November 4, 2025 • 44 mins
Max and Rob discuss roster moves already made and those that could be made around the league as the trade deadline is later this afternoon, and Alvaro Martin joins the show to further break down the victory against the Colts.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct
from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop
dot Steelers dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And thank you very much for being with us today
alongside Max starts with Justin Miller at the controls in
our iHeart Studio.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm Rob King, Maximilian, how are you today?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I am wonderful.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
That was That was a very subdued, very very news
esque type of intro there. I really appreciate it was
very It was very soft, but yet direct.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
You know what I'm saying, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
We're trying to show some versatility on this show, Max,
You know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
We are you know if we artist? Yeah, part journalism,
but we're there.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
You know, next time I don't glasses, But next time
I'm gonna actually wear my glasses on the radio and
take them off just to to give it a little
extra flourish. Nobody will see it, but you and I
will know that that little flourish is there.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
I got it.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
You know what I you know, I felt it. I
felt it come through the airwaves. Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Yes, you is unmatched, sir.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Thank you, thank you, my friend. So, you know, not
much to you know, the Monday night football game. You know,
I hate to say this because it's the NFL. It
basically didn't hold much interest to me.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
You know, I was just.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Thinking, what it is, Just call it what it is.
It sucked.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, well you had to do the post game of it.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
Correct, No, not this time. Thank god, I would be
good for you, so good.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It was like it was.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
It was literally like watching pint dry, like watching that game.
As far as the Dallas offense, it was, it was,
it was. It was terrible. And listen, you know, this
is going to be a very interesting thing. Kyler Murray
not starting even though he's quote unquote healthy.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I don't know. And Jacoby said, wins wins one on
Monday night. Uh eh, Cardinals got some decisions.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
To make, you know, because you sat him and now
you finally won without him. So that's gonna be really
that That was probably the most interesting thing I think
of last night was that because the Cardinals have done
this before.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I don't know if you saw on the broadcast last night.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
They showed their point differential like through the first three
quarters and then their poort differential in the fourth quarter alone.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Gotta be horrible.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
It was, Oh, it was. It was. So they were
plus sixty three in the first three quarters.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Again, they're point different so that means the outscore guys
by by sixty three points. The fourth quarter was negative
forty seven, Oh my goodness, gracious, and the fourth I
was like, negative forty seven. Oh my god, I was like.
But then again, then you realize that's what a three
and five team looks like. And you know, because we
talked about how they'd lost all these games before by
(02:53):
like a combined total of sixteen points, like, and it's
the fourth quarter. They are the they're the greatest forty
five minutes of football and then the worst fifteen minutes
of football every week, and those losses, but they overcame that.
I thought the Cowboys were gonna charge back a little bit,
kind of like our game, but they didn't.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
So that that that was. That was nice to see.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
You know, I love to see when a cowboy is
not happy, especially Jerry Jones, like seeing them up there
and saying the darnets and all that stuff.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
It's like, yep, yep, no, I appreciate that. Good job, Jerry.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, I have spaced out, you know. So there are
certain things you watch. I watch when I'm just doing
other stuff. Like I watched the entirety of the the
first i don't know, three or four seasons of the
Formula one series, which has turned a lot of people
(03:45):
into F one fans, I guess. But I thought it
was interesting, you know. But I but not so interesting
that I'm gonna sit down with the remote, set my
phone aside and watch it. So you know, I'm in
the kitchen doing something, maybe I'm folding some laundry, whatever
it is, you know, then that shows on the background.
So I've kind of taken that approach with the Jerry
which that noise in the background. Yeah, you're kind of
(04:06):
following along, you know, that Australian driver and all the
other you know, the team owners and all the other stuff.
So I've kind of taken that approach with the Jerry
Jones thing. It's so self serving. You know, it's interesting
and it's and it's you know, it's football, so I'm.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Gonna watch it, but it's so self serving.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
So I'm just you know, and I have I'm sure
the next I think I'm through three episodes and the
next episode is gonna be Super Bowl thirty, and that's
what I could probably skip.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Maybe I'll just end it right there. I don't want
to hear Jerry Jones gloating over the victory over the Steelers.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
That won't do a lot exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, now, I don't know how I got it that.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Oh yes, because an unhappy cowboys is that?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Yeah, yeah, it's a good cowboy.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
So when you look at the when you look at
the Cardinals, they are an interesting team. Look at their
I'm just gonna run down their losses quickly and then
we'll move on.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
To other topics.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
At forty nine ers, good football team.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
They lose by a point when they're two to zero, Right, okay,
let's bounce back against Seattle. You lose by a field
goal fifty two yard are at the buzzer against Seattle.
We know they're a good football team. You lose to
the Titans twenty two to twenty one. You lose at
the Colts thirty one to twenty seven. You lose against
the Packers twenty seven to twenty three. If you get
(05:23):
a short list of top teams. You know, the forty
nine ers, look the the you know at that time,
they would certainly have been on that list. I think Seattle,
the Colts, the Packers. That is just brutal, man, it
is brutal, brutal that they've lost all those games in that.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Fashion and had been winning in all those games going
into the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
That was the other, like most.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
Mind boggling part of it was that they could not
get past that fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Wall for whatever reason.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
And like you said, you're talking about top teams, I mean,
and the NFC West is just I think I think
it's the toughest division top to bottom, right because you
throw it, the Cardinals are in fourth and you just
ran through the scores and how tight those games were.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
They're sitting in fourth place and.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
We still still got the Rams, Niners, and Seattle in there.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
So it's a tough division.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
And you know, that's the one where you know, I
thought a f C West was going to be that,
but the Raiders have completely depressed that division for them
because they are just so bad.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
You know, obviously, I don't I don't think too much.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
About the AFC or NFC South divisions and the and
like I said, the Texans, Texas are just tough to
watch right now because their offensive line and their offense
is so bad. And you know, I mean it's a
two way tie really, uh to or say two team
race in that one between Indianapolis and Jacksonville. Then you go,
(06:48):
you know, NFC South and it I mean, is it
really anything beyond Tampa Bay? I mean no, no, well
thanks doing anything. I mean, so you think the Falcons
are good that you know that?
Speaker 6 (06:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Then they they go and they drop an egg. Yeah,
they've lost. Is Caroline any good?
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Max?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I don't know. I don't I don't think so. I
didn't think they were.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Saying I can't like because every time it starts to
get on the tip of my tongue and then then
they go and they get their asses kicked.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
I'm sorry. I hate to say that. And it's just
like it's just.
Speaker 7 (07:19):
Like what it like, you know, you because I want
to be happy for them, right because it's you know,
it's a proud franchise and you know, back in the days,
I mean you know, when they first came.
Speaker 5 (07:29):
On, you know as a as a brand new franchise. Man,
they were tough. The defense was crazy because Chris Kimiyatu's
older brother make Yatu was on the d line with
Chris Jenkins and all those.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
I mean, it was a good defense.
Speaker 5 (07:41):
It was Carolina Panthers were known for their defense and man,
and you know, then you had the Cam Newton era,
and now it's just like, man, they are bad, really
really bad. But yet they'll pull out, they'll eat out
of victory here that you don't believe they can do.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
And so I don't think they're good.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
And I mean with Bryce Young they were a little
bit better, but definitely not with with Dalton slinging the
ball around, they're just even worse. So yeah, I can't
get I can't give it to them. I mean, and
I feel like that with the AFC East too. Every
time you want to start to say a team is
coming on or they've pit their stride, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Miami guy, I.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Don't even know what to say about Miami that this
year has just been an utter collapse and now that
now they're fire sailing all their players yep, in preparation
for firing Mike McDaniels. I feel like I feel like
it's the inevitable. It's like that elephant in the room,
Like you know it's there and you just but you
just don't want to acknowledge it yet.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So it's it's tough.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
And like I said, Tennessee is you know back in
the South, Tennessee is going through their woes. They have moments,
but you know, this is what life with a rookie
quarterback looks like. So steal a nation. Please take stock
that just because you want a rookie doesn't mean all
rookies are cut the same. That was the number one
overall drafting and he's struggling right now, just like Kayleb Williams.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Was a year ago.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Man, So you're almost better letting somebody else marinate that
quarterback for you. I mean, you know, I'm starting I'm
starting to wonder now I will say this and uh, okay,
because I want to. I do want to get back
and talk about these divisions because I think it's really interesting.
Though we spend a lot of time Tuesday's going around
in the NFL, certainly some time with this steel. There's
some heroes that we didn't so many of them defensively,
(09:18):
we didn't get to them all yesterday during the program.
But you know, what so, yes, the divisions are I
think there's I think there's different you know, things that
we can talk about. But the quarterback position, and you
and I have talked about this before. You know, when
you look at top picks that have come in and
(09:39):
instantly done a good job, you know, Jaden Daniels, c J. Stroud,
they are more the exception going to a bad team.
Now there are teams like and I think the Steelers
are in this same category. You're Buffalo, You're Kansas City.
So people are like, well, you got it. You got
a tank and be bad to get a top quarterback. Okay,
well then you have a young quarterback on a bad team.
(10:00):
That's not a good combination. And I think that's what
we're seeing. You know, you can look Drake May is
a guy who's i think doing a really really nice
job lifting New England. And if you're a bad team,
you got to take that guy. I'm not saying you
don't take that guy, but you know, you look around
the NFL, like, okay, so what did the Chiefs do.
They had a good team, really good team. They traded
(10:23):
up to get Mahomes. The Bills. They had a good team.
