January 21, 2025 • 25 mins
Labs and Tom talk about the divisional round playoff results and get into this weeks questions.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is asked and answered questions with Tom Upferman and
Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
You know, it's funny laps. How much can change in
just one week in the NFL. A week ago, the
Steelers just got beat pretty badly by the Baltimore Ravens,
and now today they're on the couch right next to us.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Isn't that something?
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I mean I can't, I can't deny it. I mean,
that was that was my highlight of the Divisional round weekend.
You know, the four games for me, those games that
might be my favorite weekend of watching football.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I agree with you. Saturday Sunday, two games each day.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It's perfect, yeah, right, and you know.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
There's there's it's it's amusing to me. You know how
teams fans react the disappointment and the you know, the
Ravens fans, I mean they were really quick to hammer
Mark Andrews. And you know, then there were others I
(01:11):
saw quote unquote experts, Chris Simms, you know, as one who.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Was pretty critical.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I thought of Lamar Jackson for the kind of throw
that it was and the kind of throw that he
he made early in the game on that pass to
Derrick Henry just be on the line of yeah, under
threw it.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
I mean, you know, stuff happens.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
But to me, I'd like to see Chris Sims not
under throw a pass. I mean, we have plenty of that.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
But what's hard about doing going for two the first times?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Think first time is so bizarre.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Right, kick the extra point, kick the second extra point,
and you don't have to go for two. Coaches who
who follow that, you know, the Ravens, they like to
pump their chest out and you know, fans like to
point to them as this example of analytics and how
they're so cutting edge and all that garbage. Well, you
(02:13):
know what, that's why you that's what the kind of
thing that influences going for two too early? Analytics and
that's what the sheet says. But you know you're you're
not Coaches who go for two before they have to
go for two. To me, I think are just making
a mistake, you know, unless it's part of your I
(02:39):
don't know, personality, and you do it all the time,
regardless of you know, the score of the game.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
But I still like Tomlin used to do this back
when they had an elite offense with the Killer Bees.
You do it the first touchdown you score, you know
what I mean, like early in the game, you score
in that first possession, go for two, go up eight?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Nothing, why not?
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, I mean when you have that group of personnel.
I mean when he was doing that, it was you know,
Ab and lady On and Heath Miller and Ben was
a quarterback and yeah, and it was the early era
of seven shots, you know, and the Steelers were practicing there,
you know, before every practice, so you know, but still
(03:19):
I have to I'm not a fan of that, and
especially when you're playing in a divisional round, and whoever
you're playing in the divisional round has to be a
formidable opponent.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
You know, Chasing points is.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Just foolish and it's it's it's not as though you know,
he needed that to that first two point conversion attempt too,
because the game was in a at a time where
you know that that kind of thing was going to
be really important.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
And so to me, that was just that was by far.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
If you're asking me what cost the Ravens that game,
If you have to point to something one thing, I'm
a point to Lamar or Mark Andrews. I point to
that coach A coach should know better than that. A
guy with John Harbaugh's pedigree and experience and you know,
all that kind of stuff should know better than that.
(04:18):
But I have to admit it doesn't. It doesn't make
me sad at all. But as you mentioned, the Ravens
are on the couch, not too.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
No, it doesn't make me sad at all either, especially
because they got in their own way. You know, that
makes the juices a little bit sweeter for me. So
the Ravens are gone, Harbaugh's gone, Both Harbaugh's are gone.
So that's great, But we still have Taylor Swift to
deal with Labs. She gets through to the Final four again,
And all jokes aside, it's really remarkable that Mahomes has
(04:49):
gone seven for seven in years as a starter, making
it to this weekend. He's never been bounced earlier than
this Final four weekend.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yeah, and kudos to the officials who continue to you know,
pay that paved that path for him.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I mean, I mean, I know you're upset. Those roughing
calls on Houston were ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Well, and then how about the flop flo That should
be a penalty, I mean calling that, Yeah, unsportsmanlike conduct.
But you know it's and then really what's what was
comical was how the NFL trotted out all their people
(05:28):
after the day after to you know, justify explain the
calls and why they were the right calls, and you know,
citing passages from the rule book that could be bent
to you know, to justify the calls. I mean, it's
it's it's really, I don't know, I'm not. It doesn't
(05:51):
fool me. I just and it's going to be interesting
to see now in the wake of all that criticism
with the official eating is like in Buffalo versus Kansas
City the AFC Championship game.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
You know, because.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Maybe Andy Reid will make another commercial about it, you know,
maybe him and Jacob State Farm can get.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Please together, please know, God I can't.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
But you know, some of the memes are hilarious.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
This one I saw was it came out like right
after the game, well not right after, but you know,
in the in the hours after the game, and it
said that the the Bills were just flagged for roughing
Patrick Mahomes next.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Week, a little preemptive nice.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Yeah right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Hey, before we get to the questions, I know that
the AFC is our side of the street. But looking
over at the NFC side of things, Philly versus Washington,
I mean, the Eagles one of the best teams in
the NFL. Not really a surprise they're there, but lads
Washington and Jaden Daniels hell of a rookie quarterback, and
he joins Ben Roethlisberger. Is now one of only five
rookie quarterbacks to make it this far. No one's won
this game as a rookie, including Ben falling to the Patriots.
