Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Your two weeks about Drive on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good afternoon, Steeler Nation. It's the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. West Shooler and Matt Williamson with you here
for the next two hours on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Gold. Fresh off of
bye week, but plenty to talk about. Matt, how we
uh you know, I know we've been saying this for
like the last two or three weeks, but I'm gonna
keep saying it in hopes that it's working. Another incredibly
(00:50):
unseasonably warm day here in West It's like a sucking
freeze outside and it's October sixth.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
So Dale and I always had this running thing going
about the lantern or whatever they are out there, how
made you kill on the way in? They're still kicking, man.
I mean it's like well into October now and I'm
like hot walking in the sun's beating on. I mean,
there's lantern flies smush, you know. I mean it was
I thought the exact same thing, you know, the.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Last couple of weeks, I've been thinking to myself, I
better wear shorts again today, because who knows how many
more times I'm gonna get to wear shorts? Yea, you know,
until April. But yeah, unbelievable. The weather has been fantastic.
It's almost too warm for this time of year, but
not complaining better than rain, better.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Than most days ago. I mean, like it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
My wife's been on me to cut the grass here.
You might have to do that maybe tomorrow morning before
we before we get back to work. But it was
a nice bye week, great weather here in western Pennsylvania,
in a happy Steelers fan base as the team sits
at three and one, and Matt, I don't think you
can say the same about the rest of the AFC North.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
That's the topic of the day for the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It has to be. Yeah, you are sitting pretty as
pretty could be at this point for the first week
in October.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
For the first week in October, and we should probably
talk about each team. And it's obviously we're gonna talk
about the Browns a lot all week, so I don't
want to look over them. You want to start there,
and yeah, because I think they're the best of the
three right now.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Ooh.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
I mean I'm not trying to be spicy, but I mean,
like who would you rather play against right now? I
think the Browns are my last choice.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
When you frame it that way, I think that's absolutely
a fair statement, Tam.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah. I actually think they're doing some encouraging things, like
there's a little bit of optimism there, especially when compared
to preseason expectations for all three teams.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Which is a big which is a big key part
of of course. But I don't think that that's an
insane statement by you. In fact, now that I've had
about thirty seconds to think it over, yeah, I think
you might be right. I would certainly rather play the
Bengals this weekend than the Browns.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I might rather play the Bengals than anybody in the league.
I mean they're getting to that point. I mean the
Ravens and Bengals look like they don't care, and at
least on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Until Lamar's back, especially, you would fear that Ravens team
right now in the absence of him, plus all the
other injuries that they have. I think that's a completely
fair statement. The Browns defense is legit.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It's probably the best unit in the division. Nasty the
eight offense and defense, it's the best one. To me,
that's I mean the offense is near the bottom. Well,
those other two teams are bad at everything, terrible, right,
They're so bad at everything.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
But they have a legit defense, and they have a
legit running back now and quinch On Junkins as well too.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Really shocked by him, right, I mean not shocked, but
I'm impressed.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Because it's not the same. I don't think Cleveland's offensive
line is a disaster, but it's not the strength that
it was when Nick Chubb was running behind it to
great success. You know, I think he's.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Getting a lot on his own and schemed up and right. Well, again,
we'll talk so much Browns, but I really dug into
them today. Almost all his passes went the tight ends.
You know, they're very quarterback friendly scheme. But Judkins is
the motor. I mean, he's the engine. They're left tackle
situation as a disaster. But the other four are okay,
you know, and the offense is bad, don't get me wrong,
(04:02):
But that defense should keep them in a lot of
games like it did against Minnesota, and they're well coached.
They are well coached.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, that defense has kept them in every game. It's
a big reason why they they beat their part of me. Yeah. No,
they beat the Green Bay Packers a couple of weeks ago.
And again, even though that the record is not great
and they've lost plenty of games, it's not like they're
getting boat raced in those games. They're not getting embarrassed
by all the close scoring, tight games. Yeah, I do
think that's fair to say that if you could pick
(04:29):
and you want to play to come to Akrocher Stadium
this weekend, yeah, it'd be the Bengals and the Ravens
ahead of the Browns.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And now I'm not accounting for the fatigue of coming
from overseas without a buy. I'm just talking about how
you're playing right this minute, you know, and like who
would I rather play this yesterday? You know wherever? And
the Browns would be my last choice of the three,
and which is amazing to say so big picture of
brown stuff, they've played the most rookie snaps of any
(04:55):
team in the league, which probably shouldn't shock anybody. And
that was even before this past they went to GA
and now it's even stronger with Gabriel when the quarterback
played every snap and I thought he was fine. I mean,
he didn't have a big stat line, but he got
the ball obvious hands. He didn't look overwhelmed. It's not
easy defense to play again, so he was fine. And
I keep going back to the draft class you mentioned Judkins.
