October 10, 2025 • 43 mins
Matt and Wes go over all the latest injury updates across the AFC North. Missi Matthews joins to help preview Steelers vs Browns.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Your tuned to about Drive on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good afternoon, Steelers Nation. It's the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. Rush Ruler and Matt Williamson charged up on
a Friday, here with you as it's time to get
ready for all things at Steelers and Brown's Sunday one
o'clock at Akrashuer Stadium. We'll have five Star Friday today,
our NFL picks today, Steelers predictions, a lot to squeeze in,
(00:47):
a lot to squeeze in. As always, our good friend
Missy Matthews gonna join us here in about fifteen minutes
or so, but just some of the news of the
day here Matt to get us started on this Friday afternoon.
And it's something that people have speculated plenty about. I
do think it's kind of funny how much attention has
been made of this. But the news is now official.
(01:09):
Should Door Sanders will be the backup quarterback number two?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
I didn't see that. That must have just been announced semi recently.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Okay, it was by Adam Schefter about an hour or
so ago. Okay, about forty five minutes ago. Shaudur Sanders
will be the backup to Dylan Gabriel on Sunday and
serve as Cleveland's QB number two. According to head coach
Kevin Stefanski, it's a.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Move I agree with now. So when Flaco got benched
a couple of weeks ago, there was a big hubbub
of why isn't Sanders the two? You know, Gabriel's the one.
Why isn't Sanders the two? Well, the people that do
that have not been a part of a team, are
been to practices very much, because especially if you're gonna
throw Gabriel in going into a week to prepare for
(01:54):
Flora's first time is starter.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
In a different country.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Oh, by the way, and it's a tough defense, but
it doesn't even matter to play theiest defense in the
league in your backyard. It's still a rookies' first start.
He should take every snatch.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
He's going to nine pie as much as.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
He can digest. I want him getting ready for the game. Thus,
the number two gets none or next to it. Now,
who would you rather have get none? Flacco or another rookie?
Obviously Flacco totally makes sense, right, and that's actually protecting Sanders.
Let's say Gabriel in England gets hurt on the second series.
(02:33):
You throw Shador in there, who hasn't practiced. He's gonna
look terrible, terrible, and the whole world's gonna crush him,
and you're gonna lose, and you're not gonna have it.
I mean, there's nothing to gain by it. Now you
have Zappi, but Zappi versus Flacco in terms of being
around the block and all that is still night and day.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
You know.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Yeah, now you give san Gabriels at least started a game.
This is totally up to Stefanski, of course. But maybe
Sanders gets twenty five percent of the rep storing the week,
you know, and maybe he looks really good and does
a series with the ones. Maybe, I mean, I'm stretching it,
but okay, let's see what. And you don't make it
look like a competition. There's clearly a one. It's not
(03:12):
like camp, like, okay, you're throwing a judy now, now,
I mean, you make the team know who the one is.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
But he's at least getting some of that pie. At
least he's getting some work in some.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
So some Browns people or people in the know that
I've been chatting with over the last couple of days
kind of said. One of the reasons they got rid
of Flacco is they were feeling like Sanders was getting
disengaged as the three. You know, I'm not involved with
the team. I'm running scouts. He's got an ego like
everyone else, and probably more than some and so let's
(03:46):
get him more engaged, more involved by getting the other
guy out of the way too, you know, which is
part of the problem when they devise this whole plan.
Pickett Flacco, two rookies.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
The pie is not big enough to you only eight
slices of pizza. These guys gonna eat right.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Like my freshman year Pitt Johnstown, I roomed with two
wrestlers who I didn't know, but they end up being
great guys. They come home from practice, we or like
two pizzas and there wasn't enough to go around. I
got it was like those guys. Those guys just were
devouring machines, you know, And that's how's bed, you know, Like,
hey man, you know I've right. I'm a big guy too,
(04:26):
you know, so I think that makes all the sense
in the world, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Now, Now I think is the right time. Yeah. Yeah,
again that that is laid out perfectly. It does make
all the sense in the world. That's kind of the
minutia that a lot of people don't think about when
they just see Joe Flacco will remain QB two and
should or QB three. Yeah, neither of those guys are
gonna get much spin throughout the week. You'll want the
one who's way more experienced, who comes off the bench,
(04:53):
who comes off the bend.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Right, the guy that actually played football.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
The one who's played in the NFL for decades for
a long time, or the one who's still wet behind
the years and hasn't taken a regular season snap.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
And no, by the way, that guy is going to
a new team is going to start right away too,
you know, like he won't know every nuance of the book.
