July 29, 2026 • 46 mins
Rob King and Max Starks are back for the first time for the 2026 season.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is live coverage of the twenty twenty six Steelers
training Camp or the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light,
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Speaker 2 (00:45):
Actor Matthew kna Hey, All.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Ride, All Ride, All Ride.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Deco, Man Dark your ego.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Oh, and we thank you for being in the locker
room with us from Latrobe.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The Engines came up here.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
In a few weeks, the Engines will be going back
again to Pittsburgh and other parts, scattering the Steelers players
and coaching staff and personnel and everybody else around Western Pennsylvania,
along with Max Starks. I'm Rob King, How are you Max?
Good to see you, my friend.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I am doing well, Kingar And of course, where else
would you rather be at the end of July than
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on the beautiful campus of Saint Vincent College,
which has been the commencement grounds for whatever season's going
to be for the Steelers since nineteen sixty nine. Great atmosphere,
(01:42):
cool day to day.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It's perfect, really perfect, excellent, you know, and it's been
when you talk about the history of this place, it's
been so important to the history the Steelers, and of
course all the greatest years in Steelers history have begun
here on this sod out in this beautiful setting. And
again we you know, we talk about this every year.
If you've never been here, it is just beautiful. The
rolling hills, gorgeous. You know, there's there's some a rustic
(02:08):
element to it, but there's you know, plenty going on
as well. It's just a beautiful, beautiful campus, a beautiful place,
so welcoming, and it's different. Now, Max, I don't remember,
did you go to camp when you're with Saint Louis?
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Did not go to camp with Saint Louis? I was
what San Diego is?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Okay? Time?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Yeah, so did they have a location away from the facility?
So what is the difference? What everybody talks about this.
You know, Aaron Rodgers was raving about being in a
college dorm with DK Metcalf didn't even have his own room, right, Yeah,
you know, raving about the connectivity of the players when
you're here. Is that what made it part of what
(02:45):
made it so special to be out here? Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
It was an isolation factor, but isolation in a good sense,
like you created a silo for this team to to
interact with each other. You know, when you go to
other training camps and other places. I was in San
Diego and training camp was at the facility, and you
stayed in a hotel and you traverse back and forth
via van to the facility. You didn't even have a
(03:09):
lunch room. It was a tent outside on the fields
where they had catering services come in. So it was
just a different element to that, and you didn't really
feel close and connected here you are in a door room.
It is literally like going back into college into a
time capsule where you have some rooms, have two guys
to a room and you share a bathroom between, so
there's four guys sharing one bathroom. When you get a
(03:31):
little bit older, you get the one to one, so
only two guys sharing a toilet, so you know exactly
who you could yell at and when things weren't looking
as fresh as you wanted, right, But that's what you get.
And everybody's right next door to each other, and they
put them in four different stories and you just interact.
You know, if you're bored in your room, you go
down to somebody else's room, figure it out, play video games,
(03:52):
play cards, hang out in the in like the common
area downstairs, and it's all about getting to know each other,
get to figure out who your teammates are, and really
meshing that. So you really accelerate that bonding process that
it takes for a team to get along. Whereas I
feel like in some places, because it's at your facility,
(04:13):
you're staying in a remote location traversing back and forth,
whether you drive or whether you ride the shuttle, there's
an element that you kind of lose that additional time.
I mean, minutes matter at this point of the season
where you have to accelerate. How do I know the
guy next to me, How to know the guy across
from me. We have to figure each other out so
that we can play better and move without speaking.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Come game time, when you were in San Diego. Did
some of the guys live at home? Did the local
guys live at home? So it's only guys trying to
make the roster, rookies, veteran free agents that were in
the hotels.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
If we didn't live in.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
San Diego, if you lived in San Diego, you lived
at home. If you're in the hotel. So that's taking
a certain element and number of the team out of
the equation to begin with. And probably the stars you're
going to afford place in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, he's actually a fod A place in San Diego won.
And then secondly, you know, if those guys were they
weren't living as next door neighbors or anything, so you
lose something like I didn't see Philip Rivers in the hotel.
You know, right, Phil is going home to his five
to seven kids at that time, and you know, and
he's dealing with dad life and a lot of other guys,
(05:20):
a lot of I mean, even think about the year
the COVID year and training camp was at the stadium
for that one year and twenty twenty guys were staying
at home. They weren't even staying in the hotels. So
it's a very similar element to that, and I think
you lose that closeness and that bonding when you do that,
and you know, there's only what a handful of teams
that still actually do it. I think the Kansas City
Chiefs are one that does it. I just saw the number.
(05:42):
It's it's five or fewer. Yeah, I say, I want
to say it's four, I think, and I can't. I'm
trying to think of who else. Maybe does Cleveland go away?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I think Cleveland goes away until they build a new facility,
of course in Korea, but I think Cleveland goes away.
And one other team, maybe the Saints, I'm not sure,
but everybody no, I'm sorry the Cowboys, because the Cowboys
go to Oxnard every year. So there's only a very
few teams to actually do this. But that's also what
makes it special, right right, the mystique, the lore, and
(06:11):
just the kind of historical aspects of coming here, Like
you can literally say that all six Super Bowl championship seasons.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Started here exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Nobody else can tout that that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
So there's a lot to get to max because so
much happened when we were still on the air Mike
Tomlin had and you know, we were I think we
were all caught flat footed. I mean, to some degree,
you'd heard stories, but it was hard to believe when
it happened. I guess the the somewhat hacking expression shocked
but not surprised came to mind. Shocked that Mike tom
(06:46):
Win decided to step away. And then by the time
we were off the air, the Steelers had not named
his successor, and then we learned that was Mike McCarthy.
And of course fans have had a lot of time to,
you know, to sort of absorb and what it might
mean to the team. But it means something now here
because we're watching practices that are going to be run
very differently. The OTAs will run very differently. The messaging
(07:10):
is going to be different to some degree, clearly, But
you know, what is this? What is this the coaching change?
And of course it is not just Mike Tominy the headman,
but most of the staff is well, there are a
few holdovers. What does that mean here now to this
team as you go through OTAs and get yourself prepared
for the season.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Here in the trope, it's a new era in Pittsburgh
Football another era, and we've only said that three other
times in contemporary history, right, And I think that's what's
the most significant thing, is that there was a changing
of stewardship, a changing of the guard at the top
level of this organization, which is the head coach, and
(07:51):
having someone like Mark McCarthy coming in that was probably
the only fitting name that could have done, unless you
want to go completely back to a young, first time
head coach, which had been the last three head coaches
had been newer guys. So this was a departure from
the norms that were used to when it has happened.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
But can I say this, I will say this because
we did caution this, like we thought. I think we
both thought it would be a young guy. Yeah, but
we also were quick to point out, you know, a
trend is something that happens relatively, you know, frequently. When
you hire three coaches in fifty years, I'm not sure
you can call that a trend, fifty five years, whatever,
(08:31):
whatever the number was. So, yes, did it again, shocked
but not surprised. Did it catch me flat footed? Sure
it did it. I thought, like everybody else, they are
gonna go out and like do what they'd done in
the past, but again, not a trend, right when you
do it three times in fifty years.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
We did caution that.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
And now Mike McCarthy comes in with a different way
of doing things, a different way of running practice, the
different messaging.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
We're not going to see any hitting out here, no tackling.
Tackling is off the book. So if you're coming expecting
Friday night lights or goal line sessions where they're alive,
you are going to be sorely mistaken trying to time
that up. Mike McCarthy's learned, and I think this is
the other thing that comes with it. A veteran coach,
he's had multiple stops and had success at each of
(09:17):
those stops, and he said one thing in his press
conference he learned was that I ground my team to
a pulp in two thousand and six when I took
over Green Bay, and he's like, and I learned every
year after that what I needed to do. So this
is a culmination of that knowledge and expertise. Whereas you
get a young coach, he doesn't know any better. I
got to grind them to a pulp to see what
(09:37):
they're made of. Mike McCarthy's like, I've already been through that,
And he even referenced the game like that week one
game against Cincinnati where it's stormed and then it was
just humid and muggy, and his team was dead by
the second quarter because they'd been hitting so much. So
I think that's something where you see a certain level
of maturity with him. And also he's the first coach
that's been like this really Pittsburgh, bread on the street
(10:00):
guy that's always wanted to coach here, and he's seeing
a dream realized. So he understands he doesn't have to
go read the culture of the seventies. He lived it right.
He understands what the identity of this team is and
he tried to emulate that and every other team that
he coached at he wanted to bring that Steel City
toughness to the board. So I think it is it's different,
(10:22):
but I think there's a lot of familiarity because of
his connection to the city of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
I think there's another thing too to consider when you
bring in a veteran coach. Now, this is a veteran
team that wants to get to the playoffs and start
winning playoff games. They've been getting to the playoffs, they
haven't been winning playoff games. But you bring in a
coach that doesn't have to go through those things. How
do I get through camp without grinding my team to
a pulp? You know, people sometimes use the expression he
knows how to handle a team. I dislike that because
(10:50):
these are men, not animals. You handle animals, you communicate
with men. In my opinion, so and lead, lead, But
he knows how to do that. He comes in with cashet.
He doesn't have to prove anything to anybody.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
DK Metcalf, for example, said I think it was yesterday
or the day before. Look, I think it was yesterday. Look,
this is the first time I've ever had an offensive
head coach. Ever, so now this is gonna be a
different emphasis. But nobody's saying, hey, this is a first
time head coach. How does he communicate with the players?
Does he come in too strict? Does he come in
too loose? You don't want to come in too loose,
(11:25):
because then you have to get strict later. You don't
want to come in too strict because then that the
veterans start to bristle. Mike McCarthy doesn't have to worry
about any of that stuff. He knows how to do
that because he's coached, not only as he coached for
a long time in the NFL, but he's coached to
other historic, incredible franchises. Knows about the pressures that surround
(11:46):
the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh's Dealers.
He brings a lot of those intangibles, some of which
can be most of which can be extremely important to
a new Ta.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Well, and I think you referenced it there. He has
coached at the Big Three. Now, now there's no other
franchises that you can name that compete with the history,
the cachet, and of course the worldwide appeal of those
three franchises. And I would even argue Greenberg's probably third,
(12:22):
and that it's more of a US phenomenon. But when
you talk about worldwide recognition, they know what the star
is and they know what the hypocycloids are when you
go anywhere in this world. So I think that's something
that when you understand the level of this stage, of
this point, that you're gonna be in a good place
to lead as soon as your feet hit the ground,
and you don't have to go and try and prove myself,
(12:45):
show what my credibility is. Go through the resume. No,
you lived it, you saw it, and some of these
kids grow up watching it that are now on your team,
that are now young men. And that's the benefit that
plus you have the biggest credibility factor, Aaron Rodgers, you're starting.