(07:08):
But he adds himself to that fraternity which is Ben Roethlisberger.
Then it drops off significantly with Joe Flacco, Sanchez and
Sean King.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, and you know, let me point this out too,
I guess. So then the Steelers going there and beating
the Commanders wasn't such a walk over winning all along?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Huh, I guess, I guess that's a pretty good tea.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, I'm just remembering too. There's been six now with Daniels.
Brock party made it as well as a rookie.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
But you're right, I.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Mean, the Commanders are an awesome football team and he's
an awesome quarterback, and that was a great road win
for the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, and you know, the commanders are very very interesting.
Jaden Daniels is he's something else, you know, I don't
know that, you know, and there's a lot of revisionist
draft history that always comes around too. Now everyone knew,
you know that, or is pretending they knew that Jaydeon
(08:03):
Daniels was the band coming up. Yeah, right, you know,
he's a very good player and right now he looks
like by far you know, the class of the quarterbacks
drafted in twenty twenty four. But you know, in last April,
I don't know that there was a lot of consensus
on that.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
No, there was, and.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
You know, so it's I'm not a big fan of
revising history after the fact.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So and that's definitely happening. You're right about that. You know,
people thought he would be good. They didn't say, oh
that was the clear and one one pick. What are
the Bears thinking?
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Right, right, all right, let's get to this week's batch
of questions.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Our first one comes from Dan McNeil from Manchester, New Hampshire.
Does this season's end hammer home just how awful the
Arty Burns selection was. Arty Burns was chosen when Derrick
Henry was still on the board. Just saying that's a
little bit revisionist history there too.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Yeah, yes, well, and I.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Did a little research here, and I'm ready for Dan
just to you know, get some housekeeping out of the way.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Already Burns.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
A cornerback from the U, you know, Miami was the
number one Steelers number one pick twenty fifth overall in
the twenty sixteen NFL draft. Derrick Henry from Alabama was
picked by Tennessee in the second round, forty fifth overall
that same year. Okay, so now let's let's get into
some of the context that Dan chooses to ignore in
(09:39):
twenty fifteen, the year before that draft, the twenty fifteen season,
the Steelers starting running back was Le'Veon Bell, who was
a twenty three year old starter okay, in two thousand
and fifteen. In twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen combined, Bell
rushed for twenty five hundred and fifty nine year with
(10:00):
a four point four average, and he had sixteen rushing
touchdowns to go along with one hundred and sixty catches
for another twelve hundred and seventy one yards, which was
a seven point nine yard average and four more touchdowns.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
So naturally, back then everybody knew running back was a
need for the.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Steelers exactly, But the cornerbacks on that twenty fifteen Steelers
team were Will Gay, Antoine Blake Dorin, Grant Ross Cockrell,
Brandon Boykin, and Cortes Allen. So right, so you know,
just to be clear, Dan is advocating drafting a running
(10:37):
back in twenty sixteen, a position where the Steelers had
a guy who already was a first team All Pro
in twenty fourteen and would be first team All Pro
again in twenty seventeen, So they should have picked a
running back there instead of a cornerback to forty five
position that was manned by Will Gay and a bunch
(10:58):
of journeymen. Now, in twenty sixteen, Burns had three interceptions
and thirteen passes defense to nine starts as a rookie,
but that was his best NFL season. If the point
had been that the Steelers missed by picking Burns over
cornerback Xavian Mxavian Howard, he went thirty eighth overall to
(11:22):
Miami in the same draft and was a multiple time
All Pro, or James Bradberry, who went sixty second overall
to Carolina, I would have been willing to consider that.
You know, you want to point that out. That's legit.
You know you miss on a position of need when
there were better players available after Okay, that's a mistake,
(11:48):
But don't come at me with you should have picked
a running back when you had Le'Veon Bell and they
and this was way before the contract stuff with him two.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
So I mean pastors were green ahead with Le'Veon Bell.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Oh, I mean Le'Veon Bell was.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
He was the best back in football. You just said
he was an All Pro first teamer twice.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Yeah, right, Rush, running, receiving, he was just he was it.
I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
You know, you're Derrick Henry now is better than Le'Veon
Bell now, But I don't know that Derrick Henry then
was better than Le'Veon Bell then.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh it's a debate for sure, especially because Le'Veon Bell
underthrown or not? Is catching that ball that Lamar Jackson
threw out there too in the divisional round. I'm pretty
pretty positive of that. Richard Coval from Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.
