November 18, 2025 • 46 mins
Bob Labriola joins the show with his takeaways from Sunday and thoughts on the team moving forward, as Rob and Max put a bow on week 11.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford Store.
The F one point 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 (00:30):
Oh right, you know when Optimist comes barreling through the
locker room, it is.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
The power hour.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
That's right, hour number two here inside the locker room.
And on this glorious Tuesday, a victory Tuesday. You know,
sometimes it lings a little bit longer than just a
victory donut Monday. We have the one, the only Steelers
Digest editor in chief, a man of many talents, a
man that knows a lot of things. And just like
(01:00):
Game of Thrones, you know, you know the famous famous
quote in that one would be I drink and I
know things. And there's only one person I can think
of that that embodies that more than the one, the
only Bob Labriola.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I'll tell you what, Max. Every week I wonder if
you're gonna top yourself and you manage you never let
me done. You managed to do it again. Let me
just ask you this though that that that sound that
is played at the start of the Power Hour. I'm
just wondering if maybe that's what the Bengals defensive backs
(01:38):
heard when Darnell Washington was running down the sideline.
Speaker 5 (01:43):
I don't think he gave a horn though, he just
came barreling through.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Like like I said, the Jake break was loose on
that truck that it needed a runaway truck ramp.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
That was something of amazement on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, I would, I'm under and you know, after you know,
that video makes makes the rounds. If we're gonna start
seeing defensive backs, as Mike Palmlin calls it, making business
decisions when you're out there one on one with him
and he's gonna I.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Feel like Antonio Kramarti might be doing some consulting with
secondaries in the league.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
He might actually have a job.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So when at what point do you make this business decision?
Is it five years? How can I not look like
I'm a coward but still.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Be a coward?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
And you know, I know millions of people listen to
this show every day, and I just want to point
out I want all of the people who are torturing
me all summer about making that guy a tackle to
please step forward and admit you don't know anything about it.
Speaker 5 (02:55):
Yeah, exactly that.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
That was one of the things that I mean, it
was floated and and Labs, you dealt with it. I
dealt with it. And I mean, I think we can
officially close that book. I think I think we we
we've seen and it's and it's been a progression. If
I'm not mistaken, Labs, he has been. He has just
(03:17):
been inundated and and folded into woven into this offense
so seemly. And it's been like a build up this season, right.
You know, first it was just some red zone targets
in the preseason.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
Remember we had that.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Touchdown and then yeah, and then he dunked it through
the goalpost and got the penalty, and everybody's like, oh
my gosh. We were like, oh look, red zone target, yay,
And and that's kind of how it started. And now
you talk about a primary target for air for Aaron
Rodgers when and now Mason Rudolph, when you're talking about
middle of the field, I just I need I need
(03:49):
a catalyst play, uh from him. And he's been delivering
in those moments, which has been, which has been just
a truly fascinating thing that we thought with Matt Canada
when he first got drafted, this was what he was
going to be and it took a couple of years
for it to catch on.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
But now we're kind of seeing it in full stride.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Yeah. And I think he's evolved as a player himself too.
You know, he was not a big time volume catch
guy at Georgia either, and I think he's he is.
He has improved, you know, continually working on his game,
I'm sure, and he's developed a lot in that area.
And you know, as the oldest guy uh in on
(04:30):
this particular segment, I don't know, maybe Rob King knows this, Max,
but you're such a youngster John Mackie. That's who he
reminds me of Hall of Fame tight end Baltimore Colt sixties.
You know, the kind of pass the Browns that he
(04:52):
ran and the you know, the the catches that he made.
You know, he's not a Travis Kelsey Tony Gonzalez kind
of receiving tight end. And I don't think Darnel Washington
is ever going to be that. And that's fine. You know,
he he doesn't have the body type for that kind
of those kinds of things. But you know, he can
(05:15):
get up to seem a little bit. He has probably
deceptive speed, uses his body a lot of ways, like
you know a power forward might in basketball to get rebounds,
and good luck trying to get him on the ground.
You know it is it is a full time job
(05:35):
to try and do that. And you know, I I,
you know, kudos to him, Darnell Washington. I mean for
the way he has developed as a player. Guy's still
in his rookie contract too, and you know, I don't
know what his his future slash ceiling is in this league,
(05:57):
but right now, he's a heck of a weapon with
this for this.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Offense he is, you know, and the the other thing
as long as we're talking about Darnell, because he made
some big plays for the Steelers. You know, he had
the one play where Rogers tried to hit him early
and he just didn't have his head turned around. But
it seems to me, Bob, like he's got soft hands.
(06:22):
You know, catching the ball is not a problem. He's
got soft hands, and I think you can utilize him
in a couple of different ways.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
You know, if it's if it's third and three.
Speaker 6 (06:33):
He can run four yards, stop, turn around, and I
don't know how anyone's gonna get around him to bat
the ball away. But I kind of like when he's
got when he's got the ball in motion, I would
like to see I'd be interested to see like a
tight end slip screen to him, or some sort of
screen out to the right or the left, you know,
where he had some blockers in front and can and
(06:53):
can get ahead of steam going or short crosses or
little slants or ways that once he that's moving. You
were talking to Ryan Shazier at the rally out in
Los Angeles and he said, look, when you have big
running backs or big players, yeah they're big, you have
to hit them early. Like if Patrick Riccard is a
(07:14):
lead blocker, get there before Patrick Riccard gets ahead of
steam going, or you got big trouble. So I think
it's the same thing with Darnell. If you can get
him with a head of steam, yikes, who wants to
tackle him?
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Right? And you know, and again looking at it from
the defensive standpoint, you know, it's kind of like dealing
with Derrick Henry. You know, you want him before he
squares his shoulders and turns upfield, and so with Darnell,
I think what you want to do any kind of
passes you might want to throw him, I don't know
(07:49):
that you want to do a lot of sideways stuff
with him because I think that kind of lessens his
impact in the size speed category. So, you know, I
don't know. I like the way they're using him now.
I don't think he's gonna be a volume catch guy ever.
(08:10):
I just don't think that that's his his forte. And
he's so valuable as a component of the running game
too that you know, we shouldn't lose sight of that either.
And I hope that the Steelers don't, certainly in terms
of the usage utilization of him, Uh, you know, you
don't want to, you know, turn him into just a
(08:31):
passing game thing. His his value is a you know,
tight ends or they call him two way players or
whatever it is, blockers and receivers. I think the Steelers
have a good one, a good two way tight end
on their team right now, certainly the best one they've
had since Eve Miller and Darnell Washington. I'm not going
(08:51):
to say he's better than eith Miller, but he's different
and as I said, least I don't have to get
any more asked and answer submissions about why don't they
play him, why don't they move him to left tackle?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, And I think that I think that's that's the
biggest thing. And I think you kind of hit it.
He's just he's a complete tight end. Let's just he's
a complete tight end in the in the vein of
a Heath Miller type, you know, obviously brings different dimensions
to it and in a different style than Heath. But
(09:28):
a guy who can be in line on the line
of scrimmage, who could who can who can go block?
And you know you can leave him sometimes in pass
protection if if we if we have a six or
seven man protection with the tight end staying in and
I mean, good luck, you know, as a defensive end
and you're trying to come into the sea gap to
(09:50):
hit the tackle, that that that chip become that chip
becomes a boulder, you know, in those moments. And you
talk about funneling a guy, but like you said, when
he does get the ball in his hands that he
could turn north and south. You know, he he gets
north and he makes a lot of noise when he
goes North.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
So, uh, you're you're absolutely correct.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah, don't see him as a volume guy, but he's
an impact receiver. I think that would be a fair assessment, right, right,
would you?
Speaker 5 (10:18):
Would you agree with that in.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Absolutely And there's there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
Nope, not at all, not at all.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
As we kind of look at, you know, some other
highlights in the game, I mean the defense, you know,
having the kind of response from the game they had
against the Chargers and then the first game against the Bengals,
like there was I felt like there was a lot
(10:47):
of that frenetic energy in the stadium on Sunday, kind
of like this is a get back game, this is
this is a reclamation game. We need to go take
what was lost from this squad because you know, they
embearus on primetime football on Thursday night. And I kind
of felt that type of energy through this game. And
(11:07):
I was fully expecting them to stop Chase Brown, but
I was pleasantly surprised to see how this secondary was
formed was for this team, right. You know, we went out,
we got we upgraded what we had at corners and
at safety because of Jamar Chase and T Higgins and
(11:32):
Round one didn't look that way because Jamar Chase had
a career day and targets, receptions, yards.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
I mean, he just was was unstoppable.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
So it almost felt like it was a miakopa to say,
he's gonna get his but he can't take over as
much as he did in the first game. But to
get shut down both of them the way that they
did in this game, I was really surprised that that
was the focal point of what to stop versus the
ground game that had come up on the Thursday night
game in the first round against against the Bengals. Were
(12:05):
you surprised at all that they went and they actually
stymied them as much as they did in the past.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Well, you know, yeah, I you know, my my take
on the Bengals offense always, you know, this year has
been that, uh, it's just not realistic to think that
you can cover those two guys, Higgins and Chase without
good pressure on the quarterback and without having the running
(12:33):
game under control. Because you know, I'm pretty sure we
talked about this after that Thursday night game, because without
pressure on the quarterback and with the offense capable of
you know, just handing the ball off and gaining chunks
of yardage. Trying to cover Chase and Higgins is like
seven on seven in training camp. I mean, you just
(12:56):
it's it can't be done because they will get open.