(05:16):
I mean he looks like a star. Yeah, fan and
have been really really good, uh Schweassinger, the off the
ball linebacker really good. And I've said this many times.
I destroyed their draft just because of the process and
when it happened.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
I'm like, off in the lineman, you're building the nest, right,
are you not going to take any offensive line?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Right? But the players they took most looked like hits,
if not all, So at least there's something to get
encouraged about if you're the Browns, like they haven't had
a good draft forever because of the Watson trade and
all those things, right, right, right, So at least that's something.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
It certainly is and in the scope of expectations, yeah,
laid it out like that, they definitely should be feeling
better than the fan bases in Cincinnati and balt More,
speaking of Dylan Gabriel, real quick, I want to throw
this out for you. You want to hear a crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Stat I have one for you too. It might be
the same.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Has nothing to do with the AFC North or the NFL.
But every Oklahoma starting I hear that from twenty fifteen
to twenty and twenty three, nine year sample size started
in the NFL this past weekend.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
That is insane.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, Spencer Rattler, Caleb Williams,
Dylan Gabriel. Seven straight Oklahoma quarterbacks.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Good for Oklahoma, although they didn't keep them all. But yeah, right,
that is pretty.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
They were the starter for Oklahoma in that stretch. That
is that is unbelievable. But yeah, Matt, that's come up.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I say this one's crazy too. I may even threw
it out there Friday, but Dylan Gabriel became the tenth
starting quarterback for the Browns since Baker Mayfield. Oh, ten
since Baker Mayfield. That didn't seem like that long ago.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
No, it was what was it twenty eighteen that he
was drafted.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I want to say, yeah, I mean then they got
away from right at the Watson trade. Yeah, and it
says been ten since they moved on from Baker who's
now lighting it up. And in the MVP conversation. Oh,
by the way, and then somebody wrote me back after
it and they went back and checked the Packers. The
tenth most recent starting quarterback for the Packers.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Well, this is probably good.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Don Mkowski, who was like I was like ten years
old the Magic Band, I mean, that's YOUO far have
took over for this was like that was incredible, kid,
you know, like that's insane.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
That's a really good stat right, that is that is insane,
And hey might even get to eleven for Cleveland these Yeah,
maybe go to eleven. Yes, if we see if we
see shaudor at some point this season. But yeah, no,
I think that's in astute line of logic by you
that that is probably the AFC North. Not an incredibly
high bar to clear, but that is probably the AFC
(07:50):
North team that you would least like to see this weekend.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
All be playing better than the other two teams, all
be at.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
The caveat of how they respond coming back from London
and have to go on the road once again, which
is certainly going to be tough.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
So, now I think about it, I think their defense
is the best of the eight units, and this next
two are Steelers. That's how bad the other teams are
right now.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Almost just by process.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
And it's not like the Steelers offense and defense are
top five in the league. That's how bad.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
The decision is terrible on both sides of the ball.
Baltimore is terrible on both sides of the ball, horrendous,
So that at least puts you in the top half right, right, right.
The toughest question is probably what's the fourth best unit in.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Guess the Brown's offense.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
It's probably really bad too.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
That right, that's really bad. Let's talk about one more
Browns status for it so great?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
We got nothing but time.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah. Mike Sando put this out on his weekly call
him a friend of mine, and he said that since
hiring Jim Schwartz their defensive coordinator twenty twenty three EPA,
they're number one on defense. Since Schwartz has been there,
that goes back to twenty twenty three to twenty four
and into this season.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
He's a very good decording.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yes, and Garrett helps, and they've good players. Last in
offensio since hiring Schwartz, they're lasting offensive EPA, but first
in defensive EPA.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I know I'm not the first person to say this,
especially in Cleveland, but man, if they would have just
kept Baker Mayfield the way they.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Might have ruined him, but at least a good point.
You didn't give up everything for Watson, and I mean
that's a catastrophic mistake.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
You could have an extra first round lineman or two
on that team, an extra you know, first or second round,
like bonafide superstar skill position guy.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Right. Who oh, yeah, you're talking about big mistakes.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Big mistakes. Yeah, big mistakes. But looks like they're you know,
starting to to make up for it a little bit
with the way they drafted this past year.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
At least it picks.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yeah, you could could have a top ten pick and
a top twenty pick in the first round.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yeah, come the NFL.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Draft on Gabriel or Sanders is a guy, Matt.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Let's talk a little bit about this Baltimore Ravens as
well too.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
They're the most interesting team to discuss.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Just maybe league wide at this point. Yeah. According to
our buddy Jeremy Faller, formerly of this parish, now nationally
with ESPN, the Ravens have allowed one hundred and seventy
seven points this season. That's the most over a five
game stretch in the entire franchise history of the Baltimore
Ravens doesn't surprise me, so unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
This might be two segments of talking Ravens because there's
a lot to discuss here. So I don't know that
I've seen an injury list like the one they played
with yesterday.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
It's bad. I mean that there is a grain of
salt there for oh.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
It's a boulder of salt.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I mean it's like rock salt.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
One of the yeah, one of them is a two
time MVP. But like if you laid out the ten
most important Ravens, there was like eight of them that
didn't play totally. Yeah, I mean, so them being bad.