They traded up to get Josh Allen. That allows those
guys to step into situations that are really good. It's very,
very difficult to be most of these guys, to be
Caleb Williams, to be Bryce Young, to be some of
the guys we've mentioned, Jayden Daniels Drake may to come
(10:43):
into really bad environments as far as winning is going. Look,
you know, bo Nick steps into a pretty good situation
with Denver, even Atlanta. I thought, Michael Pennix, you know
that's not that wasn't an awful situation in Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You know it is.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
It's not just about getting the quarterback. It's about I
think when you get the quarterback and what position of
your team is in you know it is? Yeah, Yeah,
I think that's part of why we're seeing quarterback failure
around the league is because they're just going to you know,
you have the number one overall pick. You're like, we
need that franchise quarterback. But your team is lousy and
(11:19):
and I don't care how good a quarterback is. You
can't lift an entire team by yourself.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
No, you can't. And I think that's where you know
a lot he's a rookie. That's my cave yet exactly. Yeah,
a rookie, you know, And and I think that's where
people kind of gotten misled, right, I think, you know,
last couple of years, because you saw what CJ. Stroud
did as a rookie at the number two pick, you
saw what Jane Daniels did a year ago, and you
(11:46):
kind of get lulled into forgetting the reason why they
can get them is because the team is very very
not good.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yes, yeah, very very not good.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Well put yeah, So.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
You know, you kind of get low because you're like,
oh man, how bad Washington was, oh man, how bad
Houston was. But you know that rookie could elevate you
only for so much, and that you saw and then
you know, for CJ, last year was a step back,
and now it feels like they've even taken a bigger
step back in year three for CJ. And then Jaden
now taking a step back and he's injured and uh
(12:19):
and he.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
You know, he got walloped. I don't know why.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
And Dan Quinn talked about this at his post game,
but he was like, yeah, I should have taken him
and the starters out when the game got out of hand.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
I was like, you think I was like, he's like hindsight,
he's twenty two.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
I'm like, yeah, absolutely, it's easy to say this now
that your your quarterback is out indefinitely. But yeah, you
knew you weren't going to get back in that game,
so why why risk him? And you knew the protection
wasn't where it needed to be at the time. So
it's just you know, those those are the things you
deal with and now they're going to take another step
back because you got Davis Mills. It's going to be
your starting quarterback. And like you said, Bryce Young, Caleb Williams,
(12:55):
I mean, we have so many different ones that we
could go back through the years where you talk to
about that top guy not being the one, and then
it's usually the second, third, and fourth and fifth guy
that's drafted. They end up getting a shot and they
end up running with it. You know, I think the
sample size still too small to talk about where a
(13:16):
Bonix and a Drake may are, but they're showing that
it wasn't a bad idea Jackson dart Early, you know,
he seems to have control. But you know, I always
feel like you got to give a quarterback at least
four years before you know what you're really having him,
and then you can start, you know, then you can
start being more judicious about how we grade those guys
because it's so tough because so.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Many pieces are needed. I mean, you look at Caleb Williams.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
They went and they almost mortgaged the entire future, you know,
to get him offensive pieces, and it's still not working now.
Granted it worked enough, and I appreciate him. Listen, listen,
Chicago Bears fans.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I love you, guys, I.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Really do for this week. I really do, because I
appreciate what she did to Cincinnati. So so from that,
I send all and I don't know, a deep dish
pizza or something to everybody out there, or some weirdly
constructed hot dog whatever you guys like, you know.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Sport Peppers and relish that looks like Neon nuclear green.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
It's not not exactly a fan of mine, but you know, hey,
to each their own. But you know, you kind of
look at that and you're just like, man, it is
really a crapshoot, really when it comes to drafting a
lot of these quarterbacks, because the system matters, what pieces
you have around them matters, determines if you can have
early success or if there's enough there to build around
(14:35):
to have sustained success. And you know, some people just
are in that microwave society where you just want to
throw everything at it while all at once and think
it's gonna stick. And it's like no, I mean, you're
throwing darts in the dark praying it works. Because just
look at case study after case study. We can go
through teams throughout the years. I mean, the New York
just still haven't figured it out. They can't draft them,
they can't acquire them a free agency.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
You know, it's just like what are we doing?
Speaker 5 (14:59):
I mean, they can't seem to catch a break over there,
which I don't mind because you know, I'm not a
huge fan of the New York Jets, but you know,
I mean I love some of the guys that played
for them, but you know, definitely seeing them, I don't
envy their position. And those quarterbacks have gone on. It's
a lot of quarterbacks in the New York market have
gone on to be a lot better. But it's just
(15:20):
it's crazy how your system, your philosophy, your pieces, there's
so many things that go into and I got a
credit Omark Cohn Andy wide o' Sheldon White and that
whole front office crew for being able to put guys
out there for our team. Even when it seems like
it's seemingly impossible to have success, they seem to find
a way. And I know people, people can argue me
(15:41):
up and down nine and eight.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Okay, who cares? I was like, but it's not below
five hundred.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
And it's not guaranteed that if we drop below five
hundred that we're going to get the next starting quarterback.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Absolutely right, absolutely, you need.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I think the best way to be good and to
maintain being good is to do what the Bills have done,
what the Bills did, and what the Chiefs did. And
you know what, maybe you take a stab at a
Kenny Pickett. Maybe you think there's something there, you know,
because there are occasionally you get a jail on Hurts,
you get a Dak Prescott, you get a guy a
(16:14):
little bit later on that you think, is you know
a guy that can lead you to a super Bowl.
But if you don't think a guy can lead you
to the super Bowl, pass And now you have Aaron
Rodgers who's already thrown more touchdown passes in a season
than anybody since Ben Roethlisberger retired back in twenty twenty one.
In Ben's last season, Rogers as seventeen, Ben had twenty two.
(16:36):
We could have more on this topic, certainly want to
talk more about the NFL, but we want to take
a break now because our good pal Alvaro Martin is
coming on. When we continue next in the Locker Room
presented by our neighborhood Ford Store in the Steelers Pro
Shop on Steelers' Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
This is in the Locker Room with King and Stafe
on Steelers Nation Radio presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.
The F one P fifty is the official truck of
the Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it
direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at
shop dot Steelers dot com. Oh god, how gladies to
(17:18):
get But I got down to gayld Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Then I touched down at befort Sonja.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
Man.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
That can only be one thing, only the great Alvao
Martin from two games ago. Because Alvarro had some other
duties to perform this past week.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
But Alvarro, thanks so much for being on my friend.
Really appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (17:44):
Thank you, Rob, good morning. You know, I have to
get just enough travel miles so I can begin to
aspire to Max Stark's level. When you get to an airport,
especially these days with the air traffic controlling and all
these issues about staffing, I just want to make sure
that I got as many mouth as I could. So
instead of going to the game, I was excused I
(18:04):
had to cover an NBA game out of Mexico City.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
How was that?
Speaker 6 (18:10):
It was actually surprisingly good on many fronts. The crowd
is getting very sophisticated. There are a lot more celebrities
showing up to the game. They realize that, you know,
this is pretty cool. The game turned out to be competitive,
which actually was a very big surprise to me. And
then it coincided with the Day of the Dead celebrations
(18:30):
in Mexico, which are slowly kind of seeping into the US.
It's a little macabre for many people in the States,
but Mexicans truly revere their family members, particularly the ones
that have passed, so they take that day to celebrate
their memory. And you know, far from being a kind
of a more bose celebration, no, it's a very happy
(18:51):
celebration for them. They're just wired a little differently, and
it's interesting to see that tradition is very colorful. People
dress up. It's a little bit like Halloween, but really
honoring their own family members who passed.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Absolutely, Alvarro And of course, you know me living out
here in Arizona, Ba Deelisos is a big holiday out here,
and you know, understanding the culture and and kind of
the history behind it, it is a beautiful celebration. I
know people are like, oh my god, skulls and skeletons,
but it's like, no, you're right. I mean, it's an
honoring a family, sitting with families like well, you know,
(19:26):
who wants to go sit in the graveyard and hang out.
It's like, you know, it's it's something that I think
and being you know, being a mortician son, coming from
a generation of undertakers, I could appreciate it, you know,
because I do find beauty and cemetery, so you know,
it's it. But it is a tremendous uh celebration and
a tremendous holiday.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
You know, the witches look green to me in the
in the States, and and the pumpkins are not smiling
at me either, So yeah, that not like.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
Yeah, good point, good point.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Uh So I'm sure you had an opportunity to to
soak in at least some of the Steelers game and
the return to form of the defense after Look, I'm
gonna call it a rough game and a rough half
against a rough game against Cincinnati, rough game, rough half
against green Bay. You know, I don't want to be revisionist,
(20:20):
but it was just a tough half against green Bay.
You know, I don't want to be looking at this
three black and gold glasses, but that's what it was.
So the defense does its job, the offense continues to
roll along, you come up with an upset and alvro.
This was just a game that you know, there's there's
no such thing as must win till you're eliminated from
the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
But this was awfully closed for the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
I felt to stem the bad momentum, the momentum that
was going in the wrong way.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Toward toward your your holiday down there.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
We don't want, we don't want to celebrate that holiday
in the football field.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
No. But but you know, this is kind of a
mix back for me. This game. I watched him out
three times, and you know, the first thing I want
to say, is I just don't understand Shane Steike is
thinking they walked into this game game planning to pass
against the Steelers. I think they just saw a prior
(21:16):
couple of games and said, ah, it's gonna be easy.
And so they never really used Taylor. And if you
actually look at Taylor's carries, there were a lot of
these carries that were short, like they get a first
down to get close in the red zone by design
that we're going to be short. I think his longest
carry was nine yards, but they really never used him.