Will the Steelers have any compensatory draft picks this year?
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Okay, compensatory picks. Let me just explain the process a
little bit. Compensatory picks that will be awarded for the
twenty twenty five NFL Draft come as the result of
a formula that's based on what happened during free agency
in twenty twenty four. So you know, whatever happens in
(13:08):
terms of twenty twenty five compensatory picks has nothing to
do with what's going to be happening here over the
next several weeks couple of months in free agency. It's
what happened last year.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So the compensatory draft formula takes into account unrestricted free
agents lost versus unrestricted free agents signed, and then the
amount of the contracts those players signed, both with you
as your team and with other teams as you lost them.
(13:44):
So when you look at the free agency in twenty
twenty four, Patrick Queen signed a three year I think
it was fifty one million dollars deal just and so
that's a significant, big number contract. The Steelers didn't really
lose any unrestricted free agents who signed much more for
the league minimum based on their years of experience. So,
(14:07):
just based on the Patrick Queen acquisition and the fact
that Steelers didn't really lose anybody Levi Wallace didn't get much.
You know, I don't even know who else it was,
But as I said, these were not top line guys.
I don't expect the Steelers to get much of anything
in the way of compensatory picks for the upcoming draft.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Bruce Cross from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Assuming Troy Faltanu successfully returns
from his injury, if he achieves one hundred percent of
offensive line metrics in twenty twenty five, resulting in team
Slash League awards, would be considered a rookie or a
veteran in doing so, given he has not played a
snap in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
In a Previoussassin answered, I don't know if it made
the podcast, but it it was in the on you
Know the Line version. I made a mistake when writing
about Tory Filtono. I wrote that he didn't play a
snap in twenty twenty four. However, he did start one
regular season game September fifteenth against the Broncos in Denver. Fileton,
(15:16):
who started a right tackle, played fifty five of the
sixty six snaps on offense that day. Based on that alone,
Filetano will be a second year pro in twenty twenty five.
But again, even if he had not played a snap
during the regular season, he wouldn't be classified as a rookie.
A rookie in the NFL means that is your first
(15:40):
experience with a professional football training camp. Okay, and so
Flotano participated in training camp, and even if he did
nothing after that, he would be a first year pro
in twenty twenty five. But since he played in a
regular season game, he'll be a second year pro twenty
five and that then that eats up one of the
(16:05):
years on the contract that he signed as a rookie.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Well, that first year pro thing applied to maybe Roman
Wilson next year. Unless I have a blind spot and
he played. I don't think he did, though, did he He
didn't play a game?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
No, he did not. He won't.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Well, what I will say is he will not be
a rookie.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Now, yeah, he how what you know was how long
was he on.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
The fifty three man roster before going on I R
I mean a lot of the I don't know the
answers to that. I would That's one thing that I
would have to investigate. But he will not be a rookie.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I can tell you that Terry Wible from Daytona Beach, Florida,
With many teams utilizing a variation of the tush push
to gain a yard on third and one, why did
we not incorporate a similar play? We seem to have
failed in that situation at crucial times in several games.
Dornell Washington under center would seem to be a challenge
(16:59):
to the opposing defense.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
You know, okay, for me, the tush push when it
comes to that, I think too much attention is paid
on the to the player who ends up with the
ball as opposed to the capability of the interior offensive
line to move people off the line of scrimmage. Because
you know, when you line up for the tush push,
(17:24):
the defense, no, you're declaring what the play is to
them as you break the huddle. There's no there's nothing,
there's I don't know, there's no disguising it. Everybody knows
what it's absolutely not, So you know, it turns into
(17:45):
a big, massive humanity in the middle of the line
of scrimmage. And you know, a lot of attention and
credit goes to the guy with the ball. But I
think that all the credit deserves to go to the
interior of the offensive line, that defense back a little
bit to create, to allow the creation of a little
(18:06):
bit of momentum, and then the people behind the ball
carrier can then push him, because if you have a
complete stalemate or the defense you know, stands up the
offensive line and there's no push there, then there's no
push to push.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
So push back, and that back's pushing up against you.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Yes, So you know, that's why.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
You know, when you look at the Steelers interior, they
had a rookie center, a rookie right guard, and Isaac Ciamalu,
And I mean, I just don't those guys at this point.
You know, maybe Fraser and McCormick develop into these kind
of road grading offensive linemen, but they were not that
(18:51):
in twenty twenty four. And so that's why to me,
that was not a viable play for the Steelers.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
I didn't think.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I completely agree with you.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
That's such an important part of the equation that people
overlook because of Hertz and his prowess doing it. But
I really thought it was gonna be a little bit
of a drop off Labs this year with Jason Kelce retiring.