I understand there's some rhyme to that reason, but that
was a little bit too much for my liking for
a team that still has henry and pride, and they.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Just rolled over.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
They got killed from the first drive. I mean on
both sides of the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
The stadium shots of M and T Bank in the
second half, like every time they would zoom out, it
looked like it looked like a spring game really like,
I mean, it looked like the baseball team that plays
here on the North Shore Pennsylvania and some of their games.
I mean, there was there's maybe three or four thousand
people left in that stadium. It was empty.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Wow. And someone just actually tweeted us on the way
here saying they were listening to the Ravens postgame show
and uh, you know you're getting these quotes, which I'm
sure Steeler fans they have no leadership. Fire Harbaugh. You
know there'll be one in five after next week. Harbaugh's
lost team culture. You know, they look like a defeated team.
(11:46):
I can't argue some of those things. Their body language
was really really bad, like we lost this thing from
the jump. We had none of our dudes, We got
none of our leaders. And the injuries are terrible, you know,
bad luck, no question, that's hard to overcome. And Burrow
being out is bad luck to you know. But my
(12:08):
problems are both lines of scrimmage were bad since the
season started, you know what I mean, like Matta Bouquet's
injury and the d lines is not the same. They're
getting blown off the ball. They're not pushing anybody around
in the trenches. So what's going to make those better?
(12:28):
They were bad to start the season. Lamar is not
gonna make those better. Rokon coming back is going to
make those better. I mean, those are fundamental problems. And
I don't know or their defensive coordinator, but if you
remember last year, their defense was pretty darn bad, you know,
blown mistakes, and then they they went out and got Demps,
(12:48):
brought him out of retirement, who's kind of a defensive legend,
and from that point on.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
They moved Kyle, they moved a lot from stuff.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Around, and they were like the best defense in the league,
or might just be a terrible defensive coordinator. I don't
know if he's in the mix at all anymore, but
he's his resume is not strong to start last year
or any of this year. Now. I know he's missing
like five important players.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
If you think about it, since they lost the guy
who's the Seattle Seahawks head coach, right right right.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
McDonald McDonald, I mean, and they took a bunch of
assistants too. I mean they lost a ton on defense.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
That defense has played twenty some games since then and
has been average to bad and probably fifteen of them.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Yeah, except for the stretch leading into the playoffs last year,
and other than that, they've been bad, like bottom ten,
if not worse this year, like they're worst in the league.
So I don't know that that gets drastically better. I mean,
you're bad in the lines of scrimmage. You're not going
to fix that overnight. And your best line in Mattabuque
is out for the year. He's not a two week
stretch whatever. So that being said, I can't write any
(13:51):
we haven't talked about the Bengals. I can't write any
story where either Cleveland team ends up in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Here Ohio team, yeah, right, right, right, exactly, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I'm not so sure about the Ravens.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
There's still the odds on AFC North betting favorites, right,
you said that, which is crazy. I think that's not
slightly over the Steelers. It's not much of a gap.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
I understood it a week ago kind of because there's
like two one win teams. Maybe they could beat the Texans,
and I didn't know how injured Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Was and their scheduled, they their schedule was front loaded.
I wanted to talk about their stard to play Buffalo,
how to play Detroit.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
They played a brutal stretch. Yeah, basically all playoff teams,
give or take.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, that first place schedule, and it was a lot
of those first place teams in the start, you know,
the first five six weeks of the season.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
And they easily could have won the Buffalo game that
everyon on the planet watched. But schedule wise, they played
the Rams this week, coming off a long week, that
played Thursday, that lost a tough team. I mean, like,
I think it's in La.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
It's in La.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
I'm pretty sure you So if we chalk that up
to a loss minus Lamar, I mean, the math might
just be too bad to come back from.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
They'd be more likely to get a top ten pick
at that point, would be to make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Probably. But if I'm the Ravens again, Ravens Nation Radio,
you lose the Rams, maybe it's as ugly as this
textan game, then you have a bye. Thank the Lord,
you know what I mean, Like need it so bad?
And then you look at the rest of their schedule.