(21:38):
Reminds me of the game when Jeff Sadly was their
head coach. He had a great spurt in the first half,
and then he kind of sat him down and he
was like, we're keeping him for the second half. We're
keeping this incredible weapon we have. And so every now
and then there's a game like this where Taylor just
doesn't get used. The other thing that struck me is
(21:59):
on a weekend full of Dorito's tostitos and Fredo's, there
were no chips on TJ.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Watt.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Now that is ful nice. We're gonna We're gonna stop
and pause and appreciate that Alvaro.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Oh that was that was that was so good, so smooth.
Speaker 6 (22:18):
That was to me, that was like at capital of Fens.
I mean seriously, it reminded me of that Guico commercial
of the chainsaw massacred guy and the kids saying, no,
let's hide in the attic. No, that's type of so
why don't we just get him run in that car. No, No,
let's go to the chainsaw shd.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
And exactly like a room full of knives.
Speaker 6 (22:39):
The guy's looking at him like this is this is
this is not right, this is too easy, this is
almost insulting. I mean about DJ Watt, I know that
you know Bradon Smith had had had not given up
a sack all year, but one on one, come on,
this is this difficult ghost move which is a forward
limbo and.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Got to the quarterback.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
And to me, then Daniel Jones stopped being Indiana Jones
and went back to Daniel Jones. He just started seeing
things on the field that were not there, and his
conference was down. So I have to say, I just
think the series were shocked. Really, you're not gonna jip me.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
Seriously, they thought they were that good, They thought they
were that good.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
They couldn't.
Speaker 6 (23:26):
I'm telling you. I'm telling you another thing. Another thing.
I saw very few combo blocks on the on their
offensive line. Again, maybe the thought is were so good,
we don't need that. Well, then Keanu Benton is unleashed
Cam Hayward even though he was up against you know,
Quentin Nelson, really a couple of times he just pushed
(23:48):
him right back into the.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Quarterback against Quentin Nelson.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
Yeah, yeah, I just saw. There were a couple of
things that I saw in that game, like, what are
they thinking? Now, let's put that aside. That helped, but
that doesn't win you games. I thought the greatest move
the Steelers d that was not blitzed by design only
the game against the Jets. In the game against the Jets,
(24:13):
that the Steelers did not blitz the quarterback as lea
at least as they did against the Colts. Twelve times
they blitzed against justin fields no need to, no need
to in that game, but only sixteen times, only about
twenty nine thirty percent of the time they blitzed. That
made sense against this quarterback. That also changed the pattern
(24:36):
for the last few weeks. That also helped Kyle Duggar
coming into the game without a lot of preparation. I
just thought that, by the way, to me, is the
reason why Patrick Wilson had that interception, the first one
that he had, where he just basically beared off Taylor
and just got into the lane and just picked it
off easily. To me, that was the asked me about
(25:00):
the defense. What how they did better is they mixed
it up. They changed a pattern that had been going
on for weeks, allowing the opponents say, Okay, they're not changing,
We're gonna go this way. And I think that's what
they started. I think eight out of the first ten
place for it for Indie were passes. They just thought
they were gonna pick up or Joe flageoleft off and
(25:21):
it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that, and it
was good to see that. The other thing that was different.
And I don't know if Jaylen Ramsey speak before the
game or Cam Haywards, but you know, welcome back, gang Tackling.
Thank you so good to see you. It's been a while.
When you look at the great yeah, when you look
(25:44):
at the great Steelers video of the steel Curtain, one
of the things that that is just pro forma it's
it's there. Every just about it. Replay is gang tackling.
First guy gets their second, guy gets your third and fourth,
and then they don't even care about the whistle. They
just keep piling on and it was a joy to watch.
(26:06):
I don't know how sustainable that is week to week.
It just takes a lot out of you. And I
think it also came off a bad performance in that
particular respect against Green Bay, but boy, that made a difference.
I thought the intensity of that defense where any Colts
players said, Okay, I'm not going to get tackled by
(26:26):
the guy in front of me. I'm going to get
piled driven into the ground. IM have to make some
business decisions by the third quarter. I mean, it was
that kind of a game, that brutal, physical, beatdown game,
and that credit the Steeters for that. So to me,
the defense allowed a bunch of yards. The defense got
back into the takeaway business, but it's not reliable in
(26:49):
the season. If we know anything about this team. It
really worked this time great, but I think we were
helped by practically by the opponent. I don't know if
it's sustainable. We're still getting up yards, but it was
sure fun to watch that game. Really fun to watch
the defense be the best version of what they can be,
(27:12):
that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
No, And and I think that that's that's what was
kind of kind of great to see, because, like you said,
everybody had us dead, dead to water, dead in the water.
I don't know if you saw Alvaro some fans had
I guess they posted some fans that brought a casket
out and put the Steelers defense in it, and they
(27:35):
did it outside of the tailgate before the game, just
in anticipation of this game, right, And I thought, you know,
this was the perfect game, I think, And actually, you know,
I was talking about teammates because we had a Super
Bowl forty celebration this past week and a lot of
my teams are like, man, I don't know why people
are getting so over the top with this, and like,
this is the perfect game that the Steelers are gonna,
(27:56):
you know, surprise people, because you know, Indianapolis is looking
past us, They're looking at our last couple of weeks,
and you know, they don't necessarily do things that are
incompatible with the steel what the Steelers defense can do.
And it played right into our hands, you know, I
said in our pregame that you had to stop Jonathan
Taylor and force the ball into Daniel Jones's hands and
(28:17):
force him to beat you.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
And it happened exactly like that. He can't beat you.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
They had never played really from far behind before like
they did in this game. And Daniel Jones, I mean,
I think it was career high passing attempts in this game.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
So a lot of uncharacteristic things.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
That the Steelers forced the Colts to do, which I
thought was was just creative. And it leads back to
the point of you talking about varying things up, not
doing what you'd been doing the last couple of weeks,
and showing something literally different, because that's what it denoted
at this moment. It denoted that you needed to do
something different, you had to shake it up. And and
(28:57):
I had to say this, I mean, what were your thoughts.
I know how I felt seeing Jalen Ramsey at free safety.
He was free, he was young, wild and free on
that back half. I thought, I thought he did an
excellent job.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
Big difference. He is a very good tackle for a corner. Yeah,
he just he has a taste for it. He's also
he takes very good angles. He likes to set up
to the opponent where he gives you opponent enough distance
to think, ah, I got this, this guy's not gonna
make it here, and then he shows up. He's one
of the best set up defenders in the secondary that
(29:32):
I've seen in a long time. He will just give
you the feeling that you can complete the pass as
a receiver that he's not going to be there. He
lived the delsa quarterback, the same thing. No, not just
go ahead and throw it. Go ahead, dip your tow
in the water. It's not that deep, and all of
a sudden he shows up. He takes good angles to
the ball, typically very competitive guy, and then when he's there,
(29:54):
he hits. And so he had the same cleanup sort
of function that Deshaun ll It has from the back
if needed. But also he was I mean the best
thing he doesn't coverage, which is bait people into thinking
you can complete something and creating tremendous doubt. One thing
that really struck me Daniel Jones did not really run
(30:15):
carry the ball much in this game, and there weren't
many opportunities, I have to say, but I thought to myself,
even that would be a little bit more confusing to
Pittsburgh and throw a Pittsburgh off. Pittsburgh started the game
with a one yard loss and the first tailor carried
and it just kind of snowball against the Colts and
(30:35):
in favor of the Steelers without interruption. There was nothing
in that game that threw Pittsburgh off its frenzy. And
I just thought the Colts had some chances here and
there to do that. They just didn't do it. So
that's that's fun to watch that You're just in a
role nobody stopped you. Yeah, so it was great.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
I do think that, you know, the Dealer's coaching staff.
I mean, the first question, one of the first questions
for Mike Tomlin after the collapse against the Packers was
are you considering making a move a defensive coordinator?
Speaker 3 (31:09):
You know?
Speaker 2 (31:10):
And then I watch a game like this and I
will say this about Taylor and again the specifics of
what the Steelers did. You know, Taylor's always been a
you know, throughout the season, a second half guy. He's
been the closer most of his the vast majority of
his touchdowns coming the second half. His yards per carry
are over six, it's closer to four in the first half.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Of football games, so he has been They have that
Eagles approach.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I'm told by people that pay attention to these sort
of things, a changsike and coming off that tree. They
have a tendency to to throw the ball in the
first half, run at the second half, put the game
away with tailor. The Steelers never allowed that, so I
think they must have done some things. And people are like, well,
they had to keep it simple because Douger was in
I don't I'm not enough of a and I can't
(31:57):
pretend to be enough of an ex's and those guys
to know why they why they simplified, why they didn't
blitz more what they saw, what allowed him to stop Taylor.
The one thing I will say, Alver, and I think
you guys are hitting on it. I think it sounds
to me or seems to me. We'll see if the
Steelers doing any of the trade deadline that maybe Ramsey
(32:18):
at free safety is that might be here to stay,
because we know he can play the slot and we
know he can play free safety. But there is there
appears to be a bigger need there. And I think
you know that the acquisition of Dougger and moving Ramsey
back to free safety. I think I think that's that's
the safety tandem we're going to see moving forward.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
And that's the guy that gave the Rara speech, truly
heartfelt speech before the game making. I wouldn't call it
a sacrifice. I think he prided himself in being able
to play the versatile and play different positions, but certainly
playing a different role for a game. So it started
with him, and he's the one telling people let's pick
it up. I mean, if you know, if you remember
that defense, you know Roles and you know the greatness
(33:03):
of Ramsey. Of all people, the guy, the guy you've
no I won't say least expect, but the guy who
probably had the most to lose, shows up and tells
you I got this, I got mine, and I want
you to get yours too. That would put a charge
under my you know, Tush and uh And I think
that was that would have been. It would have been
(33:23):
fun to be in that locker room when he spoke,
because he's not a great, great speaker, He's not a
guy that often gets up in the dresses the team.
