April 1, 2025 • 20 mins
Labs and Tom talk about Tomlin’s comments at the owners meetings and then get into this week’s questions.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is asked and answered questions with Tom Uperman and
Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
The NFL owners meetings are happening as we speak down
in Florida. Coach Tomlin, of course down there. He spoke
with the media a couple of times, had his nice
little breakfast powwow yesterday Monday Morning Labs talked about a
wide spectrum of things, but a lot of people are
interested in the Steelers quarterback situation in Aaron Rodgers and
Tomlin revealed a little bit of light on how patient
(00:32):
the organization and himself are willing to be when it
comes to waiting out mister.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Rogers, Yeah, you know, I think that you know, there's
obviously some built in deadlines, like for example, you know,
the start of training camp. You know there's that. But
I do think that based on what he said and
(00:56):
based on what we're seeing, I think the Steelers have
an offer obviously out for Aaron Rodgers, whatever it is,
I think it is. I don't think there's this This
delay is about, you know, a negotiating stance by either side.
I really I think that it's kind of take it
or leave it. And I think that Aaron Rodgers has
(01:17):
kind of deciding whether he wants the play or not,
because it really doesn't seem to me there's that he
has that there are any other teams really interested. You know,
the Vikings have been floated around whether they have.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Interest or not.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
But the Vikings drafted a quarterback first last year, JJ McCarthy,
and so he didn't. He didn't He was injured last
year and so that was this you know the emergence
of Sam Darnold, who has now gone. But I can't
see Aaron Rodgers being interested in the Vikings or the
Vikings really being interested in Aaron Rodgers as a starter
(01:56):
because you know, you draft a quarterback in the top
twelve or whatever it was that they picked him, JJ McCarthy,
you don't want to burn two years of his rookie
contract without seeing him play. I mean, you know, because
that that's just not efficient use of you know, draft capital,
(02:16):
indoor salary cap space. So I don't know, it just
seems to me that it's Pittsburgh or bust for Aaron Rodgers.
What the Steelers might do if you know, this doesn't
come to fruition.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Omar Cohn also spoke at the owner's meetings and he said,
you know, everything is on the table, which you know,
that's what general managers say, and we have seen, you know,
from Omar during his relatively brief tenure let's call it
young young tenure as the GM, that yeah, a lot
of things are on the table, because there was a
(02:54):
time last year where you know, kind of thought that
it was going to be Kenny Pickett and then it
was Russell Wilson and then Justin Fields, and so yeah,
there are a lot of things on the table. And
I don't know if you were going to bring this
up or not, but I did see the video on
(03:17):
ESPN of Aaron Rodgers working out, for lack of a
better term or phrase, with DK metcalf a throwing session,
and you know, I don't know if that happens, if
Aaron Rodgers has no interest in the Steelers, or if
he's really leaning towards retirement. I mean, who knows with him.
(03:42):
I mean, you know, I'm I don't mean that in
a derogatory way. I just mean that trying to predict
what's in his head is just not a high percentage move.
So I'm gonna stop. But this is I saw it.
I actually saw that video, so I don't think it
was AI. It sure certainly looked like two real guys. So, hey,
(04:05):
you know that's where we are.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You're right, you don't want to really read the tea
leaves too much when it comes to a guy like
Aaron Rodgers. But if this was a normal person that
we were dealing with, that'd be a pretty good sign
that he is, you know, moving down the path of
becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler. Why wouldn't he just be on
vacation at some beach somewhere if he really didn't know
if he was going to play or not, And why.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Would he be throwing to that specific wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Wouldn't he just go, you know, hook up with DeVante
Adams or Randall Cobb one of his old buddies if
he wants to throw.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
The ball around.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, And I mean, I don't know that if you're
really not if you're really not leaning towards playing more,
why are.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
You even doing that?
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I mean, he's forty one or what, he's in his forties,
whatever his age is specifically, and he's I'm sure he's
got enough throwing in his life, throwing of the football
in his life you know, under his belt so far.