It's pretty darny.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
They could they could rattle off seven or eight straight wins.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Yeah, they could be the team you don't want to
face going into the playoffs. It won seven of our
last eight, which but that might not even get you in.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
But I was gonna say that would shock me less
than them them fighting back and clong back and potentially
getting into a wild card. Yeah, would shock me a
lot less than them winning the division.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Steelers would have to fall. I mean, I mean, if
you win the division, it would because the Steelers have
a tough December lost three a point. Like if this
season ended like last season, Yes, and the Steelers schedules backloaded.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
In it's not quite as brutal as last year, but
it's still tough.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
I'm not ready to write that story.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
To Detroit, but man, Buffalo Thanksgiving weekend, but that.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
They split, you know, Raven Steelers. Do you think the
Ravens are gonna sweep them? I mean, I see they
almost have to them.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
They would almost have to. If you're the Steelers and
you go five and one in the division, I think
you're guarantee to win the AFC North. If you go
four and two and you still got a really good
chance to win the AFC North.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
And both teams get to play the Bengals twice still, yes,
which is which wonderful, which is wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Yeah, But man, if the Steelers, if the Steelers sweep
Ohio over the next yeah, ten or eleven days, whatever,
it would be here twelve days. However, many at five
and one, it would almost you would have to implode,
not especially if the especially if they go to LA
and lose, I mean, which they have to.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Be a huge dog there. It's assuming it's a similar
roster they're putting out than what they did.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Right, and it certainly sounds like Lamar is not going
to play, and that's got to be the biggest thing
for them. Yeah, I I don't think any of us
saw this coming. And you kind of mentioned some of
that too, like the the body language stuff with Baltimore.
This to me is like it is. It's always tough
for a team, I think, especially in football where the
sample size is so small and you don't have an
(17:06):
opportunity to start slow or anything like that. Like there's
some there's some Texas and Penn State vibes about Baltimore
right now. And here's what I mean by that.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
I think I have a hunch.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah, Baltimore was, without a doubt. Even if you are
black and gold, die hard, you hate the Baltimore Ravens
like you need air to breathe. Yeah, you had to
have them on your short list of Super Bowl favorites
coming into this year.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I put them number one in my preseason.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Powerhill Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City. I mean those were the teams. Yeah,
some people had Detroit and Green Bay there as the fifth,
but those those were the teams after the Yeah, Texas
and Penn State one and two in the ap pole
to start the season. When your expectations are that high, Yeah,
all three of those programs and organizations too. They've had
fan bases that have been longing for it and begging
(17:52):
for it, and we've been close, but no cigar for
a long time now. And look how loaded we are,
and this is finally the year that we're gonna get
over the how can get it done? You had playoff
Penn State won playoff games last year, they were in
the semi final. Texas won playoff games last year, they
were in the semi final. Baltimore has been winning some
playoff games. This is but they're not City. This is
(18:15):
the year that we have to be though. This is
our year, this is our time. We got the roster.
It's all coming together at the right time.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Like they said this about the Manning Colts, for a
long time, until you.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Didn't until you exactly Sometimes you never do exactly right.
But when you have such high expectations and such a
feeling of this has to be the year, and then
it starts out the way that it has for those teams,
I think there's a natural human element of like hang
your head and this sucks, and like this is a
major letdown. I mean, Texas and Penn State were one
(18:46):
and two in the ap pole. Matt, it's the first
week in October. They haven't even beaten a power for team,
either of them.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And then Penn State gets embarrassed and you see they're.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
The only wins are over G five schools and FCS programs.
You know, Akron and Sam Houston State and Villanova.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
They were a top two team and they were a.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Top and now they're both unranked in early October they're
both unranked. There's some of that when.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Both those programs have a history too. It's not like
absolutely this happened to Georgia or Bama, and.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
They much like Baltimore. They haven't been Kansas City, they
haven't been Bama or Georgia Ohio State. But they've been
really good for the last hand phenomenal. It's been very good.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Again, they're like number one every.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Year Penn State and Texas were both in the college
football Playoffs semi final last year. Like they won playoff
games last year. But when it's when your expectations are
so high and it sinks so fast, to me, like it,
it's almost impossible to prevent that that unraveling of heads hanging.
We're kind of quitting on this thing. Here we go.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
This is a disaster, especially when the Texans just first drive,
just walking down the field.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
You know, you think, when you've got Baltimore's injury report.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Right now, who do we turn to in the huddle?
There's nobody I trust. Stanley's out too, I mean, everybody's out.
So I did a podcast actually during like the downtime
a summer saying kind of comparing the Steelers and Ravens
in that Steeler fans at this point had never seen
(20:13):
Aaron Rodgers play. We knew the narrative. You know, Steelers
are middling team. Yeah they got this winning record, but
when if you want a playoff game, We're sick of
the same thing. Year after year. Everyone's heard these things.
You know, Tomlin's only gonna get us so far, blah
blah blah blah blah. And my podcast was your biggest rival.
The Ravens have had more or less the best quarterback
(20:35):
in the league over the last five years, and you've
had the worst, and they've been better during that stretch.
Anyone's to argue with that. They're insane. Even I know
the head to head.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
No doubt, you know, that's the only the only Black
and Quiver would be head to head.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
But who's the better football team?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Playoff wins?
