December 8, 2025 • 15 mins
After announcing their HC will be back in 2026, Pittsburg takes down Baltimore.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
We were talking a little bit earlier about the bowl
selection and how the teams are picked to go to
which Bowl game, and this is a pretty massive production
between all of the conferences and ESPN, and ESPN is
basically decided they have something called the Bowl Championship Season
(00:25):
and here's what they have booked on, and so far
it's worked. There are a lot of people that after
next Friday, the nineteenth, will be on two weeks of vacation.
And sometimes you get to go do stuff or take
a trip somewhere. But whether you're on a physical vacation
where you're traveling, or whether you are sitting around the
(00:47):
house just waiting for the year to change so you
can go back to work. Especially if you live in
a climate that is not very good weather, there's a
really good chance that you're going to park yourself with
your favorite beverage and some chips and salts in case
and guacamole and sit there and watch games. And it
doesn't matter if it's if it's the Duke Man's Mayo
(01:07):
Duke Bowl or whatever it is, or the Pop Tarts Bowl.
You don't have anything else to do, and it's football,
and you know, the football season is about to end,
so you're getting your final fix. I've always believed and
I still do believe, that the non college football playoff
bowl games are most important to the two schools that
are involved. And then secondly they're most important to the
(01:32):
players who are playing in them, many for the last
time they'll ever play in their parents. And then thirdly
the community in which is involved, because there's usually a
charitable attribution to it, like the Valero Alamo Bowl is
a huge revenue producer for both economic stability and also
to get a charitable giving when they play the Valero
Alamo Bowl. Here the reason the Big Twelve, for example,
(01:56):
find Kansas State and Iowa State for opting out of
ball games, find them a half a million dollars each,
was because they're going to distribute that money back to
the schools. So if you look at the Big Twelve,
and Texas Tech is going to get five million dollars
per playing in the first or actually it's seven I
think for the second round because they've already graduated to
(02:17):
the second round, they get the first run by and so,
but the teams that are in the first round are
getting four to five million. Then it goes seven to
eight for the second round, and each of the schools
get a check. And so, for example, that check is
divided into however, many teams are in your conference, right,
and the team that is playing gets two shares and
(02:38):
every other conference member gets one share. So the more
teams that you have playing in bowl games in your conference,
the more revenue share you have with the regular schools.
So I think I looked the ey yesterday. UTSA and
Florida International will both get eight hundred thousand dollars or
thereabouts to play in the first responderble. Now divide that
(02:59):
by fifteen and I'm not quick enough to do that math,
but what is that that's about five about forty thousand
person h yeah, yeah, about fifty two thousand or whatever. Yeah,
So UTSA will get one hundred thousand of that, and
the rest of the conference will get the other each
school getting money, and then the other schools like North
(03:21):
Texas and Tulane. Tulane going to the CFP, UTSA will
get one fifteenth of that share of that bowl revenue.
And if they advance, if they somehow shock the world
and beat all miss and advance, they're going to get more.
And that's how the schools and the conferences are able
to put money into their budget coffers for the following
(03:41):
year by what these teams create in Bowl revenue. But
so you're always searching for the highest paid Bowl outlet.
So you when ESPN sits down and says, okay, Tulane
won the championship, but the next two best schools were
South Florida and Memphis.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Where do they want to go?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
And a lot of times they'll forego a little bit
of the money in order to go someplace where it's
convenient for their fans to go.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And UTSA has usually been in that boat.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
While Boston and Annapolis are cities that are that are
places where where you would be kind of fun to
go see to go see the Naval Academy, or go
play a football game at Fenway Park would be cool
for the fans, I mean for the for the players.
It would be a pain in the rear end for
the fans who have to figure out how to get
there and get back around the Christmas holidays. And when
(04:31):
you get to play in Frisco, or you play the
Armed Forces bowling Fort Worth, or even drive to Shreport
or where we're going to play.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
At the First Responderbowl.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
It's an easy drive for everybody that's affiliated with UTSA,
unless you have a kid that plays on the team
that's from another state where the parents have to fly
and DFW and love.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
You can pretty much get to from anywhere. It is.