So yes, I think that is a good solution. Brandon
Eckels becomes the third corner. When this happens, he takes
up the slack. We'll see him in the future if
we get Kent or Trice to show up and play
(33:45):
a little bit, if they're ready. So that's another option
down the road for Pittsburgh. One thing I wanted to
point out the offense. The best part of this offense
in week nine was off turnovers. Obviously beyond field position.
I think they were just focused. I can't say they
(34:05):
were as focused on standard day to day plays. I mean,
Aaron Rodgers held the ball for two point one seconds.
That is incredibly low. The air yards for past attempt
were less than two yards past the line of scrimmage
on average. I mean, Aaron Rodgers can do that. He
(34:29):
can do many things very well, including this, but two
point one ooof my goodness, and so I think I
think that was a little I would be a little concerned.
I think, you know, offense has to be a little
bit more. The offensive line has to be a little
bit more. I don't know effective. As we stalked before,
(34:53):
they cushion, they absorb the initiative of the opposing defense,
but they don't dictate. They don't go and push people
out of the way, and I think that's the next
step pending for some of those guys, except for teroge Poulcano,
who just does his job. He's very skilled. Right now.
If you look at him, it's like Edward scisser hands,
(35:13):
his hands and his feet moving defendent of from from
the other. It's something to watch. It's like and all
of a sudden, the shruck gets the haircut. I mean,
I hate, I hate to use that analogy, but it's true.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Look, we got Fredo's in Edward scissors hands in one
show us.
Speaker 6 (35:34):
Week off, man, I'm taking next week off.
Speaker 4 (35:36):
No no, no, no no no no no no no
no no no.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
You're gonna be You'll be in La on Sunday, won't you.
Speaker 4 (35:41):
No whatever.
Speaker 6 (35:42):
In Mexico City, we have a watch party. Oh oh,
Steelers had The Steelers had a watch party in Germany.
A couple two hundred fifty people showed up. I thought
it was It looked exciting. The photographer be sure to
not show any steins. I was a little surprised about that.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
I was surprised about that.
Speaker 5 (36:02):
And I know Willie was around a lot of those too,
because we're when is the is the vet down there?
But well, yeah, I mean they kept me very professional.
Speaker 6 (36:11):
Yeah, we have no conclusive video evidence or pictorial evidence
of that, but I'm sure that happened. Now in Mexico City,
they're expecting over five thousand people to pack the Olympic
Volleyball Men venue. It's a gym that that a couple
of basketball teams used in Mexico right now, and it's
a significant and very well known arena. We've moved up
(36:33):
literally in terms of size of venue and they're expecting
over five thousand people. We can't wait.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
You know, you guys are within there.
Speaker 6 (36:45):
Yeah, there, it's gonna be there, and Rollo Legre joins us.
And one more thing about the watch parties in Mexico.
I think it's now our fifth year doing this, and
we've always pick an away game and right now the
Steelers are on beaten when we have a watch party
in Mexico.
Speaker 4 (37:04):
All right, let's keep that. Let's keep that, Jude, you going.
Speaker 6 (37:07):
I think Matt should include that in the in the
map status.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
Absolutely, you know you know what, We're gonna send him
a message.
Speaker 5 (37:13):
We're gonna send him a message, hey, in your math
status when we have a watch party in Mexico we
are undefeated, so we are we are going for five?
Speaker 4 (37:21):
You says year five, So we're four and O going
for five and oh.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
Correct, yes sir. Okay, one last quick comment. If you,
I hope you have this experience in your life. It's
one thing to call a game in front of a
mic at the stadium and then sort of sense that
you're reaching people. It's another thing to be performing in
front of the audience and watching them react to what
(37:47):
you're saying. It is such a thrill for announcer.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Interesting, it is unbelievable.
Speaker 6 (37:53):
And of course they feed the energy feeds you too.
Their energy feeds into you. So I hope at some point,
not that I want you to call the game away
from the stadium. I'm just saying it is a very
special experience that happens very very few times, really under dress,
but in this case, in front of an audience. It's tremendous.
(38:13):
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Well, thank you, my friend.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
I do hope I get that experience at some point,
because I do think that would be pretty cool. But again,
many many years from now, I do kind of like
being at the stadium, So we'll keep that among us.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
ALVROI, you're the best, my friend.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
Enjoy your watch party and we will look forward to
seeing you in a couple of weeks back in Pittsburgh
for the Bengals game. You bet okay, good man, Alvro
Martin a great, great play by play man and gave
us edwards as your hands and Fredo's and all kinds
of fun stuff plenty to break down about this, about
the trade deadline, about the new power rankings. Man, we
(38:50):
got a lot coming your way when we continue in
the Locker Room presented by your neighborhood Ford Store in
the Students Pro Shop on Steve. This Nation Radio a
part of the steel There's Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.
The F one P fifty is the official truck of
the Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it
direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at
shop dot Steelers dot com.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
And thanks very much for being with us.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
A reminder that we have Bob Labriola coming up in
just about nine minutes or so, and a reminder that
you can gear up with the latest game datacessities at
the official Students pro shops. Get the latest sideline apparel,
Jersey's Terrible Tows, authentic member Billia and custom exclusives you
can only find directly from the team.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Visit one of the Official Students pro.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Shops located at Akroshur Stadium, Grove City Premium, Mount Let's
or tang Ra out Let's, or gear up online at
shop dot Steelers dot com. Get it direct from the
team at the Steelers proh uh at shop dot Steelers
dot com. So, Max, you know, kind of monitoring if
something might go on in the trade deadline evolving the Steelers,
(40:09):
we do have some some trade things that have happened
that we're gonna get to in the next hour. Bob
Labriola is going to join us as well. I do
think that you know when you are being when one
week after your defense a question to Mike Tomlin is hey,
your defensive coordinator going to be dismissed. I think again,
(40:31):
I I don't know, Max. You obviously no far more
about x's and o's than I do. But you know
the move from Jalen Ramsey, and it was a move
of necessity. They had to move him there. They just
didn't well, I mean, you know they he basically replaced
wan Thornhill, who didn't play much but if at all.
But you know, you trade for Dougger. It was a
(40:52):
move that you made, whether you said it was necessary,
whatever it was, you made the move. And I think
some credit needs to go to the game plan. It
is a It is a game plan in which Taylor
normally takes off in the second half. You limited him
in the first half, you didn't let him going to
get going. In the second half, you created turnovers. I
think there has to be some credit to given to
(41:13):
the defensive coaching staff when you shut down the top
offense in football after what had happened in the previous
two games and all the criticism they received.
Speaker 5 (41:22):
Yeah, I think you absolutely have to you know, put
put put what they would call guys on game.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
And you know, the notice was there.
Speaker 5 (41:32):
You know, people have been thinking about it, and I'm
sure it hadn't been an easy situation and everybody had
speculated about all these other things that had happened over
the years. And you know Tarrell Austin, you know, did
did did a great job. He really created a game
plan that was that that that was that was fantastic,
(41:53):
you know. And and given the personnel, all the guys
that were out and having to shuffle and remake and
and kind.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
Of kind of you know, shuffle the shuffle the board
a little bit.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
Thought thought he did a great job in the task
management and putting guys in the right positions and you know,
subbing out guys and putting the right packages in there.
I thought, I thought he did a fantastic job. And
you know, at the end of the day, the players
have to play. It didn't matter the scheme really a
lot of it. It matters the players being able to
play and play free and play loose. And I think
(42:24):
you saw that they played loose. They played free, and
they played hard. And the challenge by Jalen Ramsey, the
challenge by Cam Hayward, you know, was met. And I
think that was another part that was really cool to
see is that guys stepped up. Guys, guys put the
extra effort in uh and weren't going to be denying me.
Darius Slay hurts his hand, has to go to the
(42:47):
locker room and then comes right back out and he's
back in the action, back into play. I thought That
was fantastic to see him do the Alex Heisenik, right,
you know, same thing. You know, it took an ankle
injury and off the field and you know, looked bad,
but he was like, nope, not going to the blue tent.
It was like nothing to see here, wrap it up
and let's go, you know. And I think that's what
(43:11):
was needed in that moment. I think you had to
have that rally of the choose. You had to push
beyond you know, temporary pains and do a little bit
extual strain a little bit further, and you saw the
fruits of that labor pay off. Right, you reap what
you saw it and then and they were they were
sowing some excellent plays and they reaped it with turnovers,
with sacks, with you know, negative to zero yardage plays
(43:34):
and limiting the top running back in the NFL right
now and giving him a tough day. I mean, we
talked about his longest run was nine yards. This is
a dude that rips off twenty thirty, forty fifty, sometimes
sixty yard runs in a game. And we talked about how,
you know, it's usually slow in the first half and
the second half easily could have been, but you put
it out of reach to where they couldn't really run
(43:56):
as much because they had to pass to get back
into this game, and you eliminated him from his normal
exploits of the second half. So I just thought it
was a fantastic scheme, fantastic game plan and execution. And
once again, what's not to like about five turnovers created
by your defense six total on the day and if
you include special teams, fantastic job.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
Yep, good stuff all the way around, and our thanks
to Aalvao Martin joining us for the first hour. Bob
Labriola is going to be joining us a little bit
with his great take or about Steelers football and the
state of the team when we continue in the Locker Room,
presented by our neighborhood, Ford Story and the Students Pro
Shop on stud His Nation Radio, part of the Steers
(44:37):
Audio Network.