But the center that they have now is even better
than Jason Kelcey. And maybe that's not true, but I
like saying that because screw Jason kelce but still that
he was such a great part of that Tush push
and Kelsey was great at it he retires, I'm wondering
(19:24):
Philly might struggle with that. But this center has been
fantastic too. That interior of the offensive line is more
important than the.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Quarterback and their guards. The Eagles star guard. Yes, yes,
I mean that's offensive.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Line in football. That's why they're in the final four
right now.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
And Baltimore's interior offensive line is very good as well,
so you know that's I would point to that as
the primary reason why it's successful for those two teams.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
And finally, our final question comes from Ray Grochowski from Blacksburg, Virginia.
The Steelers got very few snaps, if any apps from
three of last year's draft choices due to injury, and
I thought that was fairly significant to this year's final result.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
How do you feel that.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Impacted twenty twenty four and do you see an upside
next year in that those three will almost be like
new additions who have now at least seen the core
slash journey of an NFL season.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Okay, Ray references three draft picks that the Steelers didn't
get much from. I could only think of two who
were significant. That would be Troy Fouletano and then the
guy you brought up just a few minutes ago, Roman Wilson.
Filetano was the number one pick. Wilson was the Roman
(20:41):
Wilson was the first pick of the third round.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I guess he's thinking of the seventh rounder, right, Logan Lee.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
You may know Logan Lee was a sixth round or
the seventh rounder was Ryan Wattson.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Okay, either one. Yeah, maybe he's thinking of that. But
I mean those guys, I mean.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
They're right, They're not in the same category as the
two guys I just mentioned.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
Now.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
The thing with filetan who I mean definitely he started
at right tackle against Denver, and I think that that
would have maybe had he been able to, you know,
had he not been injured and stayed there. I think
(21:25):
then you move Broderick Jones to left tackle, which is
his natural position, and get that kind of started, and
maybe Dan Moore Junior becomes you know, a swing tackle
or you know, if you think Broderick Jones needs more seasoning,
you know, maybe he learns a little bit on whatever
it is. But losing Filetan who thinned the offensive line
(21:47):
and took what I thought was a significant talent out
of the equation at a at an area that I
thought turned out to be an area that needs to
be in proved. Let's let me put it that way.
Roman Wilson eighty fourth overall pick You know, I thought
(22:08):
that he was part of the wide ranging plant to
bolster the talent a wide receiver after the trade at
Deontae Johnson. You know, you certainly, you know the Steelers
were looking at Brandon Ayuk, they were looking at Wilkins,
Christian Wilkins. But then you know they drafted Roman Wilson too,
and maybe if they hit on one of those trades
(22:29):
and Roman Wilson is able to play, you know, the
wide receiver situation, the depth chart there isn't so top heavy,
you know, with George Pickens, and then not a whole
lot after that.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
So yes, their return.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
For twenty twenty five it can be significant, But again
flipping it around, you know they're going to have to
show significant improvement in twenty twenty five, both because of
the draft capital invested in them and because it will
be their second year in an NFL environment. So again,
there's since both of them spent so much time on
(23:11):
IR they you know, you say they were around all year, Yeah,
they were around, but they weren't participating in anything. They
couldn't practice, you know, so it's not like they were
out on the field getting reps and learning actual through
physical repetition. You know, mental reps I think can be
(23:33):
valuable for veterans, but if you haven't played at all
in the league, or very little in the case of Philotano,
mental reps, you know, you're just standing around watching. So
you know, the example I would use is Calvin Austin.
Remember he was injured coming out of training camp his
(23:58):
rookie season and he didn't play at all. So then
his next year, remember how raw he was and it
took him a while. You know, in his second season
he played in all seventeen games and had seventeen catches
for one hundred and eighty yards, which is minuscule production.
(24:23):
So just don't get to over excited or raise your
expectations too much for Roman Wilson, thinking you know, he's
going to come in be a starter or be a
significant contri contributor right away because it's his quote unquote
second year in the NFL or second lap around the track.
(24:45):
Maybe that happens, but I wouldn't be counting on it
because it's still a difficult thing and a lot of
the things that kept Roman Wilson sidelined beyond his injuries
or that he didn't know what to do, and I
think that that still could be a big part of
his story in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Is it fair to say to you, Labs, I don't
want to speak for you, but that this podcast is
partial towards the Buffalo Bills side of things this weekend?
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Yeah, yes, because if.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Buffalo wins, then I can actually sit down and watch
the Super Bowl and just enjoy it, not you know,
worry about you know, I don't have anybody to root
four or I don't have anybody to root against.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yes, So yeah, go Bills.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Go Bills. That'll do it for us today. We'll be
back again next week. Get your questions into labs now
and maybe you'll hear them read and answered on a
future edition of Asked and Answered.