So you know, it just seems to me that it's
a question of when not if.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I agree. Let's get to this week's batch of questions.
We start with Robert Foster from Tampa Bay, Florida. Is
it time to bite the bullet and just lose? Being average?
Is only getting the team mid level draft picks? The
only way to get a good quarterback is to draft
him in the top ten picks. I know there are
plenty of bus in the top ten, but it seems
(05:23):
to be the only path to a potential franchise quarterback
at the moment.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
You know, I.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Really have no stomach for that kind of approach to
professional sports. You know, just lose bite the bullet. You know, again,
it's professional sports. These guys, the players in it, the
coaches in it, you know, the executives in it, the
owners in it.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
I mean, you know, they're they're.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
They're doing this to win, and you know, playing a
game not trying to win it, or going through a
season without not trying to win. That's that's just against
their DNA in my experience anyway. And let me tell
you this, especially you know when it comes to the
(06:16):
professional versions of sports, whether it be you know, football, basketball, hockey, whatever.
You know, if you're if you think, well, if you're
in charge of something either coaching it or a player
or you know, let's lose, you know, to build for
the future. You might not be part of that future
(06:38):
because you know, just you can tell this by the
they call it black Monday in the NFL. That's the
the day after the end of the regular season. There's
six or seven coaches get fired every year. And that's
their staffs too, So you know, just average, say twelve
(06:59):
assistant coaches. If it's six, you know, six coaches get fired,
six staffs, that's seventy two people lose their jobs and
there's not necessarily another one right around the corner. You know,
you you working, you have a job on an as
(07:20):
an assistant coach on an NFL staff, and the head
coach gets fired along with all his assistants. There's no
even guarantee that you get another job in the league.
I mean, it's just people don't think that way in
that business. That's that's a fans perspective and a perspective
or a perspective of people who you know, after the
(07:44):
outcome of the game on Sunday. They know they have
a job to go to on Monday. The people in
that business, that's not their reality.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I'd also like to just throw a couple of other
things out their labs. A it's, you know, likely you'll
get a blue chip prospect in the top ten at quarterback,
but it's like you can't find those players outside of
the top ten. Shoot the guy that the Steelers are
flirting with right now, the forty one year old Once
upon a Time was drafted in the end of the
first round. The two time MVP Lamar Jackson drafted at
(08:12):
the very end of the first round. And then the
other thing I'd like to say is you don't have
to go four and thirteen to get a top ten pick.
Steelers have a ton of comppicks that are going to
be coming their way. You can always trade up, and
the Steelers have traded up in recent drafts.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, and I'll just give you two names, Zach Wilson,
Trey lance yep top five picks, both of them. You
want either one of those guys, I don't think so
I'll pass.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
I'll take Rogers or Lamar in the late first round.
Kevin Drew.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Oh think Mason.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, I'll take Mason over those two. Kevin Drew from Charleston,
West Virginia. How much was Mason Rudolph's two year contract worth?
Speaker 1 (08:53):
What the reports of the Mason Rudolph contract. It's a
two year deal. It's worth a total of eight million.
Four and a half million of that is guaranteed in
terms of the signing bonus. And you know the first
year's salary, so very reasonable when it comes to quarterback
salaries in the NFL, even for a guy who is
(09:15):
going to be the backup number two guy, and who knows.
