car service, Like you're literally walking a
mile to your hotel with a five year old and
a se and what's going out here? And he just
looked around and he laughed. Me said, I'm a man
among the people, like I'm no different than anything else.
And I remember thinking this a dad. That to me,
(20:02):
I just thought like, Okay, this is a dude. So
what does Brian Flores bring to this coaching staff and
how can he help a player like former first rounder
Devin Bush, who the Steelers need to make a decision
on here relatively soon. You mentioned Devin Bush earlier. Devin
Bush is a young man that Kevin Colbert traded up for.
Kevin told Colbert had only traded up for in the
NFL Draft in two decades only twice before, once for
(20:24):
Troy Palamala, who is a Hall of Famer, and once
for Santonio Holmes who won in Super Bowl MVP. Yeah,
And so the third time he traded up for was
Devin Bush. And in that draft it was seen as
Devin White and Devon Bush where the two best linebackers available,
and Devin White obviously wasn't going to be available to
the Steelers. They moved up to ten, they took Devon Bush.
He got hurt last year was the first year off
(20:48):
of that a c L surgery. There's a lot of
talk that, you know what, it really takes a full
year off of that, especially at that position. But there's
also been a little bit of a question about Bush's
mindset and who he is and how committed he is,
which is kind of crazy because the young man was like,
coming in he was the biggest gym rat that ever existed.
He's the son of a former NFL player, allegedly came
(21:09):
out of the womb reading a playbook. So I think
that the Steelers moving on from Joe Schobert, who is
a veteran linebacker that they kind of brought in at
the last minute to wear the green dot where the
headset helmet, giving Devin Bush that back, having a coach
like Brian Flores to really push him and get the
most out of him. I just think that there's a
lot of tentacles to it. I think that t A
(21:29):
is a very open minded guy who's got a lot
of strong ideas and proven ideas. I think we're in
flat Brian Flores is a guy who's got strong, proven ideas,
and you know, it's kind of like team of rivals.
I don't know that Mike Tomlin's gonna listen to everybody,
but at least the ideas will be out there in
the room. What is that thing? And I love that
sentiment from a from a head coach like Mike Tomlin.
(21:51):
It takes some comfortability in your own skin, you know,
to do that too, you know. And when I was
first hired here in the city of Pittsburgh, my tom
and had three former head coaches on his staff. Dick
Lebo was his defensive coordinator. He'd been a head coach,
Todd Haley, who had been a head coach in Kansas City,
was his offensive coordinator, and Mike Munchak, who had also
(22:13):
been a head coach in Tennessee, was his line coach
and ran his kind of run game in many ways.
So at the time, you know, there were four head
coaches on this staff, and that team did have a
lot of I mean that team won a lot of games, certainly.
Um okay, outside of the Steelers, who I think we've
figured out need a quarterback. Um. You mentioned some other
(22:36):
advice for some teams around the division. Bengals, of course
signing Jesse Bates priority one, right, not just because he's
a great player, he's like a foundational piece and you know,
there's the Banks had really turned over their roster in
the last few years and remade it in many ways.
And the one thing that Duke Tobin, who's in charge
(22:57):
of personnel in there, had said to me was kind
of the priority is we want guys that love ball,
and Jesse Bates is just such a smart, smart, smart, heady,
insightful player. He's a leader in the sense that he's
not going to yank you aside in front of everyone,
but he's not afraid to pull you aside and talk
to you quietly if you think something isn't right. And
(23:19):
when you look at that way, the the way that
the Bengals defense played, but they didn't necessarily have gaudy
numbers like you weren't like, oh, this is the number
one pass rushing unit or oh, this is number one
in turnovers. But this group came up with the big
play when they needed to come up with the big play.
And this group was so nimble in adjusting on the fly.
I mean, we saw that in two Kansas City games,
(23:40):
right like completely being destroyed in the first half and
then coming out in the second half and shutting things down.
So much of that is because of those two safeties
mon Bel and jess Place. It's sort of the back
end communication is so important and the way that Bond
Bell and Jessie Bait read each other and talk to
each other and work with each other, and you know,
have forced the secondary to meet every Tuesday on their
(24:03):
day off over Chick fil A. And you know, I
just this is one of those guys you need to
keep and for the Browns, Jarvis Jarvis Landry. Tell him
you love him and you want him back and you
need him involved. But I feel like even bigger than that,
(24:24):
are they sold on Baker Mayfield. Yeah, I don't think so,
But I think that has a lot to do with
whether you know, Jarvis Landry is a part of the
picture moving forward to well, yeah, I mean I'm sure
and That's why I said be involved. Like, there are
certain players that you need to actually speak to who
feel so invested in the growth of the team and
(24:45):
the shape of the team and what the team should
look like. And that's one of those bedrock guys that
I personally believe. You know, it's almost separative position. It's
very easy to say that the quarterback can be a leader, right,
but like, sometimes it's another guy that sets the tone
for a locker room. Sometimes it's another guy who's really
(25:05):
really smart and can have a read on what the
team should be and what the team needs, and can
give you a true and honest and fair read of
what the pulse of the lacker room is. And I
just think that at this point in his career, this
is a guy that you can absolutely trust. This is
a guy that has given you everything that he possibly
can for four years. And am I biased because I
just love the way he approaches the game, Yes I am,
(25:28):
but so sure part of our job. The Ravens have
seen some pass rushers leave on free agency, Matthew Judan
most recently last year and a great year within New
England Patriots. Uh, they drafted a guy like Jalen Ferguson
in the third round a couple of years agout a
lot of tech hasn't seen a ton from him. Starting
to get some out of Tias Bowser, who was the
second round pick a few years back this past year,
(25:48):
and then Achilles. He tours Achilles. So how long is
he out for? Right? Houston is a free agent um
pronoun laxee. I don't know what he's doing. I think
he might be retiring. I'm not sure, you know, other
than and let's other than a dafe away. Who do
you really feel the rookie the when he's out of
rookie now it'll be a second player out of pensity,
(26:10):
a dafe away outside of him? Who are you feeling
is really rushing the pastor? And if you were the
Baltimore Ravens, you just you? I mean, that's your identity.
I'm sorry. Yeah, I have to make life hell for
the passer, no doubt that's what they do. Um, But
that's a like easier said than Donald though this is
a great draft class, by the way, to need to
find some pass rushers because it's arguably the strongest position
(26:33):
group in this entire class. Did say that he went
out of his way to say that it's deep at
wide receiver, deep at outside linebacker, deep at cornerback, not
necessarily deep at center and guard. Which, even as we
talk about all these things with the a f C
North look other than the Browns, everybody needs a new
offensive line. The Bengals need a new offensive line, the
Steelers need a new offensive line, and the Ravens need
(26:54):
to address their offensive line. Yeah, there you go. D D.
Kinka walla fantastic insight on all things Steelers in a
f C North, and please catch her and co host
Mike Yam on the NFL Explained podcast. They do a
fantastic job over there, and of course always look forward
to our next chat here on NFL Inside Report. Thanks
to Datie, thank you for having me. That's gonna do
(27:26):
it for this episode of NFL Inside Report. Thanks so
much for being with us here. Reminder to download, rate
review our show on the I Heart Radio app, on
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. We certainly
appreciate it and we'll catch you right back here next
week from Indianapolis in the NFL Scouting Combine for producers
Thomas Warren and Tim Peracca. I'm your host rtt Lewis,
We'll get you next time. NFL Inside Report is the
(27:47):
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!