November 4, 2025 • 12 mins
Labs and Tom discuss the Steelers win over the Colts and then get into this week's questions.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is asked and answered questions with Tom Upperman and
Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
It's like forty eight hours after the Steelers beat the Colts,
and I'm still smiling from ear to ear because what
a massive victory that was. It stopped a losing streak
from happening. It was a win against the team that,
entering the game had the NFL's best record. Your defense
was taking the ball away, your offense was paying them
a nice compliment by putting the ball in the end
(00:31):
zone after they took it away.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Labs.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
It was just such a complete and such a satisfactory
victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah, I mean you mentioned, you know, best record the Colts.
They definitely had that. I think you could also say
the best offense, yep, the best running back. And when
you look at how the two games, you know, the
Steelers had lost, and during that two game losing streak,
it just seemed like a really really bad matchup. But
(01:03):
you know, controlling Jonathan Taylor, to me, really was the
key that unlocked the door. Once the Colts kind of
been dimensional. You know, Jonathan Taylor wasn't really very effective.
They knew they had to throw the ball. Then that
created the opportunity to unleash the pressure packages, you know,
and the Steelers had six hits on the quarterback, five sacks,
(01:28):
and Daniel Jones drew two picks and lost to fumbles.
I mean, that's the way the Steelers have to play defense.
So this week against the Los Angeles, Chargers stopped the
run and get after Justin Herbert. Otherwise it's going to
be a slog you know, possibly with a sad ending.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
You know, the sacks, the six takeaways, I think those
are really grabbing the headlines and in a weird way.
I think stopping Jonathan Taylor as being a little overshad
here in the wake of the victory, in the wake
of the Steelers defense. But you're absolutely right, and the
players themselves said it after the game.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
It all started.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It all stemmed from their success against the NFL's leading
rusher in to look at holding him to forty five
yards on fourteen carries. I mean, that is the biggest
win by that Steelers defense in my eyes.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, and it was the biggest loss in the Bengals game,
right when Chase Brown went for one hundred and whatever
averaged you know, nine or eight yards of carry or whatever.
I you know, I kind of try and purge that
bad news from my memory. But yeah, that's that's what
that's what you know. I mentioned how stopping the run
(02:41):
unlocked the key for the Steelers defense. Well, running the
football effectively unlocked the key for Joe Flacco, Jamar Chase
and T Higgins. And you know, it's really not necessarily
that complicated a game all the time. When you get
down to there are some simple things that if you
do right, give you a chance to win, and if
(03:03):
you can't do them right, they really give you a
good chance to lose.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No doubt. What an elite performance by that Steelers defense.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Let's carry that over into the Charger game and make
that more of a trend as the season moves forward.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Let's get into this week's batch of questions.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Our first one comes from Mark de Giovanna from Liberty Hill, Texas.
With Deshaun Elliott suffering a serious knee injury against Green
Bay and with how Miami is playing, is there any
scenario where Minka Fitzpatrick makes its way back to the
Steelers this season. I'm not suggesting it, but if both
sides were interested, would there be any rules preventing it.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes, there are rules preventing it. There's an NFL rule
prohibiting a team from acquiring a player in a trade
in the same year that team traded away that same player. Okay,
So the actual rule is a team cannot reacquire a
player traded away until two full NFL seasons have passed. So,
(04:01):
using mark specific example, Minka Fitzpatrick, the Steelers traded him
in June twenty twenty five, so they are prohibited from
acquiring him in a trade until both the twenty twenty
five and twenty twenty six NFL seasons are over. So
based on that rule and using that example, the only
(04:22):
way the Steelers could reacquire our Minca within the two
full season period will be would be if he was
waived released because he's a veteran, and then the Steelers
signed him.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And that rule really makes a lot of sense, right
because that's just combating against possible collusion between franchises a
couple of gms that are buddies. Hey, i'll send you
this guy. Five weeks later, send him back. Let's help
with my books, let's help with my salary cap. So
it's a necessary thing.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yes, yes, that would be interesting though bringing Minca back anyway.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Mark Petro from Marietta, Georgia. With Tyler Lockett's released from Tennessee,
might a reunion with DK Metcalf be in the cards
for the Steelers or do you think they may be
looking for younger help considering they have already played together
for years?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Could bode well?