I mean, one of the other things Mike Tomlin said
at the owners meetings was that they would be comfortable
Steelers would be comfortable with Mason Rudolph as the starter.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
William Palach from Claremont, Florida, with the options running out
for signing a veteran quarterback, do you see Merritt and
approaching Atlanta about a trade for Kirk Cousins. What do
you see as the pros and cons of getting that
deal done.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I see no pros for trading for Kirk Cousins. I
just don't his age his salary, because, as William is mentioning,
you have to trade for him.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yes, and faded down the stretch horribly, to the point
where a rookie took over his job and little Falcons
were still fighting for a playoff spot.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
And he really didn't look very good in the opener
against the Steelers either. Yeah, I did it, so, you know,
when you start bad and finish bad, you know, I know,
I see no pros to that to trying to get
that deal done.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Scott Kunst from Ocean View, Delaware, Is it true we
have traded for Jared Goff, the quarterback from the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
What what's the day today?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Today is April first?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Oh, is that what you're doing to me here, young Thomas. No,
there's no truth to that. The Steelers have not traded
for Jared Goff. Ha ha, April fools to me or you?
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Well, let's keep the quarterback trade theme going here with
Mark Whitmer's question from Grantville, Pennsylvania. Is it possible for
the Steelers to pull off a trade for forty nine
Ers quarterback Brock Party?
Speaker 4 (10:58):
What are your thoughts on that idea? Is it nuts?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
You know, somewhere between wishful thinking and nuts? You know why? Again,
fans have this tendency to view these trades through the
lens of their favorite team, you know, And I always
like to look at it the other way, like, why
(11:25):
would the why would the forty nine ers want to
trade him? And you know, he's their starting quarterback. That's
not like they have a young guy behind him ready
to step in. It's not like he has played really
poorly or he's making a lot of money or eating
(11:46):
a lot of salary cap or any of that stuff.
And so, you know, the forty nine ers, I think
a calendar year ago, we were looking at them as,
you know, a legitimate Super Bowl contender. So why would
the forty nine ers be interested in trading the quarterback
of a team that they thought was a super Bowl contender?
(12:07):
And if they you know, and then if that was
for some strange reason, what do you think they would
want for him? I mean, you think you're getting him
for a third day draft pick?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
You know? And really, what is Brock Purdy? I mean?
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Is he a product of Kyle Shanahan's system? Is he
a product of playing with Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel
and George Kittle and you know all of those people.
You know it's I write this all the time, say
this all the time. It's not a video game. I mean,
it's not plug and play. You don't take a quarterback
(12:46):
from a Kyle Shanahan offense with that set of weapons
that I just mentioned around him and then just stick
him in another team and expect him to perform it
to the same level. It's not like baseball, where if
you're a third base and you're a third baseman, and
third base is third base, whether it's the National League
in the American League. This is you know, football. It's
(13:07):
about systems, personnel, fit, you know, all of that stuff.
Because it's eleven on eleven all the time. So again
I'm gonna say what I just said to you, young Thomas.
Are we done with the April Fools ones? Or is
there more?
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It looks like we are done with the April Fools
ones for now. Maybe there will be another one that
is coming up. No guarantees there, keep your head on
a swovel. On a day like today, everybody Martin McCarthy
from California, Pennsylvania has their next question though. When the
Steelers traded up to draft Broderick Jones in twenty twenty three,
it appeared to be the consensus that he was going
to be the left tackle of the future. What was
(13:44):
behind the decision to play him out of position on
the right side from the beginning?