The rules the way they are, the way they're called,
I mean, defensive backs, you just have no chance. You
just don't. So you know that. To me, it was
never about in my head anyway strictly covering those guys,
(13:19):
because without the complementary pressure on the passer and or
controlling the running game, you can't cover those guys. But
here's my stat that really emphasized to me how good
of a job the Steelers did on those guys. With
(13:39):
three minutes and forty some seconds or whatever it was left,
Kenneth Gainwell had more receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns than
Chase and Higgins combined.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
Wow, I like it.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I like it. So the other thing too, Bob.
Speaker 6 (14:02):
And you know, you see this a lot being around
the team, and you've seen it for years around the team.
You know it's and and I think this is particularly
true with the Steelers that it's that it's truly a
team effort. When you talk about not just the players
in the field, but what happens off the field as well.
It's an organization that asks you to check your ego
at the door, you know, bring what you have and
(14:24):
then okay, decisions are made and then.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
You move on.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Right.
Speaker 6 (14:29):
You know, there's no I'm not going to say there
aren't disagreements, but doesn't feel like petty feuds or held
or that sort of thing. And and when you see
some of the players that you know stood up for
the Steelers and had big games this week, whether they're
off season acquisitions like Brandon Eckles, in season acquisitions like
Kyle Dugger, Guys that you've stuck with and and you know,
(14:55):
uh and not always but you know, uh. And James
Pierre wasn't always on the active roster, but his evolution
is as far as you know, look, I know, I
understand the players have to play, but you know, the
evolution of coaching and bringing a guy along. I mean,
there were some things that happened there that that made
me feel like this was a team win, not just
(15:16):
in the in the team game, which I thought was outstanding.
And again, I don't want to take anything away from
the players. The players play, but there's got to be
a pretty good feeling with some of the guys in
the front office, pro scouting department, amateur scouting department. Everyone
talks about the draft, so I think those guys get
more attention. But you know, some of these guys stepp
into the forefront bringing Mason Rudolph back. I mean, I
(15:37):
just think they're the decision to have Kenneth gain Well
and what he's able to do when that depth is
on display. There's a lot of reasons that those guys
are available and those guys are performing well for you.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Yeah, and you know the splash plays by the defense.
Just look at the two guys who scored. James Pierre
wasn't on the fifty three coming in late August. He
wasn't on the original fifty three. You know, Kyle Dugger
was was here for fifteen minutes and since then he's
played one hundred percent of the defensive snaps in all
(16:11):
the three games that have been played since you know,
he got his first Steelers jersey. You know, these those
guys weren't in the plan. You know, when they were
putting this roster together for training camp, or when they
were putting the roster together to open the regular season.
Those guys weren't in the plan. I mean not no,
(16:32):
you know, all due respect to them, but they just weren't. Uh.
And Mason Rudolph as well. I mean, you know, the
thing with Mason Rudolph is he has now become a
and I say this with being as complimentary as I
can be, he is now a career backup. And in
(16:54):
the NFL, that is a very valuable role. It is
a necessary role, and guys who do it well can
have long careers and make a lot of money. And
Mason Rudolph, you know, when I say he is a
career backup, Uh, that to me is a compliment. Not
everybody is a starting quarterback in the league. But to
(17:16):
be a successful team, you got to have, you know,
what I call a career backup because it's not it's
not that common or not that you can't expect or
assume that whoever your starting quarterback is, that this guy's
going to play all seventeen regular season games. It's it's
(17:38):
it's you cannot assume that. And so you got to
have a guy who's capable of the limited amount of
practice that he's gonna get, which is just a fact
of being in the regular season. But he finds a
way to be comfortable, knowledgeable, understanding as a grasp of
(18:03):
the game plan and what they want to do. He
has enough familiarity with the guys on the team and
he takes advantage of whatever snaps he might get during
a regular season week to you know, work on whatever
he can work on with whoever he can work on
it with. And when you know the forty second clock
(18:26):
is about to start and you need a new quarterback
in there, you know, this is a guy who can
take a couple of snaps from Zach Fraser on the sideline,
throw a few passes on the sideline, and then go
out into the game, have command of the offense, a
familiarity with the personnel, and know what he's doing because
(18:47):
you know, there's not a whole lot of warming.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Up to that.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
You know, we need it now, and that's that's a
tremendous skill. And you know, I just I don't know
a lot of respect for Mason Rudolph as a professional
and the way he has conducted himself since being drafted
by this team. But I really think that Mason Rudolph
now has matured and evolved and made that role of
(19:17):
career backup his and his value in that is significant.
So uh, you know, and I was thinking of this too.
You know, when when the rosters are cut, you know,
(19:39):
Mike Tomlin will I won't say meat, but you know,
have an audience with or whatever that the guys that
you cut. You know, sometimes it's he has said, you know,
he usually lets the the guy who is cut kind
of dictate what a meeting it is. If the guy
(20:02):
wants to talk to, let him talk. If the guy
has questions, he'll answer the questions. A lot of times
guys are just you know, they're done, they know they're done,
thank you for the opportunity to leave. Whatever. But that's
and I'm trying to in my head, what does the
what was the conversation like with James Pierre? You know,
(20:23):
this is a guy that he wasn't going to make
the team, wasn't going to make the fifty three. He didn't,
but you still want to do business with him. And
I don't know, I guess and I don't know how
this would go. I mean, you try and be supportive
a little bit. You're giving him maybe the worst news
(20:44):
of his professional career and massaging it in a way
that you know, you don't lose him. And I don't
mean losing him someone claims him on waivers. I'm talking
about losing him mentally.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
And I don't know. I would imagine that that's a
skill something that you know you want to do, you
want to be good at it and make him feel
the right way about his future without him really having
an immediate future, if you know what I mean. Because
(21:21):
you're telling him we're putting you on waivers, you know.
And then how that player reacts to that, but with
a correct mindset and continues to work and study and
you know, keep his head in it and you know,
all of those things you need.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
And then when you need him, he plays like he
did against And I say, I will constantly refer to
Higgins and Chase as the best starting wide receiver tandem
in the NFL because I firmly believe it. But you
put him in that situation and he played very well.
That one breakup on the deep pass where he didn't
(22:03):
interfere but got his hand on it to bat it away.
That was beautiful, beautiful, And he then then the touchdown.
You know, again, he was such a significant part of
that in so many different ways and I don't know,
just you know, kudos to everybody involved in that, that
(22:27):
whole thing, and how that you're keeping James Pierre mentally
involved and you know, with it and upbeat and you know,
waiting for whatever it is and we're in, you know,
almost Thanksgiving. Now. You know, James Pierre didn't hasn't played
a lot of defensive snaps this season. But you know, again,
(22:49):
guys like Mason Rudolph and and James Pierre. You know,
Mike Thomin will often use the phrase it's football justice
when they perform well. And I, you know, I think
we saw that firsthand on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
He is Bob Labriola.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
Tuesdays with Labs are presented by UPMC, the official healthcare
provider and health plan at the Pittsburgh Steeler.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Steelers Labs. Thank you very much, appreciate it, my friend.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Thanks Labs, take care of a good week.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
You too, Bob Labriola in the Locker Room, presented by
your neighborhood Ford Store in the Steelers Pro Shop. Back
with look at how the students are perceived around the
NFL after their victory on Sunday against the Bengals. When
we continue, you're listening on the Steelers Nation Radio, a
part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
He is in the locker room with Kingon Starks on
Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford 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 3 (24:00):
And thanks very much for being with us here inside
the locker room.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
As we want to thank Albero Martin and Bob Labriola
for being our guests today. It is time to go
around the NFL, and around the NFL is presented our
neighborhood Ford Star. The F one fifty is the official
truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we like to for
fun Tuesdays sometimes Wednesdays, look at how the Steelers are perceived.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Around the NFL.
Speaker 6 (24:27):
Does it matter, Probably not, but we like to see
what other people think because it may shape our opinions
a little bit, and in that regard it matters ultimately
of course, as Tooders will have to go out and
play football games and that will figure into where they
wind up, hopefully in the playoffs and hopefully making some
(24:49):
noise and having success in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
So Max, are you there? And are you ready?
Speaker 5 (24:55):
No? No, I'm not. I'm not here.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
We'll wait for Max to be ready. So Max, here
we go.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
This is the week twelve Power rankings, and this is
what it says. It says Bills, Broncos, and Bears on
the rise after wild wins. So we're checking in first
with the athletic Are you ready? I said, are we
going to see some AFC teams up there at the top?