QB knows this guy from thirteen years together as head
(13:05):
coach and quarterback combination. So the buy ends immediate.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I mean it's an exciting change.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Again, we can talk and we will talk a lot
about what we think and what we expect out of
this team, what we think of the roster construction, the
spoiler alert. I think it's just gotten better and better
over the last several years. I think it's gotten deeper.
I think, you know, we talked about this last year.
We were up here and saying, hey, there's gonna be
(13:34):
some good guys who are going to be cut from
this football team, who are going to be on the
practice squad, are going to be picked up by other teams.
I'll just give you a couple of examples, Dylan Cook
and James Pierre, And of course Dylan Cook is competing
for the starting tackle job this year, did a very
credible job last year when he stepped in after some injuries,
(13:55):
and James Pierre got himself a free agent contract deal,
and these guys were not on the ross that left
and started the regular season. So there are, there are,
and I think it's deeper this year than.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
It was a year.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
That's that's just a quick thumbnail, Max, And we're gonna
dive into all this. But the point I was making
it ahead of this is that it's all gonna be
it's all gonna be proven during the season, right.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Yeah, your action, your actions will always speak louder than
our words, right, And I think that's how just barely though,
just barely, because we do talk pretty loud. But I
think this is and this is the genesis of that.
This is this is the origin story for the twenty
twenty six, twenty twenty seven Pittsburgh Steelers. Because we know
injuries will happen, right, it's not a matter of if,
(14:41):
it's a matter of when, and you're gonna need guys.
You're gonna recall that list of guys that got trimmed
from here that you're gonna want to go bring back
because they understood and maybe they were, you know, number
fifty four to fifty five to fifty six, or maybe
those guys are probably picked up and started elsewhere, maybe
sixty through sixty five, right that you're gonna have to
call back to come help and put their hand in
(15:02):
the pile. Like you said, you referenced a Dylan Cook
being one of those guys, a James Pierre being one
of those guys that had to come in and did
admirable jobs. But now this is a new iteration. So
who's going to be this year's James Pierre? Who's going
to be this year's Dylan Cook? Will see that along
with who are going to be the new starters, because
we do have a lot of open positions that have
(15:23):
been filled by free agents and draft picks. So how
do those guys fit into the scenario and how do
they fit into the rundown as far as as team
capabilities and opportunities to actually put their hand in the pile.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I can't wait to dive in this, you know, I'm
so excited.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
I'm really first of all, excited to be here, excited
to be back with my friend Max Starts, looking forward
to another season of Stevens football and can't wait to
dive into this roster.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
It was. It was.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
A very busy, very very busy offseason. We're going to
dive into a lot more of that. Obviously, the head
coaching position was number one on the list, but much
more to get to.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
We continue in the locker room here on the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
This is live coverage of twenty twenty six Steelers training
Camp on the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light,
Easy to Drink, easy to enjoy, and brought to you
in part by Pennsylvania One Call Systems Dial eight one
one before You dig SNT Bank People Forward Banking by
(16:27):
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Visit CLEARVIEWFCU dot org and buy iron Workers Local Union
(16:47):
number three. We don't go to the office, We build it.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
And we thank you for being us. In the locker room.
We have two thirds of the on air broadcast team.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Missus refuses them in somewhere She's not with us, but
she will be with us periodically throughout the course of
the season, actually regularly scheduled, not periodically regularly scheduled in
season season.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Yeah, on Fridays and Sundays every day. I guess I
should say game day because we do have a couple
of days of the week that aren't Sundays this year,
so you know, which which is also something I can't
wait to get into later in the you know, in
uh in the training camp time, talking about looking at
the schedule, because I think there's a lot of interesting
(17:31):
stuff that's in there as well about those other days
of the week. But no, we're focused squarely on training
camp leading into the preseason season and then of course
barreling towards the regular season.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Yeah, there's so much to go over, and I you know,
I'm looking forward to us, you know, maybe spending a
show or two diving into the AFC North opponents and
what they've done, because it was a you know, we're
just scratching the surface here, and what the students did
in the off season. It was a it was a
huge off season in the in the AFC North too.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
I mean, you know, new coaches in three fours.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Right, right, all but all but the one we thought
was gonna get fired right literally is gone?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Right?
Speaker 4 (18:10):
You know, you think about that that incredible last game
at Akershuer Stadium, and you know Tyler Loup, who had
not missed a field goal under fifty all season long,
missing that field goal and the two of us in
shocked amazement and enjoy watching that field goal attempt to
(18:31):
saale wide right?
Speaker 3 (18:33):
And what happened after that? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Like, is John Harbaugh still the coach of the Baltimore
Ravens of that? I mean, you hate to say that.
I hate to say that because I'm sure that I
was about I'm sure that went through Tyler Luke's mind
more than once during this offseason. That's a lot of
pressure on that kid, but who had a great year
for him. But you know, you just think about the
vagaries of what happens and and how things can be
(18:55):
affected one way or the other, And you know, would
would those out eclysmic changes in Baltimore have happened if
that field goal goes through?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I mean, you know, as as the old adage goes,
you know, if ifs we're fifths, we'd all be drunk, right,
But you're right, I mean, if he doesn't miss that,
how does that change the narrative of the Ravens Steelers,
because we obviously knew what happened later, but be hindsight,
you wonder what happens if that gets accelerated and it
(19:28):
becomes a different storyline than the one that we had
of Mike Tomlin stepping away on his own volition or
is it a force out or a firing in that process?
And of course, the Cleveland's Cleveland, so you know they're
gonna change coaches with the change of the wind direction.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
So excuse me. They're an interesting team to me though.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
They're very interesting this year, very interesting this year. And
I'm like, you know, as I look at it, I'm like,
I don't think they're gonna be as bad as everybody expects.
Even though the departure here it helps helps that scenario.
They still got to figure out who's their quarterback. Yes,
because now the dark Horses entered back into it and
Deshaun Watson conversation incredible, So you know, there's a lot
(20:09):
of intrigue, mystery, and I think, like you said, if
you're Cleveland, you're excited and nervous at the same time.
But I think this division might come back to the
old days that we're used to in AFC North, where
it's a slugfest for who's going to finish out on
this and kind of resembling. I've given the AFC West
and the NFC North their credence the last couple of
years as being one of the best divisions from top
(20:31):
to bottom in football. But I think that Moniker starts
to flow back to the East after this year.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
Like when we dive into the schedule, the NFC South
is suddenly intriguing to me, and I wonder if it's
gonna be a little bit tougher than we may have
thought AFC South.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
You know, it's so funny year to year changes.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
It feels like the Steelers are timing it just right
to catch every division when they're at their peak.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Of course, the rest of the I think those two
divisions are going to be good, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Again, So but I was I have to tell you,
I was up in Cleveland right after the All Star
Game and Joe Block the you know what, the Joe
Block and Greg Brown of course with the play by
play guys for the Pirates. So I filled in and
did a series up in Cleveland did the play by play,
uh for for sports and at Pittsburgh and couldn't help.
You know, there's a there's a room full of guys
(21:19):
that come in, came in technicians and other guys that
are just hanging out in the from Cleveland in our
booth before the game a few hours before the game.
So I'm talking, I'm like, what do you guys think
about the Browns? And they all just shook their head.
They're like, but I'm a little I'm like, I'm with you,
a little more bullish on them than I think most
people I thought. I think they had a great draft
class last year, and I think they had another really
(21:41):
intriguing draft class this year.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
But again that's for later. We'll get into that. I
want to get into it all right now.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I know well. And also we haven't been on the
air to Gain for like four months, so we this
like the first day of school, really, like you got
to catch up and let everybody know your summer plans.
What did I do the new outfit? Like, we we
have all this stuff that's just contained it is. Again
we have to like measure ourselves for the next two
hours of the rest of training camp. Broadcast.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
That's what it feels like.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
So the other I think the biggest story clearly obviously
is Mike McCarthy and Mike tom Win. The change a
head coach. You know again, it's just happened so infrequently.
It's like a generational thing, really, is what it is. Yes,
so Aaron Rodgers, you know, would he resign? I think
we were both pretty confident that he was going to
(22:31):
come back for one more year, But until he signs,
you don't know. And you know, again, the hope was
it would maybe happen a little sooner than it did
last year. It kind of really didn't. It is a
very similar timeline. But he resigns for one more years.
And Ray Fittipaldo had, you know, a really interesting article
in the PG.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
These are the quarterbacks who have started at forty two
or older. Okay, there are six in NFL history, Tom Brady,
Steve to Burg, Philip Rivers, Vinnie Testa, Verdi, Warren Moon,
Doug Flutey. About that, I don't think I saw that
one coming when I was reading raised article.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, I didn't realize was that when he was in
New England or where was that?
Speaker 3 (23:14):
You know what? That's funny. It must have, right, had
to have been New England. Yeah, you would have been.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
He was out of Buffalo by then, I think, right, yeah,
I think he was out above Rob Johnson, you know,
took his place late in that one season.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
So I don't know, but that surprised me.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
That's still a wild list to be a part of.
To be that old and still starting in the NFL.
I mean, Ben was close. He tried, he tried to
fight it. But I mean when you think about that list,
I mean, you know, just I mean Tom Brady, we
already knew like he I think he's also the only
quarterback to start the age of forty five. Maybe yeah, right,
so yeah, trying to get to that that number is
(23:49):
going to be impossible. But like so Steve de Berg,
that's another one where you're like, oh yeah. And then
Vinnie Testaverdi. Of course you remember that because he came
off the couch he was smoking cigarettes and then went
to start a game and you know, played pretty darn
good for his age. Warren Moon obviously a timeless guy,
and because his NFL career started a lot later, because
he started in the CFL, they came to the NFL.