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Okay, well, first things first, I don't understand how why
a team would want to acquire a player because he's
familiar with a receiver, because he's familiar with another receiver.
I could see if they wanted to acquire a receiver
because he's familiar with the quarterback, right So, But anyway,
(05:32):
the other thing is, you know, at Tyler Lockett stage
of his career, I think he's more of a possession
receiver type, and I think the Steelers have enough guys
who fill that kind of role. If they're going to
acquire a receiver, I think it would be someone you know,
who's a little bit different, more of a top of
(05:53):
the depth chart kind of guy, because they have you know,
Roman Wilson and Calvin Oss then and you know those
kind of people that can kind of, you know, fill
in the mid to bottom part of the depth chart.
So I just, I mean, I don't know what the
advantage would be, what the attraction would be with Tyler.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Lockett Ken Wilson from Milton, Florida. Mike Munchak currently is
not coaching anywhere. Do you have any thoughts on why
Pittsburgh isn't trying to lure him back?
Speaker 1 (06:24):
This comes in, does it? No? No, it does not.
You know, it comes in cycles. You know. Mike Munchak
decided in twenty nineteen he wanted to be closer to
his family. Okay, his daughters live west of the Mississippi.
And I would imagine that guy was a number one pick.
He was a he was a head coach. You know,
(06:48):
those are positions that carry high salary, high salaries with them.
So you know, he never impressed me as a being
a reckless guy with his money. So I think that
he might be in pretty good shape. The other thing is,
you know, his wife might have just said, hey, you know,
(07:10):
I've been a football wife all this time. I want
to live closer to my daughters, right than our grandchildren,
you know, And so okay, he decided that that was
a reasonable request and he was going to honor it.
And he has not had a job, you know, since then.
(07:31):
Really his only job let me say this, his only
jobs after that were in Denver and then in Los
Angeles and then he you know, he's out of football.
So he turned sixty five in March. Let me say this,
if Mike Munchak wanted a job as a coach in
(07:52):
the NFL, he'd be hired in five minutes. That he
has not and is not just indicates to me that
he might be done. Let the man live.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
His life exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Let's let the guy go fish in, play some golf,
take it easy, kick the feet up, I.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Bounce the grandkids on his knee. Whatever.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
You know, he can teach them three technique. You know
he can coach up the grand kids.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, leave them alone.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Seth Black great and a great coach. I mean, we
got to highlight that too. When he was coaching, he
was fantastic. Seth Black from Newcastle, Pennsylvania. What is the
Steelers record on Monday Night Football? And how does coach
Tomlin compare to Bill Cower in those games as to
their record? Also separated by home and away, if you.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Can, Bill Cowers teams were eleven and oh at home
on Monday Night Football, six and eight on the road.
Mike Tomlin's teams are twelve and oh at home on
Monday Night football and nine and three on the road.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
So when the schedule comes out in May and you
see you're traveling to Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Uh oh yeah. Well hey, and I made this point.
I don't think on the podcast, but in other things
I did. Last week, the Colts were two and seventeen
in Pittsburgh all time eighteen.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Now now, I was just going to say, now it's
two and eighteen.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So you know when a lot of times fans will say,
why do the Steelers have such a bad record on
the West Coast, Well they do, but you know it's
not like no other team has those problems or issues
or there aren't areas where the Steelers are undefeated since
(09:41):
you know, we're talking about since nineteen ninety two. They're
twenty three and oh at home on Monday Night football.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Dawn Newcomer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There was a muffed punt
that hit a Colts player and was then plucked out
of the air by Brandon Eckles, who then took it
into the end zone.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Why was this not ruled a touchdown?