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Okay, when the Steelers traded up in the first round
for Broderick Jones twenty twenty three, that was they knew
that they were drafting a young He was twenty four,
excuse me, twenty one years old when he was picked,
and he was also on the raw side because he
hadn't had a lot of playing experience during his college
(14:11):
career at Georgia. And now I'm not saying he didn't
play at Georgia because he wasn't any good. He was
the starting left tackle on their back to back national
championship teams. He was just young. And then he left
college rather quickly and declared for the draft. Okay, So
Broderick Jones joins the Steelers at a time where the
(14:32):
starting tackles or the veteran tackles were Dan Moore Junior
and Chooks a corps for So Dan Moore Junior couldn't
play a position except left tackle, So the Steelers played
Dan Moore at left tackle and a corps for at
right tackle.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Now, when the season started, it was kind of you
thought that they would go with the two veterans and
then Broderick Jones would learn while serving as a swing tackle. Okay,
but then that season progressed and a corps for his
play was you know, below the line consistently, so a
(15:13):
change had to be made.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
So the choices.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
To replace the corps four were Dylan Cook, Spencer Anderson,
or Broderick Jones. Okay, so you put the number one
pick in, let's see what we got, and that's how
Jones began his NFL career playing right tackle. So then
(15:41):
last year twenty twenty four, Jones's second year in the league,
the idea as training camp was going on and we
got to see more of Troy Filotanu, who was that
year's number one pick. It was going to be Broughderick
Jones at left tackle, Filetano at right tackle, and Dan
(16:03):
Moore was going to be, you know, the third guy. Well,
then Filetano got injured and he's out for the year,
and we go back to the fact that Dan Moore
can't play right tackle, right, So there we are. That's
why Broderick Jones played right tackle his first two years
of the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Mike Foster from UWA Beach, Hawaii wants to know about
Dan Moore. Dan Moore Junior signed a four year contract
that averages out to around twenty point five million per year.
Are you surprised he got paid so much money? Is
that the new going rate for good but not great
left tackles? And is a swing offensive tackle a need
for the Steelers in the draft this year?
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Well, okay, Dan Moore Junior went to unrestricted hit unrestricted
free agency. And I've always believed that a guy's market
value is what a team is willing to pay him.
You don't go into free agency and determine your own
market value by saying what you want or by an
agent telling you what you deserve. You know, it all
(17:05):
comes down to who is willing to pay You know,
as I was told one time long ago, they voted
to cash register. So the twenty and a half million
per year is what dan Moore got. The Tennessee Titans
were willing to pay him that, So that is the
going rate that becomes the going rate because a team
(17:28):
was willing to pay that. You know, what we think
of Dan Moore? What fans think of Dan Moore as
a good but not great blah blah blah. Hey, supply
and demand is at work too, teams, don't you know?
There's not an abundance of left tackles with a lot
of starting experience in the NFL. And whatever we think
(17:52):
of Dan Moore, whatever fans think of Dan Moore, doesn't matter.
And I think that he is a much better player
than he was perceived to be during his time with
the Steelers, and by perceived, I mean perceived by people
outside the organization. The other thing about Dan Moore too,
(18:15):
his availability was off the charts. The guy played, didn't
miss games because of injury. He played almost one hundred
percent of the snaps all the time throughout a season.
So there's that too, you know, is a swing tackle
and need for the Steelers. You know, well, if you
look at the guys who are under contract at the
(18:37):
position right now, you got Broderick Jones and Troy Foleton,
who we believe are going to be the starters. You
got Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson. So there's not a
clear option as a number three guy. Nor is those
four one, two, three four enough to bring to training
(18:59):
camp so yeah, there's gonna have to be some additions
at that position before the team reports to Saint Fens
In College.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Francis Sintillo from cal Country, Florida has our last question.
If the Steelers signed some has been at quarterback, how
many fans will boycott the NFL?
Speaker 1 (19:21):
You know that that that cracks me up. This boycott.