(25:24):
The answer is kinda, But according to this poll, we're
not going to see him at the very top. Eagles one,
Rams two.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
I can't argue it, though, Okay, I can't argue it.
So I'm gonna go with Okay, reigning Super Bowl champ,
a team that only has two losses on their on
their record, you know, tied for the best record in
the NFL.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
Yeah, why not?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Uh so.
Speaker 6 (26:00):
Number and the ramp by the way, just in case
you're wondering, Eagles taking on the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday,
the Rams taking on the Bucks Sunday at eight twenty. Okay,
So that's that. And and the Bucks, by the way,
are sliding. We've seen the Bucks at the top spot
are near the top spot earlier in the season.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
That's not the case right now.
Speaker 6 (26:22):
Okay, now, are you ready for some AFC teams, Max, Yeah,
let's let's do it. Colts three, Broncos four, Patriots five.
I Colts three, Colts three. I would probably put the
(26:49):
Broncos at three. Okay, cold Sat and two, Broncos nine
and two defeating the Chiefs twenty two to nineteen, and
the Patriots coming off their win over the Jets.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Yeah the way, which I'm thinking that one's gonna be
just fine, you know what I'm saying. But yeah, yeah,
I'm gonna have Yeah, that's the only one.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I mean.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
I mean, listen, nothing against the Coast, and the Coasts
were fantastic up until they saw us, and then they've
gotten back on tracks since US. I just saw too
many cracks in the armor. Whereas I look at the
Denver Broncos and I just say, the Broncos have not
(27:41):
led in any of the three quarters that they play
on this wind streak, right and fourth quarter, they just
come on strong.
Speaker 5 (27:50):
They know how to win tight games, they know how to.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Not let it get out of hand and they know
how to overtake the opponent at the end, and I
think that's a rare skill set and one that bodes well,
especially when you think about playoff contention and everything else.
I just think they're playing at a higher level than
the Colts and even the Patriots. I think the Patriots.
I would probably slot the Colts at number five. I
(28:13):
probably even move up the Patriots to number four. So
I would literally just shuffle first and put them third,
and put them third in that and that and that
trans that you just gave me, I would put them
third of that group. I would probably go Broncos Patriots
than Colts.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Okay, so I'm gonna do for the fun of it.
I'm gonna do ESPN at the same time.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
And the only difference they have the Rams one Eagles
two as opposed to Egles one, Rams two then a
little bit different.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
They have the Patriots at three than the Colts and
the Broncos number six. They have the Bills, so they
have four consecutive AFC teams in in the athletic poll,
they have the Seahawks than the Bills. But good to
see the AFC, which felt like it was kind of
getting dissed a little bit, getting a little bit of respect.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Yeah, I agree with it.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I don't know if I don't know if if the
Bills is my fourth that I'm hanging up there.
Speaker 5 (29:14):
As my fourth best AFC team.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Well, but fourth best of the AFC teams. I mean, yeah,
we're moving Rams and Eagles, they're in their own tier.
But for the AFC team, I don't know if I
don't know if I necessarily agree with the Bills being
the fourth best team in the AFC in this power ranking.
Speaker 5 (29:31):
Should be higher, should be lower, should be lower?
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I think I think there's a couple of teams I
probably put in front of them.
Speaker 5 (29:39):
For power ranking.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
We're not saying record, right, We're not saying record. We're
talking about power rankings, how it stands, and how this
team looks versus what the field looks like for the
rest of their schedule.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
Right, That's how we create.
Speaker 6 (29:53):
A power They're seven and three and they just beat
the Bucks and they moved way up ESPN. I think, well, no,
they had them seventh.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
I can't. I can't tell.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
They say seven and moving up, So I think I
think what they're saying is they moved up from seven
to six. That's what they're saying, I believe, is how
many spots as opposed to how many spots they move down.
I can't really tell what their little arrows mean. I
will say this, I think that when we get to
the Seahawks and the Lions, or the Lions and the Seahawks,
(30:28):
depending upon your poll, that's this is where things begin
to differ. That appears to be even with the Lions
being at six and four and they played a very
difficult schedule, this is where we seem to get a
lot of difference. The top eight are the same in
(30:50):
both poles. So I'm gonna give you a quick rundown here.
ESPN has the forty nine Ers nine, the Tampa Bay Bucks,
the Green Bay Packers eleven, the Chicago Bears twelve. The
Athletic has the Bucks nine, the Packers ten, the forty
(31:11):
nine Ers eleven, and the Bears twelve. So that appears
to be kind of the next group of four. With
the Bears being at twelve. That seems to be. You know,
then things are going to start to separate a little bit.
So the top twelve teams are the same in both
and again as you get towards that nine through twelve.
(31:33):
I maybe you could throw the Lions in that category two.
I don't know because they're only six and four, but
I think they're pretty well regarded as as top flight
football teams who have withstood the vagaries of the season
and have risen to a rightful place in the rankings
right now. I don't think there's any team in there,
(31:55):
with the exception of the Lions. When you're six and four,
if you lose a game to be reevaluated, people are
gonna say, what, what does that tough schedule mean? We saw
that with the Chiefs getting reevaluated, moving up, then moving down,
then moving up and moving down. Same with the Bills,
but the Bills are now seven to three. But it
feels like I don't know as any of those top
eight teams, maybe with the exception of the Lions, are
(32:17):
going to plummet with a loss.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Yeah, I would agree with that. I think I think
I could.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
I could go with that, And I think you know,
when you think of that top twelve, all of them
are right are kind of clumped in together. I mean,
we could make an argument for how we want to
slot it, but I think I agree with all.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Of those being up there.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I mean, I just you know, I named a couple
in my mind, like where the Colts fall with that
where the Bills fall in that conversation. But I think
I think I can consistently say yeah, if we were
to create a field, I feel okay with that, right.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
I'm not sure. My own personal.
Speaker 6 (32:56):
Belief is that, you know, if the Patriots and the
Seahawks won the AFC in the NFC, I wouldn't be surprised.
Those are teams in the top you know, I'm not
going strict chalk. I mean, nobody'd be surprised if it
was the Rams of the Eagles, obviously, I don't know
if anybody'd be surprised if it was the Bills. Necessarily,
I still think i'd be surprised if it was the Colts.
(33:17):
That's the one caveat I have of those top eight teams,
they're the one. If the Colts are playing in the
Super Bowl, I think I would still be surprised.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
No, and I agree, I think the Colts would be
my one as well, because another one that you didn't
name in there, but it is one the Broncos.
Speaker 5 (33:36):
I wouldn't be.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Surprised the Broncos are playing in the Super Bowl right, right, right,
because you know they've just shown their defense is that good.
And let's face it, how they won Super Bowl fifty right,
It wasn't because of Peyton Manning's nood alarm or Broncos Wilder.
It was Von Miller and that defense. And they look
to be at that form right now with Nick Benito
and company, Zach Allen and that defense is just playing
(33:59):
at a whole other level, pascertained the second they're just
they look championship caliber. So you're right, I mean, I
wouldn't be surprised with those Colts. I would be surprised.
Even Seahawks. I'd be a little surprised, even though they're
playing solid and they've been good. I would be surprised
if the Seahawks making I'd be less surprised. But okay,
(34:19):
that's good.
Speaker 6 (34:20):
That's why we have a show, right to air these
things out and talk about these things.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
If we agreed on everything, that would be kind of dull.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
Okay. Now here's where things differentiate. Okay, So I'm gonna
go ESPN.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
Here.
Speaker 6 (34:34):
ESPN has the Chiefs thirteen at five and five. They
have the Chargers fourteen, They have the Ravens fifteen. They
have the Steelers sixteen. The Athletic has the Steelers thirteen.
The Jaguars, who are seventeenth at ESPN, they have them fourteenth,
(34:57):
the Chargers fifteenth, the Chief sixteenth, and the Ravens seventeenth.
So again that sort of is the next group of teams,
and then they each have Carolina and Texas. The Texans
at eighteen and nineteen kind of teams sort of lurking
around a little bit. The Texans kind of the drop
(35:19):
off at five and five, Carolina at six and five.
I'm not a huge believer in Carolina, although that has
beat the Falcons in overtime. Nice victory for them. The
Jaguars tough to I'm not a huge believer in the Jaguars,
but that's an interesting group, I think. Whereas if we
could say the top eight, with maybe the exception of
(35:42):
the Colts, I wouldn't and for U Seattle, I wouldn't
be stunned if those teams are playing in you know, AFC,
NFC championship games, maybe the Super Bowl. The next group
of four teams or five teams are trying to push
themselves in the next six weeks or so into that hey,
we're solid too, we could also be one of those teams.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
And then you just have right now a grab bag,
you know, a group of teams.
Speaker 6 (36:07):
You know, if somebody gets hot, if the Studers get hot,
people are gonna be talking.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
About them that way.