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Okay, the correct description and ruling of it was it
was muffed, and by muffed, a muffed punt means that
the ball was never possessed by the receiver. Okay. So
the rule on a muffed punt is the kicking team
can recover it, but cannot advance it. And so the
(10:24):
Steelers were awarded the ball where Brandon Eckles recovered the
punt recovered the muff. Now for that to have been
a touchdown, the Colts returner would have had to catch
the ball, possess it and then make a football move
as they say, and then lose the ball. Then it
(10:44):
becomes a fumble, then it can be advanced. That's the rule.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
And our final question today comes from Oscar A Guerrero
from Guadalajara, Mexico. Do you know why wide receiver hins
Ward was not president at the twenty twenty five alumni celebration?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Heines Ward. He's currently the associate head coach slash wide
receivers for Arizona State's football team. The Sun Devils had
a game at Iowa State on Saturday, so it just
wasn't possible for any kind of travel arrangements for Hines
(11:22):
to be able to make it.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Unfortunately, Labs, the two players that connected on that iconic
trick play Randell elled award in that Super Bowl game
weren't present because Randall l obviously is coaching the Bears.
He was a little busy on Sunday afternoon. He's a
wide receivers coach. And then as you just mentioned, Hines Ward,
So it suck not seeing them there such a big
part of Super Bowl forty. They were there in spirit,
and of course the coach himself was up in Buffalo
(11:46):
doing pregame for CBS.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yeah, but Bill Kauer was able to make it to
Saturday ann Yeah, yes, so you know, because he wasn't
due on the set and it was in Buffalo, which
was close to Pittsburgh. So yeah, fortunately his schedule was
able to be massaged a little bit to get there.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Steelers take on the Chargers on Sunday Night Football, a
trip out to the West Coast this Sunday as they
try to build off of that big win against the
Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Our coverage starts.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
At four point thirty pm locally Sunday with myself and
Matt Williamson. We handed off the labs Perzuda and Jerry Dulac,
and then they take you right up until kickoff for
Bob Labriola.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
I'm Tom Opferman.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
If you want a question answered on a future edition
of this podcast, try to get him into labs now
and hopefully you will be a lucky few selected, but
we will talk to you next week on our next
edition of Aston Answered
This is asked and answered questions with Tom Upperman and
Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
It's like forty eight hours after the Steelers beat the Colts,
and I'm still smiling from ear to ear because what
a massive victory that was. It stopped a losing streak
from happening. It was a win against the team that,
entering the game had the NFL's best record. Your defense
was taking the ball away, your offense was paying them
a nice compliment by putting the ball in the end
(00:31):
zone after they took it away.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Labs.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
It was just such a complete and such a satisfactory
victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah, I mean you mentioned, you know, best record the Colts.
They definitely had that. I think you could also say
the best offense, yep, the best running back. And when
you look at how the two games, you know, the
Steelers had lost, and during that two game losing streak,
it just seemed like a really really bad matchup. But
(01:03):
you know, controlling Jonathan Taylor, to me, really was the
key that unlocked the door. Once the Colts kind of
been dimensional. You know, Jonathan Taylor wasn't really very effective.
They knew they had to throw the ball. Then that
created the opportunity to unleash the pressure packages, you know,
and the Steelers had six hits on the quarterback, five sacks,
(01:28):
and Daniel Jones drew two picks and lost to fumbles.
I mean, that's the way the Steelers have to play defense.
So this week against the Los Angeles, Chargers stopped the
run and get after Justin Herbert. Otherwise it's going to
be a slog you know, possibly with a sad ending.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
You know, the sacks, the six takeaways, I think those
are really grabbing the headlines and in a weird way.
I think stopping Jonathan Taylor as being a little overshad
here in the wake of the victory, in the wake
of the Steelers defense. But you're absolutely right, and the
players themselves said it after the game.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
It all started.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It all stemmed from their success against the NFL's leading
rusher in to look at holding him to forty five
yards on fourteen carries. I mean, that is the biggest
win by that Steelers defense in my eyes.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, and it was the biggest loss in the Bengals game,
right when Chase Brown went for one hundred and whatever
averaged you know, nine or eight yards of carry or whatever.