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct
from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop
dot Steelers dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And thank you very much for being with us today
alongside Max starts with Justin Miller at the controls in
our iHeart Studio.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm Rob King, Maximilian, how are you today?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I am wonderful.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
That was That was a very subdued, very very news
esque type of intro there. I really appreciate it was
very It was very soft, but yet direct.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
You know what I'm saying, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
We're trying to show some versatility on this show, Max,
You know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
We are you know if we artist? Yeah, part journalism,
but we're there.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
You know, next time I don't glasses, But next time
I'm gonna actually wear my glasses on the radio and
take them off just to to give it a little
extra flourish. Nobody will see it, but you and I
will know that that little flourish is there.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
I got it.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
You know what I you know, I felt it. I
felt it come through the airwaves. Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Yes, you is unmatched, sir.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Thank you, thank you, my friend. So, you know, not
much to you know, the Monday night football game. You know,
I hate to say this because it's the NFL. It
basically didn't hold much interest to me.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
You know, I was just.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Thinking, what it is, Just call it what it is.
It sucked.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, well you had to do the post game of it.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
Correct, No, not this time. Thank god, I would be
good for you, so good.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It was like it was.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
It was literally like watching pint dry, like watching that game.
As far as the Dallas offense, it was, it was,
it was. It was terrible. And listen, you know, this
is going to be a very interesting thing. Kyler Murray
not starting even though he's quote unquote healthy.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I don't know. And Jacoby said, wins wins one on
Monday night. Uh eh, Cardinals got some decisions.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
To make, you know, because you sat him and now
you finally won without him. So that's gonna be really
that That was probably the most interesting thing I think
of last night was that because the Cardinals have done
this before.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I don't know if you saw on the broadcast last night.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
They showed their point differential like through the first three
quarters and then their poort differential in the fourth quarter alone.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Gotta be horrible.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
It was, Oh, it was. It was. So they were
plus sixty three in the first three quarters.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Again, they're point different so that means the outscore guys
by by sixty three points. The fourth quarter was negative
forty seven, Oh my goodness, gracious, and the fourth I
was like, negative forty seven. Oh my god, I was like.
But then again, then you realize that's what a three
and five team looks like. And you know, because we
talked about how they'd lost all these games before by
(02:53):
like a combined total of sixteen points, like, and it's
the fourth quarter. They are the they're the greatest forty
five minutes of football and then the worst fifteen minutes
of football every week, and those losses, but they overcame that.
I thought the Cowboys were gonna charge back a little bit,
kind of like our game, but they didn't.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
So that that that was. That was nice to see.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
You know, I love to see when a cowboy is
not happy, especially Jerry Jones, like seeing them up there
and saying the darnets and all that stuff.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
It's like, yep, yep, no, I appreciate that. Good job, Jerry.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, I have spaced out, you know. So there are
certain things you watch. I watch when I'm just doing
other stuff. Like I watched the entirety of the the
first i don't know, three or four seasons of the
Formula one series, which has turned a lot of people
(03:45):
into F one fans, I guess. But I thought it
was interesting, you know. But I but not so interesting
that I'm gonna sit down with the remote, set my
phone aside and watch it. So you know, I'm in
the kitchen doing something, maybe I'm folding some laundry, whatever
it is, you know, then that shows on the background.
So I've kind of taken that approach with the Jerry
which that noise in the background. Yeah, you're kind of
(04:06):
following along, you know, that Australian driver and all the
other you know, the team owners and all the other stuff.
So I've kind of taken that approach with the Jerry
Jones thing. It's so self serving. You know, it's interesting
and it's and it's you know, it's football, so I'm.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Gonna watch it, but it's so self serving.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
So I'm just you know, and I have I'm sure
the next I think I'm through three episodes and the
next episode is gonna be Super Bowl thirty, and that's
what I could probably skip.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Maybe I'll just end it right there. I don't want
to hear Jerry Jones gloating over the victory over the Steelers.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
That won't do a lot exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, now, I don't know how I got it that.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Oh yes, because an unhappy cowboys is that?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Yeah, yeah, it's a good cowboy.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
So when you look at the when you look at
the Cardinals, they are an interesting team. Look at their
I'm just gonna run down their losses quickly and then
we'll move on.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
To other topics.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
At forty nine ers, good football team.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
They lose by a point when they're two to zero, Right, okay,
let's bounce back against Seattle. You lose by a field
goal fifty two yard are at the buzzer against Seattle.
We know they're a good football team. You lose to
the Titans twenty two to twenty one. You lose at
the Colts thirty one to twenty seven. You lose against
the Packers twenty seven to twenty three. If you get
(05:23):
a short list of top teams. You know, the forty
nine ers, look the the you know at that time,
they would certainly have been on that list. I think Seattle,
the Colts, the Packers. That is just brutal, man, it
is brutal, brutal that they've lost all those games in that.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Fashion and had been winning in all those games going
into the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
That was the other, like most.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
Mind boggling part of it was that they could not
get past that fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Wall for whatever reason.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
And like you said, you're talking about top teams, I mean,
and the NFC West is just I think I think
it's the toughest division top to bottom, right because you
throw it, the Cardinals are in fourth and you just
ran through the scores and how tight those games were.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
They're sitting in fourth place and.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
We still still got the Rams, Niners, and Seattle in there.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
So it's a tough division.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
And you know, that's the one where you know, I
thought a f C West was going to be that,
but the Raiders have completely depressed that division for them
because they are just so bad.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
You know, obviously, I don't I don't think too much.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
About the AFC or NFC South divisions and the and
like I said, the Texans, Texas are just tough to
watch right now because their offensive line and their offense
is so bad. And you know, I mean it's a
two way tie really, uh to or say two team
race in that one between Indianapolis and Jacksonville. Then you go,
(06:48):
you know, NFC South and it I mean, is it
really anything beyond Tampa Bay? I mean no, no, well
thanks doing anything. I mean, so you think the Falcons
are good that you know that?
Speaker 6 (06:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Then they they go and they drop an egg. Yeah,
they've lost. Is Caroline any good?
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Max?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I don't know. I don't I don't think so. I
didn't think they were.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Saying I can't like because every time it starts to
get on the tip of my tongue and then then
they go and they get their asses kicked.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
I'm sorry. I hate to say that. And it's just
like it's just.
Speaker 7 (07:19):
Like what it like, you know, you because I want
to be happy for them, right because it's you know,
it's a proud franchise and you know, back in the days,
I mean you know, when they first came.
Speaker 5 (07:29):
On, you know as a as a brand new franchise. Man,
they were tough. The defense was crazy because Chris Kimiyatu's
older brother make Yatu was on the d line with
Chris Jenkins and all those.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
I mean, it was a good defense.
Speaker 5 (07:41):
It was Carolina Panthers were known for their defense and man,
and you know, then you had the Cam Newton era,
and now it's just like, man, they are bad, really
really bad. But yet they'll pull out, they'll eat out
of victory here that you don't believe they can do.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
And so I don't think they're good.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
And I mean with Bryce Young they were a little
bit better, but definitely not with with Dalton slinging the
ball around, they're just even worse. So yeah, I can't
get I can't give it to them. I mean, and
I feel like that with the AFC East too. Every
time you want to start to say a team is
coming on or they've pit their stride, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Miami guy, I.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Don't even know what to say about Miami that this
year has just been an utter collapse and now that
now they're fire sailing all their players yep, in preparation
for firing Mike McDaniels. I feel like I feel like
it's the inevitable. It's like that elephant in the room,
Like you know it's there and you just but you
just don't want to acknowledge it yet.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So it's it's tough.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
And like I said, Tennessee is you know back in
the South, Tennessee is going through their woes. They have moments,
but you know, this is what life with a rookie
quarterback looks like. So steal a nation. Please take stock
that just because you want a rookie doesn't mean all
rookies are cut the same. That was the number one
overall drafting and he's struggling right now, just like Kayleb Williams.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Was a year ago.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Man, So you're almost better letting somebody else marinate that
quarterback for you. I mean, you know, I'm starting I'm
starting to wonder now I will say this and uh, okay,
because I want to. I do want to get back
and talk about these divisions because I think it's really interesting.
Though we spend a lot of time Tuesday's going around
in the NFL, certainly some time with this steel. There's
some heroes that we didn't so many of them defensively,
(09:18):
we didn't get to them all yesterday during the program.
But you know, what so, yes, the divisions are I
think there's I think there's different you know, things that
we can talk about. But the quarterback position, and you
and I have talked about this before. You know, when
you look at top picks that have come in and
(09:39):
instantly done a good job, you know, Jaden Daniels, c J. Stroud,
they are more the exception going to a bad team.
Now there are teams like and I think the Steelers
are in this same category. You're Buffalo, You're Kansas City.
So people are like, well, you got it. You got
a tank and be bad to get a top quarterback. Okay,
well then you have a young quarterback on a bad team.
(10:00):
That's not a good combination. And I think that's what
we're seeing. You know, you can look Drake May is
a guy who's i think doing a really really nice
job lifting New England. And if you're a bad team,
you got to take that guy. I'm not saying you
don't take that guy, but you know, you look around
the NFL, like, okay, so what did the Chiefs do.
They had a good team, really good team. They traded
(10:23):
up to get Mahomes. The Bills. They had a good team.