Speaker 6 (36:11):
If the Ravens continue to be hot, people are gonna
be talking about them that way. But this is kind
of the next group of teams, I think after that
next four. And the reason I'm group I'm putting them
outside of that other four is those other four are
agreed upon in the polls just a little bit different order.
These are all over the place, you know, from thirteen
to nineteen in the NFL. And then I think once
(36:33):
you get below nineteen, we're now getting to the point
where you if you are below nineteen in this ranking,
you really you're pretty much you know, you're the Vikings,
you're the Cowboys, you're the Dolphins. Not that you can't
upset anybody, but you're not making the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (36:52):
Yeah, no, I completely agree.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
I think right now, especially this late in the season,
I think you are kind of died in the cast.
Once you hit that twenty and ur range, it would
take like a herculean effort to get into that, and
then even then you have to think early exit for
anybody in that bottom twelve we'll just call it the
bottom twelve teams in this ranking. And they've been and
(37:15):
especially if you've been consistently there throughout the season, you
haven't made any significant jumps forward or backwards, you're probably
you are who you are at this point.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
Yeah, And I think that it wasn't too long ago
and what has been a very entertaining and sometimes very
perplexing NFL season. I made the assertion a few weeks ago,
and this is one of the fun things I think
for doing this that one through twenty and I had
the Texans at that time were twenty one through twenty
(37:47):
and even the Ravens, who were you know, at that point,
out of it. But you could see Lamar coming back,
and you could see the way the schedules set up
that they were going to be it was going to
be surprising if they didn't play themselves back the contention.
So at that time there were twenty one teams and
I thought, man, I wouldn't be stunned if you know,
(38:09):
now there were still Jacksonville and there and some teams
that I don't really didn't really believe in that much.
But I could have seen the Texans in the AFC
Championship game at the twenty seed, or the Ravens at
twenty four to twenty five, or wherever they were taking
on the number one team, you know, the Lions, or
whoever it was at the time.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
I think we're beginning.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
If we're not seeing clarity, if we're not getting that
clarity right now, we are closing in on the clarity
of who's good and who's bad, which is what makes
the NFL such a wonderful journey. And it's where I
think we're kind of getting to at this point, with
some stories still to be told, not the least of
whom is the Steelers story.
Speaker 4 (38:50):
Max.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yeah, No, I think that's the biggest thing. I mean,
I was surprised to hear at like thirteen. I wasn't surprised, right,
you know. I always felt like, hey, we're as long
as you're in the top fourteen, you're in the hunt.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
You got a shot.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
And I'll never put that because the top fourteen is
your playoff teams. You know, you go, you got seven
in each one. As long as you're staying in that
striking distance, You're fine.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
You know where I do have issue? Who was it?
Was it ESPN that had us ranked sixteen?
Speaker 3 (39:16):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (39:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (39:18):
And who do they have as fifteen and fourteen in that.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
One Baltimore at fifteen, Chargers at fourteen, Chiefs at thirteen.
Speaker 5 (39:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
I mean that's one where you know, you're really just
backloading it and you're saying the charges just because they
beat us. But when you look at it on a
game by game basis, the Chargers got walloped by Jacksonville
right after after playing a solid game and not really
doing anything splashy against us and winning because we just
(39:49):
kind of self imploded on ourselves. I think that's still
a foulacy. I would still say if we played that
game East Coast, and we played that game one or
four o'clock, we would have a completely different result.
Speaker 5 (40:04):
But you don't, Hey, they got the victory.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
I get it there in front of us Baltimore, we
haven't played yet, and everybody wants the Baltimore Ravens to
win the AFC North, like literally trying to will it
into reality, and we haven't even played each other yet.
And I think that's where people kind of just go
with headlines on that one.
Speaker 5 (40:23):
Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
I don't know what to make of Kansas City, right,
I mean, you know, you go with a nostalgia of it.
They have some good victories, but then they have head
scratching losses as well, and they can be a nept
They can be, you know, very sluggish as an office.
You hate to say that, you know, because Patrick mahomes right,
and and old man Kelsey over there manning the ship still.
(40:48):
But you know, there's not that they don't surprise me
as an explosive team. And I had and I had
them already. I watched Kansas City. I watched them when
when they blanked the Las Vegas Raiders, but that was
this is saying much to go thirty one up against
Las Vegas. I mean, that's that's a team that was hurting.
No brock Bauers, you know, Gino Smith has done nothing
(41:08):
but throw the interceptions, it feels like most of the time.
And so that's a team that's struggling with an identity.
You have a new coaching change, new regime change, there
a lot of things, a bad offensive line.
Speaker 5 (41:20):
It's just it's just really tough to see.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
How you could have the Chiefs in apples to Apple
type of competition, you know, not have that victory have
a place.
Speaker 5 (41:29):
In front of us right now.
Speaker 6 (41:30):
By the way, in case you're wondering this time. Last year,
the Students were ranked six and an eight and two
ranking by the NFL, whose Power rankings are not out
this week, so we have to get to that tomorrow
just to kind of check that out as we start
to turn the page and get ready for the Chicago Bears.
By the way, you're gonna hear the Mike Tomlin press
conference coming up in just a little bit. We're gonna
(41:51):
take a break reminding you first to gear up with
the latest game day necessities.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
The Officials Students Pro shops.
Speaker 6 (41:56):
Get the latest sideline apparel of Jerseys, Terrible Towns, authentic
memorabil and custom exclusives you can only find directly from
the team.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
Visit one of the official Students.
Speaker 6 (42:05):
Pro shops located at Akroscher Stadium, Grove City Premium Outlets
or Tanger Outlets, or gear up online at shop dot
Steelers dot com. Get it direct from the team at
the Students Pro Shop at shop dot Steelers dot com.
Back more in the Locker Room presented by our neighborhood
Ford Store in the Studis Pro Shop on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
This is in the locker Room with Kenyon Starks on
Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford 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 3 (42:48):
All right, it is.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
The lunch is on its way, and I encourage you
to go out there eight minutes till noon and of
course eight minutes until the Mike Tomlin press conference will
be coming up right after this on this very network,
so make sure you stay tuned. Aaron Rodgers health, what
(43:13):
do we know? What do we think about moving forward?
Also Darius Slay will he be back? Will he still
be sidelined? As well other nicks, bumps, bruises and injuries
to be Kenneth Gainwell, Jalen Warren, Right, how's that backfield
look going into Chicago? A lot of these things will
be answered in the press conference, of course, pressing questions
(43:34):
you know, moving forward as we get a preview of
the Chicago Bear. So make sure you stay tuned right
here and listen to that press conference right after our show.
Speaker 3 (43:43):
Beck to you, Rob so Max, thank you very much,
and looking forward to that.
Speaker 6 (43:46):
Of course, we've only got about a minute, minute and
a half or so left in this program. Started watching
the Chicago Bears. They're a formidable challenger. We're going to
get more into that coming up in the next couple
of days. Feeling pretty good right now, but this injury
news is going to be key. Anything else you're looking
for from from Mike Tomlin as he addresses the media
today would seem to be that. That's the big item.
(44:10):
Who's hurt, who's going to be available to play in Chicago?
And will Aaron Rodgers be able to tote that incredible
record he has against the Chicago Bears as the starting
quarterback or is he going to need some time?
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Yeah, one last ride into Soldier Field for Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 5 (44:27):
Will he do it? Will he not?
Speaker 2 (44:28):
I think I think injury news is the biggest thing
this time of year. Who's available, who's not available, what's
being monitored? You know, even like last week, like hearing
if Isaac Ciamalo could be back in the lineup. We
saw what happens when he's in the lineup. We saw
what happens when he's not in the lineup, and it
allows for more fluidity in in the offense with Spencer
Anderson being that jumbo tight end. Primarily, it just helps
(44:52):
move things more fluid. But I think really the health
of Jalen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell is going to be
one because remember Caleb Johnson finished the game on Sunday,
because both of those guys were ruled out of the contest.
So seeing where they're at is going to be really
key because you need a run game to go with
the passing passing game, especially in Chicago. We talked about
the wind and the weather. Ground game keeps all of
(45:14):
that in line and keeps everything moving coposthetically yep.
Speaker 6 (45:18):
And so the Students facing a big one. They're taking
on a Chicago Bears team that has at least one
similarity to the Studers that we're going to get to
coming up in the next couple of days. A very
explosive offensive team. They can run the football extremely well.
They've had trouble defensively, and that is something to Steelers
are certainly going to try to exploit. So quite a
(45:41):
bit to get to coming up, obviously, as we get
ready for this matchup of the students facing for the
third time in four weeks, another division leader. Our thanks
to Avoro Martin Our thanks to Bob Labriola for Justin
Miller at the Controls in our iHeart Studio. For Max Starks,
I'm Rob King. We thank you for being in the
Locker Room presented by your NEGHB good Ford Store and
the Stewer's Pro Shop on Steelers Nation Radio, part of
(46:03):
the Steelers Audio Network.