This is asked and answered questions with Tom Upferman and
Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
You know, it's funny laps. How much can change in
just one week in the NFL. A week ago, the
Steelers just got beat pretty badly by the Baltimore Ravens,
and now today they're on the couch right next to us.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Isn't that something?
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I mean I can't, I can't deny it. I mean,
that was that was my highlight of the Divisional round weekend.
You know, the four games for me, those games that
might be my favorite weekend of watching football.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I agree with you. Saturday Sunday, two games each day.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It's perfect, yeah, right, and you know.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
There's there's it's it's amusing to me. You know how
teams fans react the disappointment and the you know, the
Ravens fans, I mean they were really quick to hammer
Mark Andrews. And you know, then there were others I
(01:11):
saw quote unquote experts, Chris Simms, you know, as one who.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Was pretty critical.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I thought of Lamar Jackson for the kind of throw
that it was and the kind of throw that he
he made early in the game on that pass to
Derrick Henry just be on the line of yeah, under
threw it.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
I mean, you know, stuff happens.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
But to me, I'd like to see Chris Sims not
under throw a pass. I mean, we have plenty of that.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
But what's hard about doing going for two the first times?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Think first time is so bizarre.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Right, kick the extra point, kick the second extra point,
and you don't have to go for two. Coaches who
who follow that, you know, the Ravens, they like to
pump their chest out and you know, fans like to
point to them as this example of analytics and how
they're so cutting edge and all that garbage. Well, you
(02:13):
know what, that's why you that's what the kind of
thing that influences going for two too early? Analytics and
that's what the sheet says. But you know you're you're
not Coaches who go for two before they have to
go for two. To me, I think are just making
a mistake, you know, unless it's part of your I
(02:39):
don't know, personality, and you do it all the time,
regardless of you know, the score of the game.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
But I still like Tomlin used to do this back
when they had an elite offense with the Killer Bees.
You do it the first touchdown you score, you know
what I mean, like early in the game, you score
in that first possession, go for two, go up eight?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Nothing, why not?
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, I mean when you have that group of personnel.
I mean when he was doing that, it was you know,
Ab and lady On and Heath Miller and Ben was
a quarterback and yeah, and it was the early era
of seven shots, you know, and the Steelers were practicing there,
you know, before every practice, so you know, but still
(03:19):
I have to I'm not a fan of that, and
especially when you're playing in a divisional round, and whoever
you're playing in the divisional round has to be a
formidable opponent.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
You know, Chasing points is.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Just foolish and it's it's it's not as though you know,
he needed that to that first two point conversion attempt too,
because the game was in a at a time where
you know that that kind of thing was going to
be really important.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
And so to me, that was just that was by far.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
If you're asking me what cost the Ravens that game,
If you have to point to something one thing, I'm
a point to Lamar or Mark Andrews. I point to
that coach A coach should know better than that. A
guy with John Harbaugh's pedigree and experience and you know,
all that kind of stuff should know better than that.
(04:18):
But I have to admit it doesn't. It doesn't make
me sad at all. But as you mentioned, the Ravens
are on the couch, not too.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
No, it doesn't make me sad at all either, especially
because they got in their own way. You know, that
makes the juices a little bit sweeter for me. So
the Ravens are gone, Harbaugh's gone, Both Harbaugh's are gone.
So that's great, But we still have Taylor Swift to
deal with Labs. She gets through to the Final four again,
And all jokes aside, it's really remarkable that Mahomes has
(04:49):
gone seven for seven in years as a starter, making
it to this weekend. He's never been bounced earlier than
this Final four weekend.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yeah, and kudos to the officials who continue to you know,
pay that paved that path for him.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I mean, I mean, I know you're upset. Those roughing
calls on Houston were ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Well, and then how about the flop flo That should
be a penalty, I mean calling that, Yeah, unsportsmanlike conduct.
But you know it's and then really what's what was
comical was how the NFL trotted out all their people
(05:28):
after the day after to you know, justify explain the
calls and why they were the right calls, and you know,
citing passages from the rule book that could be bent
to you know, to justify the calls. I mean, it's
it's it's really, I don't know, I'm not. It doesn't
(05:51):
fool me. I just and it's going to be interesting
to see now in the wake of all that criticism
with the official eating is like in Buffalo versus Kansas
City the AFC Championship game.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
You know, because.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Maybe Andy Reid will make another commercial about it, you know,
maybe him and Jacob State Farm can get.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Please together, please know, God I can't.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
But you know, some of the memes are hilarious.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
This one I saw was it came out like right
after the game, well not right after, but you know,
in the in the hours after the game, and it
said that the the Bills were just flagged for roughing
Patrick Mahomes next.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Week, a little preemptive nice.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Yeah right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Hey, before we get to the questions, I know that
the AFC is our side of the street. But looking
over at the NFC side of things, Philly versus Washington,
I mean, the Eagles one of the best teams in
the NFL. Not really a surprise they're there, but lads
Washington and Jaden Daniels hell of a rookie quarterback, and
he joins Ben Roethlisberger. Is now one of only five
rookie quarterbacks to make it this far. No one's won
this game as a rookie, including Ben falling to the Patriots.