They traded up to get Josh Allen. That allows those
guys to step into situations that are really good. It's very,
very difficult to be most of these guys, to be
Caleb Williams, to be Bryce Young, to be some of
the guys we've mentioned, Jayden Daniels Drake may to come
(10:43):
into really bad environments as far as winning is going. Look,
you know, bo Nick steps into a pretty good situation
with Denver, even Atlanta. I thought, Michael Pennix, you know
that's not that wasn't an awful situation in Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You know it is.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
It's not just about getting the quarterback. It's about I
think when you get the quarterback and what position of
your team is in you know it is? Yeah, Yeah,
I think that's part of why we're seeing quarterback failure
around the league is because they're just going to you know,
you have the number one overall pick. You're like, we
need that franchise quarterback. But your team is lousy and
(11:19):
and I don't care how good a quarterback is. You
can't lift an entire team by yourself.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
No, you can't. And I think that's where you know
a lot he's a rookie. That's my cave yet exactly. Yeah,
a rookie, you know, And and I think that's where
people kind of gotten misled, right, I think, you know,
last couple of years, because you saw what CJ. Stroud
did as a rookie at the number two pick, you
saw what Jane Daniels did a year ago, and you
(11:46):
kind of get lulled into forgetting the reason why they
can get them is because the team is very very
not good.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yes, yeah, very very not good.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Well put yeah, So.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
You know, you kind of get low because you're like,
oh man, how bad Washington was, oh man, how bad
Houston was. But you know that rookie could elevate you
only for so much, and that you saw and then
you know, for CJ, last year was a step back,
and now it feels like they've even taken a bigger
step back in year three for CJ. And then Jaden
now taking a step back and he's injured and uh
(12:19):
and he.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
You know, he got walloped. I don't know why.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
And Dan Quinn talked about this at his post game,
but he was like, yeah, I should have taken him
and the starters out when the game got out of hand.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
I was like, you think I was like, he's like hindsight,
he's twenty two.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
I'm like, yeah, absolutely, it's easy to say this now
that your your quarterback is out indefinitely. But yeah, you
knew you weren't going to get back in that game,
so why why risk him? And you knew the protection
wasn't where it needed to be at the time. So
it's just you know, those those are the things you
deal with and now they're going to take another step
back because you got Davis Mills. It's going to be
your starting quarterback. And like you said, Bryce Young, Caleb Williams,
(12:55):
I mean, we have so many different ones that we
could go back through the years where you talk to
about that top guy not being the one, and then
it's usually the second, third, and fourth and fifth guy
that's drafted. They end up getting a shot and they
end up running with it. You know, I think the
sample size still too small to talk about where a
(13:16):
Bonix and a Drake may are, but they're showing that
it wasn't a bad idea Jackson dart Early, you know,
he seems to have control. But you know, I always
feel like you got to give a quarterback at least
four years before you know what you're really having him,
and then you can start, you know, then you can
start being more judicious about how we grade those guys
because it's so tough because so.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Many pieces are needed. I mean, you look at Caleb Williams.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
They went and they almost mortgaged the entire future, you know,
to get him offensive pieces, and it's still not working now.
Granted it worked enough, and I appreciate him. Listen, listen,
Chicago Bears fans.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I love you, guys, I.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Really do for this week. I really do, because I
appreciate what she did to Cincinnati. So so from that,
I send all and I don't know, a deep dish
pizza or something to everybody out there, or some weirdly
constructed hot dog whatever you guys like, you know.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Sport Peppers and relish that looks like Neon nuclear green.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
It's not not exactly a fan of mine, but you know, hey,
to each their own. But you know, you kind of
look at that and you're just like, man, it is
really a crapshoot, really when it comes to drafting a
lot of these quarterbacks, because the system matters, what pieces
you have around them matters, determines if you can have
early success or if there's enough there to build around
(14:35):
to have sustained success. And you know, some people just
are in that microwave society where you just want to
throw everything at it while all at once and think
it's gonna stick. And it's like no, I mean, you're
throwing darts in the dark praying it works. Because just
look at case study after case study. We can go
through teams throughout the years. I mean, the New York
just still haven't figured it out. They can't draft them,
they can't acquire them a free agency.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
You know, it's just like what are we doing?
Speaker 5 (14:59):
I mean, they can't seem to catch a break over there,
which I don't mind because you know, I'm not a
huge fan of the New York Jets, but you know,
I mean I love some of the guys that played
for them, but you know, definitely seeing them, I don't
envy their position. And those quarterbacks have gone on. It's
a lot of quarterbacks in the New York market have
gone on to be a lot better. But it's just
(15:20):
it's crazy how your system, your philosophy, your pieces, there's
so many things that go into and I got a
credit Omark Cohn Andy wide o' Sheldon White and that
whole front office crew for being able to put guys
out there for our team. Even when it seems like
it's seemingly impossible to have success, they seem to find
a way. And I know people, people can argue me
(15:41):
up and down nine and eight.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Okay, who cares? I was like, but it's not below
five hundred.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
And it's not guaranteed that if we drop below five
hundred that we're going to get the next starting quarterback.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Absolutely right, absolutely, you need.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I think the best way to be good and to
maintain being good is to do what the Bills have done,
what the Bills did, and what the Chiefs did. And
you know what, maybe you take a stab at a
Kenny Pickett. Maybe you think there's something there, you know,
because there are occasionally you get a jail on Hurts,
you get a Dak Prescott, you get a guy a
(16:14):
little bit later on that you think, is you know
a guy that can lead you to a super Bowl.
But if you don't think a guy can lead you
to the super Bowl, pass And now you have Aaron
Rodgers who's already thrown more touchdown passes in a season
than anybody since Ben Roethlisberger retired back in twenty twenty one.
In Ben's last season, Rogers as seventeen, Ben had twenty two.
(16:36):
We could have more on this topic, certainly want to
talk more about the NFL, but we want to take
a break now because our good pal Alvaro Martin is
coming on. When we continue next in the Locker Room
presented by our neighborhood Ford Store in the Steelers Pro
Shop on Steelers' Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
This is in the Locker Room with King and Stafe
on Steelers Nation Radio presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.
The F one P fifty is the official truck of
the Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it
direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at
shop dot Steelers dot com. Oh god, how gladies to
(17:18):
get But I got down to gayld Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Then I touched down at befort Sonja.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
Man.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
That can only be one thing, only the great Alvao
Martin from two games ago. Because Alvarro had some other
duties to perform this past week.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
But Alvarro, thanks so much for being on my friend.
Really appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (17:44):
Thank you, Rob, good morning. You know, I have to
get just enough travel miles so I can begin to
aspire to Max Stark's level. When you get to an airport,
especially these days with the air traffic controlling and all
these issues about staffing, I just want to make sure
that I got as many mouth as I could. So
instead of going to the game, I was excused I
(18:04):
had to cover an NBA game out of Mexico City.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
How was that?
Speaker 6 (18:10):
It was actually surprisingly good on many fronts. The crowd
is getting very sophisticated. There are a lot more celebrities
showing up to the game. They realize that, you know,
this is pretty cool. The game turned out to be competitive,
which actually was a very big surprise to me. And
then it coincided with the Day of the Dead celebrations
(18:30):
in Mexico, which are slowly kind of seeping into the US.
It's a little macabre for many people in the States,
but Mexicans truly revere their family members, particularly the ones
that have passed, so they take that day to celebrate
their memory. And you know, far from being a kind
of a more bose celebration, no, it's a very happy
(18:51):
celebration for them. They're just wired a little differently, and
it's interesting to see that tradition is very colorful. People
dress up. It's a little bit like Halloween, but really
honoring their own family members who passed.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Absolutely, Alvarro And of course, you know me living out
here in Arizona, Ba Deelisos is a big holiday out here,
and you know, understanding the culture and and kind of
the history behind it, it is a beautiful celebration. I
know people are like, oh my god, skulls and skeletons,
but it's like, no, you're right. I mean, it's an
honoring a family, sitting with families like well, you know,
(19:26):
who wants to go sit in the graveyard and hang out.
It's like, you know, it's it's something that I think
and being you know, being a mortician son, coming from
a generation of undertakers, I could appreciate it, you know,
because I do find beauty and cemetery, so you know,
it's it. But it is a tremendous uh celebration and
a tremendous holiday.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
You know, the witches look green to me in the
in the States, and and the pumpkins are not smiling
at me either, So yeah, that not like.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
Yeah, good point, good point.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Uh So I'm sure you had an opportunity to to
soak in at least some of the Steelers game and
the return to form of the defense after Look, I'm
gonna call it a rough game and a rough half
against a rough game against Cincinnati, rough game, rough half
against green Bay. You know, I don't want to be revisionist,
(20:20):
but it was just a tough half against green Bay.
You know, I don't want to be looking at this
three black and gold glasses, but that's what it was.
So the defense does its job, the offense continues to
roll along, you come up with an upset and alvro.
This was just a game that you know, there's there's
no such thing as must win till you're eliminated from
the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
But this was awfully closed for the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
I felt to stem the bad momentum, the momentum that
was going in the wrong way.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Toward toward your your holiday down there.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
We don't want, we don't want to celebrate that holiday
in the football field.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
No. But but you know, this is kind of a
mix back for me. This game. I watched him out
three times, and you know, the first thing I want
to say, is I just don't understand Shane Steike is
thinking they walked into this game game planning to pass
against the Steelers. I think they just saw a prior
(21:16):
couple of games and said, ah, it's gonna be easy.
And so they never really used Taylor. And if you
actually look at Taylor's carries, there were a lot of
these carries that were short, like they get a first
down to get close in the red zone by design
that we're going to be short. I think his longest
carry was nine yards, but they really never used him.