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford Store.
The F one point 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 (00:30):
Oh right, you know when Optimist comes barreling through the
locker room, it is.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
The power hour.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
That's right, hour number two here inside the locker room.
And on this glorious Tuesday, a victory Tuesday. You know,
sometimes it lings a little bit longer than just a
victory donut Monday. We have the one, the only Steelers
Digest editor in chief, a man of many talents, a
man that knows a lot of things. And just like
(01:00):
Game of Thrones, you know, you know the famous famous
quote in that one would be I drink and I
know things. And there's only one person I can think
of that that embodies that more than the one, the
only Bob Labriola.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I'll tell you what, Max. Every week I wonder if
you're gonna top yourself and you manage you never let
me done. You managed to do it again. Let me
just ask you this though that that that sound that
is played at the start of the Power Hour. I'm
just wondering if maybe that's what the Bengals defensive backs
(01:38):
heard when Darnell Washington was running down the sideline.
Speaker 5 (01:43):
I don't think he gave a horn though, he just
came barreling through.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Like like I said, the Jake break was loose on
that truck that it needed a runaway truck ramp.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
That was something of amazement on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, I would, I'm under and you know, after you know,
that video makes makes the rounds. If we're gonna start
seeing defensive backs, as Mike Palmlin calls it, making business
decisions when you're out there one on one with him
and he's gonna I.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Feel like Antonio Kramarti might be doing some consulting with
secondaries in the league.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
He might actually have a job.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So when at what point do you make this business decision?
Is it five years? How can I not look like
I'm a coward but still.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Be a coward?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
And you know, I know millions of people listen to
this show every day, and I just want to point
out I want all of the people who are torturing
me all summer about making that guy a tackle to
please step forward and admit you don't know anything about it.
Speaker 5 (02:55):
Yeah, exactly that.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
That was one of the things that I mean, it
was floated and and Labs, you dealt with it. I
dealt with it. And I mean, I think we can
officially close that book. I think I think we we
we've seen and it's and it's been a progression. If
I'm not mistaken, Labs, he has been. He has just
(03:17):
been inundated and and folded into woven into this offense
so seemly. And it's been like a build up this season, right.
You know, first it was just some red zone targets
in the preseason.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
Remember we had that.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Touchdown and then yeah, and then he dunked it through
the goalpost and got the penalty, and everybody's like, oh
my gosh. We were like, oh look, red zone target, yay,
And and that's kind of how it started. And now
you talk about a primary target for air for Aaron
Rodgers when and now Mason Rudolph, when you're talking about
middle of the field, I just I need I need
(03:49):
a catalyst play, uh from him. And he's been delivering
in those moments, which has been, which has been just
a truly fascinating thing that we thought with Matt Canada
when he first got drafted, this was what he was
going to be and it took a couple of years
for it to catch on.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
But now we're kind of seeing it in full stride.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Yeah. And I think he's evolved as a player himself too.
You know, he was not a big time volume catch
guy at Georgia either, and I think he's he is.
He has improved, you know, continually working on his game,
I'm sure, and he's developed a lot in that area.
And you know, as the oldest guy uh in on
(04:30):
this particular segment, I don't know, maybe Rob King knows this, Max,
but you're such a youngster John Mackie. That's who he
reminds me of Hall of Fame tight end Baltimore Colt sixties.
You know, the kind of pass the Browns that he
(04:52):
ran and the you know, the the catches that he made.
You know, he's not a Travis Kelsey Tony Gonzalez kind
of receiving tight end. And I don't think Darnel Washington
is ever going to be that. And that's fine. You know,
he he doesn't have the body type for that kind
of those kinds of things. But you know, he can
(05:15):
get up to seem a little bit. He has probably
deceptive speed, uses his body a lot of ways, like
you know a power forward might in basketball to get rebounds,
and good luck trying to get him on the ground.
You know it is it is a full time job
(05:35):
to try and do that. And you know, I I,
you know, kudos to him, Darnell Washington. I mean for
the way he has developed as a player. Guy's still
in his rookie contract too, and you know, I don't
know what his his future slash ceiling is in this league,
(05:57):
but right now, he's a heck of a weapon with
this for this.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Offense he is, you know, and the the other thing
as long as we're talking about Darnell, because he made
some big plays for the Steelers. You know, he had
the one play where Rogers tried to hit him early
and he just didn't have his head turned around. But
it seems to me, Bob, like he's got soft hands.
(06:22):
You know, catching the ball is not a problem. He's
got soft hands, and I think you can utilize him
in a couple of different ways.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
You know, if it's if it's third and three.
Speaker 6 (06:33):
He can run four yards, stop, turn around, and I
don't know how anyone's gonna get around him to bat
the ball away. But I kind of like when he's
got when he's got the ball in motion, I would
like to see I'd be interested to see like a
tight end slip screen to him, or some sort of
screen out to the right or the left, you know,
where he had some blockers in front and can and
(06:53):
can get ahead of steam going or short crosses or
little slants or ways that once he that's moving. You
were talking to Ryan Shazier at the rally out in
Los Angeles and he said, look, when you have big
running backs or big players, yeah they're big, you have
to hit them early. Like if Patrick Riccard is a
(07:14):
lead blocker, get there before Patrick Riccard gets ahead of
steam going, or you got big trouble. So I think
it's the same thing with Darnell. If you can get
him with a head of steam, yikes, who wants to
tackle him?
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Right? And you know, and again looking at it from
the defensive standpoint, you know, it's kind of like dealing
with Derrick Henry. You know, you want him before he
squares his shoulders and turns upfield, and so with Darnell,
I think what you want to do any kind of
passes you might want to throw him, I don't know
(07:49):
that you want to do a lot of sideways stuff
with him because I think that kind of lessens his
impact in the size speed category. So, you know, I
don't know. I like the way they're using him now.
I don't think he's gonna be a volume catch guy ever.
(08:10):
I just don't think that that's his his forte. And
he's so valuable as a component of the running game
too that you know, we shouldn't lose sight of that either.
And I hope that the Steelers don't, certainly in terms
of the usage utilization of him, Uh, you know, you
don't want to, you know, turn him into just a
(08:31):
passing game thing. His his value is a you know,
tight ends or they call him two way players or
whatever it is, blockers and receivers. I think the Steelers
have a good one, a good two way tight end
on their team right now, certainly the best one they've
had since Eve Miller and Darnell Washington. I'm not going
(08:51):
to say he's better than eith Miller, but he's different
and as I said, least I don't have to get
any more asked and answer submissions about why don't they
play him, why don't they move him to left tackle?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, And I think that I think that's that's the
biggest thing. And I think you kind of hit it.
He's just he's a complete tight end. Let's just he's
a complete tight end in the in the vein of
a Heath Miller type, you know, obviously brings different dimensions
to it and in a different style than Heath. But
(09:28):
a guy who can be in line on the line
of scrimmage, who could who can who can go block?
And you know you can leave him sometimes in pass
protection if if we if we have a six or
seven man protection with the tight end staying in and
I mean, good luck, you know, as a defensive end
and you're trying to come into the sea gap to
(09:50):
hit the tackle, that that that chip become that chip
becomes a boulder, you know, in those moments. And you
talk about funneling a guy, but like you said, when
he does get the ball in his hands that he
could turn north and south. You know, he he gets
north and he makes a lot of noise when he
goes North.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
So, uh, you're you're absolutely correct.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah, don't see him as a volume guy, but he's
an impact receiver. I think that would be a fair assessment, right, right,
would you?
Speaker 5 (10:18):
Would you agree with that in.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Absolutely And there's there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
Nope, not at all, not at all.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
As we kind of look at, you know, some other
highlights in the game, I mean the defense, you know,
having the kind of response from the game they had
against the Chargers and then the first game against the Bengals,
like there was I felt like there was a lot
(10:47):
of that frenetic energy in the stadium on Sunday, kind
of like this is a get back game, this is
this is a reclamation game. We need to go take
what was lost from this squad because you know, they
embearus on primetime football on Thursday night. And I kind
of felt that type of energy through this game. And
(11:07):
I was fully expecting them to stop Chase Brown, but
I was pleasantly surprised to see how this secondary was
formed was for this team, right. You know, we went out,
we got we upgraded what we had at corners and
at safety because of Jamar Chase and T Higgins and
(11:32):
Round one didn't look that way because Jamar Chase had
a career day and targets, receptions, yards.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
I mean, he just was was unstoppable.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
So it almost felt like it was a miakopa to say,
he's gonna get his but he can't take over as
much as he did in the first game. But to
get shut down both of them the way that they
did in this game, I was really surprised that that
was the focal point of what to stop versus the
ground game that had come up on the Thursday night
game in the first round against against the Bengals. Were
(12:05):
you surprised at all that they went and they actually
stymied them as much as they did in the past.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Well, you know, yeah, I you know, my my take
on the Bengals offense always, you know, this year has
been that, uh, it's just not realistic to think that
you can cover those two guys, Higgins and Chase without
good pressure on the quarterback and without having the running
(12:33):
game under control. Because you know, I'm pretty sure we
talked about this after that Thursday night game, because without
pressure on the quarterback and with the offense capable of
you know, just handing the ball off and gaining chunks
of yardage. Trying to cover Chase and Higgins is like
seven on seven in training camp. I mean, you just
(12:56):
it's it can't be done because they will get open.