Speaker 3 (20:53):
They got better players during the Lamar era, They've been
the better team. I mean, clearly, but I really equated
two organizations of kind of being the same, and that
the fan bases.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Are really not good enough.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
It's still frustrating because the Steelers are this tier of
over that five years or whatever, of got in the playoffs,
got beat really bad, went home. Ravens are in the
tier right above, like one game awesome, regular season high expectations.
Might have beat a team like the Steelers or a
wild card team and then can't go any further because
(21:28):
the year after year after year, and the fan base
immediately say fire Harbor, fire Tomlin, you know, and I
kind of get it, you know, like, can this guy
only take us so far? But in this case, for
Baltimore I'm really talking about, right, I mean, they're in
such an awful situation. Maybe make a defensive coordinator change,
(21:49):
you know. I mean I'm not saying you blow the
thing up. They're still dangerous as could be.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
If they had one or two guys on IR and
these were still the results, then it doesn't make as
much sense, right. I think you could have Vince Lombardi
dipped in Bill Belichick and they would still be under
five hundred in Baltimore.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I guess my point that I didn't express as well
as I wanted was everyone is so Steeler centric around here,
and you look at the Ravens there so much better.
But your brothers, you know from another mother over there,
are almost as frustrated as you guys as a fan base,
you know, and right this minute there, right the second.
More so, I'm talking about like in the offseason, you know,
like it's there's a lot going on, and winning playoff
(22:32):
games is really difficult. There's only thirteen wins every year
in a playoff wins, you know, you don't get many
of them. So I don't know. I mean, the Ravens,
to me, at least could get their doors blown off
against the rams By sure come back and look like
the Ravens, but the lines of scrimmage aren't good and
they're not even using like Derrick Henry.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
It's what you get. You get Lamar and rokuon back,
and that will obviously help their fantastic Yeah yeah, but
like that might be like slapping a band aid on
a shotgun wound at this point. Yeah, right, right, got
so many issues.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
And then there's just the math of it, you know,
like can you win enough games to actually beat a
wild card team like Denver or Indy or Houston that
you lost head to head to Steelers or whoever? I mean,
win division might be their only shot. Who it's uhs
(23:26):
are just worse on all.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Yeah, let's do this worse organization everything beefy first segment
here to get started. Let's come back and we'll focus
on the Bengals and do some more around the league stuff.
We'll use that to kind of close down the first
hour of the show here. Over our next two segments,
we'll talk to our buddy Rob King in the second
hour of the program. Plenty to get to here coming
out of the bye week for the Steelers, sitting pretty
(23:47):
in black and Goldland, that's for sure, West Yuler, Matt Williamson,
it's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Your teams about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal, Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Going around the AFC North, around the league here. As
the calendar is in October, the Steelers bye week is
behind them. A couple games in quick succession here. That'll
start happening rapidly, quickly. Yeah, and we will obviously spend
plenty of time on those Cleveland Browns as the week
rolls along. But Matt, let's stay in Ohio to kind
(24:40):
of wrap up some AFC North thoughts here to begin
the show today, Cincinnati Bengals are I mean, you want
to talk about rough times in Baltimore. Certainly, absolutely when
you compare them to expectations going into the season. But
Cincinnati had some high expectations of bouncing back this year too. Yes, Okay,
we're nine to eight last year with the worst defense
in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Strong.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
If we can at least have the seventeenth or eighteenth
or nineteenth best defense in the NFL, that's a team
that can win ten games and go to the playoffs,
you lose Joe Burrow early on, not just for a
couple of weeks, but for three months, which is obviously
a disaster. That defense might be worse than it was
last year. I mean, they are pretty miserable. I think
it's time for them now, Like you would floated the
(25:23):
idea a couple weeks ago of like, hey, trade a
Day three pick for Russell Wilson and see if you
can stay afloat that ship sailed.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
I mean two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Yeah, Now it's like, let's sell and reset and start
focusing on twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
Yeah, like like big picture through a Steeler's lens, where
obviously a Steelers show. I still greatly fear the Ravens. Yeah,
I mean, I mean I'm talking about for the next two, three,
four years now. Burrow's scary. I mean, but the Bengals
are in a bad place big picture to me. I mean,
I think they're not a strong organization. I don't think
they're greatly coached. I think they have some star power,
(25:58):
and I have a feeling those stars aren't gonna be
real thrilled with their situation much longer if they are
at all. So like that game yesterday. Hendrickson made some
plays early, Chase made some plays late against prevents and
things like that when it was done, but you saw
some star power with those guys. Higgins is still a
really good player. But the nuts and bolts of the
(26:19):
team are pretty poor. I mean, they're both their lines
are worse than the Ravens. To me, I'd rather rebuild
the Ravens lines than they're both their lines. And you know,
that's where it all starts. And this makes me crazy
from a Bengals perspective, is instead of really being aggressive
on defense this offseason, getting a lot of new pieces,
(26:40):
you know, yeah, they drafted a defensive end, but they
didn't they kind of running back the same players from
one of the worst defenses in the league. We're just
gonna blame the coordinator. You know, we're gonna fire Amarumo
and we're gonna hire the Notre Dame dude. Well, that
seemed suspect logic at the time, considering amroom most history.