But I mean, if Rogers got traded to the Bengals
right now, he'd been.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
The right spent that much time in the NFL, played
in that many different offenses, prepared for that many different defenses.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Yeah, and give me a fifty play playbook. And now
maybe you guys call it something a little different.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Exactly We figured it out exactly right.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
You happened to see Jamar Chase might not play.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I was just gonna. I was just going to say
a couple more injury related quick hitters for you here
in the first segment. Uh, Jamar Chase questionable for Sunday's
game with an illness, miss practice today for illness.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
You know how these guys heal not great? Right?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Not great? Also, after missing the last two days of
practice with that foot injury, Kyler Murray back to practice
today for the Cardinals.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Oh okay.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And then the Baltimore Ravens. Uh, still know Davontees Walkers.
Still no ro Kwan Smith, still no Lamar Jackson. Lamar
missed practice for the third straight day, so he ain't
playing against the Rams.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
On the wall there.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Baltimore and my best Bob Labriola gavel slams.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Oh yeah, he was in nail at town yesterday.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Judge labs Baltimore about to fall to one in five,
and I think, so stick a fork in them.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It's like a one more Ravens. Note that we talked
about that oh way Gilman trade, you know, the Harbaugh
yes Ancestral trade the other day. What I think they're
trying to do? And I understand a little better now,
and I still think they could be in the market
for a defensive lineman. Still, if they're gonna save their season,
they need help up front. But I think what they're
(06:37):
trying to do, and I've heard some people close to
the team say this, let's get great on the back
end because we don't have any pass rushers that can
win one verse one consistently anyway, and we're just gonna
blitz like crazy. Yes, you know, Okay, we're just gonna
bring people from everywhere, Kyle Hamilton, linebackers, whatever, so we'll
get good on the back end with safeties and corners
we trust and try it differently because we don't have
(07:00):
any pass rushers. So even though we got rid of
an okay, one, we're gonna bring five and six guys
all the time.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You do something different, right, right, right, right, don't do
the definition of insanity thing at this point, I guess.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
But I think that's kind of it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah. I think in the next couple of weeks here,
we're going to see the trade market really pick up,
because after another week or two for some of these teams,
it's going to be undeniable that all right, we're not
going anywhere this year, we might as well start, you know,
stockpiling some capital and looking towards the future. And for
some other teams, it's going to be like this road
is getting narrowed pretty quick, Like it's getting late quick
(07:35):
here for us, and we got to win some games
and we need some help.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, I think I've fallen for this before, But I
think the trade deadline will be maybe the busiest one
in history. I mean, at least early, like now to
the trade deadline, or you know, last week the trade
dead in season trades, we'll just call it that, you know,
because who knows when exactly they pop. But I could
see a lot of teams raiders, a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Of one one win teams right now, Like yeah, early,
it's going to be over in another week or two.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
If you want Jeffrey Simmons bad enough for quinnin Williams
or you know, Kamara or.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Jeffrey Simmons has been outstanding this year. It's so good
he goes to a contender, he might fight himself in
that defensive player of the Year converse.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
I must link him to Baltimore just now too, Like
I mean, you made some moves like go get Simmons.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It would be a great movie, as much as I
would hate to see it. Exaup. I think he's one
of the maybe the most underrated defensive lineman in the
league because he plays on a team that nobody watches.
Never on national TV. He's phenomenal, right, Matt Last night
on national TV? I guess not Amazon Prime count as
National TV. Yes, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Watch it from anywhere in the nation.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
In twenty twenty five, it probably does. How about the
New York Football Giants thirty four to seventeen over the Eagles.
Bad night to be a Philly fan.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Last night? Bad the Flyers lose to Flyers loss.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Philly's an air in the bottom of the ninth or
the eleventh inning to end their season against the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
It's so sad, so sad the Eagles.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
And then the Eagles get boat raced. Yeah, I have
by their division hold. The New York Giants had a
rough night to be across the Commonwealth there in Philadelphia.