The rules the way they are, the way they're called,
I mean, defensive backs, you just have no chance. You
just don't. So you know that. To me, it was
never about in my head anyway strictly covering those guys,
(13:19):
because without the complementary pressure on the passer and or
controlling the running game, you can't cover those guys. But
here's my stat that really emphasized to me how good
of a job the Steelers did on those guys. With
(13:39):
three minutes and forty some seconds or whatever it was left,
Kenneth Gainwell had more receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns than
Chase and Higgins combined.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
Wow, I like it.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I like it. So the other thing too, Bob.
Speaker 6 (14:02):
And you know, you see this a lot being around
the team, and you've seen it for years around the team.
You know it's and and I think this is particularly
true with the Steelers that it's that it's truly a
team effort. When you talk about not just the players
in the field, but what happens off the field as well.
It's an organization that asks you to check your ego
at the door, you know, bring what you have and
(14:24):
then okay, decisions are made and then.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
You move on.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Right.
Speaker 6 (14:29):
You know, there's no I'm not going to say there
aren't disagreements, but doesn't feel like petty feuds or held
or that sort of thing. And and when you see
some of the players that you know stood up for
the Steelers and had big games this week, whether they're
off season acquisitions like Brandon Eckles, in season acquisitions like
Kyle Dugger, Guys that you've stuck with and and you know,
(14:55):
uh and not always but you know, uh. And James
Pierre wasn't always on the active roster, but his evolution
is as far as you know, look, I know, I
understand the players have to play, but you know, the
evolution of coaching and bringing a guy along. I mean,
there were some things that happened there that that made
me feel like this was a team win, not just
(15:16):
in the in the team game, which I thought was outstanding.
And again, I don't want to take anything away from
the players. The players play, but there's got to be
a pretty good feeling with some of the guys in
the front office, pro scouting department, amateur scouting department. Everyone
talks about the draft, so I think those guys get
more attention. But you know, some of these guys stepp
into the forefront bringing Mason Rudolph back. I mean, I
(15:37):
just think they're the decision to have Kenneth gain Well
and what he's able to do when that depth is
on display. There's a lot of reasons that those guys
are available and those guys are performing well for you.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Yeah, and you know the splash plays by the defense.
Just look at the two guys who scored. James Pierre
wasn't on the fifty three coming in late August. He
wasn't on the original fifty three. You know, Kyle Dugger
was was here for fifteen minutes and since then he's
played one hundred percent of the defensive snaps in all
(16:11):
the three games that have been played since you know,
he got his first Steelers jersey. You know, these those
guys weren't in the plan. You know, when they were
putting this roster together for training camp, or when they
were putting the roster together to open the regular season.
Those guys weren't in the plan. I mean not no,
(16:32):
you know, all due respect to them, but they just weren't. Uh.
And Mason Rudolph as well. I mean, you know, the
thing with Mason Rudolph is he has now become a
and I say this with being as complimentary as I
can be, he is now a career backup. And in
(16:54):
the NFL, that is a very valuable role. It is
a necessary role, and guys who do it well can
have long careers and make a lot of money. And
Mason Rudolph, you know, when I say he is a
career backup, Uh, that to me is a compliment. Not
everybody is a starting quarterback in the league. But to
(17:16):
be a successful team, you got to have, you know,
what I call a career backup because it's not it's
not that common or not that you can't expect or
assume that whoever your starting quarterback is, that this guy's
going to play all seventeen regular season games. It's it's
(17:38):
it's you cannot assume that. And so you got to
have a guy who's capable of the limited amount of
practice that he's gonna get, which is just a fact
of being in the regular season. But he finds a
way to be comfortable, knowledgeable, understanding as a grasp of
(18:03):
the game plan and what they want to do. He
has enough familiarity with the guys on the team and
he takes advantage of whatever snaps he might get during
a regular season week to you know, work on whatever
he can work on with whoever he can work on
it with. And when you know the forty second clock
(18:26):
is about to start and you need a new quarterback
in there, you know, this is a guy who can
take a couple of snaps from Zach Fraser on the sideline,
throw a few passes on the sideline, and then go
out into the game, have command of the offense, a
familiarity with the personnel, and know what he's doing because
(18:47):
you know, there's not a whole lot of warming.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Up to that.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
You know, we need it now, and that's that's a
tremendous skill. And you know, I just I don't know
a lot of respect for Mason Rudolph as a professional
and the way he has conducted himself since being drafted
by this team. But I really think that Mason Rudolph
now has matured and evolved and made that role of
(19:17):
career backup his and his value in that is significant.
So uh, you know, and I was thinking of this too.
You know, when when the rosters are cut, you know,
(19:39):
Mike Tomlin will I won't say meat, but you know,
have an audience with or whatever that the guys that
you cut. You know, sometimes it's he has said, you know,
he usually lets the the guy who is cut kind
of dictate what a meeting it is. If the guy
(20:02):
wants to talk to, let him talk. If the guy
has questions, he'll answer the questions. A lot of times
guys are just you know, they're done, they know they're done,
thank you for the opportunity to leave. Whatever. But that's
and I'm trying to in my head, what does the
what was the conversation like with James Pierre? You know,
(20:23):
this is a guy that he wasn't going to make
the team, wasn't going to make the fifty three. He didn't,
but you still want to do business with him. And
I don't know, I guess and I don't know how
this would go. I mean, you try and be supportive
a little bit. You're giving him maybe the worst news
(20:44):
of his professional career and massaging it in a way
that you know, you don't lose him. And I don't
mean losing him someone claims him on waivers. I'm talking
about losing him mentally.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
And I don't know. I would imagine that that's a
skill something that you know you want to do, you
want to be good at it and make him feel
the right way about his future without him really having
an immediate future, if you know what I mean. Because
(21:21):
you're telling him we're putting you on waivers, you know.
And then how that player reacts to that, but with
a correct mindset and continues to work and study and
you know, keep his head in it and you know,
all of those things you need.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
And then when you need him, he plays like he
did against And I say, I will constantly refer to
Higgins and Chase as the best starting wide receiver tandem
in the NFL because I firmly believe it. But you
put him in that situation and he played very well.
That one breakup on the deep pass where he didn't
(22:03):
interfere but got his hand on it to bat it away.
That was beautiful, beautiful, And he then then the touchdown.
You know, again, he was such a significant part of
that in so many different ways and I don't know,
just you know, kudos to everybody involved in that, that
(22:27):
whole thing, and how that you're keeping James Pierre mentally
involved and you know, with it and upbeat and you know,
waiting for whatever it is and we're in, you know,
almost Thanksgiving. Now. You know, James Pierre didn't hasn't played
a lot of defensive snaps this season. But you know, again,
(22:49):
guys like Mason Rudolph and and James Pierre. You know,
Mike Thomin will often use the phrase it's football justice
when they perform well. And I, you know, I think
we saw that firsthand on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
He is Bob Labriola.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
Tuesdays with Labs are presented by UPMC, the official healthcare
provider and health plan at the Pittsburgh Steeler.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Steelers Labs. Thank you very much, appreciate it, my friend.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Thanks Labs, take care of a good week.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
You too, Bob Labriola in the Locker Room, presented by
your neighborhood Ford Store in the Steelers Pro Shop. Back
with look at how the students are perceived around the
NFL after their victory on Sunday against the Bengals. When
we continue, you're listening on the Steelers Nation Radio, a
part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
He is in the locker room with Kingon Starks on
Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford 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 3 (24:00):
And thanks very much for being with us here inside
the locker room.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
As we want to thank Albero Martin and Bob Labriola
for being our guests today. It is time to go
around the NFL, and around the NFL is presented our
neighborhood Ford Star. The F one fifty is the official
truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we like to for
fun Tuesdays sometimes Wednesdays, look at how the Steelers are perceived.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Around the NFL.
Speaker 6 (24:27):
Does it matter, Probably not, but we like to see
what other people think because it may shape our opinions
a little bit, and in that regard it matters ultimately
of course, as Tooders will have to go out and
play football games and that will figure into where they
wind up, hopefully in the playoffs and hopefully making some
(24:49):
noise and having success in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
So Max, are you there? And are you ready?
Speaker 5 (24:55):
No? No, I'm not. I'm not here.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
We'll wait for Max to be ready. So Max, here
we go.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
This is the week twelve Power rankings, and this is
what it says. It says Bills, Broncos, and Bears on
the rise after wild wins. So we're checking in first
with the athletic Are you ready? I said, are we
going to see some AFC teams up there at the top?