It is a very easy thing for them to do.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Uh. Jeff had a funny comm hit yesterday you'll hear
it tomorrow on the Roadrunner Report. He said, if you're
a football coach this time of the year, you want
you want a mad wife because that means you're playing
during the Christmas season and she's mad again.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So I thought that's hilarious. So but it's it is that.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
I mean, I had to tell the family in a
text today because I'll more a sleep when I left
for work. Is Hey, Christmas Day is going to get
cut short because I'm leaving at three o'clock to go
to to uh to Dallas.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I'm well aware of the holiday season that affects me.
I don't even travel with you at but I produce,
you know me, I produce pretty much everything here and
a lot of times it cuts in cuts holiday times.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Shure, it's the And I tell people I'm not complaining
about it. It's the life I chose. And in this profession,
you are sacrifice, you are well. You are the entertainment
in one way or the other. The players are playing,
and the broadcasters are broadcasting, and and the UH and
everybody that's involved in the production of an NFL game
or a college football game understands that those games are
(05:59):
going to be at time so that people can watch them.
They're not going to be at two o'clock on a
Tuesday during a normal work day. And so that's the
life you chose, and you just have to deal with
it or stop complaining about it, because it's never going
to change.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Yeah, June July or prime for vacations for that reason.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Unless you're a baseball unless, which you don't have worry
about this. Yeah, yeah, exactly so. But well, June and
July usually for me are my times to go anywhere
because by the first of August I'm starting to get
into football mode. But I kind of find it ironic
that the that the Me and Green were just a
whisker away from going to the CFP and their consolation
(06:37):
as the New Mexico Bowl. But those are the bowls
that the conference is affiliated with, and nothing against New Mexico.
When we were there, we had a great time and
the setting was good and the bowl was great. The
problem was it was thirty five degrees and the wind
was blowing fifty miles an hour and it was not
and it was New Mexico's stadium when we were playing
New Mexico, so it was a home game for them,
(06:57):
and I think that there'll be a bigger support of
UTSA people.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I just hope it's a nice day weatherwise.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And if you can get a sixty five degree day
that gets in the forties at night and there's no
precipitation and no wind, that'll be a great experience for everyone.
And if you get a nice storm, then we'll just
have to deal with it.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
You're saying Dallas in Dallas in December is very very cold.
It's people like to assume that Texas is hot all
the time. People don't realize state. When you're in DFW,
you're getting the Oklahoma weather. When you're in Lubbock in
West Sex's you're getting in New.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Mexico, Colorado.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
So whatever weather you're surrounded by, whether it's Texas or not,
you get you get actle that you get a nice
little little handful of that as well.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So I know some boosters that we're hoping for Frisco
because the games at the star of this year and
it's indoors. Yeah, uh, whereas where we're down the road
in Dallas at SMU where that's where the first responder
wall is at Cherldport Stadium.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So that's what will be.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
But anyway, I think it's the way that everybody jockeys
from b all position. It's basically the matchups that ESPN's
looking for because they're trying to sell ads, uh and uh,
and they're trying to get to a point to where
you'll watch and they can and they can make money
that way. All right, let's switch gears to the NFL.