I'm not watching anymore. If they do this or don't
do that, I'm not watching anymore. You know, the whole
national anthem thing whenever that was years ago, I'm not
watching anymore. But every year the ratings go up, the
rights fees go up. So yeah, So with questions like this,
(19:51):
to me, there's.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
I need to understand the question.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And we're talking about how many fans are gonna say
they're not gonna watch anymore and boy or we're talking
about how many people are actually not gonna watch anymore
and are gonna boycott, because those numbers usually fall on
opposite ends of the spectrum.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Well, I'll definitely be watching.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I'll never boycott this thing, and I'll never say that
I'm gonna boycott it either, because I'm addicted to it.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
I love it. We've got a draft this month.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
It's April first, which means it's officially draft month, so
you can get excited for that. But LABS and I
will be back next week, of course with another edition
of Asden Answered, so you can always be excited for
that as well.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
For Labs, I'm Tom. We'll talk to you next time
on Asden Answered
This is asked and answered questions with Tom Uperman and
Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
The NFL owners meetings are happening as we speak down
in Florida. Coach Tomlin, of course down there. He spoke
with the media a couple of times, had his nice
little breakfast powwow yesterday Monday Morning Labs talked about a
wide spectrum of things, but a lot of people are
interested in the Steelers quarterback situation in Aaron Rodgers and
Tomlin revealed a little bit of light on how patient
(00:32):
the organization and himself are willing to be when it
comes to waiting out mister.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Rogers, Yeah, you know, I think that you know, there's
obviously some built in deadlines, like for example, you know,
the start of training camp. You know there's that. But
I do think that based on what he said and
(00:56):
based on what we're seeing, I think the Steelers have
an offer obviously out for Aaron Rodgers, whatever it is,
I think it is. I don't think there's this This
delay is about, you know, a negotiating stance by either side.
I really I think that it's kind of take it
or leave it. And I think that Aaron Rodgers has
(01:17):
kind of deciding whether he wants the play or not,
because it really doesn't seem to me there's that he
has that there are any other teams really interested. You know,
the Vikings have been floated around whether they have.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Interest or not.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
But the Vikings drafted a quarterback first last year, JJ McCarthy,
and so he didn't. He didn't He was injured last
year and so that was this you know the emergence
of Sam Darnold, who has now gone. But I can't
see Aaron Rodgers being interested in the Vikings or the
Vikings really being interested in Aaron Rodgers as a starter
(01:56):
because you know, you draft a quarterback in the top
twelve or whatever it was that they picked him, JJ McCarthy,
you don't want to burn two years of his rookie
contract without seeing him play. I mean, you know, because
that that's just not efficient use of you know, draft capital,
(02:16):
indoor salary cap space. So I don't know, it just
seems to me that it's Pittsburgh or bust for Aaron Rodgers.
What the Steelers might do if you know, this doesn't
come to fruition.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Omar Cohn also spoke at the owner's meetings and he said,
you know, everything is on the table, which you know,
that's what general managers say, and we have seen, you know,
from Omar during his relatively brief tenure let's call it
young young tenure as the GM, that yeah, a lot
of things are on the table, because there was a
(02:54):
time last year where you know, kind of thought that
it was going to be Kenny Pickett and then it
was Russell Wilson and then Justin Fields, and so yeah,
there are a lot of things on the table. And
I don't know if you were going to bring this
up or not, but I did see the video on
(03:17):
ESPN of Aaron Rodgers working out, for lack of a
better term or phrase, with DK metcalf a throwing session,
and you know, I don't know if that happens, if
Aaron Rodgers has no interest in the Steelers, or if
he's really leaning towards retirement. I mean, who knows with him.
(03:42):
I mean, you know, I'm I don't mean that in
a derogatory way. I just mean that trying to predict
what's in his head is just not a high percentage move.
So I'm gonna stop. But this is I saw it.
I actually saw that video, so I don't think it
was AI. It sure certainly looked like two real guys. So, hey,
(04:05):
you know that's where we are.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You're right, you don't want to really read the tea
leaves too much when it comes to a guy like
Aaron Rodgers. But if this was a normal person that
we were dealing with, that'd be a pretty good sign
that he is, you know, moving down the path of
becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler. Why wouldn't he just be on
vacation at some beach somewhere if he really didn't know
if he was going to play or not, And why.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Would he be throwing to that specific wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Wouldn't he just go, you know, hook up with DeVante
Adams or Randall Cobb one of his old buddies if
he wants to throw.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
The ball around.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, And I mean, I don't know that if you're
really not if you're really not leaning towards playing more,
why are.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
You even doing that?
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I mean, he's forty one or what, he's in his forties,
whatever his age is specifically, and he's I'm sure he's
got enough throwing in his life, throwing of the football
in his life you know, under his belt so far.