(27:02):
That's what I say. And now in hindsight, he takes
the most vanilla defense in the league that was well
below average, and now they're way above average with basically
the same pieces too. Like I think we knew what
the problem was. They good enough players on defense, and
they just totally misevaluated that as an organization, which makes
you wonder because it's that's not a hard evaluation to make,
(27:24):
you know, that's not like should we signed to Higgins
or not. I understand both sides.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
If you're John Taffer and you're doing the bar rescue
thing and you walk into that messy bar, that's pretty
easy to die.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Fridge, right, theude line is bad. I mean even drafting
defensive ends like crazy, you know, like go one, good
one and he's unhappy. So I think they're really miserable
on both sides of the ball.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Now.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I mean we were talking off the air. Browning's way
worse than he looked his first state. I mean, the
league knows what to do to him, come after him,
and he's gonna panic, and the line doesn't help. They
got no running game. Chase is still a stud, Higgins
is still a stud. But I'm not saying they're dogging it,
but they're they can't take over game. I mean they
(28:06):
do a lot of this when the ball gets flying
over their heads. You know, like you can't be receiver
dependent without any way to give them the football. I
would worry big picture about that team because I think
it's now to the point where you trade Hendrickson.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Oh you have to.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
You have to.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Now he's not going to be on the team next year, right,
so you have to trade him now you have to
get something.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
The Lions would give you whatever you want for me,
you know what I mean. There's a lot of teams
out there. Take them off your hands, at least do that.
What's nuts is you mentioned the draft picks. It's like
never happens in our life. Could the the Browns up
to first raven everyone else has one? Could the Steelers,
say the Steelers pick twenty five, they win a playoff game.
(28:46):
Could the Ravens be picking twelfth. The Bengals are picking fourth.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
There's our quarterback, there's Fernando Mendozo, Dante more Baby, there's
our guy.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
And the Browns have like the eighth and twelfth pick.
Like that absolutely could be how this all shakes out.
One said, yeah, it's leaning that way in a big way,
like Todd mcshade did it once. Someone did a mock draft,
you know, just based off records, and the Ravens right
now are picking like fifth, no, in neither sincey right, Still,
(29:17):
I mean we could even do that this week. I
might do a podcast today just going through the league
of who is now in the quarterback market and who isn't.
Those two teams aren't. But still, I mean, how often
does teams in the division pick that early?
Speaker 2 (29:30):
I mean, it could be teams, teams not the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Right right, the Browns always do.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
But I could still pick that, or you could have
you could have three of the AFC North teams picking
in the top twelve.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
That Jacksonville pick looks like the best pick of the
four that the other three teams are going to have, right,
you know what I mean? Like they could have three
top ten picks absolutely easily could very I mean, I'd
say that's not crazy at all.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
No, it is not. It's certainly not. And I again
I think Cleveland that wouldn't have surprised us ad into
the show now, but the other was expected the other
two completely different story. Yeah, that to me, like it's
it's time for Cincinnati to start thinking about how they
keep Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow happy in twenty twenty
six and beyond.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
It just reminds me of like Carson Palmer, and I
know a lot of people are a little young for that,
but he just got fed up with the organization. I
won't play football anymore if I have to play for you.
I mean, like it gets to that point, like I'm
too competitive, I'm in my prime and what you guys
do as an organization, the way you run doesn't let
me get to my goal of winning football games. I
can only do so much and then I just keep
(30:28):
getting hurt.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
And that was almost twenty years ago, yeah, right, right,
right right, and it's still the same, still the same, right,
And I think when.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
And they kind of lucked into Burrow and Chase, sure,
you know, right right right.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
First first overall pick and third overall pick, I think
for Jamar Chase.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
And top five yeah, him and Sewul you know.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
And man, I remember Carson Palmer got a lot of
blowback for that.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
How could you possibly do that?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Right now?
Speaker 3 (30:50):
I think it's a little more accepted now, but right then,
but he was right.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
He was absolutely right. Yeah, And I think people would
look at it the same if Burrow and Chase wanted
to go that route. I don't think there would be
as much vitriol towards them from that fan base, it
would be more towards the top of the organization, yeah,
than the than the guys that are on the team.
But yeah, I listen, it's it's been rough for Baltimore,
but at least again there's some rhyme to that reason.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
I still think they're an elite organization too.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
And I trust, like you said, for the next four
or five years, right, if you made me bet right now,
does Baltimore win a playoff game in the next four
or five years, I would say yes, Oh yeah, yeah.