(08:18):
You remember the scene and Godfather three where Michael Corleone says,
every time I'm out, they pull me back. I think
that's Mike Tomlin in a nutshell right there. Just as
soon as you're ready to fire him for losing a
game he shouldn't have lose, well, I shouldn't lose, he
goes and beats the Baltimore Ravens, I know, and there
you go, you're pulling him back in again.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Andy, Good for him that the thing is is that
he's like the Steelers routinely make the playoffs. They have
not won a playoff game. They're not firing him since
pre COVID, they're not firing. I know that they haven't
won a playoff games as.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Pre nil they're not They're still not firing.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I understand that they could have won a playoff game
until for the next ten years. And if Mike Tomlin
wants to coach and keeps getting nine and seven and
nine to eight and at ten and seven records, he's
got a job.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I will say this though, Andy, I you know, you
know how much of a critic I am of Aaron
Rodgers both as a player nowadays, and it's just like
his just him overall at this point. That was the
best game I've seen from Aaron Rodgers play overall, probably
since he was in Green Bay. He was effishing with
the ball, he made good selections. I feel like if
receivers pro done a bar job again.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
And open even ran one in.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I think he ran one in his old legs ran
one in.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I think if Mike Tomlin can handle having a little
bit of discomfort with the offense, and by discomfort, I
mean hiring somebody that's a little bit more unpredictable than
Arthur Smith and finding a quarterback that's got mobility and
a little bit more youth. And if it's a rookie, fine,
it's a rookie. But if you surround him with a
(09:50):
veteran offensive line, and you surround him with a guy
another guy with DJ Metcalf and you find them some
semblance of a running game, I mean, even Rico Dall
at this point would be better than what they got.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
He's a premier running back at this point, Hindy.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
He's becoming one. I'm well aware of his development.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Tim and Bjhon Robinson right now are the best running
backs in the NFC.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, but Bijon came in expecting to be that way,
and Rico was a spare for the Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Special teams, yeah, special team.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
So, but just get some production at running back. The
defense is good enough like the Texans to win you
a lot of games, and but be a little bit
more dynamic. Don't be afraid to go for it more
often on fourth down. Have motion in your offense. You know,
get some creativity with a great offensive coordinator that can
help you with what you're trying to do and I
(10:39):
think Pittsburgh that's the that's the only thing standing between
Pittsburgh and at worst an AFC championship.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
By birth.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I think they're good enough to get there as I
think the Texans are the way that they're playing, and
I think if the Steelers can mimic what they're doing,
that would suit suit them well in the future.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yeah. But and unfortunately in that game, and it was
pretty obvious, and I give you the stats, like the
one area that you keep bringing.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Up is typically the running game.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, that's Pittsburgh got.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Blown out on the ground.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Bultimo, it doesn't happen.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
I had over two.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Hundred yards on the ground, and one hundred and I
think seventy of it came between two different guys. I
was Keaton Mitchell and Derek Henry. Keaton Mitchell is the
second guy, usually fast, He's he's the he's the he's
the placeholder in that regard. Pittsburgh only got thirty four
yards overall. What they got was a pair of goal
line touchdowns, and that's what put them over the edge.
That the Ravens made too many mistakes. Obviously, Lamar had
(11:30):
that really bad interception like the things things happen, and
that regard.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
To thirty four, Yeah, that's that's there is the aberration
usually the two seventeen rushing wins, and maybe they should
have won yesterday. I didn't get to see the game
because we were traveling back after the basketball game also,
but and they had Green Bay and whatever on the
direct TV on the bus, so I didn't see it.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
They had the Pittsburgh and the Ravens game here.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
I'm one of my monitors as I was doing the
UTSA game, and one thing that was obvious is that
as good as Baltimore is at running the ball and
even sending their plays with Lamar Jackson, that offensive line
is beat up. I understand they have injuries. I understand
Ronnie Stand's getting a little older. I understand all these factors.
But this Pittsburgh front seven that you that to to
to be fair, I have I have praised their front seven.
(12:17):
That's the one thing I've given consistent credit to all years,
the Steelers front seven, right is that they have a
really good pass rush. They were getting to Lamar a
lot yesterday and it affected his throws, it affected a
lot of their third downs, and and that was what
made the difference.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Let me tell you this, Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
If I've got Darry Henry Keaton, Mitchell Lamar Jackson running
the football, yeah, and my opponents have Kenneth Gainwell, Jalen Warren,
Caleb Johnson, Connor Hayward and Aaron Rodgers rush for two
carries for no yards. Yep.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
I mean that's the Cleveland Indians in the Major League movie.
Who are these guys?
Speaker 4 (12:50):
You should win that game?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah? You should?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You should, yes, I mean you got to go get
a running back. You never even thought about replacing Najie Harris.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Obviously the Steers don't need a running back.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
But they need a running back for Mike Tomlin to
get the critics office back and win more than nine
or ten games if they had a running back, even
if they had nice and I guess Harris got hurt.