So you know, it just seems to me that it's
a question of when not if.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I agree. Let's get to this week's batch of questions.
We start with Robert Foster from Tampa Bay, Florida. Is
it time to bite the bullet and just lose? Being average?
Is only getting the team mid level draft picks? The
only way to get a good quarterback is to draft
him in the top ten picks. I know there are
plenty of bus in the top ten, but it seems
(05:23):
to be the only path to a potential franchise quarterback
at the moment.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
You know, I.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Really have no stomach for that kind of approach to
professional sports. You know, just lose bite the bullet. You know, again,
it's professional sports. These guys, the players in it, the
coaches in it, you know, the executives in it, the
owners in it.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
I mean, you know, they're they're.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
They're doing this to win, and you know, playing a
game not trying to win it, or going through a
season without not trying to win. That's that's just against
their DNA in my experience anyway. And let me tell
you this, especially you know when it comes to the
(06:16):
professional versions of sports, whether it be you know, football, basketball, hockey, whatever.
You know, if you're if you think, well, if you're
in charge of something either coaching it or a player
or you know, let's lose, you know, to build for
the future. You might not be part of that future
(06:38):
because you know, just you can tell this by the
they call it black Monday in the NFL. That's the
the day after the end of the regular season. There's
six or seven coaches get fired every year. And that's
their staffs too, So you know, just average, say twelve
(06:59):
assistant coaches. If it's six, you know, six coaches get fired,
six staffs, that's seventy two people lose their jobs and
there's not necessarily another one right around the corner. You know,
you you working, you have a job on an as
(07:20):
an assistant coach on an NFL staff, and the head
coach gets fired along with all his assistants. There's no
even guarantee that you get another job in the league.
I mean, it's just people don't think that way in
that business. That's that's a fans perspective and a perspective
or a perspective of people who you know, after the
(07:44):
outcome of the game on Sunday. They know they have
a job to go to on Monday. The people in
that business, that's not their reality.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I'd also like to just throw a couple of other
things out their labs. A it's, you know, likely you'll
get a blue chip prospect in the top ten at quarterback,
but it's like you can't find those players outside of
the top ten. Shoot the guy that the Steelers are
flirting with right now, the forty one year old Once
upon a Time was drafted in the end of the
first round. The two time MVP Lamar Jackson drafted at
(08:12):
the very end of the first round. And then the
other thing I'd like to say is you don't have
to go four and thirteen to get a top ten pick.
Steelers have a ton of comppicks that are going to
be coming their way. You can always trade up, and
the Steelers have traded up in recent drafts.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, and I'll just give you two names, Zach Wilson,
Trey lance yep top five picks, both of them. You
want either one of those guys, I don't think so
I'll pass.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
I'll take Rogers or Lamar in the late first round.
Kevin Drew.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Oh think Mason.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, I'll take Mason over those two. Kevin Drew from Charleston,
West Virginia. How much was Mason Rudolph's two year contract worth?
Speaker 1 (08:53):
What the reports of the Mason Rudolph contract. It's a
two year deal. It's worth a total of eight million.
Four and a half million of that is guaranteed in
terms of the signing bonus. And you know the first
year's salary, so very reasonable when it comes to quarterback
salaries in the NFL, even for a guy who is
(09:15):
going to be the backup number two guy, and who knows.
I mean, one of the other things Mike Tomlin said
at the owners meetings was that they would be comfortable
Steelers would be comfortable with Mason Rudolph as the starter.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
William Palach from Claremont, Florida, with the options running out
for signing a veteran quarterback, do you see Merritt and
approaching Atlanta about a trade for Kirk Cousins. What do
you see as the pros and cons of getting that
deal done.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I see no pros for trading for Kirk Cousins. I
just don't his age his salary, because, as William is mentioning,
you have to trade for him.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yes, and faded down the stretch horribly, to the point
where a rookie took over his job and little Falcons
were still fighting for a playoff spot.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
And he really didn't look very good in the opener
against the Steelers either. Yeah, I did it, so, you know,
when you start bad and finish bad, you know, I know,
I see no pros to that to trying to get
that deal done.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Scott Kunst from Ocean View, Delaware, Is it true we
have traded for Jared Goff, the quarterback from the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
What what's the day today?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Today is April first?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Oh, is that what you're doing to me here, young Thomas. No,
there's no truth to that. The Steelers have not traded
for Jared Goff. Ha ha, April fools to me or you?