(25:24):
The answer is kinda, But according to this poll, we're
not going to see him at the very top. Eagles one,
Rams two.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
I can't argue it, though, Okay, I can't argue it.
So I'm gonna go with Okay, reigning Super Bowl champ,
a team that only has two losses on their on
their record, you know, tied for the best record in
the NFL.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
Yeah, why not?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Uh so.
Speaker 6 (26:00):
Number and the ramp by the way, just in case
you're wondering, Eagles taking on the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday,
the Rams taking on the Bucks Sunday at eight twenty. Okay,
So that's that. And and the Bucks, by the way,
are sliding. We've seen the Bucks at the top spot
are near the top spot earlier in the season.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
That's not the case right now.
Speaker 6 (26:22):
Okay, now, are you ready for some AFC teams, Max, Yeah,
let's let's do it. Colts three, Broncos four, Patriots five.
I Colts three, Colts three. I would probably put the
(26:49):
Broncos at three. Okay, cold Sat and two, Broncos nine
and two defeating the Chiefs twenty two to nineteen, and
the Patriots coming off their win over the Jets.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Yeah the way, which I'm thinking that one's gonna be
just fine, you know what I'm saying. But yeah, yeah,
I'm gonna have Yeah, that's the only one.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I mean.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
I mean, listen, nothing against the Coast, and the Coasts
were fantastic up until they saw us, and then they've
gotten back on tracks since US. I just saw too
many cracks in the armor. Whereas I look at the
Denver Broncos and I just say, the Broncos have not
(27:41):
led in any of the three quarters that they play
on this wind streak, right and fourth quarter, they just
come on strong.
Speaker 5 (27:50):
They know how to win tight games, they know how to.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Not let it get out of hand and they know
how to overtake the opponent at the end, and I
think that's a rare skill set and one that bodes well,
especially when you think about playoff contention and everything else.
I just think they're playing at a higher level than
the Colts and even the Patriots. I think the Patriots.
I would probably slot the Colts at number five. I
(28:13):
probably even move up the Patriots to number four. So
I would literally just shuffle first and put them third,
and put them third in that and that and that
trans that you just gave me, I would put them
third of that group. I would probably go Broncos Patriots
than Colts.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Okay, so I'm gonna do for the fun of it.
I'm gonna do ESPN at the same time.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
And the only difference they have the Rams one Eagles
two as opposed to Egles one, Rams two then a
little bit different.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
They have the Patriots at three than the Colts and
the Broncos number six. They have the Bills, so they
have four consecutive AFC teams in in the athletic poll,
they have the Seahawks than the Bills. But good to
see the AFC, which felt like it was kind of
getting dissed a little bit, getting a little bit of respect.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Yeah, I agree with it.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I don't know if I don't know if if the
Bills is my fourth that I'm hanging up there.
Speaker 5 (29:14):
As my fourth best AFC team.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Well, but fourth best of the AFC teams. I mean, yeah,
we're moving Rams and Eagles, they're in their own tier.
But for the AFC team, I don't know if I
don't know if I necessarily agree with the Bills being
the fourth best team in the AFC in this power ranking.
Speaker 5 (29:31):
Should be higher, should be lower, should be lower?
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I think I think there's a couple of teams I
probably put in front of them.
Speaker 5 (29:39):
For power ranking.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
We're not saying record, right, We're not saying record. We're
talking about power rankings, how it stands, and how this
team looks versus what the field looks like for the
rest of their schedule.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
Right, That's how we create.
Speaker 6 (29:53):
A power They're seven and three and they just beat
the Bucks and they moved way up ESPN. I think, well, no,
they had them seventh.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
I can't. I can't tell.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
They say seven and moving up, So I think I
think what they're saying is they moved up from seven
to six. That's what they're saying, I believe, is how
many spots as opposed to how many spots they move down.
I can't really tell what their little arrows mean. I
will say this, I think that when we get to
the Seahawks and the Lions, or the Lions and the Seahawks,
(30:28):
depending upon your poll, that's this is where things begin
to differ. That appears to be even with the Lions
being at six and four and they played a very
difficult schedule, this is where we seem to get a
lot of difference. The top eight are the same in
(30:50):
both poles. So I'm gonna give you a quick rundown here.
ESPN has the forty nine Ers nine, the Tampa Bay Bucks,
the Green Bay Packers eleven, the Chicago Bears twelve. The
Athletic has the Bucks nine, the Packers ten, the forty
(31:11):
nine Ers eleven, and the Bears twelve. So that appears
to be kind of the next group of four. With
the Bears being at twelve. That seems to be. You know,
then things are going to start to separate a little bit.
So the top twelve teams are the same in both
and again as you get towards that nine through twelve.
(31:33):
I maybe you could throw the Lions in that category two.
I don't know because they're only six and four, but
I think they're pretty well regarded as as top flight
football teams who have withstood the vagaries of the season
and have risen to a rightful place in the rankings
right now. I don't think there's any team in there,
(31:55):
with the exception of the Lions. When you're six and four,
if you lose a game to be reevaluated, people are
gonna say, what, what does that tough schedule mean? We saw
that with the Chiefs getting reevaluated, moving up, then moving down,
then moving up and moving down. Same with the Bills,
but the Bills are now seven to three. But it
feels like I don't know as any of those top
eight teams, maybe with the exception of the Lions, are
(32:17):
going to plummet with a loss.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Yeah, I would agree with that. I think I think
I could.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
I could go with that, And I think you know,
when you think of that top twelve, all of them
are right are kind of clumped in together. I mean,
we could make an argument for how we want to
slot it, but I think I agree with all.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Of those being up there.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I mean, I just you know, I named a couple
in my mind, like where the Colts fall with that
where the Bills fall in that conversation. But I think
I think I can consistently say yeah, if we were
to create a field, I feel okay with that, right.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
I'm not sure. My own personal.
Speaker 6 (32:56):
Belief is that, you know, if the Patriots and the
Seahawks won the AFC in the NFC, I wouldn't be surprised.
Those are teams in the top you know, I'm not
going strict chalk. I mean, nobody'd be surprised if it
was the Rams of the Eagles, obviously, I don't know
if anybody'd be surprised if it was the Bills. Necessarily,
I still think i'd be surprised if it was the Colts.
(33:17):
That's the one caveat I have of those top eight teams,
they're the one. If the Colts are playing in the
Super Bowl, I think I would still be surprised.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
No, and I agree, I think the Colts would be
my one as well, because another one that you didn't
name in there, but it is one the Broncos.
Speaker 5 (33:36):
I wouldn't be.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Surprised the Broncos are playing in the Super Bowl right, right, right,
because you know they've just shown their defense is that good.
And let's face it, how they won Super Bowl fifty right,
It wasn't because of Peyton Manning's nood alarm or Broncos Wilder.
It was Von Miller and that defense. And they look
to be at that form right now with Nick Benito
and company, Zach Allen and that defense is just playing
(33:59):
at a whole other level, pascertained the second they're just
they look championship caliber. So you're right, I mean, I
wouldn't be surprised with those Colts. I would be surprised.
Even Seahawks. I'd be a little surprised, even though they're
playing solid and they've been good. I would be surprised
if the Seahawks making I'd be less surprised. But okay,
(34:19):
that's good.
Speaker 6 (34:20):
That's why we have a show, right to air these
things out and talk about these things.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
If we agreed on everything, that would be kind of dull.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
Okay. Now here's where things differentiate. Okay, So I'm gonna
go ESPN.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
Here.
Speaker 6 (34:34):
ESPN has the Chiefs thirteen at five and five. They
have the Chargers fourteen, They have the Ravens fifteen. They
have the Steelers sixteen. The Athletic has the Steelers thirteen.
The Jaguars, who are seventeenth at ESPN, they have them fourteenth,
(34:57):
the Chargers fifteenth, the Chief sixteenth, and the Ravens seventeenth.
So again that sort of is the next group of teams,
and then they each have Carolina and Texas. The Texans
at eighteen and nineteen kind of teams sort of lurking
around a little bit. The Texans kind of the drop
(35:19):
off at five and five, Carolina at six and five.
I'm not a huge believer in Carolina, although that has
beat the Falcons in overtime. Nice victory for them. The
Jaguars tough to I'm not a huge believer in the Jaguars,
but that's an interesting group, I think. Whereas if we
could say the top eight, with maybe the exception of
(35:42):
the Colts, I wouldn't and for U Seattle, I wouldn't
be stunned if those teams are playing in you know, AFC,
NFC championship games, maybe the Super Bowl. The next group
of four teams or five teams are trying to push
themselves in the next six weeks or so into that hey,
we're solid too, we could also be one of those teams.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
And then you just have right now a grab bag,
you know, a group of teams.
Speaker 6 (36:07):
You know, if somebody gets hot, if the Studers get hot,
people are gonna be talking.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
About them that way.