Not Harris is not who he used to be, you
know he's not. But I mean, just get somebody like
what he was when he came in the league.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Teazier said, than done, man, I don't care, just I
don't care.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
What you have to trade or what you go waste
money on a first round pick. Get yourself a running game.
If you're gonna play that conservatively. You better be able
to pick up third.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And two on a on a run using top end
draft capital on a running back. The last time, you know,
the last time a running back went for at least
a second round pick for in a trade, that was
Christian McCaffrey, and there was different picks involved in that.
Running back position is not value as much as it
once was, and I agree it's still very much important
to the success of the offense because so much is
(13:49):
built around what the quarterback does. You need some relief,
but teams nowadays are using a running back by committee appropriate.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
You can't tell me that sincere McCormick on the rate
on the forty nine ers practice squad, is it better
than that group of never has beens or never will
be's for Pittsburgh, Well.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Well, Caleb Johnson's the rookie, so you got to give
him time. Kenneth Gainwell, Kenneth Gamebell is a supplemental back anyway,
for Carrie was supposed to be guy and he hasn't been.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
That's and they ran fifty one plays and thirty four
of them were passes.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, so and it worked out for it worked out once.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
But this is the smoke and mirrors that that Mike
Tomlin's able to get away with the defense was good
enough to win. They stopped, they did what they had
to do. Here we go.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
It's uh, it's amazing that he keeps winning. But he
did again yesterday. And I'm a big Mike Tomlin fan,
and I love the fact that you have stability with
the program.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
But you got to get you got to fix the offense.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
And if I'm the Rooney family that's in charge of that,
I'm like, God, I'm tired of watching this team be
boring and win. I'd rather be exciting and even lose
a couple of games and then to have the boredom
that we have on offense. All Right, Derek Fox is
going to join us at the bottom of the hour.
We'll talk about the Valero Allambo Bowl. We also have
a little bit I'm not gonna go do deep in this,
(15:09):
but we had some exciting golf news yesterday and Notre Dame,
Iowa State, and Baylor and Kansas State among the teams
that all opted out of their bowl games.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
All that coming up on the ticket
We were talking a little bit earlier about the bowl
selection and how the teams are picked to go to
which Bowl game, and this is a pretty massive production
between all of the conferences and ESPN, and ESPN is
basically decided they have something called the Bowl Championship Season
(00:25):
and here's what they have booked on, and so far
it's worked. There are a lot of people that after
next Friday, the nineteenth, will be on two weeks of vacation.
And sometimes you get to go do stuff or take
a trip somewhere. But whether you're on a physical vacation
where you're traveling, or whether you are sitting around the
(00:47):
house just waiting for the year to change so you
can go back to work. Especially if you live in
a climate that is not very good weather, there's a
really good chance that you're going to park yourself with
your favorite beverage and some chips and salts in case
and guacamole and sit there and watch games. And it
doesn't matter if it's if it's the Duke Man's Mayo
(01:07):
Duke Bowl or whatever it is, or the Pop Tarts Bowl.
You don't have anything else to do, and it's football,
and you know, the football season is about to end,
so you're getting your final fix. I've always believed and
I still do believe, that the non college football playoff
bowl games are most important to the two schools that
are involved. And then secondly they're most important to the
(01:32):
players who are playing in them, many for the last
time they'll ever play in their parents. And then thirdly
the community in which is involved, because there's usually a
charitable attribution to it, like the Valero Alamo Bowl is
a huge revenue producer for both economic stability and also
to get a charitable giving when they play the Valero
Alamo Bowl. Here the reason the Big Twelve, for example,
(01:56):
find Kansas State and Iowa State for opting out of
ball games, find them a half a million dollars each,
was because they're going to distribute that money back to
the schools. So if you look at the Big Twelve,
and Texas Tech is going to get five million dollars
per playing in the first or actually it's seven I
think for the second round because they've already graduated to
(02:17):
the second round, they get the first run by and so,
but the teams that are in the first round are
getting four to five million. Then it goes seven to
eight for the second round, and each of the schools
get a check. And so, for example, that check is
divided into however, many teams are in your conference, right,
and the team that is playing gets two shares and
(02:38):
every other conference member gets one share. So the more
teams that you have playing in bowl games in your conference,
the more revenue share you have with the regular schools.