I you know, I kind of try and purge that
bad news from my memory. But yeah, that's that's what
that's what you know. I mentioned how stopping the run
(02:41):
unlocked the key for the Steelers defense. Well, running the
football effectively unlocked the key for Joe Flacco, Jamar Chase
and T Higgins. And you know, it's really not necessarily
that complicated a game all the time. When you get
down to there are some simple things that if you
do right, give you a chance to win, and if
(03:03):
you can't do them right, they really give you a
good chance to lose.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No doubt. What an elite performance by that Steelers defense.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Let's carry that over into the Charger game and make
that more of a trend as the season moves forward.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Let's get into this week's batch of questions.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Our first one comes from Mark de Giovanna from Liberty Hill, Texas.
With Deshaun Elliott suffering a serious knee injury against Green
Bay and with how Miami is playing, is there any
scenario where Minka Fitzpatrick makes its way back to the
Steelers this season. I'm not suggesting it, but if both
sides were interested, would there be any rules preventing it.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes, there are rules preventing it. There's an NFL rule
prohibiting a team from acquiring a player in a trade
in the same year that team traded away that same player. Okay,
So the actual rule is a team cannot reacquire a
player traded away until two full NFL seasons have passed. So,
(04:01):
using mark specific example, Minka Fitzpatrick, the Steelers traded him
in June twenty twenty five, so they are prohibited from
acquiring him in a trade until both the twenty twenty
five and twenty twenty six NFL seasons are over. So
based on that rule and using that example, the only
(04:22):
way the Steelers could reacquire our Minca within the two
full season period will be would be if he was
waived released because he's a veteran, and then the Steelers
signed him.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And that rule really makes a lot of sense, right
because that's just combating against possible collusion between franchises a
couple of gms that are buddies. Hey, i'll send you
this guy. Five weeks later, send him back. Let's help
with my books, let's help with my salary cap. So
it's a necessary thing.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yes, yes, that would be interesting though bringing Minca back anyway.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Mark Petro from Marietta, Georgia. With Tyler Lockett's released from Tennessee,
might a reunion with DK Metcalf be in the cards
for the Steelers or do you think they may be
looking for younger help considering they have already played together
for years?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Could bode well?
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Okay, well, first things first, I don't understand how why
a team would want to acquire a player because he's
familiar with a receiver, because he's familiar with another receiver.
I could see if they wanted to acquire a receiver
because he's familiar with the quarterback, right So, But anyway,
(05:32):
the other thing is, you know, at Tyler Lockett stage
of his career, I think he's more of a possession
receiver type, and I think the Steelers have enough guys
who fill that kind of role. If they're going to
acquire a receiver, I think it would be someone you know,
who's a little bit different, more of a top of
(05:53):
the depth chart kind of guy, because they have you know,
Roman Wilson and Calvin Oss then and you know those
kind of people that can kind of, you know, fill
in the mid to bottom part of the depth chart.
So I just, I mean, I don't know what the
advantage would be, what the attraction would be with Tyler.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Lockett Ken Wilson from Milton, Florida. Mike Munchak currently is
not coaching anywhere. Do you have any thoughts on why
Pittsburgh isn't trying to lure him back?
Speaker 1 (06:24):
This comes in, does it? No? No, it does not.
You know, it comes in cycles. You know. Mike Munchak
decided in twenty nineteen he wanted to be closer to
his family. Okay, his daughters live west of the Mississippi.
And I would imagine that guy was a number one pick.
He was a he was a head coach. You know,
(06:48):
those are positions that carry high salary, high salaries with them.
So you know, he never impressed me as a being
a reckless guy with his money. So I think that
he might be in pretty good shape. The other thing is,
you know, his wife might have just said, hey, you know,
(07:10):
I've been a football wife all this time. I want
to live closer to my daughters, right than our grandchildren,
you know, And so okay, he decided that that was
a reasonable request and he was going to honor it.
And he has not had a job, you know, since then.
(07:31):
Really his only job let me say this, his only
jobs after that were in Denver and then in Los
Angeles and then he you know, he's out of football.