(24:10):
He still had a nice tenure. But yeah, the Doug
Flutie one. Yeah, that's surprising because I thought Doug definitely
was done, you.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Know, before he got to forty.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
You know, Warren Moon to Hall of Famer and you know,
obviously great quarterback. He's a Hall of Famer, but you know,
you know he's not.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
He's not.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
I don't think on too many people's listed the ten
greatest quarterbacks and it sounds like I'm insulting him. He's
a Hall of Famer, But did anybody ever throw a
prettier ball than Warren Moon? Listen, I don't think he
ever threw a ball at his life that wobbled.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
There was zero wobble. I mean, he had one of
the most beautiful And here's one of the things. So
when I was talking with my uncle before he passed,
talking about guys that you played against and everything, and
he was like, man, he's like, the first autograph that
I ever asked.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
For was Warren Moon. Oh that's great.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
He was like, because he was hell to deal with
and his ball was super accurate. And my uncle was
a defensive back. He was a safety, so he definitely
tried to defend a lot of those passes back in
the day, and he said, yeah, that was one of
the best best football passers he's ever played against.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
Like just you know, if you were if you wanted guys,
you know, just like throwing the football and the beauty
of it, we could do.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
We could spend a whole show on this.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
But the other guy that that comes to mind for
me is uh is Dan Fouts. Like Fouts also threw
a beautiful, really nice but but but Warren Moon, I
just remember every ball coming out of his hand was
it was a spiral, I mean a perfect spiral.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
And I think also because he went to the CFL, right,
the wider, wider field, longer field and the things that
you had to do to manipulate the football made him
that much better when he came to the NFL. And
like you said, just he was in such a rhythm
that he could I mean he could throw a blindfolded
standing on one knee and like you said, zero wobble,
(25:56):
just just a dart that he could throw.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Of him not getting an opportunity.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Yeah, there there there were, there were that's not for
our show to that, that's not.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Disrect but yeah, a pioneer in some ways, let's put
it that way.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Warren Moon successful, Yeah, successful pioneers.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
So so Aaron Rodgers look back, and I'll tell you
what I thought about Aaron Rodgers last year. There's still
some athleticism there. I mean, you know, look, none of
us are the athlete at forty two. Remember forty two
then that is you were twenty seven eight years ago.
But yeah, thanks Max. Definitely couldn't have done that. No,
but it doesn't let you know, I still probably couldn't
(26:34):
have done what.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
No.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
I mean, it's just it's just it's called being a human.
That's just what happens to your body. And but the
arm strength was more than enough to be really good.
The decision making still there, the respect of his teammates.
You know, I think I've told the story before, but
I'm gonna tell it again. So you know, Aaron Rodgers
comes in, and Aaron Rodgers comes in with like he
(26:58):
rolls in one way and there's like this it's like, uh,
you know, and I did not a perfect analgy like
you remember pig Pen from the from the cartoons.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
He came in, there's like this.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Cloud around and right, there's a cloud of stuff around
Aaron Rodgers but that's not you know, it doesn't I
don't think, you know, that's certainly part of the makeup
of who he is, but all that stuff dissipates. He's
here with the teammates. His teammates clearly really enjoyed playing
with him. So I was asking James Pierre, you know,
and and James would give you very thoughtful answers, like
(27:30):
I asked him one time about, you know, what made
a good special teams player, and he went into length
about being a good gunner and that sort of thing.
And then I was asking him, you know, did anything
happen for you that helped you to evolve this year
as a as a really a quality starting cornerback, right,
I mean, and James Pierre story is interesting in its
own right. He came in during the COVID year. You know,
(27:52):
the staff felt like, hey, we might really have a
diamond in the rough here. But he comes in during
COVID and and then it just sort of didn't all
go together. We talked about it, he didn't, you know,
all the gears didn't connect. At the same time, he
didn't make the active roster. So anyway, last year he
becomes a starting quarterback and so I'm asking about it.
He's talking about some things and he goes, yeah, you
(28:12):
know what was big was that? Back in training camp
in La Trobe. You know, I'd be out in the
field and Aaron Rodgers'd be like, I see you forty two,
I see you, James, I see you redoing there, and
he goes, that was big for my confidence. I'm like,
whoa man, that's a defensive guy who's fighting to get
on the roster.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
And that's the kind of impact Aaron Rodgers can have
on a team.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
And I think that's the value of the leadership, right.
I mean, I think they kind of hoped that that
would be the same way Russell Wilson came in, that
he would provide this kind of boost and kind of
corral everybody and kind of, you know, rally the troops,
so to speak. But Aaron, when you talk to any
of his former teammates, they don't have a bad thing
(28:53):
to say about him. Nope, none of his former teammates.
But yet, like you said, as Immdia personality, we see
one side and we kind of just go with that
because we see what the masses. Well, if the beat
writer's saying this, it must be true, right in the
local market. But then he gets here and it's a
completely different personnality that we're privy to because once again,
(29:15):
we're in training camp, we're on the grounds, everybody's walking around,
we're in the lunchroom, dining room, and you see guys
sitting together, or he will just go PLoP himself up
with somebody sitting by himself, like that type of character
and that type of thoughtfulness wouldn't be available if they
were at the facility heading back home. Guys may or
may not stop in the lunch room. This interaction creates
(29:38):
that different environment, so you get to see the other
side of Aaron Rodgers. And I think that's what's been
probably one of the coolest things to see is that
you get most of these kind of advices, nuggets and everything,
but then to see that kind of myth dispelled is
pretty special. And the fact that he'll just come and
speak to anybody, whereas like, oh, he doesn't talk to anybody,
he's stand off, he's rude to media. Mike, No, that
(30:02):
like that could be further than the truth I get
maybe in some of those environments because of the access
and listen, I could give you a whole show about
the kind of the Jets and how they treat the media.
But that's not our place here. We're in Pittsburgh, You're like,
and we we have a different view of what the
media is and how our interactions are with him. And
I think that softened, you know, the blow of when
he came in here, because he was able to endear himself,
(30:25):
make cut the jokes with everybody, and you see him
on the field kind of having fun. And like you said,
he talked to anybody. You could be the four string
defensive back as well as the starting nose tackle to
the lineman, your receiver who you're now sweet mates with.
Like he can he can talk to everybody. And he
said he had open door policy. You know, guys could
just come in and uh and talk to him at
(30:46):
any point. And of course some guys use that a
little bit, right.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Literally Vincecaroni, but prepossessed, you know, flip flops, shorts, T shirt,
you know, nothing, nothing that says look at me, I'm
a big star and I'll be see. Look when you
do I do shows that are based on around you
and Netflix and all these other things. You know, some
of that attention is going to come with it, right,
And so it's not all just a perception some of
(31:10):
it were seeing, but the reality of what we saw,
in the reality of what he meant to the team,
I think was far different than maybe people would think
on the outside looking in.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
And at the end of that Texans game, the look
that he had on that field as he walked through
that tunnel, it looked like unfinishedment, like he felt a
personal responsibility for like letting his team down. And I
don't think in years past we've seen that aspect of him.
But the fact that he felt that way and now
(31:42):
we're here some months later and this guy's back trying
to finish the job that he tried to accomplish a
year ago, says a lot as well. Right, That he
enjoyed himself that much here, that he cared for his
teammates enough that it wasn't like he wanted to leave
them and abandon them. He felt this sense of responsibility
to at least come back one more time. And of
(32:03):
course knowing who the head coach is and you having
a relationship with them played into that decision. But I
think really it's the guys on that field that reinvigorated him.
To come back for one more year.
Speaker 4 (32:13):
First day School. Max Starks, I'm Rob King. We thank
you for being with us. We have much more to come.
We continue in the locker room on this steer.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
There's Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Is live coverage of twenty twenty six Steelers Training Camp
or the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light, Easy
to Drink, Easy to Enjoy, and brought to you in
part by Pennsylvania One Call Systems Dial eight one one
before You dig SNT Bank People Forward Banking by kalucy Chevrolet,
(32:47):
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Clearview Federal Credit Union. For every touchdown the Black and
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CLEARVIEWFCU dot org and by iron Workers Local Union number three.
We don't go to the office, We build it.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
And on the Saint Vincent College campus.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Max Starks, I'm Rob King and just delighted and excited
to be here and just really excited about Steelers football
and it's starting right here. And you know the press
conferences yesterday that Mike McCarthy speaking today, our first practices
in the books. But you know, we're doing a little
bit of rewinding to get you know, to get back
(33:35):
in the groove and to get caught back up on
all the big things that happened in the off season.
You know, just to reiterate quickly, Mike McCarthy being hired
after Mike Tomlin stepped aside, that of course is the
biggest news. Aaron Rodgers re signing. You know, that was
a question would he be back? What are the Steers
going to do at the quarterback position? And of course
we'll talk more about that, the backup quarterbacks. But then
(33:55):
you know, some contracts signed as well to keep guys here,
and so of course you know people are gonna about
the contracts that haven't been signed yet as well. But
Chris Boswell four year, twenty eight million dollar deal, tying
Brandon Aubrey for the highest paid kicker in NFL history,
well deserved for the Wizard of Oz. And then Nick
Herbig and Darnell Washington signing long term contract extensions. I
(34:16):
think a lot of people wondered if Nick Herbig was
was going to.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
Be into that deal.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
I think, you know, the Boswell one, I think everybody
saw that was coming, right, that had to happen.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
That had to like, like for Boswell, like you're not
going to get a better kicker in the NFL note
right now, and you want to keep the guaranteed guys.
He's guaranteed, as the young kids would say, buckets. You know,
he's guaranteed buckets. He's guaranteed points. When he steps on
the field, you know that the golden toe is going
to put three on the board or the extra point,
(34:46):
whatever is needed. And hell, he can even score all
of the points if we needed, like he did in
Atlanta a couple of years ago, right right, So yeah,
he's too valuable of an asset to let go of
free agency. But I think when you talk about her Big,
it was like, well, we have TJ. We signed up
to this deal. We had Alex Highsmith, we signed to
this deal. We have Patrick Queen, we signed to a
deal Jalen Ramsey. You had a lot of guys on
(35:08):
defense that were getting paid. So it was like, was
Herbig going to fall through the cracks as that transitional
pass rusher, change up guy. Was he going to be
one of those guys? I was like, that was just
a cap casualty and Steelers said, no, we need this guy.
He's a future impact player for this team as well
as his present contributions.
Speaker 4 (35:28):
You know, when you draft and develop as well as
his Steelers have done historically. Part of the business is
you're going to lose guys, right there, just you can't
sign them all.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
H Javon Hargray.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
Right, there's another there's an example of a guy that
keeps finding big contracts because he keeps being really really productive.
I mean we you know, going back to when they
had all the wide receivers and Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
You can only keep one and Antonio Brown Brown was
the guy you kept. Good decision too, by the way,
and the student has done a nice job with those decisions.