So I think I looked the ey yesterday. UTSA and
Florida International will both get eight hundred thousand dollars or
thereabouts to play in the first responderble. Now divide that
(02:59):
by fifteen and I'm not quick enough to do that math,
but what is that that's about five about forty thousand
person h yeah, yeah, about fifty two thousand or whatever. Yeah,
So UTSA will get one hundred thousand of that, and
the rest of the conference will get the other each
school getting money, and then the other schools like North
(03:21):
Texas and Tulane. Tulane going to the CFP, UTSA will
get one fifteenth of that share of that bowl revenue.
And if they advance, if they somehow shock the world
and beat all miss and advance, they're going to get more.
And that's how the schools and the conferences are able
to put money into their budget coffers for the following
(03:41):
year by what these teams create in Bowl revenue. But
so you're always searching for the highest paid Bowl outlet.
So you when ESPN sits down and says, okay, Tulane
won the championship, but the next two best schools were
South Florida and Memphis.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Where do they want to go?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
And a lot of times they'll forego a little bit
of the money in order to go someplace where it's
convenient for their fans to go.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And UTSA has usually been in that boat.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
While Boston and Annapolis are cities that are that are
places where where you would be kind of fun to
go see to go see the Naval Academy, or go
play a football game at Fenway Park would be cool
for the fans, I mean for the for the players.
It would be a pain in the rear end for
the fans who have to figure out how to get
there and get back around the Christmas holidays. And when
(04:31):
you get to play in Frisco, or you play the
Armed Forces bowling Fort Worth, or even drive to Shreport
or where we're going to play.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
At the First Responderbowl.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
It's an easy drive for everybody that's affiliated with UTSA,
unless you have a kid that plays on the team
that's from another state where the parents have to fly
and DFW and love.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
You can pretty much get to from anywhere. It is.
It is a very easy thing for them to do.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Uh. Jeff had a funny comm hit yesterday you'll hear
it tomorrow on the Roadrunner Report. He said, if you're
a football coach this time of the year, you want
you want a mad wife because that means you're playing
during the Christmas season and she's mad again.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So I thought that's hilarious. So but it's it is that.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
I mean, I had to tell the family in a
text today because I'll more a sleep when I left
for work. Is Hey, Christmas Day is going to get
cut short because I'm leaving at three o'clock to go
to to uh to Dallas.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I'm well aware of the holiday season that affects me.
I don't even travel with you at but I produce,
you know me, I produce pretty much everything here and
a lot of times it cuts in cuts holiday times.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Shure, it's the And I tell people I'm not complaining
about it. It's the life I chose. And in this profession,
you are sacrifice, you are well. You are the entertainment
in one way or the other. The players are playing,
and the broadcasters are broadcasting, and and the UH and
everybody that's involved in the production of an NFL game
or a college football game understands that those games are
(05:59):
going to be at time so that people can watch them.
They're not going to be at two o'clock on a
Tuesday during a normal work day. And so that's the
life you chose, and you just have to deal with
it or stop complaining about it, because it's never going
to change.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Yeah, June July or prime for vacations for that reason.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Unless you're a baseball unless, which you don't have worry
about this. Yeah, yeah, exactly so. But well, June and
July usually for me are my times to go anywhere
because by the first of August I'm starting to get
into football mode. But I kind of find it ironic
that the that the Me and Green were just a
whisker away from going to the CFP and their consolation
(06:37):
as the New Mexico Bowl. But those are the bowls
that the conference is affiliated with, and nothing against New Mexico.
When we were there, we had a great time and
the setting was good and the bowl was great. The
problem was it was thirty five degrees and the wind
was blowing fifty miles an hour and it was not
and it was New Mexico's stadium when we were playing
New Mexico, so it was a home game for them,
(06:57):
and I think that there'll be a bigger support of
UTSA people.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I just hope it's a nice day weatherwise.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And if you can get a sixty five degree day
that gets in the forties at night and there's no
precipitation and no wind, that'll be a great experience for everyone.