So he turned sixty five in March. Let me say this,
if Mike Munchak wanted a job as a coach in
(07:52):
the NFL, he'd be hired in five minutes. That he
has not and is not just indicates to me that
he might be done. Let the man live.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
His life exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Let's let the guy go fish in, play some golf,
take it easy, kick the feet up, I.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Bounce the grandkids on his knee. Whatever.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
You know, he can teach them three technique. You know
he can coach up the grand kids.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, leave them alone.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Seth Black great and a great coach. I mean, we
got to highlight that too. When he was coaching, he
was fantastic. Seth Black from Newcastle, Pennsylvania. What is the
Steelers record on Monday Night Football? And how does coach
Tomlin compare to Bill Cower in those games as to
their record? Also separated by home and away, if you.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Can, Bill Cowers teams were eleven and oh at home
on Monday Night Football, six and eight on the road.
Mike Tomlin's teams are twelve and oh at home on
Monday Night football and nine and three on the road.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
So when the schedule comes out in May and you
see you're traveling to Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Uh oh yeah. Well hey, and I made this point.
I don't think on the podcast, but in other things
I did. Last week, the Colts were two and seventeen
in Pittsburgh all time eighteen.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Now now, I was just going to say, now it's
two and eighteen.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So you know when a lot of times fans will say,
why do the Steelers have such a bad record on
the West Coast, Well they do, but you know it's
not like no other team has those problems or issues
or there aren't areas where the Steelers are undefeated since
(09:41):
you know, we're talking about since nineteen ninety two. They're
twenty three and oh at home on Monday Night football.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Dawn Newcomer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There was a muffed punt
that hit a Colts player and was then plucked out
of the air by Brandon Eckles, who then took it
into the end zone.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Why was this not ruled a touchdown?
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Okay, the correct description and ruling of it was it
was muffed, and by muffed, a muffed punt means that
the ball was never possessed by the receiver. Okay. So
the rule on a muffed punt is the kicking team
can recover it, but cannot advance it. And so the
(10:24):
Steelers were awarded the ball where Brandon Eckles recovered the
punt recovered the muff. Now for that to have been
a touchdown, the Colts returner would have had to catch
the ball, possess it and then make a football move
as they say, and then lose the ball. Then it
(10:44):
becomes a fumble, then it can be advanced. That's the rule.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
And our final question today comes from Oscar A Guerrero
from Guadalajara, Mexico. Do you know why wide receiver hins
Ward was not president at the twenty twenty five alumni celebration?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Heines Ward. He's currently the associate head coach slash wide
receivers for Arizona State's football team. The Sun Devils had
a game at Iowa State on Saturday, so it just
wasn't possible for any kind of travel arrangements for Hines
(11:22):
to be able to make it.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Unfortunately, Labs, the two players that connected on that iconic
trick play Randell elled award in that Super Bowl game
weren't present because Randall l obviously is coaching the Bears.
He was a little busy on Sunday afternoon. He's a
wide receivers coach. And then as you just mentioned, Hines Ward,
So it suck not seeing them there such a big
part of Super Bowl forty. They were there in spirit,
and of course the coach himself was up in Buffalo
(11:46):
doing pregame for CBS.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yeah, but Bill Kauer was able to make it to
Saturday ann Yeah, yes, so you know, because he wasn't
due on the set and it was in Buffalo, which
was close to Pittsburgh. So yeah, fortunately his schedule was
able to be massaged a little bit to get there.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Steelers take on the Chargers on Sunday Night Football, a
trip out to the West Coast this Sunday as they
try to build off of that big win against the
Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Our coverage starts.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
At four point thirty pm locally Sunday with myself and
Matt Williamson. We handed off the labs Perzuda and Jerry Dulac,
and then they take you right up until kickoff for
Bob Labriola.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
I'm Tom Opferman.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
If you want a question answered on a future edition
of this podcast, try to get him into labs now
and hopefully you will be a lucky few selected, but
we will talk to you next week on our next
edition of Aston Answered
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