(07:08):
But he adds himself to that fraternity which is Ben Roethlisberger.
Then it drops off significantly with Joe Flacco, Sanchez and
Sean King.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, and you know, let me point this out too,
I guess. So then the Steelers going there and beating
the Commanders wasn't such a walk over winning all along?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Huh, I guess, I guess that's a pretty good tea.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, I'm just remembering too. There's been six now with Daniels.
Brock party made it as well as a rookie.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
But you're right, I.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Mean, the Commanders are an awesome football team and he's
an awesome quarterback, and that was a great road win
for the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, and you know, the commanders are very very interesting.
Jaden Daniels is he's something else, you know, I don't
know that, you know, and there's a lot of revisionist
draft history that always comes around too. Now everyone knew,
you know that, or is pretending they knew that Jaydeon
(08:03):
Daniels was the band coming up. Yeah, right, you know,
he's a very good player and right now he looks
like by far you know, the class of the quarterbacks
drafted in twenty twenty four. But you know, in last April,
I don't know that there was a lot of consensus
on that.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
No, there was, and.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
You know, so it's I'm not a big fan of
revising history after the fact.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So and that's definitely happening. You're right about that. You know,
people thought he would be good. They didn't say, oh
that was the clear and one one pick. What are
the Bears thinking?
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Right, right, all right, let's get to this week's batch
of questions.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Our first one comes from Dan McNeil from Manchester, New Hampshire.
Does this season's end hammer home just how awful the
Arty Burns selection was. Arty Burns was chosen when Derrick
Henry was still on the board. Just saying that's a
little bit revisionist history there too.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Yeah, yes, well, and I.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Did a little research here, and I'm ready for Dan
just to you know, get some housekeeping out of the way.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Already Burns.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
A cornerback from the U, you know, Miami was the
number one Steelers number one pick twenty fifth overall in
the twenty sixteen NFL draft. Derrick Henry from Alabama was
picked by Tennessee in the second round, forty fifth overall
that same year. Okay, so now let's let's get into
some of the context that Dan chooses to ignore in
(09:39):
twenty fifteen, the year before that draft, the twenty fifteen season,
the Steelers starting running back was Le'Veon Bell, who was
a twenty three year old starter okay, in two thousand
and fifteen. In twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen combined, Bell
rushed for twenty five hundred and fifty nine year with
(10:00):
a four point four average, and he had sixteen rushing
touchdowns to go along with one hundred and sixty catches
for another twelve hundred and seventy one yards, which was
a seven point nine yard average and four more touchdowns.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
So naturally, back then everybody knew running back was a
need for the.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Steelers exactly, But the cornerbacks on that twenty fifteen Steelers
team were Will Gay, Antoine Blake Dorin, Grant Ross Cockrell,
Brandon Boykin, and Cortes Allen. So right, so you know,
just to be clear, Dan is advocating drafting a running
(10:37):
back in twenty sixteen, a position where the Steelers had
a guy who already was a first team All Pro
in twenty fourteen and would be first team All Pro
again in twenty seventeen, So they should have picked a
running back there instead of a cornerback to forty five
position that was manned by Will Gay and a bunch
(10:58):
of journeymen. Now, in twenty sixteen, Burns had three interceptions
and thirteen passes defense to nine starts as a rookie,
but that was his best NFL season. If the point
had been that the Steelers missed by picking Burns over
cornerback Xavian Mxavian Howard, he went thirty eighth overall to
(11:22):
Miami in the same draft and was a multiple time
All Pro, or James Bradberry, who went sixty second overall
to Carolina, I would have been willing to consider that.
You know, you want to point that out. That's legit.
You know you miss on a position of need when
there were better players available after Okay, that's a mistake,
(11:48):
But don't come at me with you should have picked
a running back when you had Le'Veon Bell and they
and this was way before the contract stuff with him two.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
So I mean pastors were green ahead with Le'Veon Bell.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Oh, I mean Le'Veon Bell was.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
He was the best back in football. You just said
he was an All Pro first teamer twice.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Yeah, right, Rush, running, receiving, he was just he was it.
I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
You know, you're Derrick Henry now is better than Le'Veon
Bell now, But I don't know that Derrick Henry then
was better than Le'Veon Bell then.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh it's a debate for sure, especially because Le'Veon Bell
underthrown or not? Is catching that ball that Lamar Jackson
threw out there too in the divisional round. I'm pretty
pretty positive of that. Richard Coval from Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.