(21:38):
Reminds me of the game when Jeff Sadly was their
head coach. He had a great spurt in the first half,
and then he kind of sat him down and he
was like, we're keeping him for the second half. We're
keeping this incredible weapon we have. And so every now
and then there's a game like this where Taylor just
doesn't get used. The other thing that struck me is
(21:59):
on a weekend full of Dorito's tostitos and Fredo's, there
were no chips on TJ.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Watt.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Now that is ful nice. We're gonna We're gonna stop
and pause and appreciate that Alvaro.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Oh that was that was that was so good, so smooth.
Speaker 6 (22:18):
That was to me, that was like at capital of Fens.
I mean seriously, it reminded me of that Guico commercial
of the chainsaw massacred guy and the kids saying, no,
let's hide in the attic. No, that's type of so
why don't we just get him run in that car. No, No,
let's go to the chainsaw shd.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
And exactly like a room full of knives.
Speaker 6 (22:39):
The guy's looking at him like this is this is
this is not right, this is too easy, this is
almost insulting. I mean about DJ Watt, I know that
you know Bradon Smith had had had not given up
a sack all year, but one on one, come on,
this is this difficult ghost move which is a forward
limbo and.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Got to the quarterback.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
And to me, then Daniel Jones stopped being Indiana Jones
and went back to Daniel Jones. He just started seeing
things on the field that were not there, and his
conference was down. So I have to say, I just
think the series were shocked. Really, you're not gonna jip me.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
Seriously, they thought they were that good, They thought they
were that good.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
They couldn't.
Speaker 6 (23:26):
I'm telling you. I'm telling you another thing. Another thing.
I saw very few combo blocks on the on their
offensive line. Again, maybe the thought is were so good,
we don't need that. Well, then Keanu Benton is unleashed
Cam Hayward even though he was up against you know,
Quentin Nelson, really a couple of times he just pushed
(23:48):
him right back into the.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Quarterback against Quentin Nelson.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
Yeah, yeah, I just saw. There were a couple of
things that I saw in that game, like, what are
they thinking? Now, let's put that aside. That helped, but
that doesn't win you games. I thought the greatest move
the Steelers d that was not blitzed by design only
the game against the Jets. In the game against the Jets,
(24:13):
that the Steelers did not blitz the quarterback as lea
at least as they did against the Colts. Twelve times
they blitzed against justin fields no need to, no need
to in that game, but only sixteen times, only about
twenty nine thirty percent of the time they blitzed. That
made sense against this quarterback. That also changed the pattern
(24:36):
for the last few weeks. That also helped Kyle Duggar
coming into the game without a lot of preparation. I
just thought that, by the way, to me, is the
reason why Patrick Wilson had that interception, the first one
that he had, where he just basically beared off Taylor
and just got into the lane and just picked it
off easily. To me, that was the asked me about
(25:00):
the defense. What how they did better is they mixed
it up. They changed a pattern that had been going
on for weeks, allowing the opponents say, Okay, they're not changing,
We're gonna go this way. And I think that's what
they started. I think eight out of the first ten
place for it for Indie were passes. They just thought
they were gonna pick up or Joe flageoleft off and
(25:21):
it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that, and it
was good to see that. The other thing that was different.
And I don't know if Jaylen Ramsey speak before the
game or Cam Haywards, but you know, welcome back, gang Tackling.
Thank you so good to see you. It's been a while.
When you look at the great yeah, when you look
(25:44):
at the great Steelers video of the steel Curtain, one
of the things that that is just pro forma it's
it's there. Every just about it. Replay is gang tackling.
First guy gets their second, guy gets your third and fourth,
and then they don't even care about the whistle. They
just keep piling on and it was a joy to watch.
(26:06):
I don't know how sustainable that is week to week.
It just takes a lot out of you. And I
think it also came off a bad performance in that
particular respect against Green Bay, but boy, that made a difference.
I thought the intensity of that defense where any Colts
players said, Okay, I'm not going to get tackled by
(26:26):
the guy in front of me. I'm going to get
piled driven into the ground. IM have to make some
business decisions by the third quarter. I mean, it was
that kind of a game, that brutal, physical, beatdown game,
and that credit the Steeters for that. So to me,
the defense allowed a bunch of yards. The defense got
back into the takeaway business, but it's not reliable in
(26:49):
the season. If we know anything about this team. It
really worked this time great, but I think we were
helped by practically by the opponent. I don't know if
it's sustainable. We're still getting up yards, but it was
sure fun to watch that game. Really fun to watch
the defense be the best version of what they can be,
(27:12):
that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
No, And and I think that that's that's what was
kind of kind of great to see, because, like you said,
everybody had us dead, dead to water, dead in the water.
I don't know if you saw Alvaro some fans had
I guess they posted some fans that brought a casket
out and put the Steelers defense in it, and they
(27:35):
did it outside of the tailgate before the game, just
in anticipation of this game, right, And I thought, you know,
this was the perfect game, I think, And actually, you know,
I was talking about teammates because we had a Super
Bowl forty celebration this past week and a lot of
my teams are like, man, I don't know why people
are getting so over the top with this, and like,
this is the perfect game that the Steelers are gonna,
(27:56):
you know, surprise people, because you know, Indianapolis is looking
past us, They're looking at our last couple of weeks,
and you know, they don't necessarily do things that are
incompatible with the steel what the Steelers defense can do.
And it played right into our hands, you know, I
said in our pregame that you had to stop Jonathan
Taylor and force the ball into Daniel Jones's hands and
(28:17):
force him to beat you.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
And it happened exactly like that. He can't beat you.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
They had never played really from far behind before like
they did in this game. And Daniel Jones, I mean,
I think it was career high passing attempts in this game.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
So a lot of uncharacteristic things.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
That the Steelers forced the Colts to do, which I
thought was was just creative. And it leads back to
the point of you talking about varying things up, not
doing what you'd been doing the last couple of weeks,
and showing something literally different, because that's what it denoted
at this moment. It denoted that you needed to do
something different, you had to shake it up. And and
(28:57):
I had to say this, I mean, what were your thoughts.
I know how I felt seeing Jalen Ramsey at free safety.
He was free, he was young, wild and free on
that back half. I thought, I thought he did an
excellent job.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
Big difference. He is a very good tackle for a corner. Yeah,
he just he has a taste for it. He's also
he takes very good angles. He likes to set up
to the opponent where he gives you opponent enough distance
to think, ah, I got this, this guy's not gonna
make it here, and then he shows up. He's one
of the best set up defenders in the secondary that
(29:32):
I've seen in a long time. He will just give
you the feeling that you can complete the pass as
a receiver that he's not going to be there. He
lived the delsa quarterback, the same thing. No, not just
go ahead and throw it. Go ahead, dip your tow
in the water. It's not that deep, and all of
a sudden he shows up. He takes good angles to
the ball, typically very competitive guy, and then when he's there,
(29:54):
he hits. And so he had the same cleanup sort
of function that Deshaun ll It has from the back
if needed. But also he was I mean the best
thing he doesn't coverage, which is bait people into thinking
you can complete something and creating tremendous doubt. One thing
that really struck me Daniel Jones did not really run
(30:15):
carry the ball much in this game, and there weren't
many opportunities, I have to say, but I thought to myself,
even that would be a little bit more confusing to
Pittsburgh and throw a Pittsburgh off. Pittsburgh started the game
with a one yard loss and the first tailor carried
and it just kind of snowball against the Colts and
(30:35):
in favor of the Steelers without interruption. There was nothing
in that game that threw Pittsburgh off its frenzy. And
I just thought the Colts had some chances here and
there to do that. They just didn't do it. So
that's that's fun to watch that You're just in a
role nobody stopped you. Yeah, so it was great.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
I do think that, you know, the Dealer's coaching staff.
I mean, the first question, one of the first questions
for Mike Tomlin after the collapse against the Packers was
are you considering making a move a defensive coordinator?
Speaker 3 (31:09):
You know?
Speaker 2 (31:10):
And then I watch a game like this and I
will say this about Taylor and again the specifics of
what the Steelers did. You know, Taylor's always been a
you know, throughout the season, a second half guy. He's
been the closer most of his the vast majority of
his touchdowns coming the second half. His yards per carry
are over six, it's closer to four in the first half.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Of football games, so he has been They have that
Eagles approach.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I'm told by people that pay attention to these sort
of things, a changsike and coming off that tree. They
have a tendency to to throw the ball in the
first half, run at the second half, put the game
away with tailor. The Steelers never allowed that, so I
think they must have done some things. And people are like, well,
they had to keep it simple because Douger was in
I don't I'm not enough of a and I can't
(31:57):
pretend to be enough of an ex's and those guys
to know why they why they simplified, why they didn't
blitz more what they saw, what allowed him to stop Taylor.
The one thing I will say, Alver, and I think
you guys are hitting on it. I think it sounds
to me or seems to me. We'll see if the
Steelers doing any of the trade deadline that maybe Ramsey
(32:18):
at free safety is that might be here to stay,
because we know he can play the slot and we
know he can play free safety. But there is there
appears to be a bigger need there. And I think
you know that the acquisition of Dougger and moving Ramsey
back to free safety. I think I think that's that's
the safety tandem we're going to see moving forward.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
And that's the guy that gave the Rara speech, truly
heartfelt speech before the game making. I wouldn't call it
a sacrifice. I think he prided himself in being able
to play the versatile and play different positions, but certainly
playing a different role for a game. So it started
with him, and he's the one telling people let's pick
it up. I mean, if you know, if you remember
that defense, you know Roles and you know the greatness
(33:03):
of Ramsey. Of all people, the guy, the guy you've
no I won't say least expect, but the guy who
probably had the most to lose, shows up and tells
you I got this, I got mine, and I want
you to get yours too. That would put a charge
under my you know, Tush and uh And I think
that was that would have been. It would have been
(33:23):
fun to be in that locker room when he spoke,
because he's not a great, great speaker, He's not a
guy that often gets up in the dresses the team.