Just Cincinnati won a playoff game in the next four
or five years, I would say no.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Same with the Browns.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Same with the Browns, and they have to.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
Things have to go drastically better. I mean, there's there's
such a historically losing organization too.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Maybe that's cheating a little bit, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
But I mean we did say some good things. Boy,
I like their rookie class, and maybe there is a
little bit of optimism within the organization, but it's to
get to seven or eight wins. I mean, you're still
a long way away from you know, contending or having
a quarterback. And they got to rebuild an entire offensive
line like four or four of their five starters or
free agents have the year and the offensive line, right
(32:02):
you know, so okay, you know, but in a way,
if the Ravens end up with like the sixth pick
in the draft, that's terrifying.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
It's just say that could be the one silver lining
for Baltimore, right, is like.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
They get the best edge rusher in the draft or something, Yes,
bame from Miami or whatever.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Or something right right right, it's like.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Uh, that one down year might have and.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Then like early second round they get a stud running back.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
You know, there's two stars, you know, like.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
They picked like the next Judkins that picked thirty seven
or thirty eight or something.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
They're not going to take Manzell or you know Richardson.
I mean, they're not going to screw it up.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Kellen Winslow junior right with that pick.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Those guys will screw it up. But the Ravens, you
give them that gift that could be. I mean, we're
way getting ahead of ourselves still. It's the way the
driven division's trending right now.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
I want to take one more break here in this
first hour. When we return, I got a question for you, okay,
and give them to tell it to you now, so
so you and the audience have a minute to let
it marry before we come back. How many teams in
the AFC right now would you say are clear cut
one hundred percent definitively better than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
It's talk funny. I didn't know you're gonna ask me
that we did not pre record this or anything, and
I will answer on the other side, I thought about
the same thing as I was recording Peacock and Williamson today.
You know, because Coltstnverord, some of these other teams are
really interesting, right right, I mean, so these teams are
pretty interesting right now.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Definitively like one hundred percent would be favored over the
Steelers by a decent margin on a neutral field. You
might be able to count them on one hand. Let's do
that exercise when we come back.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
I got a change in the tides right now. It
really is, Yeah, it.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Really isn't who thought the Colts would be in this conversation,
but maybe they are. We'll wrap up the first hour
of the show going there when we return. Why Shooler,
Matt Williamson. It's the Drive Steelers Nation Radio on the
Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Your tunes about drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goals Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Final segment here of the first hour, we will have
the voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob King with us
to begin our number two. Before we get to the Kinger,
Matt Williams. Some simple question that I posed to you
and the audience before we went to break. How many
teams right now in the AFC are definitively that's the keyword,
better than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
All right, this is kind of buzz all these conversations.
You'll notice I just go division by division, you know, yeah,
so start in the East.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
The Bills are yes, yes, I think so.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
They stumbled, they made more mistakes than usual.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Defense isn't great.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
I don't love the defense.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
I think they're.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
Very Josh Allen in an awesome offense. They're better than
the Steelers. I'm not going to give you the Patriots,
but they're out kicking my expectations for them for sure,
even before last night. But last night was really good.
And you know, a Drake may.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Fan, it's nice to see.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Oh that was huge. But I want to I brought
this up while I was getting coffee too, because I
knew their upcoming schedule was really easy. How about this
They played the Saints next week, then the Titans, then
the Browns, and then the Jets. I think, my friend.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Screwy, but that should be three or four wins.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
I mean, yeah, they could absolutely go on a hot streak.
That doesn't mean that they're better than the Steelers, but
they could gain a lot of momentum, like in power
ranks and that type of thing that don't really matter.
But you know, nobody else, no, no, nobody.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
In the North, nobody in the division, right.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
No, Ravens are highly capable. We've talked to no end
of getting back to where they are, but they're far
from it now. Colts, Yes, it's hard to argue.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
I mean they're.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Real close to being undefeated.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
I mean, like other than the Broncos. I mean they're
like beating everybody down.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Yeah, and smashing teams. Yeah, it's incredible, they really are.
So I'm gonna say yes on the Colts.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
That's two.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
Jacksonville we can talk about tomorrow. I think they have
a chance to be I'm impressed with where they're at,
but I would definitely lean towards no.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Right this again like defense, like they would be favored
over the Steelers on a neutral field.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
I'm I'm gonna say no, but they could surprise us tonight,
and I think that they're trending the right direction as.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
An excited for that Monday night football game. Yeah, before
we get out of.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
Here, I can't go Houston, but I think they've turned
a corner. I mean, they're definitely how I was thinking
about it today on my podcast was boy, there's a
lot of AFC teams, including the Steelers, that are all
in this tier that aren't quite Bill's Ravens where we
thought they were, but they're pretty impressive and they're I'm
(36:55):
pretty firm that they're good teams. Yes you know what
I mean.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Or not, But there's a lot of good teams.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Yeah, and a lot of these teams I'm starting to trust,
like the Colts, maybe the Jags, I'm not sure yet,
starting to trust Houston that they're gonna be in the mix.