Will the Steelers have any compensatory draft picks this year?
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Okay, compensatory picks. Let me just explain the process a
little bit. Compensatory picks that will be awarded for the
twenty twenty five NFL Draft come as the result of
a formula that's based on what happened during free agency
in twenty twenty four. So you know, whatever happens in
(13:08):
terms of twenty twenty five compensatory picks has nothing to
do with what's going to be happening here over the
next several weeks couple of months in free agency. It's
what happened last year.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So the compensatory draft formula takes into account unrestricted free
agents lost versus unrestricted free agents signed, and then the
amount of the contracts those players signed, both with you
as your team and with other teams as you lost them.
(13:44):
So when you look at the free agency in twenty
twenty four, Patrick Queen signed a three year I think
it was fifty one million dollars deal just and so
that's a significant, big number contract. The Steelers didn't really
lose any unrestricted free agents who signed much more for
the league minimum based on their years of experience. So,
(14:07):
just based on the Patrick Queen acquisition and the fact
that Steelers didn't really lose anybody Levi Wallace didn't get much.
You know, I don't even know who else it was,
But as I said, these were not top line guys.
I don't expect the Steelers to get much of anything
in the way of compensatory picks for the upcoming draft.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Bruce Cross from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Assuming Troy Faltanu successfully returns
from his injury, if he achieves one hundred percent of
offensive line metrics in twenty twenty five, resulting in team
Slash League awards, would be considered a rookie or a
veteran in doing so, given he has not played a
snap in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
In a Previoussassin answered, I don't know if it made
the podcast, but it it was in the on you
Know the Line version. I made a mistake when writing
about Tory Filtono. I wrote that he didn't play a
snap in twenty twenty four. However, he did start one
regular season game September fifteenth against the Broncos in Denver. Fileton,
(15:16):
who started a right tackle, played fifty five of the
sixty six snaps on offense that day. Based on that alone,
Filetano will be a second year pro in twenty twenty five.
But again, even if he had not played a snap
during the regular season, he wouldn't be classified as a rookie.
A rookie in the NFL means that is your first
(15:40):
experience with a professional football training camp. Okay, and so
Flotano participated in training camp, and even if he did
nothing after that, he would be a first year pro
in twenty twenty five. But since he played in a
regular season game, he'll be a second year pro twenty
five and that then that eats up one of the
(16:05):
years on the contract that he signed as a rookie.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Well, that first year pro thing applied to maybe Roman
Wilson next year. Unless I have a blind spot and
he played. I don't think he did, though, did he He
didn't play a game?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
No, he did not. He won't.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Well, what I will say is he will not be
a rookie.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Now, yeah, he how what you know was how long
was he on.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
The fifty three man roster before going on I R
I mean a lot of the I don't know the
answers to that. I would That's one thing that I
would have to investigate. But he will not be a rookie.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I can tell you that Terry Wible from Daytona Beach, Florida,
With many teams utilizing a variation of the tush push
to gain a yard on third and one, why did
we not incorporate a similar play? We seem to have
failed in that situation at crucial times in several games.
Dornell Washington under center would seem to be a challenge
(16:59):
to the opposing defense.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
You know, okay, for me, the tush push when it
comes to that, I think too much attention is paid
on the to the player who ends up with the
ball as opposed to the capability of the interior offensive
line to move people off the line of scrimmage. Because
you know, when you line up for the tush push,
(17:24):
the defense, no, you're declaring what the play is to
them as you break the huddle. There's no there's nothing,
there's I don't know, there's no disguising it. Everybody knows
what it's absolutely not, So you know, it turns into
(17:45):
a big, massive humanity in the middle of the line
of scrimmage. And you know, a lot of attention and
credit goes to the guy with the ball. But I
think that all the credit deserves to go to the
interior of the offensive line, that defense back a little
bit to create, to allow the creation of a little
(18:06):
bit of momentum, and then the people behind the ball
carrier can then push him, because if you have a
complete stalemate or the defense you know, stands up the
offensive line and there's no push there, then there's no
push to push.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
So push back, and that back's pushing up against you.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Yes, So you know, that's why.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
You know, when you look at the Steelers interior, they
had a rookie center, a rookie right guard, and Isaac Ciamalu,
And I mean, I just don't those guys at this point.
You know, maybe Fraser and McCormick develop into these kind
of road grading offensive linemen, but they were not that
(18:51):
in twenty twenty four. And so that's why to me,
that was not a viable play for the Steelers.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
I didn't think.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I completely agree with you.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
That's such an important part of the equation that people
overlook because of Hertz and his prowess doing it. But
I really thought it was gonna be a little bit
of a drop off Labs this year with Jason Kelce retiring.