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Well, let's keep the quarterback trade theme going here with
Mark Whitmer's question from Grantville, Pennsylvania. Is it possible for
the Steelers to pull off a trade for forty nine
Ers quarterback Brock Party?
Speaker 4 (10:58):
What are your thoughts on that idea? Is it nuts?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
You know, somewhere between wishful thinking and nuts? You know why? Again,
fans have this tendency to view these trades through the
lens of their favorite team, you know, And I always
like to look at it the other way, like, why
(11:25):
would the why would the forty nine ers want to
trade him? And you know, he's their starting quarterback. That's
not like they have a young guy behind him ready
to step in. It's not like he has played really
poorly or he's making a lot of money or eating
(11:46):
a lot of salary cap or any of that stuff.
And so, you know, the forty nine ers, I think
a calendar year ago, we were looking at them as,
you know, a legitimate Super Bowl contender. So why would
the forty nine ers be interested in trading the quarterback
of a team that they thought was a super Bowl contender?
(12:07):
And if they you know, and then if that was
for some strange reason, what do you think they would
want for him? I mean, you think you're getting him
for a third day draft pick?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
You know? And really, what is Brock Purdy? I mean?
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Is he a product of Kyle Shanahan's system? Is he
a product of playing with Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel
and George Kittle and you know all of those people.
You know it's I write this all the time, say
this all the time. It's not a video game. I mean,
it's not plug and play. You don't take a quarterback
(12:46):
from a Kyle Shanahan offense with that set of weapons
that I just mentioned around him and then just stick
him in another team and expect him to perform it
to the same level. It's not like baseball, where if
you're a third base and you're a third baseman, and
third base is third base, whether it's the National League
in the American League. This is you know, football. It's
(13:07):
about systems, personnel, fit, you know, all of that stuff.
Because it's eleven on eleven all the time. So again
I'm gonna say what I just said to you, young Thomas.
Are we done with the April Fools ones? Or is
there more?
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It looks like we are done with the April Fools
ones for now. Maybe there will be another one that
is coming up. No guarantees there, keep your head on
a swovel. On a day like today, everybody Martin McCarthy
from California, Pennsylvania has their next question though. When the
Steelers traded up to draft Broderick Jones in twenty twenty three,
it appeared to be the consensus that he was going
to be the left tackle of the future. What was
(13:44):
behind the decision to play him out of position on
the right side from the beginning?
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Okay, when the Steelers traded up in the first round
for Broderick Jones twenty twenty three, that was they knew
that they were drafting a young He was twenty four,
excuse me, twenty one years old when he was picked,
and he was also on the raw side because he
hadn't had a lot of playing experience during his college
(14:11):
career at Georgia. And now I'm not saying he didn't
play at Georgia because he wasn't any good. He was
the starting left tackle on their back to back national
championship teams. He was just young. And then he left
college rather quickly and declared for the draft. Okay, So
Broderick Jones joins the Steelers at a time where the
(14:32):
starting tackles or the veteran tackles were Dan Moore Junior
and Chooks a corps for So Dan Moore Junior couldn't
play a position except left tackle, So the Steelers played
Dan Moore at left tackle and a corps for at
right tackle.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Now, when the season started, it was kind of you
thought that they would go with the two veterans and
then Broderick Jones would learn while serving as a swing tackle. Okay,
but then that season progressed and a corps for his
play was you know, below the line consistently, so a
(15:13):
change had to be made.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
So the choices.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
To replace the corps four were Dylan Cook, Spencer Anderson,
or Broderick Jones. Okay, so you put the number one
pick in, let's see what we got, and that's how
Jones began his NFL career playing right tackle. So then
(15:41):
last year twenty twenty four, Jones's second year in the league,
the idea as training camp was going on and we
got to see more of Troy Filotanu, who was that
year's number one pick. It was going to be Broughderick
Jones at left tackle, Filetano at right tackle, and Dan
(16:03):
Moore was going to be, you know, the third guy. Well,
then Filetano got injured and he's out for the year,
and we go back to the fact that Dan Moore
can't play right tackle, right, So there we are. That's
why Broderick Jones played right tackle his first two years
of the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Mike Foster from UWA Beach, Hawaii wants to know about
Dan Moore. Dan Moore Junior signed a four year contract
that averages out to around twenty point five million per year.