I hate to see it. Eagles fall to four and two,
Giants moved to two and four. Wow, I mean.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Yeah, I didn't see that coming. I took the Giants
plus seven a half, but I did not take them
to wait.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I didn't think it. I know a lot of people
were predicting some Eagles blowout and I didn't think that
that was going to be the case. But man, they
are maybe starting to gravel a little bit. There's some
issues there.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah, and I might as we saw the way because
I've been taking air. I've did two other shows today
that are more national stuff. They're not just you, you know,
and I've been getting some arrows from Giants fans. Hey,
it's a great win. You know, you guys should be
super thrilled.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Why because you're not a big Jackson Dart guys.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
That why I've had a little bit too much at
Dart and Scatterby to be honest, Like they're okay, but
you can't say anything slightly derogatory about like.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Will Howard in that regard on a Bigger Walk on Water.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
I mean, Scatabu is fun to root for and he
runs so hard. I wish he was a Steeler, don't
get me wrong, but he's not a Marion Hampton or
Genty or Judkins. I mean, this is what he's gonna
do forever, and it's fine, and he's always He's gonna
be a complimentary piece and he's fun to root for.
And the energy these two guys bring is great, including Dart,
(10:23):
And part of it's because I'm slightly prejudiced against the
way I've looked at him as a college prospect. I
had a lot of doubts. You know, I got a
lot of my Steeler buddies. Steeler should taken Dart instead
of Harmon. I get that today. I mean I would
have not considered it on draft day because he came
from a total mickey mouths.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Revisit that at Thanksgivings.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Yes, and Okay, Dart plays super hard and he's better
than I thought. I might be very wrong about him,
and frankly, i'd love him to be a Steeler right now.
Maybe great to root for, learn from Rogers blah blah
blah blah, but that's the key he needs to learn.
I mean, boy, he plays, and he's got a lot
of ability.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Thrown his head around like a projectile missile.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
That's one of my problems. Like, dude, it's the Johnny
Knoxville comparison.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Ryan Clark out there, You're going to last.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Five minutes in this league. I mean that you can't.
You can't do that. The sec you're lucky you get
away with it, You're gonna get destroyed in this league
playing that way and all the instructure things, the way
the play is designed. He never runs it right, you know.
I mean not that he's he's just young. You know.
It's not like boom precise. It's okay the first reads
(11:30):
out there, I run around, I make a play. Yes,
that's great, but that's.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
How notustainable at all.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
And he takes eight hits on it's a train wreck
every time he runs the ball or it gets involved.
So let's just not get ahead of ourselves on him.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You know, I understand the enthusiasm.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
There should be great enthusiasm or funding New York.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And it's the thing. It's a massive market team. This
happens in every sport. Sure you get a little bit
more credit than probably you should because his.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Coaches los his mind when russells to throw one pass. Yeah,
he's yelling at doctors get him back in there. I
don't care, you know, Like, what do we do it here?
I mean, he's not the second coming.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
It's it's there's rhyme to the reason. I get it.
Franchise has been in the dumps for a while. Now
they need something to get excited about. The Yankees just
got eliminated there turning the page to football season, and
and it's against Philly, who was you know, kind of
beating them down and been their big brother for a
few years.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Super excited about the game and the win in the quarterback.
I'm just not.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Let's yeah, yea, let's pump the brakes. Let's wait and
see it. I'm not saying that there's nothing there, but
I'm also not ready to crown these guys, right, you know,
the next great young team, putting them r with.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Like Drake may Or.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Yeah, yeah, it's not, it's not. It's not Dak and
Zekiel Elliott in twenty sixteen, when you know when those
guys's rookies won twelve games or whatever it was in
the division title.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Exactly again, maybe by Thanksgiving, I'll say that it is.
You know, they've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Go hands up right, right?
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Right? Do we have time to talking with the Eagles
or are we gonna get in touch with miss Yeah?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
We got like a minute or two.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
All right, A couple of things with them. I think
the loss of Kellen Moore is hurting them bad, big time,
big time, and they're not running the ball well. They
have to be a run first team.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
They're going to get aggressive in the trade market soon.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
I could see that. Yes, I could see that they're
not nearly where they've been on either line of scrimmage,
and that's showing up in a big way. Jalen Carter
wasn't there last night, but there's a lot going wrong.