And if you get a nice storm, then we'll just
have to deal with it.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
You're saying Dallas in Dallas in December is very very cold.
It's people like to assume that Texas is hot all
the time. People don't realize state. When you're in DFW,
you're getting the Oklahoma weather. When you're in Lubbock in
West Sex's you're getting in New.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Mexico, Colorado.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
So whatever weather you're surrounded by, whether it's Texas or not,
you get you get actle that you get a nice
little little handful of that as well.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So I know some boosters that we're hoping for Frisco
because the games at the star of this year and
it's indoors. Yeah, uh, whereas where we're down the road
in Dallas at SMU where that's where the first responder
wall is at Cherldport Stadium.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So that's what will be.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
But anyway, I think it's the way that everybody jockeys
from b all position. It's basically the matchups that ESPN's
looking for because they're trying to sell ads, uh and uh,
and they're trying to get to a point to where
you'll watch and they can and they can make money
that way. All right, let's switch gears to the NFL.
(08:18):
You remember the scene and Godfather three where Michael Corleone says,
every time I'm out, they pull me back. I think
that's Mike Tomlin in a nutshell right there. Just as
soon as you're ready to fire him for losing a
game he shouldn't have lose, well, I shouldn't lose, he
goes and beats the Baltimore Ravens, I know, and there
you go, you're pulling him back in again.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Andy, Good for him that the thing is is that
he's like the Steelers routinely make the playoffs. They have
not won a playoff game. They're not firing him since
pre COVID, they're not firing. I know that they haven't
won a playoff games as.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Pre nil they're not They're still not firing.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I understand that they could have won a playoff game
until for the next ten years. And if Mike Tomlin
wants to coach and keeps getting nine and seven and
nine to eight and at ten and seven records, he's
got a job.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I will say this though, Andy, I you know, you
know how much of a critic I am of Aaron
Rodgers both as a player nowadays, and it's just like
his just him overall at this point. That was the
best game I've seen from Aaron Rodgers play overall, probably
since he was in Green Bay. He was effishing with
the ball, he made good selections. I feel like if
receivers pro done a bar job again.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
And open even ran one in.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I think he ran one in his old legs ran
one in.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I think if Mike Tomlin can handle having a little
bit of discomfort with the offense, and by discomfort, I
mean hiring somebody that's a little bit more unpredictable than
Arthur Smith and finding a quarterback that's got mobility and
a little bit more youth. And if it's a rookie, fine,
it's a rookie. But if you surround him with a
(09:50):
veteran offensive line, and you surround him with a guy
another guy with DJ Metcalf and you find them some
semblance of a running game, I mean, even Rico Dall
at this point would be better than what they got.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
He's a premier running back at this point, Hindy.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
He's becoming one. I'm well aware of his development.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Tim and Bjhon Robinson right now are the best running
backs in the NFC.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, but Bijon came in expecting to be that way,
and Rico was a spare for the Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Special teams, yeah, special team.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
So, but just get some production at running back. The
defense is good enough like the Texans to win you
a lot of games, and but be a little bit
more dynamic. Don't be afraid to go for it more
often on fourth down. Have motion in your offense. You know,
get some creativity with a great offensive coordinator that can
help you with what you're trying to do and I
(10:39):
think Pittsburgh that's the that's the only thing standing between
Pittsburgh and at worst an AFC championship.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
By birth.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I think they're good enough to get there as I
think the Texans are the way that they're playing, and
I think if the Steelers can mimic what they're doing,
that would suit suit them well in the future.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yeah. But and unfortunately in that game, and it was
pretty obvious, and I give you the stats, like the
one area that you keep bringing.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Up is typically the running game.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, that's Pittsburgh got.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Blown out on the ground.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Bultimo, it doesn't happen.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
I had over two.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Hundred yards on the ground, and one hundred and I
think seventy of it came between two different guys. I
was Keaton Mitchell and Derek Henry. Keaton Mitchell is the
second guy, usually fast, He's he's the he's the he's
the placeholder in that regard. Pittsburgh only got thirty four
yards overall. What they got was a pair of goal
line touchdowns, and that's what put them over the edge.