But the center that they have now is even better
than Jason Kelcey. And maybe that's not true, but I
like saying that because screw Jason kelce but still that
he was such a great part of that Tush push
and Kelsey was great at it he retires, I'm wondering
(19:24):
Philly might struggle with that. But this center has been
fantastic too. That interior of the offensive line is more
important than the.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Quarterback and their guards. The Eagles star guard. Yes, yes,
I mean that's offensive.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Line in football. That's why they're in the final four
right now.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
And Baltimore's interior offensive line is very good as well,
so you know that's I would point to that as
the primary reason why it's successful for those two teams.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
And finally, our final question comes from Ray Grochowski from Blacksburg, Virginia.
The Steelers got very few snaps, if any apps from
three of last year's draft choices due to injury, and
I thought that was fairly significant to this year's final result.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
How do you feel that.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Impacted twenty twenty four and do you see an upside
next year in that those three will almost be like
new additions who have now at least seen the core
slash journey of an NFL season.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Okay, Ray references three draft picks that the Steelers didn't
get much from. I could only think of two who
were significant. That would be Troy Fouletano and then the
guy you brought up just a few minutes ago, Roman Wilson.
Filetano was the number one pick. Wilson was the Roman
(20:41):
Wilson was the first pick of the third round.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I guess he's thinking of the seventh rounder, right, Logan Lee.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
You may know Logan Lee was a sixth round or
the seventh rounder was Ryan Wattson.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Okay, either one. Yeah, maybe he's thinking of that. But
I mean those guys, I mean.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
They're right, They're not in the same category as the
two guys I just mentioned.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
Now.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
The thing with filetan who I mean definitely he started
at right tackle against Denver, and I think that that
would have maybe had he been able to, you know,
had he not been injured and stayed there. I think
(21:25):
then you move Broderick Jones to left tackle, which is
his natural position, and get that kind of started, and
maybe Dan Moore Junior becomes you know, a swing tackle
or you know, if you think Broderick Jones needs more seasoning,
you know, maybe he learns a little bit on whatever
it is. But losing Filetan who thinned the offensive line
(21:47):
and took what I thought was a significant talent out
of the equation at a at an area that I
thought turned out to be an area that needs to
be in proved. Let's let me put it that way.
Roman Wilson eighty fourth overall pick You know, I thought
(22:08):
that he was part of the wide ranging plant to
bolster the talent a wide receiver after the trade at
Deontae Johnson. You know, you certainly, you know the Steelers
were looking at Brandon Ayuk, they were looking at Wilkins,
Christian Wilkins. But then you know they drafted Roman Wilson too,
and maybe if they hit on one of those trades
(22:29):
and Roman Wilson is able to play, you know, the
wide receiver situation, the depth chart there isn't so top heavy,
you know, with George Pickens, and then not a whole
lot after that.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
So yes, their return.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
For twenty twenty five it can be significant, But again
flipping it around, you know they're going to have to
show significant improvement in twenty twenty five, both because of
the draft capital invested in them and because it will
be their second year in an NFL environment. So again,
there's since both of them spent so much time on
(23:11):
IR they you know, you say they were around all year, Yeah,
they were around, but they weren't participating in anything. They
couldn't practice, you know, so it's not like they were
out on the field getting reps and learning actual through
physical repetition. You know, mental reps I think can be
(23:33):
valuable for veterans, but if you haven't played at all
in the league, or very little in the case of Philotano,
mental reps, you know, you're just standing around watching. So
you know, the example I would use is Calvin Austin.
Remember he was injured coming out of training camp his
(23:58):
rookie season and he didn't play at all. So then
his next year, remember how raw he was and it
took him a while. You know, in his second season
he played in all seventeen games and had seventeen catches
for one hundred and eighty yards, which is minuscule production.
(24:23):
So just don't get to over excited or raise your
expectations too much for Roman Wilson, thinking you know, he's
going to come in be a starter or be a
significant contri contributor right away because it's his quote unquote
second year in the NFL or second lap around the track.
(24:45):
Maybe that happens, but I wouldn't be counting on it
because it's still a difficult thing and a lot of
the things that kept Roman Wilson sidelined beyond his injuries
or that he didn't know what to do, and I
think that that still could be a big part of
his story in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Is it fair to say to you, Labs, I don't
want to speak for you, but that this podcast is
partial towards the Buffalo Bills side of things this weekend?
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Yeah, yes, because if.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Buffalo wins, then I can actually sit down and watch
the Super Bowl and just enjoy it, not you know,
worry about you know, I don't have anybody to root
four or I don't have anybody to root against.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yes, So yeah, go Bills.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Go Bills. That'll do it for us today. We'll be
back again next week. Get your questions into labs now
and maybe you'll hear them read and answered on a
future edition of Asked and Answered.
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