And one thing I think that we saw it with
the Chiefs a little bit. When you play that many
postseason games, two three, four years in a row, it's
(13:37):
almost like they played an extra season. You know, Like
if Lane Johnson was sitting here right now, I'd be like, dude,
I played like twenty one games a year.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
It's the same thing that happened to the Pends a
decade ago when they were going back by the same
thing's happened with the Florida Panthers, who have gone straight
Stanley Cups right now.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
That's me massively true in hockey, I mean, because the
postseason is so girling up.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
And those two I just know for the Penguins specifically, Yeah,
in Pittsburgh, I'm a Penguins fan. Those two years that
they went back to back in the Stanley Cup finals.
They played like forty one more games than anybody else
in the division.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
And you're not resting sid.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And those are forty one of the most intense, physically
demanding games you can play.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
A preseason game. It's not a time.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Of year sixty regular you know, forty playoff games is
like sixty regular season games.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
And I'm sure there are some overtimes in there, maybe
doubles and triples.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
And you're playing San Jose and you're traveling across the
country and.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
You know, like against a great team, yeah, no matter
who you play, and the more physical team when you're.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
The Eagles, when you're the Chiefs, that one thousand percent
at ten extra games over a couple of years. And again,
the most intense, physical demanding games you can imagine, yes,
no matter what, and pretty kind of like not just
physically demanding, but also like just the kind of like
emotional and pressure side of it as well to the
most pressure packed games like career defining legacy games.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
And all your buddies that you're playing against are on
their ouch or resting or in Malibu or whatever they're doing.
You know, they're not playing games and they're you know, healing.
Your off season starts later too.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
We talked about that a ton with Will Howard as well.
I mean, he played football into late January. Most of
those guys for four weeks were getting ready for the
Combine and healing while he's playing Tennessee and Oregon and
you know Texas.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
Some of those guys went right to the Senior Bowl
like two days later, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Right, come right. So that kind of stuff always matters,
Oh huge, And that's where I think you get some
of that Super Bowl hangover talk and things like like that,
because it's real, it's tangible, and especially when you've played
as many postseason games as they have.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Last note I have on like Saquon Barkley had one
thousand yards before contact last week.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
It's insane, like he's.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Not seeing those kind of holes at all, you know,
I mean they're not dominating the lines of scrimmage like
they did the last couple of years. No, you know,
it's hard to keep up.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Offensive line isn't quite as good as it was, defense
isn't quite as good as it was, right, and.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
And coordinator issue and.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Like their playmakers on offensive taken. I think DeVonta Smith
is still but but the rest of the rest of
them have kind of taken a little bit of a
step back.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Brown has orkly looks a little not quite the same.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Ye you know, and you're you're four and two. I mean,
the sky is not falling, but it's it's again a
proverbial like this is a thing that you see in hockey,
and I think in baseball a lot all the time,
to where you play a lot more games, like we're
gonna make a trade just to shake things up, get
everybody's attention in the locker room, new energy, new voices.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
I think that's what trade is for the Bengals, hundred.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Percent different extent than the Eagles. That's what they're saving
season where I'm starting one and again is you know this.
Anybody who's died into the NFL knows this. I spent
three years in Philly working around and for the Eagles organization.
Howie Roseman isn't going to sit on his hands and
just oh well, we have a Super Bowl hangover. Okay,
(16:55):
Henderson could end up there. It's something big like that.
In fact, I wouldn't even I would even.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Expect that for the eye to.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Happen here in the next week or two, because that's
just the style of franchise that they've been since twenty
eighteen when Schip Kelly was out and Howie Roseman got
power AND's worked. They've been three Super Bowls in that
time and won two of them. Jeffrey Glory is like, rightfully,
so here you go, Howie, here's all the money on,
here's the keys, the Lamborghini. Just don't spend it right. Yeah,
(17:25):
we got to get to our first break. We will
have more around the league, and hour number two we'll
go through our gambit of NFL picks as always, but
our friend Missy Matthews going to join us on the
other side. We'll get all her thoughts on the Steelers
returning home to Akraschure for the first time and about
a month. That's weird and what is always a intense
AFC North Battle, first AFC North Clash for the Steelers
(17:47):
this season. All that and more with our friend double
m Missy Matthews on the other side, Wells Shooler and
Matt Williams. And it's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio
on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
You were tuned about Drive on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
When you hear that bounce on a Friday, you know
what time it is. It's time to get our view
from the sideline with the Queen of the sideline, Missy Matthews,
joining us. Now, Missy, thank you so much for the
time plenty that we want to discuss with you. It
is Steelers Brown's back home at Ackrochure for the first
time in what feels like forever, first AFC North Clash
(18:48):
of the season for the Steelers and Missy. You know,
on Thursdays, Matt and I kind of dig into his
numbers and his Matt's stats and he had laid out
some t J. Watt and Miles Garrett stuff that was, like,
I think, shocking, but also not surprising at the same time.