But sometimes you're gonna lose valuable players. And to be honest,
you know, not as as somebody.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Look, I leave the cap stuff. You know, Omar Khan
is brilliant at all that stuff and his group. But
I just I didn't see how Herbert could be retained
and I thought that was kind of a bummer, And
they found a way to retain him, and I think
that's very exciting.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Yeah, bummer gone, right, Bummer's gone, and when you think
of just that three man rotation, that's a heck of
a trio. I don't know if you can go find
an edge rushing trio like that anywhere else in the league.
And they knew that was something special, and so to
be able to rework deals to make that happen pretty
special in that process. And you still found a way
(36:43):
to still add other quality guys away from the team,
but you had to take care of home base first.
You knew what Nick Herbig was like. You said, you
groomed him, and he was drafted here, so he understands
the system. He fits in perfectly. So you don't really
have to rock the boat on that from the edge
production state endpoint. But they knew other areas they were
gonna have to go out and they were gonna have
(37:03):
to retool in a different way.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
Yeah, and we'll get to some of those differences and
those of those different guys that were brought in. I
think at this stage we can talk a little bit
about the fact that when we talk about Mike McCarthy
being the new head coach and he's an offensive guy
and things are gonna be a little bit different.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
There's a new defensive coordinator.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
As well, and Patrick Graham and how you know every
year for the last two or three years, you know,
everybody knows where TJ.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Watt's lining up.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Every single snap He's going to be there, and they
moved him a little bit, but you know every years, hey,
are they gonna are they gonna move him around a
little bit? And are they gonna be able to find
this you know, three headed monster at the pass rust position.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
They did a little last year.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
It was effective at times, but it wasn't overwhelming uh
over overwhelmingly successful to the point where you're like, oh
my gosh. You know it's on Sports Center, look at
this three hit. You know, we didn't see that really.
But now we have a new defensive coordinator as part
of this new staff, which we dealt with at the
top of the show when we were talking about Mike
McCarthy being here. So look, when you have assets like this,
(38:06):
and this is something Mike McCarthy talked about at as
introductory press conference, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
I've got a really good roster.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
I believe in bending what you do a little bit,
you know, melding it however you want to put it
so that you utilize the best players on your team.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
Well, this this is a way.
Speaker 4 (38:25):
This is going to be interesting to see how they
do this because there's guys in the defensive line I
also want to see out there rushing the passer, Cam Hayward,
Keanu Benten, Derek Harmon. You know, it's hard to get
them all out on the field at one time. It'll
be interesting to see how they're gonna be used. But
I think just you know, when you say we're gonna
put this investment in Nick herbig to me Max almost
(38:48):
by definition, you're saying he's going to see more playing time.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Yeah, And I think that's kind of the key thing
is is putting your A players and A positions to
have ape productivity right. And so for TJ. Watt, teams
can work themselves out of your crosshairs. You know, there's
a lot of rollout stuff. You can go opposite direction.
You might not be able to do as much one
(39:13):
cut because he will be there back the doorsiding, but
you have it double teaming him like they're gonna find
different ways to neutralize him. So moving him around keeps
that offense guessing and they can't really key in on it,
and I think it is something you have to be
smart to do that. I mean, look at you know,
you think about the years that he's been in contention
for Defensive Player of the Year. The one time that
it's been really you know, outside of the Undeniable year
(39:36):
he won it, But the other times when he was
up against others is because the others moved, Right, That's
really what it came down to. It wasn't the productivity,
because the productivity stacked up next to it and actually
looked a little bit better. But because the other guys moved,
I think that's why they got the nod that. Oh
he not only did it from just this spot and
got twenty plus sacks, he played on all four positions
of the defensive line, and that's the differentiator. He's more
(39:59):
value because he can move and play more positions. So
I think being able to do that, I'm not saying
you have to do it every game, every series, but
giving that versatility I think will bring that much more
opportunity for him because you can match him up against
the weaker guy, and sometimes that guy just happens to
be a guard, and if you could do some twist
stuff to get him involved, or we had that three
(40:21):
outside linebacker look a year ago where they were doing
a lot of that. If you could make that more
of the norm, but not necessarily have to use three
outside linebackers, but still line up in those places and
have big bodies in some of those other spots, it
presents a challenge as an offensive line. I don't want
to block that. I don't want to see TJ. Watter
the three technique in a stand up position, you know,
on third and twelve, Like that sucks. That's a sucking
(40:44):
position to be in. And you don't know if he's
going to straight rush you, he's gonna edge, or if
he's picking. Like there's a lot of things that you
just want to have the illusion and the smoke and mirrors.
And I think that's what Patrick Graham's so good at.
You know, when he was at the Raiders, it wasn't
the scheme that was the problem with the personnel they
had that really limited him, because I mean he maximized
everything Max Crosby could do. But when Max Crobbs is
(41:05):
your only option and you lose quick Christian Wilkinson three
weeks into the season, you know that you paid a
bunch of money to bring over there. It forces you here.
He has a simply an empty canvas and he can
paint whatever he wants with that because he has the
personnel in the depth at all the positions.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
I believe he's coached three four and four to three.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
He as a coordinat So that's again, that is a
coach who, as we talked about with Mike McCarthy, here's
my talent.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
How do I best utilize that? Right I can.
Speaker 4 (41:34):
I can have my scheme, and I think some coaches
are better at doing that than others.
Speaker 3 (41:37):
Some coaches don't want to do that. Some coaches want
to rip this is what I do.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
I'm gonna rip this down to the studs, well the
Steelers aren't, and then I'm gonna get the players that
fit the system I want. Steelers aren't that kind of
a team. They're not a roster built where you'd want
to do that. And so when Mike McCarthy says I
want to take the best guys and put them in
the best positions and maybe tweak my system a little
bit to fit their skill sets, that's wonderful to hear.
And that carrying over the defensive side. When you've got weapons, right, Like,
(42:03):
how do you utilize them all and maximize their potential?
And I'm not trying to be accusatory here and and I,
but I think there's also something comforting in a defensive
coordinator knowing I got TJ. Watt on the left side,
I don't have to worry about that even if everybody
knows he's going to be there, he's still going to
be productive. And now I can kind of manage the
(42:24):
rest of the roster. Well that may go somewhat by
the wayside this year. I'm not that I don't expect
to see TJ. Watt there a lot. It's going to
be fascinating to watch. It's gonna be really fascinating. Like
you said, you know, you think, hey, I got TJ.
Watt on one side, I have Alex Heismith.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
On the other. And oh, by the way, I got
one in the chamber with Nick Herbi right, that's right,
So that gives you a lot. And then I now
move to the interior defensive line. Right, it's Cam Hayward,
keanum Bit and Derek Harmon Yya Black right. You know,
we'll see what Dean Lowry can add to this as
a veteran guy. You have a lot of experience in
the middle right of that defense, and a lot of
youth to go with it.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
I kind of like the way Patrick Queen, Peyton Wilson
run around, So I don't want them off the field either.
Those passing down situations. It's gonna be it's gonna be
really interesting. I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
And then think about this, You're adding a Jawuan Brisker
back there in the secondary as well, because you know, yes,
Mel Dean, Jamel Dean is another one that's gonna be
that's gonna be in the rotation. I mean, there's a
lot of just good talented players, and like you said,
the depth is there, and you're going to lose some
good talent that's gonna go contribute elsewhere. We talked about that, right.
(43:32):
But the fact that you have these options available to
you to kind of play mix and match. You know,
I always I use this obviously, girl Dad build a bear.
You know, it's like build a bear. You know, you
get to pay, Hey, what stuffing do I want in here?
You know what heart and outfit that goes with it.
You have a lot of different choices on how you
want to do it, and like you said, having the
(43:53):
flexibility of three four and four three, that's that's gonna
be intriguing because you could run that four or two
nickel star and make it look like a four to
three front because you have some bigger safeties that can
drop into that box a la Jalen Ramsey. Right, you
can go and you can play some of some of
the spread stuff as well. You can run three three
(44:13):
nickel situations and force guys to play edge corners that
can also cover right because we do have Patrick Queen
and Peyton Wilson, who guess what, can probably cover the slot.
You know, if team goes five hyde, they could take
that interior slot guy that's gonna be a running back
tight end type. You could go take that guy and
you can iso a tight end on the backside because
they have height to them as well. They're not gonna
(44:34):
be sitting there like little shrimps out there on an island.
So there's just so much that's unlockable with this team
because of the way the Steelers have drafted, the way
they've acquired free agents, the way they've churned this roster
every year that Omar Khan's been here, him and Andy
Widell have done a tremendous job of churning the numbers
to get the right guys in here. That it presents
(44:57):
coaches with a smorgas board of options.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Right, and so that's there, and then you know the
other guy that that's signed to a contract. Now, Similarly,
I wasn't sure how they're gonna be able to do
this because the students already had in Pat Fryermth invested
money in a tight end and Darnel Washington, I think, Uh,
for me, I love.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Watching him play. He's he's an intriguing guy because he you.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
Know, old school helps you in the running game, probably
helps you in the running game first. But he showed
last year soft hands. Uh, nobody wants to hit him.
We invented a verb last year. Earthworm is a verb.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
He earthworms people like he runs down and and they're
just left.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
And I mean, how many times we see it, like
on the sidelines like that? What was the game in Acri?
Speaker 3 (45:45):
Sure?
Speaker 2 (45:45):
Oh gosh, it was a near sideline farside from booth.
Oh my god, I forgot, I forgot the team. But
my god, kaboo, yeah, kaboo kabo. I mean, just if
it was on the scene goodbye, like like good night.
He is taking it ten fifteen yards easily. And then
like you said, you got some of those ISO routes
where he was where he was on the sideline making
(46:06):
tremendous catches. But he's just a freak of nature. He's
an X factor in your office. And how do you
utilize him best? You know, when you're trying to maybe
have more eleven personnel and fewer two tight end sets.
We saw a lot of two tight end sets, three
tight end sets, even occasionally four tight end sets under
Arthur Smith.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
So much to get to with this Steelers scheme.
Speaker 4 (46:25):
And what they're going to do and how they're gonna
best utilize their personnel. We're just getting started because it's
day one at training camp for us. He is Max Starts,
I'm Rob King. We thank you for being with us.