Speaker 6 (36:11):
If the Ravens continue to be hot, people are gonna
be talking about them that way. But this is kind
of the next group of teams, I think after that
next four. And the reason I'm group I'm putting them
outside of that other four is those other four are
agreed upon in the polls just a little bit different order.
These are all over the place, you know, from thirteen
to nineteen in the NFL. And then I think once
(36:33):
you get below nineteen, we're now getting to the point
where you if you are below nineteen in this ranking,
you really you're pretty much you know, you're the Vikings,
you're the Cowboys, you're the Dolphins. Not that you can't
upset anybody, but you're not making the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (36:52):
Yeah, no, I completely agree.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
I think right now, especially this late in the season,
I think you are kind of died in the cast.
Once you hit that twenty and ur range, it would
take like a herculean effort to get into that, and
then even then you have to think early exit for
anybody in that bottom twelve we'll just call it the
bottom twelve teams in this ranking. And they've been and
(37:15):
especially if you've been consistently there throughout the season, you
haven't made any significant jumps forward or backwards, you're probably
you are who you are at this point.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
Yeah, And I think that it wasn't too long ago
and what has been a very entertaining and sometimes very
perplexing NFL season. I made the assertion a few weeks ago,
and this is one of the fun things I think
for doing this that one through twenty and I had
the Texans at that time were twenty one through twenty
(37:47):
and even the Ravens, who were you know, at that point,
out of it. But you could see Lamar coming back,
and you could see the way the schedules set up
that they were going to be it was going to
be surprising if they didn't play themselves back the contention.
So at that time there were twenty one teams and
I thought, man, I wouldn't be stunned if you know,
(38:09):
now there were still Jacksonville and there and some teams
that I don't really didn't really believe in that much.
But I could have seen the Texans in the AFC
Championship game at the twenty seed, or the Ravens at
twenty four to twenty five, or wherever they were taking
on the number one team, you know, the Lions, or
whoever it was at the time.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
I think we're beginning.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
If we're not seeing clarity, if we're not getting that
clarity right now, we are closing in on the clarity
of who's good and who's bad, which is what makes
the NFL such a wonderful journey. And it's where I
think we're kind of getting to at this point, with
some stories still to be told, not the least of
whom is the Steelers story.
Speaker 4 (38:50):
Max.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yeah, No, I think that's the biggest thing. I mean,
I was surprised to hear at like thirteen. I wasn't surprised, right,
you know. I always felt like, hey, we're as long
as you're in the top fourteen, you're in the hunt.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
You got a shot.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
And I'll never put that because the top fourteen is
your playoff teams. You know, you go, you got seven
in each one. As long as you're staying in that
striking distance, You're fine.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
You know where I do have issue? Who was it?
Was it ESPN that had us ranked sixteen?
Speaker 3 (39:16):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (39:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (39:18):
And who do they have as fifteen and fourteen in that.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
One Baltimore at fifteen, Chargers at fourteen, Chiefs at thirteen.
Speaker 5 (39:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
I mean that's one where you know, you're really just
backloading it and you're saying the charges just because they
beat us. But when you look at it on a
game by game basis, the Chargers got walloped by Jacksonville
right after after playing a solid game and not really
doing anything splashy against us and winning because we just
(39:49):
kind of self imploded on ourselves. I think that's still
a foulacy. I would still say if we played that
game East Coast, and we played that game one or
four o'clock, we would have a completely different result.
Speaker 5 (40:04):
But you don't, Hey, they got the victory.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
I get it there in front of us Baltimore, we
haven't played yet, and everybody wants the Baltimore Ravens to
win the AFC North, like literally trying to will it
into reality, and we haven't even played each other yet.
And I think that's where people kind of just go
with headlines on that one.
Speaker 5 (40:23):
Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
I don't know what to make of Kansas City, right,
I mean, you know, you go with a nostalgia of it.
They have some good victories, but then they have head
scratching losses as well, and they can be a nept
They can be, you know, very sluggish as an office.
You hate to say that, you know, because Patrick mahomes right,
and and old man Kelsey over there manning the ship still.
(40:48):
But you know, there's not that they don't surprise me
as an explosive team. And I had and I had
them already. I watched Kansas City. I watched them when
when they blanked the Las Vegas Raiders, but that was
this is saying much to go thirty one up against
Las Vegas. I mean, that's that's a team that was hurting.
No brock Bauers, you know, Gino Smith has done nothing
(41:08):
but throw the interceptions, it feels like most of the time.
And so that's a team that's struggling with an identity.
You have a new coaching change, new regime change, there
a lot of things, a bad offensive line.
Speaker 5 (41:20):
It's just it's just really tough to see.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
How you could have the Chiefs in apples to Apple
type of competition, you know, not have that victory have
a place.
Speaker 5 (41:29):
In front of us right now.
Speaker 6 (41:30):
By the way, in case you're wondering this time. Last year,
the Students were ranked six and an eight and two
ranking by the NFL, whose Power rankings are not out
this week, so we have to get to that tomorrow
just to kind of check that out as we start
to turn the page and get ready for the Chicago Bears.
By the way, you're gonna hear the Mike Tomlin press
conference coming up in just a little bit. We're gonna
(41:51):
take a break reminding you first to gear up with
the latest game day necessities.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
The Officials Students Pro shops.
Speaker 6 (41:56):
Get the latest sideline apparel of Jerseys, Terrible Towns, authentic
memorabil and custom exclusives you can only find directly from
the team.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
Visit one of the official Students.
Speaker 6 (42:05):
Pro shops located at Akroscher Stadium, Grove City Premium Outlets
or Tanger Outlets, or gear up online at shop dot
Steelers dot com. Get it direct from the team at
the Students Pro Shop at shop dot Steelers dot com.
Back more in the Locker Room presented by our neighborhood
Ford Store in the Studis Pro Shop on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
This is in the locker Room with Kenyon Starks on
Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford 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 3 (42:48):
All right, it is.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
The lunch is on its way, and I encourage you
to go out there eight minutes till noon and of
course eight minutes until the Mike Tomlin press conference will
be coming up right after this on this very network,
so make sure you stay tuned. Aaron Rodgers health, what
(43:13):
do we know? What do we think about moving forward?
Also Darius Slay will he be back? Will he still
be sidelined? As well other nicks, bumps, bruises and injuries
to be Kenneth Gainwell, Jalen Warren, Right, how's that backfield
look going into Chicago? A lot of these things will
be answered in the press conference, of course, pressing questions
(43:34):
you know, moving forward as we get a preview of
the Chicago Bear. So make sure you stay tuned right
here and listen to that press conference right after our show.
Speaker 3 (43:43):
Beck to you, Rob so Max, thank you very much,
and looking forward to that.
Speaker 6 (43:46):
Of course, we've only got about a minute, minute and
a half or so left in this program. Started watching
the Chicago Bears. They're a formidable challenger. We're going to
get more into that coming up in the next couple
of days. Feeling pretty good right now, but this injury
news is going to be key. Anything else you're looking
for from from Mike Tomlin as he addresses the media
today would seem to be that. That's the big item.
(44:10):
Who's hurt, who's going to be available to play in Chicago?
And will Aaron Rodgers be able to tote that incredible
record he has against the Chicago Bears as the starting
quarterback or is he going to need some time?
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Yeah, one last ride into Soldier Field for Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 5 (44:27):
Will he do it? Will he not?
Speaker 2 (44:28):
I think I think injury news is the biggest thing
this time of year. Who's available, who's not available, what's
being monitored? You know, even like last week, like hearing
if Isaac Ciamalo could be back in the lineup. We
saw what happens when he's in the lineup. We saw
what happens when he's not in the lineup, and it
allows for more fluidity in in the offense with Spencer
Anderson being that jumbo tight end. Primarily, it just helps
(44:52):
move things more fluid. But I think really the health
of Jalen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell is going to be
one because remember Caleb Johnson finished the game on Sunday,
because both of those guys were ruled out of the contest.
So seeing where they're at is going to be really
key because you need a run game to go with
the passing passing game, especially in Chicago. We talked about
the wind and the weather. Ground game keeps all of
(45:14):
that in line and keeps everything moving coposthetically yep.
Speaker 6 (45:18):
And so the Students facing a big one. They're taking
on a Chicago Bears team that has at least one
similarity to the Studers that we're going to get to
coming up in the next couple of days. A very
explosive offensive team. They can run the football extremely well.
They've had trouble defensively, and that is something to Steelers
are certainly going to try to exploit. So quite a
(45:41):
bit to get to coming up, obviously, as we get
ready for this matchup of the students facing for the
third time in four weeks, another division leader. Our thanks
to Avoro Martin Our thanks to Bob Labriola for Justin
Miller at the Controls in our iHeart Studio. For Max Starks,
I'm Rob King. We thank you for being in the
Locker Room presented by your NEGHB good Ford Store and
the Stewer's Pro Shop on Steelers Nation Radio, part of
(46:03):
the Steelers Audio Network.
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