Are you surprised he got paid so much money? Is
that the new going rate for good but not great
left tackles? And is a swing offensive tackle a need
for the Steelers in the draft this year?
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Well, okay, Dan Moore Junior went to unrestricted hit unrestricted
free agency. And I've always believed that a guy's market
value is what a team is willing to pay him.
You don't go into free agency and determine your own
market value by saying what you want or by an
agent telling you what you deserve. You know, it all
(17:05):
comes down to who is willing to pay You know,
as I was told one time long ago, they voted
to cash register. So the twenty and a half million
per year is what dan Moore got. The Tennessee Titans
were willing to pay him that, So that is the
going rate that becomes the going rate because a team
(17:28):
was willing to pay that. You know, what we think
of Dan Moore? What fans think of Dan Moore as
a good but not great blah blah blah. Hey, supply
and demand is at work too, teams, don't you know?
There's not an abundance of left tackles with a lot
of starting experience in the NFL. And whatever we think
(17:52):
of Dan Moore, whatever fans think of Dan Moore, doesn't matter.
And I think that he is a much better player
than he was perceived to be during his time with
the Steelers, and by perceived, I mean perceived by people
outside the organization. The other thing about Dan Moore too,
(18:15):
his availability was off the charts. The guy played, didn't
miss games because of injury. He played almost one hundred
percent of the snaps all the time throughout a season.
So there's that too, you know, is a swing tackle
and need for the Steelers. You know, well, if you
look at the guys who are under contract at the
(18:37):
position right now, you got Broderick Jones and Troy Foleton,
who we believe are going to be the starters. You
got Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson. So there's not a
clear option as a number three guy. Nor is those
four one, two, three four enough to bring to training
(18:59):
camp so yeah, there's gonna have to be some additions
at that position before the team reports to Saint Fens
In College.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Francis Sintillo from cal Country, Florida has our last question.
If the Steelers signed some has been at quarterback, how
many fans will boycott the NFL?
Speaker 1 (19:21):
You know that that that cracks me up. This boycott.
I'm not watching anymore. If they do this or don't
do that, I'm not watching anymore. You know, the whole
national anthem thing whenever that was years ago, I'm not
watching anymore. But every year the ratings go up, the
rights fees go up. So yeah, So with questions like this,
(19:51):
to me, there's.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
I need to understand the question.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And we're talking about how many fans are gonna say
they're not gonna watch anymore and boy or we're talking
about how many people are actually not gonna watch anymore
and are gonna boycott, because those numbers usually fall on
opposite ends of the spectrum.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Well, I'll definitely be watching.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I'll never boycott this thing, and I'll never say that
I'm gonna boycott it either, because I'm addicted to it.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
I love it. We've got a draft this month.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
It's April first, which means it's officially draft month, so
you can get excited for that. But LABS and I
will be back next week, of course with another edition
of Asden Answered, so you can always be excited for
that as well.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
For Labs, I'm Tom. We'll talk to you next time
on Asden Answered
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