We have another hour still to come in the locker
room on this Steelers Audio Network
This is live coverage of the twenty twenty six Steelers
training Camp or the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light,
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(00:43):
Peter is Everywhere.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Actor Matthew kna Hey, All.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Ride, All Ride, All Ride.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Deco, Man Dark your ego.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Oh, and we thank you for being in the locker
room with us from Latrobe.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The Engines came up here.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
In a few weeks, the Engines will be going back
again to Pittsburgh and other parts, scattering the Steelers players
and coaching staff and personnel and everybody else around Western Pennsylvania,
along with Max Starks. I'm Rob King, How are you Max?
Good to see you, my friend.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I am doing well, Kingar And of course, where else
would you rather be at the end of July than
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on the beautiful campus of Saint Vincent College,
which has been the commencement grounds for whatever season's going
to be for the Steelers since nineteen sixty nine. Great atmosphere,
(01:42):
cool day to day.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It's perfect, really perfect, excellent, you know, and it's been
when you talk about the history of this place, it's
been so important to the history the Steelers, and of
course all the greatest years in Steelers history have begun
here on this sod out in this beautiful setting. And
again we you know, we talk about this every year.
If you've never been here, it is just beautiful. The
rolling hills, gorgeous. You know, there's there's some a rustic
(02:08):
element to it, but there's you know, plenty going on
as well. It's just a beautiful, beautiful campus, a beautiful place,
so welcoming, and it's different. Now, Max, I don't remember,
did you go to camp when you're with Saint Louis?
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Did not go to camp with Saint Louis? I was
what San Diego is?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Okay? Time?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Yeah, so did they have a location away from the facility?
So what is the difference? What everybody talks about this.
You know, Aaron Rodgers was raving about being in a
college dorm with DK Metcalf didn't even have his own room, right, Yeah,
you know, raving about the connectivity of the players when
you're here. Is that what made it part of what
(02:45):
made it so special to be out here? Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
It was an isolation factor, but isolation in a good sense,
like you created a silo for this team to to
interact with each other. You know, when you go to
other training camps and other places. I was in San
Diego and training camp was at the facility, and you
stayed in a hotel and you traverse back and forth
via van to the facility. You didn't even have a
(03:09):
lunch room. It was a tent outside on the fields
where they had catering services come in. So it was
just a different element to that, and you didn't really
feel close and connected here you are in a door room.
It is literally like going back into college into a
time capsule where you have some rooms, have two guys
to a room and you share a bathroom between, so
there's four guys sharing one bathroom. When you get a
(03:31):
little bit older, you get the one to one, so
only two guys sharing a toilet, so you know exactly
who you could yell at and when things weren't looking
as fresh as you wanted, right, But that's what you get.
And everybody's right next door to each other, and they
put them in four different stories and you just interact.
You know, if you're bored in your room, you go
down to somebody else's room, figure it out, play video games,
(03:52):
play cards, hang out in the in like the common
area downstairs, and it's all about getting to know each other,
get to figure out who your teammates are, and really
meshing that. So you really accelerate that bonding process that
it takes for a team to get along. Whereas I
feel like in some places, because it's at your facility,
(04:13):
you're staying in a remote location traversing back and forth,
whether you drive or whether you ride the shuttle, there's
an element that you kind of lose that additional time.
I mean, minutes matter at this point of the season
where you have to accelerate. How do I know the
guy next to me, How to know the guy across
from me. We have to figure each other out so
that we can play better and move without speaking.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Come game time, when you were in San Diego. Did
some of the guys live at home? Did the local
guys live at home? So it's only guys trying to
make the roster, rookies, veteran free agents that were in
the hotels.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
If we didn't live in.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
San Diego, if you lived in San Diego, you lived
at home. If you're in the hotel. So that's taking
a certain element and number of the team out of
the equation to begin with. And probably the stars you're
going to afford place in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, he's actually a fod A place in San Diego won.
And then secondly, you know, if those guys were they
weren't living as next door neighbors or anything, so you
lose something like I didn't see Philip Rivers in the hotel.
You know, right, Phil is going home to his five
to seven kids at that time, and you know, and
he's dealing with dad life and a lot of other guys,
(05:20):
a lot of I mean, even think about the year
the COVID year and training camp was at the stadium
for that one year and twenty twenty guys were staying
at home. They weren't even staying in the hotels. So
it's a very similar element to that, and I think
you lose that closeness and that bonding when you do that,
and you know, there's only what a handful of teams
that still actually do it. I think the Kansas City
Chiefs are one that does it. I just saw the number.
(05:42):
It's it's five or fewer. Yeah, I say, I want
to say it's four, I think, and I can't. I'm
trying to think of who else. Maybe does Cleveland go away?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I think Cleveland goes away until they build a new facility,
of course in Korea, but I think Cleveland goes away.
And one other team, maybe the Saints, I'm not sure,
but everybody no, I'm sorry the Cowboys, because the Cowboys
go to Oxnard every year. So there's only a very
few teams to actually do this. But that's also what
makes it special, right right, the mystique, the lore, and
(06:11):
just the kind of historical aspects of coming here, Like
you can literally say that all six Super Bowl championship seasons.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Started here exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Nobody else can tout that that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
So there's a lot to get to max because so
much happened when we were still on the air Mike
Tomlin had and you know, we were I think we
were all caught flat footed. I mean, to some degree,
you'd heard stories, but it was hard to believe when
it happened. I guess the the somewhat hacking expression shocked
but not surprised came to mind. Shocked that Mike tom
(06:46):
Win decided to step away. And then by the time
we were off the air, the Steelers had not named
his successor, and then we learned that was Mike McCarthy.
And of course fans have had a lot of time to,
you know, to sort of absorb and what it might
mean to the team. But it means something now here
because we're watching practices that are going to be run
very differently. The OTAs will run very differently. The messaging
(07:10):
is going to be different to some degree, clearly, But
you know, what is this? What is this the coaching change?
And of course it is not just Mike Tominy the headman,
but most of the staff is well, there are a
few holdovers. What does that mean here now to this
team as you go through OTAs and get yourself prepared
for the season.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Here in the trope, it's a new era in Pittsburgh
Football another era, and we've only said that three other
times in contemporary history, right, And I think that's what's
the most significant thing, is that there was a changing
of stewardship, a changing of the guard at the top
level of this organization, which is the head coach, and
(07:51):
having someone like Mark McCarthy coming in that was probably
the only fitting name that could have done, unless you
want to go completely back to a young, first time
head coach, which had been the last three head coaches
had been newer guys. So this was a departure from
the norms that were used to when it has happened.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
But can I say this, I will say this because
we did caution this, like we thought. I think we
both thought it would be a young guy. Yeah, but
we also were quick to point out, you know, a
trend is something that happens relatively, you know, frequently. When
you hire three coaches in fifty years, I'm not sure
you can call that a trend, fifty five years, whatever,
(08:31):
whatever the number was. So, yes, did it again, shocked
but not surprised. Did it catch me flat footed? Sure
it did it. I thought, like everybody else, they are
gonna go out and like do what they'd done in
the past, but again, not a trend, right when you
do it three times in fifty years.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
We did caution that.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
And now Mike McCarthy comes in with a different way
of doing things, a different way of running practice, the
different messaging.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
We're not going to see any hitting out here, no tackling.
Tackling is off the book. So if you're coming expecting
Friday night lights or goal line sessions where they're alive,
you are going to be sorely mistaken trying to time
that up. Mike McCarthy's learned, and I think this is
the other thing that comes with it. A veteran coach,
he's had multiple stops and had success at each of
(09:17):
those stops, and he said one thing in his press
conference he learned was that I ground my team to
a pulp in two thousand and six when I took
over Green Bay, and he's like, and I learned every
year after that what I needed to do. So this
is a culmination of that knowledge and expertise. Whereas you
get a young coach, he doesn't know any better. I
got to grind them to a pulp to see what
(09:37):
they're made of. Mike McCarthy's like, I've already been through that,
And he even referenced the game like that week one
game against Cincinnati where it's stormed and then it was
just humid and muggy, and his team was dead by
the second quarter because they'd been hitting so much. So
I think that's something where you see a certain level
of maturity with him. And also he's the first coach
that's been like this really Pittsburgh, bread on the street
(10:00):
guy that's always wanted to coach here, and he's seeing
a dream realized. So he understands he doesn't have to
go read the culture of the seventies. He lived it right.
He understands what the identity of this team is and
he tried to emulate that and every other team that
he coached at he wanted to bring that Steel City
toughness to the board. So I think it is it's different,
(10:22):
but I think there's a lot of familiarity because of
his connection to the city of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
I think there's another thing too to consider when you
bring in a veteran coach. Now, this is a veteran
team that wants to get to the playoffs and start
winning playoff games. They've been getting to the playoffs, they
haven't been winning playoff games. But you bring in a
coach that doesn't have to go through those things. How
do I get through camp without grinding my team to
a pulp? You know, people sometimes use the expression he
knows how to handle a team. I dislike that because
(10:50):
these are men, not animals. You handle animals, you communicate
with men. In my opinion, so and lead, lead, But
he knows how to do that. He comes in with cashet.
He doesn't have to prove anything to anybody.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
DK Metcalf, for example, said I think it was yesterday
or the day before. Look, I think it was yesterday. Look,
this is the first time I've ever had an offensive
head coach. Ever, so now this is gonna be a
different emphasis. But nobody's saying, hey, this is a first
time head coach. How does he communicate with the players?
Does he come in too strict? Does he come in
too loose? You don't want to come in too loose,
(11:25):
because then you have to get strict later. You don't
want to come in too strict because then that the
veterans start to bristle. Mike McCarthy doesn't have to worry
about any of that stuff. He knows how to do
that because he's coached, not only as he coached for
a long time in the NFL, but he's coached to
other historic, incredible franchises. Knows about the pressures that surround
(11:46):
the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh's Dealers.
He brings a lot of those intangibles, some of which
can be most of which can be extremely important to
a new Ta.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Well, and I think you referenced it there. He has
coached at the Big Three. Now, now there's no other
franchises that you can name that compete with the history,
the cachet, and of course the worldwide appeal of those
three franchises. And I would even argue Greenberg's probably third,
(12:22):
and that it's more of a US phenomenon. But when
you talk about worldwide recognition, they know what the star
is and they know what the hypocycloids are when you
go anywhere in this world. So I think that's something
that when you understand the level of this stage, of
this point, that you're gonna be in a good place
to lead as soon as your feet hit the ground,
and you don't have to go and try and prove myself,
(12:45):
show what my credibility is. Go through the resume. No,
you lived it, you saw it, and some of these
kids grow up watching it that are now on your team,
that are now young men. And that's the benefit that
plus you have the biggest credibility factor, Aaron Rodgers, you're starting.