That the Ravens made too many mistakes. Obviously, Lamar had
(11:30):
that really bad interception like the things things happen, and
that regard.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
To thirty four, Yeah, that's that's there is the aberration
usually the two seventeen rushing wins, and maybe they should
have won yesterday. I didn't get to see the game
because we were traveling back after the basketball game also,
but and they had Green Bay and whatever on the
direct TV on the bus, so I didn't see it.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
They had the Pittsburgh and the Ravens game here.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
I'm one of my monitors as I was doing the
UTSA game, and one thing that was obvious is that
as good as Baltimore is at running the ball and
even sending their plays with Lamar Jackson, that offensive line
is beat up. I understand they have injuries. I understand
Ronnie Stand's getting a little older. I understand all these factors.
But this Pittsburgh front seven that you that to to
to be fair, I have I have praised their front seven.
(12:17):
That's the one thing I've given consistent credit to all years,
the Steelers front seven, right is that they have a
really good pass rush. They were getting to Lamar a
lot yesterday and it affected his throws, it affected a
lot of their third downs, and and that was what
made the difference.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Let me tell you this, Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
If I've got Darry Henry Keaton, Mitchell Lamar Jackson running
the football, yeah, and my opponents have Kenneth Gainwell, Jalen Warren,
Caleb Johnson, Connor Hayward and Aaron Rodgers rush for two
carries for no yards. Yep.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
I mean that's the Cleveland Indians in the Major League movie.
Who are these guys?
Speaker 4 (12:50):
You should win that game?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah? You should?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You should, yes, I mean you got to go get
a running back. You never even thought about replacing Najie Harris.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Obviously the Steers don't need a running back.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
But they need a running back for Mike Tomlin to
get the critics office back and win more than nine
or ten games if they had a running back, even
if they had nice and I guess Harris got hurt.
Not Harris is not who he used to be, you
know he's not. But I mean, just get somebody like
what he was when he came in the league.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Teazier said, than done, man, I don't care, just I
don't care.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
What you have to trade or what you go waste
money on a first round pick. Get yourself a running game.
If you're gonna play that conservatively. You better be able
to pick up third.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And two on a on a run using top end
draft capital on a running back. The last time, you know,
the last time a running back went for at least
a second round pick for in a trade, that was
Christian McCaffrey, and there was different picks involved in that.
Running back position is not value as much as it
once was, and I agree it's still very much important
to the success of the offense because so much is
(13:49):
built around what the quarterback does. You need some relief,
but teams nowadays are using a running back by committee appropriate.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
You can't tell me that sincere McCormick on the rate
on the forty nine ers practice squad, is it better
than that group of never has beens or never will
be's for Pittsburgh, Well.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Well, Caleb Johnson's the rookie, so you got to give
him time. Kenneth Gainwell, Kenneth Gamebell is a supplemental back anyway,
for Carrie was supposed to be guy and he hasn't been.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
That's and they ran fifty one plays and thirty four
of them were passes.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, so and it worked out for it worked out once.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
But this is the smoke and mirrors that that Mike
Tomlin's able to get away with the defense was good
enough to win. They stopped, they did what they had
to do. Here we go.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
It's uh, it's amazing that he keeps winning. But he
did again yesterday. And I'm a big Mike Tomlin fan,
and I love the fact that you have stability with
the program.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
But you got to get you got to fix the offense.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
And if I'm the Rooney family that's in charge of that,
I'm like, God, I'm tired of watching this team be
boring and win. I'd rather be exciting and even lose
a couple of games and then to have the boredom
that we have on offense. All Right, Derek Fox is
going to join us at the bottom of the hour.
We'll talk about the Valero Allambo Bowl. We also have
a little bit I'm not gonna go do deep in this,
(15:09):
but we had some exciting golf news yesterday and Notre Dame,
Iowa State, and Baylor and Kansas State among the teams
that all opted out of their bowl games.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
All that coming up on the ticket
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com