So yes, I think that is a good solution. Brandon
Eckels becomes the third corner. When this happens, he takes
up the slack. We'll see him in the future if
we get Kent or Trice to show up and play
(33:45):
a little bit, if they're ready. So that's another option
down the road for Pittsburgh. One thing I wanted to
point out the offense. The best part of this offense
in week nine was off turnovers. Obviously beyond field position.
I think they were just focused. I can't say they
(34:05):
were as focused on standard day to day plays. I mean,
Aaron Rodgers held the ball for two point one seconds.
That is incredibly low. The air yards for past attempt
were less than two yards past the line of scrimmage
on average. I mean, Aaron Rodgers can do that. He
(34:29):
can do many things very well, including this, but two
point one ooof my goodness, and so I think I
think that was a little I would be a little concerned.
I think, you know, offense has to be a little
bit more. The offensive line has to be a little
bit more. I don't know effective. As we stalked before,
(34:53):
they cushion, they absorb the initiative of the opposing defense,
but they don't dictate. They don't go and push people
out of the way, and I think that's the next
step pending for some of those guys, except for teroge Poulcano,
who just does his job. He's very skilled. Right now.
If you look at him, it's like Edward scisser hands,
(35:13):
his hands and his feet moving defendent of from from
the other. It's something to watch. It's like and all
of a sudden, the shruck gets the haircut. I mean,
I hate, I hate to use that analogy, but it's true.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Look, we got Fredo's in Edward scissors hands in one
show us.
Speaker 6 (35:34):
Week off, man, I'm taking next week off.
Speaker 4 (35:36):
No no, no, no no no no no no no
no no no.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
You're gonna be You'll be in La on Sunday, won't you.
Speaker 4 (35:41):
No whatever.
Speaker 6 (35:42):
In Mexico City, we have a watch party. Oh oh,
Steelers had The Steelers had a watch party in Germany.
A couple two hundred fifty people showed up. I thought
it was It looked exciting. The photographer be sure to
not show any steins. I was a little surprised about that.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
I was surprised about that.
Speaker 5 (36:02):
And I know Willie was around a lot of those too,
because we're when is the is the vet down there?
But well, yeah, I mean they kept me very professional.
Speaker 6 (36:11):
Yeah, we have no conclusive video evidence or pictorial evidence
of that, but I'm sure that happened. Now in Mexico City,
they're expecting over five thousand people to pack the Olympic
Volleyball Men venue. It's a gym that that a couple
of basketball teams used in Mexico right now, and it's
a significant and very well known arena. We've moved up
(36:33):
literally in terms of size of venue and they're expecting
over five thousand people. We can't wait.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
You know, you guys are within there.
Speaker 6 (36:45):
Yeah, there, it's gonna be there, and Rollo Legre joins us.
And one more thing about the watch parties in Mexico.
I think it's now our fifth year doing this, and
we've always pick an away game and right now the
Steelers are on beaten when we have a watch party
in Mexico.
Speaker 4 (37:04):
All right, let's keep that. Let's keep that, Jude, you going.
Speaker 6 (37:07):
I think Matt should include that in the in the
map status.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
Absolutely, you know you know what, We're gonna send him
a message.
Speaker 5 (37:13):
We're gonna send him a message, hey, in your math
status when we have a watch party in Mexico we
are undefeated, so we are we are going for five?
Speaker 4 (37:21):
You says year five, So we're four and O going
for five and oh.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
Correct, yes sir. Okay, one last quick comment. If you,
I hope you have this experience in your life. It's
one thing to call a game in front of a
mic at the stadium and then sort of sense that
you're reaching people. It's another thing to be performing in
front of the audience and watching them react to what
(37:47):
you're saying. It is such a thrill for announcer.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Interesting, it is unbelievable.
Speaker 6 (37:53):
And of course they feed the energy feeds you too.
Their energy feeds into you. So I hope at some point,
not that I want you to call the game away
from the stadium. I'm just saying it is a very
special experience that happens very very few times, really under dress,
but in this case, in front of an audience. It's tremendous.
(38:13):
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Well, thank you, my friend.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
I do hope I get that experience at some point,
because I do think that would be pretty cool. But again,
many many years from now, I do kind of like
being at the stadium, So we'll keep that among us.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
ALVROI, you're the best, my friend.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
Enjoy your watch party and we will look forward to
seeing you in a couple of weeks back in Pittsburgh
for the Bengals game. You bet okay, good man, Alvro
Martin a great, great play by play man and gave
us edwards as your hands and Fredo's and all kinds
of fun stuff plenty to break down about this, about
the trade deadline, about the new power rankings. Man, we
(38:50):
got a lot coming your way when we continue in
the Locker Room presented by your neighborhood Ford Store in
the Students Pro Shop on Steve. This Nation Radio a
part of the steel There's Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.
The F one P fifty is the official truck of
the Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it
direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at
shop dot Steelers dot com.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
And thanks very much for being with us.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
A reminder that we have Bob Labriola coming up in
just about nine minutes or so, and a reminder that
you can gear up with the latest game datacessities at
the official Students pro shops. Get the latest sideline apparel,
Jersey's Terrible Tows, authentic member Billia and custom exclusives you
can only find directly from the team.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Visit one of the Official Students pro.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Shops located at Akroshur Stadium, Grove City Premium, Mount Let's
or tang Ra out Let's, or gear up online at
shop dot Steelers dot com. Get it direct from the
team at the Steelers proh uh at shop dot Steelers
dot com. So, Max, you know, kind of monitoring if
something might go on in the trade deadline evolving the Steelers,
(40:09):
we do have some some trade things that have happened
that we're gonna get to in the next hour. Bob
Labriola is going to join us as well. I do
think that you know when you are being when one
week after your defense a question to Mike Tomlin is hey,
your defensive coordinator going to be dismissed. I think again,
(40:31):
I I don't know, Max. You obviously no far more
about x's and o's than I do. But you know
the move from Jalen Ramsey, and it was a move
of necessity. They had to move him there. They just
didn't well, I mean, you know they he basically replaced
wan Thornhill, who didn't play much but if at all.
But you know, you trade for Dougger. It was a
(40:52):
move that you made, whether you said it was necessary,
whatever it was, you made the move. And I think
some credit needs to go to the game plan. It
is a It is a game plan in which Taylor
normally takes off in the second half. You limited him
in the first half, you didn't let him going to
get going. In the second half, you created turnovers. I
think there has to be some credit to given to
(41:13):
the defensive coaching staff when you shut down the top
offense in football after what had happened in the previous
two games and all the criticism they received.
Speaker 5 (41:22):
Yeah, I think you absolutely have to you know, put
put put what they would call guys on game.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
And you know, the notice was there.
Speaker 5 (41:32):
You know, people have been thinking about it, and I'm
sure it hadn't been an easy situation and everybody had
speculated about all these other things that had happened over
the years. And you know Tarrell Austin, you know, did
did did a great job. He really created a game
plan that was that that that was that was fantastic,
(41:53):
you know. And and given the personnel, all the guys
that were out and having to shuffle and remake and
and kind.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
Of kind of you know, shuffle the shuffle the board
a little bit.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
Thought thought he did a great job in the task
management and putting guys in the right positions and you know,
subbing out guys and putting the right packages in there.
I thought, I thought he did a fantastic job. And
you know, at the end of the day, the players
have to play. It didn't matter the scheme really a
lot of it. It matters the players being able to
play and play free and play loose. And I think
(42:24):
you saw that they played loose. They played free, and
they played hard. And the challenge by Jalen Ramsey, the
challenge by Cam Hayward, you know, was met. And I
think that was another part that was really cool to
see is that guys stepped up. Guys, guys put the
extra effort in uh and weren't going to be denying me.
Darius Slay hurts his hand, has to go to the
(42:47):
locker room and then comes right back out and he's
back in the action, back into play. I thought That
was fantastic to see him do the Alex Heisenik, right,
you know, same thing. You know, it took an ankle
injury and off the field and you know, looked bad,
but he was like, nope, not going to the blue tent.
It was like nothing to see here, wrap it up
and let's go, you know. And I think that's what
(43:11):
was needed in that moment. I think you had to
have that rally of the choose. You had to push
beyond you know, temporary pains and do a little bit
extual strain a little bit further, and you saw the
fruits of that labor pay off. Right, you reap what
you saw it and then and they were they were
sowing some excellent plays and they reaped it with turnovers,
with sacks, with you know, negative to zero yardage plays
(43:34):
and limiting the top running back in the NFL right
now and giving him a tough day. I mean, we
talked about his longest run was nine yards. This is
a dude that rips off twenty thirty, forty fifty, sometimes
sixty yard runs in a game. And we talked about how,
you know, it's usually slow in the first half and
the second half easily could have been, but you put
it out of reach to where they couldn't really run
(43:56):
as much because they had to pass to get back
into this game, and you eliminated him from his normal
exploits of the second half. So I just thought it
was a fantastic scheme, fantastic game plan and execution. And
once again, what's not to like about five turnovers created
by your defense six total on the day and if
you include special teams, fantastic job.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
Yep, good stuff all the way around, and our thanks
to Aalvao Martin joining us for the first hour. Bob
Labriola is going to be joining us a little bit
with his great take or about Steelers football and the
state of the team when we continue in the Locker Room,
presented by our neighborhood, Ford Story and the Students Pro
Shop on stud His Nation Radio, part of the Steers
(44:37):
Audio Network.
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