QB knows this guy from thirteen years together as head
(13:05):
coach and quarterback combination. So the buy ends immediate.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I mean it's an exciting change.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Again, we can talk and we will talk a lot
about what we think and what we expect out of
this team, what we think of the roster construction, the
spoiler alert. I think it's just gotten better and better
over the last several years. I think it's gotten deeper.
I think, you know, we talked about this last year.
We were up here and saying, hey, there's gonna be
(13:34):
some good guys who are going to be cut from
this football team, who are going to be on the
practice squad, are going to be picked up by other teams.
I'll just give you a couple of examples, Dylan Cook
and James Pierre, And of course Dylan Cook is competing
for the starting tackle job this year, did a very
credible job last year when he stepped in after some injuries,
(13:55):
and James Pierre got himself a free agent contract deal,
and these guys were not on the ross that left
and started the regular season. So there are, there are,
and I think it's deeper this year than.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
It was a year.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
That's that's just a quick thumbnail, Max, And we're gonna
dive into all this. But the point I was making
it ahead of this is that it's all gonna be
it's all gonna be proven during the season, right.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Yeah, your action, your actions will always speak louder than
our words, right, And I think that's how just barely though,
just barely, because we do talk pretty loud. But I
think this is and this is the genesis of that.
This is this is the origin story for the twenty
twenty six, twenty twenty seven Pittsburgh Steelers. Because we know
injuries will happen, right, it's not a matter of if,
(14:41):
it's a matter of when, and you're gonna need guys.
You're gonna recall that list of guys that got trimmed
from here that you're gonna want to go bring back
because they understood and maybe they were, you know, number
fifty four to fifty five to fifty six, or maybe
those guys are probably picked up and started elsewhere, maybe
sixty through sixty five, right that you're gonna have to
call back to come help and put their hand in
(15:02):
the pile. Like you said, you referenced a Dylan Cook
being one of those guys, a James Pierre being one
of those guys that had to come in and did
admirable jobs. But now this is a new iteration. So
who's going to be this year's James Pierre? Who's going
to be this year's Dylan Cook? Will see that along
with who are going to be the new starters, because
we do have a lot of open positions that have
(15:23):
been filled by free agents and draft picks. So how
do those guys fit into the scenario and how do
they fit into the rundown as far as as team
capabilities and opportunities to actually put their hand in the pile.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I can't wait to dive in this, you know, I'm
so excited.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
I'm really first of all, excited to be here, excited
to be back with my friend Max Starts, looking forward
to another season of Stevens football and can't wait to
dive into this roster.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
It was. It was.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
A very busy, very very busy offseason. We're going to
dive into a lot more of that. Obviously, the head
coaching position was number one on the list, but much
more to get to.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
We continue in the locker room here on the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
This is live coverage of twenty twenty six Steelers training
Camp on the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light,
Easy to Drink, easy to enjoy, and brought to you
in part by Pennsylvania One Call Systems Dial eight one
one before You dig SNT Bank People Forward Banking by
(16:27):
Kalucy Chevrolet, serving the Pittsburgh area for over one hundred
and eight years. Clearview Federal Credit Union. For every touchdown
the Black and Gold score in twenty twenty six, Clearview
will donate five hundred dollars to the Light of Life Mission.
Visit CLEARVIEWFCU dot org and buy iron Workers Local Union
(16:47):
number three. We don't go to the office, We build it.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
And we thank you for being us. In the locker room.
We have two thirds of the on air broadcast team.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Missus refuses them in somewhere She's not with us, but
she will be with us periodically throughout the course of
the season, actually regularly scheduled, not periodically regularly scheduled in
season season.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Yeah, on Fridays and Sundays every day. I guess I
should say game day because we do have a couple
of days of the week that aren't Sundays this year,
so you know, which which is also something I can't
wait to get into later in the you know, in
uh in the training camp time, talking about looking at
the schedule, because I think there's a lot of interesting
(17:31):
stuff that's in there as well about those other days
of the week. But no, we're focused squarely on training
camp leading into the preseason season and then of course
barreling towards the regular season.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Yeah, there's so much to go over, and I you know,
I'm looking forward to us, you know, maybe spending a
show or two diving into the AFC North opponents and
what they've done, because it was a you know, we're
just scratching the surface here, and what the students did
in the off season. It was a it was a
huge off season in the in the AFC North too.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
I mean, you know, new coaches in three fours.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Right, right, all but all but the one we thought
was gonna get fired right literally is gone?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Right?
Speaker 4 (18:10):
You know, you think about that that incredible last game
at Akershuer Stadium, and you know Tyler Loup, who had
not missed a field goal under fifty all season long,
missing that field goal and the two of us in
shocked amazement and enjoy watching that field goal attempt to
(18:31):
saale wide right?
Speaker 3 (18:33):
And what happened after that? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Like, is John Harbaugh still the coach of the Baltimore
Ravens of that? I mean, you hate to say that.
I hate to say that because I'm sure that I
was about I'm sure that went through Tyler Luke's mind
more than once during this offseason. That's a lot of
pressure on that kid, but who had a great year
for him. But you know, you just think about the
vagaries of what happens and and how things can be
(18:55):
affected one way or the other, And you know, would
would those out eclysmic changes in Baltimore have happened if
that field goal goes through?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I mean, you know, as as the old adage goes,
you know, if ifs we're fifths, we'd all be drunk, right,
But you're right, I mean, if he doesn't miss that,
how does that change the narrative of the Ravens Steelers,
because we obviously knew what happened later, but be hindsight,
you wonder what happens if that gets accelerated and it
(19:28):
becomes a different storyline than the one that we had
of Mike Tomlin stepping away on his own volition or
is it a force out or a firing in that process?
And of course, the Cleveland's Cleveland, so you know they're
gonna change coaches with the change of the wind direction.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
So excuse me. They're an interesting team to me though.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
They're very interesting this year, very interesting this year. And
I'm like, you know, as I look at it, I'm like,
I don't think they're gonna be as bad as everybody expects.
Even though the departure here it helps helps that scenario.
They still got to figure out who's their quarterback. Yes,
because now the dark Horses entered back into it and
Deshaun Watson conversation incredible, So you know, there's a lot
(20:09):
of intrigue, mystery, and I think, like you said, if
you're Cleveland, you're excited and nervous at the same time.
But I think this division might come back to the
old days that we're used to in AFC North, where
it's a slugfest for who's going to finish out on
this and kind of resembling. I've given the AFC West
and the NFC North their credence the last couple of
years as being one of the best divisions from top
(20:31):
to bottom in football. But I think that Moniker starts
to flow back to the East after this year.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
Like when we dive into the schedule, the NFC South
is suddenly intriguing to me, and I wonder if it's
gonna be a little bit tougher than we may have
thought AFC South.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
You know, it's so funny year to year changes.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
It feels like the Steelers are timing it just right
to catch every division when they're at their peak.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Of course, the rest of the I think those two
divisions are going to be good, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Again, So but I was I have to tell you,
I was up in Cleveland right after the All Star
Game and Joe Block the you know what, the Joe
Block and Greg Brown of course with the play by
play guys for the Pirates. So I filled in and
did a series up in Cleveland did the play by play,
uh for for sports and at Pittsburgh and couldn't help.
You know, there's a there's a room full of guys
(21:19):
that come in, came in technicians and other guys that
are just hanging out in the from Cleveland in our
booth before the game a few hours before the game.
So I'm talking, I'm like, what do you guys think
about the Browns? And they all just shook their head.
They're like, but I'm a little I'm like, I'm with you,
a little more bullish on them than I think most
people I thought. I think they had a great draft
class last year, and I think they had another really
(21:41):
intriguing draft class this year.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
But again that's for later. We'll get into that. I
want to get into it all right now.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I know well. And also we haven't been on the
air to Gain for like four months, so we this
like the first day of school, really, like you got
to catch up and let everybody know your summer plans.
What did I do the new outfit? Like, we we
have all this stuff that's just contained it is. Again
we have to like measure ourselves for the next two
hours of the rest of training camp. Broadcast.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
That's what it feels like.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
So the other I think the biggest story clearly obviously
is Mike McCarthy and Mike tom Win. The change a
head coach. You know again, it's just happened so infrequently.
It's like a generational thing, really, is what it is. Yes,
so Aaron Rodgers, you know, would he resign? I think
we were both pretty confident that he was going to
(22:31):
come back for one more year, But until he signs,
you don't know. And you know, again, the hope was
it would maybe happen a little sooner than it did
last year. It kind of really didn't. It is a
very similar timeline. But he resigns for one more years.
And Ray Fittipaldo had, you know, a really interesting article
in the PG.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
These are the quarterbacks who have started at forty two
or older. Okay, there are six in NFL history, Tom Brady,
Steve to Burg, Philip Rivers, Vinnie Testa, Verdi, Warren Moon,
Doug Flutey. About that, I don't think I saw that
one coming when I was reading raised article.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, I didn't realize was that when he was in
New England or where was that?
Speaker 3 (23:14):
You know what? That's funny. It must have, right, had
to have been New England. Yeah, you would have been.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
He was out of Buffalo by then, I think, right, yeah,
I think he was out above Rob Johnson, you know,
took his place late in that one season.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
So I don't know, but that surprised me.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
That's still a wild list to be a part of.
To be that old and still starting in the NFL.
I mean, Ben was close. He tried, he tried to
fight it. But I mean when you think about that list,
I mean, you know, just I mean Tom Brady, we
already knew like he I think he's also the only
quarterback to start the age of forty five. Maybe yeah, right,
so yeah, trying to get to that that number is
(23:49):
going to be impossible. But like so Steve de Berg,
that's another one where you're like, oh yeah. And then
Vinnie Testaverdi. Of course you remember that because he came
off the couch he was smoking cigarettes and then went
to start a game and you know, played pretty darn
good for his age. Warren Moon obviously a timeless guy,
and because his NFL career started a lot later, because
he started in the CFL, they came to the NFL.