That defense is legit, and I've always been a Stroud fan.
I think they're going to be in them.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Their defense is given up like twenty points less than
the next lowest scoring defense in the it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
Okay, definitely not Tennessee obviously. So there's three contenders in
that division. Colts, I would say, are the strongest. I
think the Chiefs are better than Steelers.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I think you got to give them some, yeah, some
benefit of the doubt. I know they started zero and two,
but they've rebounded nicely. Yeah, tonight will be a big tell, though.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
I mean, if they get blown out tonight, maybe I'll
change my tune. But I don't foresee that happening.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Like last week, we would have probably said the Chargers
I don't know about Now.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
They're a no to me. Yeah, I think that everything,
and I feel bad for them in a way, like
it's just injury and Herbert's getting crushed. So they're a no.
Where I would have said yes two weeks ago, for sure, absolutely,
Then the alt injury, and then I mean Herbert's under
pressure every drop.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Back, nause he's done maps banged up.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
Yeah, say something happened him late in the game. Defense
was not impressive, So they're a no to me. Denver's
a definitive yes. And the Raiders are one of the
most miserable teams in the league. Good lord, I mean
I didn't think they'd be this better.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I think they might be the most surprising team.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
Terrible.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Them and the Colts are probably the two most surprising
teams in the NFL for opposite reasons. Yeah, I don't
think many people were picking the Raiders to go to
the playoffs, but I don't think a lot of people
thought they'd be one and four and it would look
like this.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
Yes, so I would say there's three or four that
are definitively better.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Than That's about right on one hand.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Yeah, when we do Colts, Chiefs, Broncos, Bills, and I
think the Steelers are ahead of the Patriots and Jags,
but I'm opening the idea that they're improving. Houston's not
sleeping giant, but they're a sleeping big person, big scary dude,
(39:04):
but not quite a giant. And I think the Chargers
season could be spiraling quickly. Yeah, you know, this could
be the beginning of the end.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
And this is another one of those I know you
and I repeated this at nauseum the first couple of
weeks of the season. But like, you don't want to
be the best team in September.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
No, right, that's lovely. It's fun to talk about the time.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Great, yeah, right, and the Chargers were flying as high
as possible after the first three weeks of the season,
three and oh, all three of those division wins, Herbert
for MVP, Herbert for MVP. Even you and I were
saying like he might be entering that unicorn territory with
still is.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
It's just nobody's helping him anymore.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
You lose both your tackles, you lose both of your
running backs, your defense is okay, yeah, and all of
a sudden you go from three and oh and on
top of the world to back down to Earth and
three and two.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
They seem to lose an offensive lineman every week. And
that's just it's I can't speak enough about offensive.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
It's a tough way to live in this league, particularly
where I know you do a good job of outlining
this a lot, but like everybody in the league needs
offensive line help. Even the team with the best offensive lines, yeah,
would like an extra piece or two. You lose two
of the top ten, top twelve tackles in the NFL.
That's gonna be almost impossible to overcome.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
Like the Cardinals could use a running back, well, they
could get one. Chargers need to tackle you can't get one.
You're not gonna get one.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Cardinals could use a running back that holds onto the
ball into the end zone. That was an unbelievable game, right,
that touchdown for Tennessee off the interception for dam It's
one of the craziest things ever.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
So three or four plays in that one. I mean
there was even a snap that Kyler didn't know it
was coming that hit him in the face mask, that
almost knocked him over. Like this is just like Laurel
and Hardiers. This was the stooges.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
That game belonged on the You know how every once
in a while they do, like the Nickelodeon broadcast.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Yeah, right, which getlim or whatever. Yeah, that was people.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Getting slimed and SpongeBob popping out of the turf or
something like that.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
And that's how the Titans get their first win.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
That is how the Titans get their first win. I'll
tell you what. Though cam Ward continues to look like
a guy who he might be long for this league,
he certainly could be. Uh, let's take a break here.
First hour in the books, Another hour to go, I
do want to do. We're gonna talk to our buddy
Rob King on the other side, Matt, and then maybe
after King or we can just kind of do a
whip around the NFL like we've touched on some of
these games.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
Yeah, it was a wild week across the league.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
At Denver Philly was interesting. Uh first or sorry, only
the let me make sure I get this right. Wrote
this down only the fourth time in the Super Bowl
era that there are zero undefeated teams after Week five.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, I did see that.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
A lot of parody in this league. Congratulations to the
seventy two Miami Dolphins. They pop the bubbly as well.
I've also got some Steelers Steelers back to practice today
for the first time since Dublin. Uh, and some good
news coming out of practice that will get to a
number two as well. So plenty more to go halfway
home here on the drive, Wes Shuoler, Matt Williamson, Rob
(41:59):
King on the other side, Steelers Nation Radio on the
Steelers Audio Network.