(24:10):
He still had a nice tenure. But yeah, the Doug
Flutie one. Yeah, that's surprising because I thought Doug definitely
was done, you.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Know, before he got to forty.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
You know, Warren Moon to Hall of Famer and you know,
obviously great quarterback. He's a Hall of Famer, but you know,
you know he's not.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
He's not.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
I don't think on too many people's listed the ten
greatest quarterbacks and it sounds like I'm insulting him. He's
a Hall of Famer, But did anybody ever throw a
prettier ball than Warren Moon? Listen, I don't think he
ever threw a ball at his life that wobbled.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
There was zero wobble. I mean, he had one of
the most beautiful And here's one of the things. So
when I was talking with my uncle before he passed,
talking about guys that you played against and everything, and
he was like, man, he's like, the first autograph that
I ever asked.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
For was Warren Moon. Oh that's great.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
He was like, because he was hell to deal with
and his ball was super accurate. And my uncle was
a defensive back. He was a safety, so he definitely
tried to defend a lot of those passes back in
the day, and he said, yeah, that was one of
the best best football passers he's ever played against.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
Like just you know, if you were if you wanted guys,
you know, just like throwing the football and the beauty
of it, we could do.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
We could spend a whole show on this.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
But the other guy that that comes to mind for
me is uh is Dan Fouts. Like Fouts also threw
a beautiful, really nice but but but Warren Moon, I
just remember every ball coming out of his hand was
it was a spiral, I mean a perfect spiral.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
And I think also because he went to the CFL, right,
the wider, wider field, longer field and the things that
you had to do to manipulate the football made him
that much better when he came to the NFL. And
like you said, just he was in such a rhythm
that he could I mean he could throw a blindfolded
standing on one knee and like you said, zero wobble,
(25:56):
just just a dart that he could throw.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Of him not getting an opportunity.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Yeah, there there there were, there were that's not for
our show to that, that's not.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Disrect but yeah, a pioneer in some ways, let's put
it that way.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Warren Moon successful, Yeah, successful pioneers.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
So so Aaron Rodgers look back, and I'll tell you
what I thought about Aaron Rodgers last year. There's still
some athleticism there. I mean, you know, look, none of
us are the athlete at forty two. Remember forty two
then that is you were twenty seven eight years ago.
But yeah, thanks Max. Definitely couldn't have done that. No,
but it doesn't let you know, I still probably couldn't
(26:34):
have done what.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
No.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
I mean, it's just it's just it's called being a human.
That's just what happens to your body. And but the
arm strength was more than enough to be really good.
The decision making still there, the respect of his teammates.
You know, I think I've told the story before, but
I'm gonna tell it again. So you know, Aaron Rodgers
comes in, and Aaron Rodgers comes in with like he
(26:58):
rolls in one way and there's like this it's like, uh,
you know, and I did not a perfect analgy like
you remember pig Pen from the from the cartoons.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
He came in, there's like this.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Cloud around and right, there's a cloud of stuff around
Aaron Rodgers but that's not you know, it doesn't I
don't think, you know, that's certainly part of the makeup
of who he is, but all that stuff dissipates. He's
here with the teammates. His teammates clearly really enjoyed playing
with him. So I was asking James Pierre, you know,
and and James would give you very thoughtful answers, like
(27:30):
I asked him one time about, you know, what made
a good special teams player, and he went into length
about being a good gunner and that sort of thing.
And then I was asking him, you know, did anything
happen for you that helped you to evolve this year
as a as a really a quality starting cornerback, right,
I mean, and James Pierre story is interesting in its
own right. He came in during the COVID year. You know,
(27:52):
the staff felt like, hey, we might really have a
diamond in the rough here. But he comes in during
COVID and and then it just sort of didn't all
go together. We talked about it, he didn't, you know,
all the gears didn't connect. At the same time, he
didn't make the active roster. So anyway, last year he
becomes a starting quarterback and so I'm asking about it.
He's talking about some things and he goes, yeah, you
(28:12):
know what was big was that? Back in training camp
in La Trobe. You know, I'd be out in the
field and Aaron Rodgers'd be like, I see you forty two,
I see you, James, I see you redoing there, and
he goes, that was big for my confidence. I'm like,
whoa man, that's a defensive guy who's fighting to get
on the roster.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
And that's the kind of impact Aaron Rodgers can have
on a team.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
And I think that's the value of the leadership, right.
I mean, I think they kind of hoped that that
would be the same way Russell Wilson came in, that
he would provide this kind of boost and kind of
corral everybody and kind of, you know, rally the troops,
so to speak. But Aaron, when you talk to any
of his former teammates, they don't have a bad thing
(28:53):
to say about him. Nope, none of his former teammates.
But yet, like you said, as Immdia personality, we see
one side and we kind of just go with that
because we see what the masses. Well, if the beat
writer's saying this, it must be true, right in the
local market. But then he gets here and it's a
completely different personnality that we're privy to because once again,
(29:15):
we're in training camp, we're on the grounds, everybody's walking around,
we're in the lunchroom, dining room, and you see guys
sitting together, or he will just go PLoP himself up
with somebody sitting by himself, like that type of character
and that type of thoughtfulness wouldn't be available if they
were at the facility heading back home. Guys may or
may not stop in the lunch room. This interaction creates
(29:38):
that different environment, so you get to see the other
side of Aaron Rodgers. And I think that's what's been
probably one of the coolest things to see is that
you get most of these kind of advices, nuggets and everything,
but then to see that kind of myth dispelled is
pretty special. And the fact that he'll just come and
speak to anybody, whereas like, oh, he doesn't talk to anybody,
he's stand off, he's rude to media. Mike, No, that
(30:02):
like that could be further than the truth I get
maybe in some of those environments because of the access
and listen, I could give you a whole show about
the kind of the Jets and how they treat the media.
But that's not our place here. We're in Pittsburgh, You're like,
and we we have a different view of what the
media is and how our interactions are with him. And
I think that softened, you know, the blow of when
he came in here, because he was able to endear himself,
(30:25):
make cut the jokes with everybody, and you see him
on the field kind of having fun. And like you said,
he talked to anybody. You could be the four string
defensive back as well as the starting nose tackle to
the lineman, your receiver who you're now sweet mates with.
Like he can he can talk to everybody. And he
said he had open door policy. You know, guys could
just come in and uh and talk to him at
(30:46):
any point. And of course some guys use that a
little bit, right.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Literally Vincecaroni, but prepossessed, you know, flip flops, shorts, T shirt,
you know, nothing, nothing that says look at me, I'm
a big star and I'll be see. Look when you
do I do shows that are based on around you
and Netflix and all these other things. You know, some
of that attention is going to come with it, right,
And so it's not all just a perception some of
(31:10):
it were seeing, but the reality of what we saw,
in the reality of what he meant to the team,
I think was far different than maybe people would think
on the outside looking in.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
And at the end of that Texans game, the look
that he had on that field as he walked through
that tunnel, it looked like unfinishedment, like he felt a
personal responsibility for like letting his team down. And I
don't think in years past we've seen that aspect of him.
But the fact that he felt that way and now
(31:42):
we're here some months later and this guy's back trying
to finish the job that he tried to accomplish a
year ago, says a lot as well. Right, That he
enjoyed himself that much here, that he cared for his
teammates enough that it wasn't like he wanted to leave
them and abandon them. He felt this sense of responsibility
to at least come back one more time. And of
(32:03):
course knowing who the head coach is and you having
a relationship with them played into that decision. But I
think really it's the guys on that field that reinvigorated him.
To come back for one more year.
Speaker 4 (32:13):
First day School. Max Starks, I'm Rob King. We thank
you for being with us. We have much more to come.
We continue in the locker room on this steer.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
There's Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Is live coverage of twenty twenty six Steelers Training Camp
or the Steelers Audio Network, presented by bud Light, Easy
to Drink, Easy to Enjoy, and brought to you in
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before You dig SNT Bank People Forward Banking by kalucy Chevrolet,
(32:47):
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Gold score in twenty twenty six, Clearview will donate five
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CLEARVIEWFCU dot org and by iron Workers Local Union number three.
We don't go to the office, We build it.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
And on the Saint Vincent College campus.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Max Starks, I'm Rob King and just delighted and excited
to be here and just really excited about Steelers football
and it's starting right here. And you know the press
conferences yesterday that Mike McCarthy speaking today, our first practices
in the books. But you know, we're doing a little
bit of rewinding to get you know, to get back
(33:35):
in the groove and to get caught back up on
all the big things that happened in the off season.
You know, just to reiterate quickly, Mike McCarthy being hired
after Mike Tomlin stepped aside, that of course is the
biggest news. Aaron Rodgers re signing. You know, that was
a question would he be back? What are the Steers
going to do at the quarterback position? And of course
we'll talk more about that, the backup quarterbacks. But then
(33:55):
you know, some contracts signed as well to keep guys here,
and so of course you know people are gonna about
the contracts that haven't been signed yet as well. But
Chris Boswell four year, twenty eight million dollar deal, tying
Brandon Aubrey for the highest paid kicker in NFL history,
well deserved for the Wizard of Oz. And then Nick
Herbig and Darnell Washington signing long term contract extensions. I
(34:16):
think a lot of people wondered if Nick Herbig was
was going to.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
Be into that deal.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
I think, you know, the Boswell one, I think everybody
saw that was coming, right, that had to happen.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
That had to like, like for Boswell, like you're not
going to get a better kicker in the NFL note
right now, and you want to keep the guaranteed guys.
He's guaranteed, as the young kids would say, buckets. You know,
he's guaranteed buckets. He's guaranteed points. When he steps on
the field, you know that the golden toe is going
to put three on the board or the extra point,
(34:46):
whatever is needed. And hell, he can even score all
of the points if we needed, like he did in
Atlanta a couple of years ago, right right, So yeah,
he's too valuable of an asset to let go of
free agency. But I think when you talk about her Big,
it was like, well, we have TJ. We signed up
to this deal. We had Alex Highsmith, we signed to
this deal. We have Patrick Queen, we signed to a
deal Jalen Ramsey. You had a lot of guys on
(35:08):
defense that were getting paid. So it was like, was
Herbig going to fall through the cracks as that transitional
pass rusher, change up guy. Was he going to be
one of those guys? I was like, that was just
a cap casualty and Steelers said, no, we need this guy.
He's a future impact player for this team as well
as his present contributions.
Speaker 4 (35:28):
You know, when you draft and develop as well as
his Steelers have done historically. Part of the business is
you're going to lose guys, right there, just you can't
sign them all.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
H Javon Hargray.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
Right, there's another there's an example of a guy that
keeps finding big contracts because he keeps being really really productive.
I mean we you know, going back to when they
had all the wide receivers and Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
You can only keep one and Antonio Brown Brown was
the guy you kept. Good decision too, by the way,
and the student has done a nice job with those decisions.
But sometimes you're gonna lose valuable players. And to be honest,
you know, not as as somebody.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Look, I leave the cap stuff. You know, Omar Khan
is brilliant at all that stuff and his group. But
I just I didn't see how Herbert could be retained
and I thought that was kind of a bummer, And
they found a way to retain him, and I think
that's very exciting.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Yeah, bummer gone, right, Bummer's gone, and when you think
of just that three man rotation, that's a heck of
a trio. I don't know if you can go find
an edge rushing trio like that anywhere else in the league.
And they knew that was something special, and so to
be able to rework deals to make that happen pretty
special in that process. And you still found a way
(36:43):
to still add other quality guys away from the team,
but you had to take care of home base first.
You knew what Nick Herbig was like. You said, you
groomed him, and he was drafted here, so he understands
the system. He fits in perfectly. So you don't really
have to rock the boat on that from the edge
production state endpoint. But they knew other areas they were
gonna have to go out and they were gonna have
(37:03):
to retool in a different way.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
Yeah, and we'll get to some of those differences and
those of those different guys that were brought in. I
think at this stage we can talk a little bit
about the fact that when we talk about Mike McCarthy
being the new head coach and he's an offensive guy
and things are gonna be a little bit different.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
There's a new defensive coordinator.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
As well, and Patrick Graham and how you know every
year for the last two or three years, you know,
everybody knows where TJ.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Watt's lining up.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Every single snap He's going to be there, and they
moved him a little bit, but you know every years, hey,
are they gonna are they gonna move him around a
little bit? And are they gonna be able to find
this you know, three headed monster at the pass rust position.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
They did a little last year.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
It was effective at times, but it wasn't overwhelming uh
over overwhelmingly successful to the point where you're like, oh
my gosh. You know it's on Sports Center, look at
this three hit. You know, we didn't see that really.
But now we have a new defensive coordinator as part
of this new staff, which we dealt with at the
top of the show when we were talking about Mike
McCarthy being here. So look, when you have assets like this,
(38:06):
and this is something Mike McCarthy talked about at as
introductory press conference, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
I've got a really good roster.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
I believe in bending what you do a little bit,
you know, melding it however you want to put it
so that you utilize the best players on your team.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
Well, this this is a way.
Speaker 4 (38:25):
This is going to be interesting to see how they
do this because there's guys in the defensive line I
also want to see out there rushing the passer, Cam Hayward,
Keanu Benten, Derek Harmon. You know, it's hard to get
them all out on the field at one time. It'll
be interesting to see how they're gonna be used. But
I think just you know, when you say we're gonna
put this investment in Nick herbig to me Max almost
(38:48):
by definition, you're saying he's going to see more playing time.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Yeah, And I think that's kind of the key thing
is is putting your A players and A positions to
have ape productivity right. And so for TJ. Watt, teams
can work themselves out of your crosshairs. You know, there's
a lot of rollout stuff. You can go opposite direction.
You might not be able to do as much one
(39:13):
cut because he will be there back the doorsiding, but
you have it double teaming him like they're gonna find
different ways to neutralize him. So moving him around keeps
that offense guessing and they can't really key in on it,
and I think it is something you have to be
smart to do that. I mean, look at you know,
you think about the years that he's been in contention
for Defensive Player of the Year. The one time that
it's been really you know, outside of the Undeniable year
(39:36):
he won it, But the other times when he was
up against others is because the others moved, Right, That's
really what it came down to. It wasn't the productivity,
because the productivity stacked up next to it and actually
looked a little bit better. But because the other guys moved,
I think that's why they got the nod that. Oh
he not only did it from just this spot and
got twenty plus sacks, he played on all four positions
of the defensive line, and that's the differentiator. He's more
(39:59):
value because he can move and play more positions. So
I think being able to do that, I'm not saying
you have to do it every game, every series, but
giving that versatility I think will bring that much more
opportunity for him because you can match him up against
the weaker guy, and sometimes that guy just happens to
be a guard, and if you could do some twist
stuff to get him involved, or we had that three
(40:21):
outside linebacker look a year ago where they were doing
a lot of that. If you could make that more
of the norm, but not necessarily have to use three
outside linebackers, but still line up in those places and
have big bodies in some of those other spots, it
presents a challenge as an offensive line. I don't want
to block that. I don't want to see TJ. Watter
the three technique in a stand up position, you know,
on third and twelve, Like that sucks. That's a sucking
(40:44):
position to be in. And you don't know if he's
going to straight rush you, he's gonna edge, or if
he's picking. Like there's a lot of things that you
just want to have the illusion and the smoke and mirrors.
And I think that's what Patrick Graham's so good at.
You know, when he was at the Raiders, it wasn't
the scheme that was the problem with the personnel they
had that really limited him, because I mean he maximized
everything Max Crosby could do. But when Max Crobbs is
(41:05):
your only option and you lose quick Christian Wilkinson three
weeks into the season, you know that you paid a
bunch of money to bring over there. It forces you here.
He has a simply an empty canvas and he can
paint whatever he wants with that because he has the
personnel in the depth at all the positions.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
I believe he's coached three four and four to three.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
He as a coordinat So that's again, that is a
coach who, as we talked about with Mike McCarthy, here's
my talent.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
How do I best utilize that? Right I can.
Speaker 4 (41:34):
I can have my scheme, and I think some coaches
are better at doing that than others.
Speaker 3 (41:37):
Some coaches don't want to do that. Some coaches want
to rip this is what I do.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
I'm gonna rip this down to the studs, well the
Steelers aren't, and then I'm gonna get the players that
fit the system I want. Steelers aren't that kind of
a team. They're not a roster built where you'd want
to do that. And so when Mike McCarthy says I
want to take the best guys and put them in
the best positions and maybe tweak my system a little
bit to fit their skill sets, that's wonderful to hear.
And that carrying over the defensive side. When you've got weapons, right, Like,
(42:03):
how do you utilize them all and maximize their potential?
And I'm not trying to be accusatory here and and I,
but I think there's also something comforting in a defensive
coordinator knowing I got TJ. Watt on the left side,
I don't have to worry about that even if everybody
knows he's going to be there, he's still going to
be productive. And now I can kind of manage the
(42:24):
rest of the roster. Well that may go somewhat by
the wayside this year. I'm not that I don't expect
to see TJ. Watt there a lot. It's going to
be fascinating to watch. It's gonna be really fascinating. Like
you said, you know, you think, hey, I got TJ.
Watt on one side, I have Alex Heismith.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
On the other. And oh, by the way, I got
one in the chamber with Nick Herbi right, that's right,
So that gives you a lot. And then I now
move to the interior defensive line. Right, it's Cam Hayward,
keanum Bit and Derek Harmon Yya Black right. You know,
we'll see what Dean Lowry can add to this as
a veteran guy. You have a lot of experience in
the middle right of that defense, and a lot of
youth to go with it.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
I kind of like the way Patrick Queen, Peyton Wilson
run around, So I don't want them off the field either.
Those passing down situations. It's gonna be it's gonna be
really interesting. I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
And then think about this, You're adding a Jawuan Brisker
back there in the secondary as well, because you know, yes,
Mel Dean, Jamel Dean is another one that's gonna be
that's gonna be in the rotation. I mean, there's a
lot of just good talented players, and like you said,
the depth is there, and you're going to lose some
good talent that's gonna go contribute elsewhere. We talked about that, right.
(43:32):
But the fact that you have these options available to
you to kind of play mix and match. You know,
I always I use this obviously, girl Dad build a bear.
You know, it's like build a bear. You know, you
get to pay, Hey, what stuffing do I want in here?
You know what heart and outfit that goes with it.
You have a lot of different choices on how you
want to do it, and like you said, having the
(43:53):
flexibility of three four and four three, that's that's gonna
be intriguing because you could run that four or two
nickel star and make it look like a four to
three front because you have some bigger safeties that can
drop into that box a la Jalen Ramsey. Right, you
can go and you can play some of some of
the spread stuff as well. You can run three three
(44:13):
nickel situations and force guys to play edge corners that
can also cover right because we do have Patrick Queen
and Peyton Wilson, who guess what, can probably cover the slot.
You know, if team goes five hyde, they could take
that interior slot guy that's gonna be a running back
tight end type. You could go take that guy and
you can iso a tight end on the backside because
they have height to them as well. They're not gonna
(44:34):
be sitting there like little shrimps out there on an island.
So there's just so much that's unlockable with this team
because of the way the Steelers have drafted, the way
they've acquired free agents, the way they've churned this roster
every year that Omar Khan's been here, him and Andy
Widell have done a tremendous job of churning the numbers
to get the right guys in here. That it presents
(44:57):
coaches with a smorgas board of options.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Right, and so that's there, and then you know the
other guy that that's signed to a contract. Now, Similarly,
I wasn't sure how they're gonna be able to do
this because the students already had in Pat Fryermth invested
money in a tight end and Darnel Washington, I think, Uh,
for me, I love.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Watching him play. He's he's an intriguing guy because he you.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
Know, old school helps you in the running game, probably
helps you in the running game first. But he showed
last year soft hands. Uh, nobody wants to hit him.
We invented a verb last year. Earthworm is a verb.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
He earthworms people like he runs down and and they're
just left.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
And I mean, how many times we see it, like
on the sidelines like that? What was the game in Acri?
Speaker 3 (45:45):
Sure?
Speaker 2 (45:45):
Oh gosh, it was a near sideline farside from booth.
Oh my god, I forgot, I forgot the team. But
my god, kaboo, yeah, kaboo kabo. I mean, just if
it was on the scene goodbye, like like good night.
He is taking it ten fifteen yards easily. And then
like you said, you got some of those ISO routes
where he was where he was on the sideline making
(46:06):
tremendous catches. But he's just a freak of nature. He's
an X factor in your office. And how do you
utilize him best? You know, when you're trying to maybe
have more eleven personnel and fewer two tight end sets.
We saw a lot of two tight end sets, three
tight end sets, even occasionally four tight end sets under
Arthur Smith.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
So much to get to with this Steelers scheme.
Speaker 4 (46:25):
And what they're going to do and how they're gonna
best utilize their personnel. We're just getting started because it's
day one at training camp for us. He is Max Starts,
I'm Rob King. We thank you for being with us.
We have another hour still to come in the locker
room on this Steelers Audio Network
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