You know, these two, since they were drafted, lead the
league in sacks. I don't think that surprises anybody. But
(19:10):
the next closest, Danil Hunter, is over twenty sacks behind
both of those guys. Yeah, it's crazy how much that
you know, drafted the same year and kind of opposite
ends of the first round in the same division, playing
each other two times a year. I mean TJ. Versus
Miles while they're never on the field at the same time, Like,
this is always a huge storyline, and I think rightfully,
(19:32):
so anytime these two teams meet.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
And Missy you taking an even further you're on the
field with these guys. Do you do you think they
feel each other's presence in these games?
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (19:42):
A thousand percent? Okay, one thousand percent. I can tell
you just from knowing Cam and TJ and hearing them
talk on the bench even you know after the game,
they pay attention to their sacks, you know. I think
it was even Cam was joking that Keanu Benton could
have had more sacks, but TJ sometimes steals them, you know,
(20:02):
like they pay attention to those little things for sure,
And it was funny. JJ Watt. Obviously, TJ's brother was
on Pat McAfee this week and they were kind of like, so, dude,
like you're calling another Steelers game. That's kind of weird,
and he's like, yeah, you know it just it keeps happening.
I think this is our third game with that crew,
(20:24):
and he's like, I'm not gonna lie though. Guys like
I literally get to watch TJ and Miles Garrett like
two premier guys not go at it but do what
they do best on a field and talk about it,
like how cool is that for me? And when he
kind of said that, You're like, yeah, you know what,
we are kind of spoilt. We see this usually twice
a year, knock on wood when both guys are healthy.
(20:46):
Mainly knocking on wood for TJ staying healthy. But I
you know, I do love the comparison. You know, even
when you go through the game notes from the Steelers
that Michael from the Steelers PR team does, there's always
the category for Brown's week of like TJ has seventeen
stacks against the Brown Mouth, Garrett only has thirteen against
the Steelers. You know, like, I love that pettiness and
(21:09):
just the comparison, and it is, you know, people in
Pittsburgh or Team TJ, and everyone in Cleveland is team Miles,
and I get it.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
So obviously Garrett is one of the big keys. But Missy,
the two of us and Rob King do a video
for Steelers dot Com every week preview, and you know
some keys we have for the game. What's something else
that stands out to you for the Steelers this week?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I mean stopping the run for sure. Yeah, because then
I think it you know, it goes into making a
rookie quarterback making his second NFL start very uncomfortable when
you don't have that safety blanket, and it makes you
one dimensional and it might make you make some really
bad decisions for a team that loves to take the
ball away and hopefully for the Steelers case, that's something
(21:58):
that they're able to do. And I think, you know,
Derek Harmon is getting more comfortable the more and more
he's playing. You know, we saw them for the first
time limited snaps in terms of the New England game,
so things are starting to come together together for the defense. Obviously,
you would love to have your full compliment, and they
have yet to be able to do that, but you
(22:19):
will have TJ. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. It
sounds like on the field at the same time for
the first time the season, and that that's good. We've
seen them use the three outside linebackers before, but also
to have the three of those guys to rotate through
and to make the tackles for the Browns miserable, I'm
all for it.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Maybe similar conversation, Missy feels like against a Browns defense
that is very stout, very stingy. I think, particularly in
the run game, feels like, you know, coming off of
the Steelers' most encouraging performance in that department ninety nine
yards over five yards per carry for Kenneth Gainwell and
Dublin against the Vikings, now it sounds like Jalen Warren
(23:02):
is all in the clear and ready to go. This
would be a big week for that run game to
take another step forward and build off of their last performance.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Absolutely, it sure would. But at the same time, I
am all for what I feel like Arthur Smith and
Aaron Rodgers and this offense have done it, which is
very much so tailor their game plan to the opponent,
and I think, you know, it is a very good
run defense. As you said, it's AFC norths football, so
(23:31):
it's like everybody wants to run the ball, everybody wants
to stop the run. You know, we're all built the same,
have the same mentality. I think that's why, you know,
AFC North clashes are always so physical and crazy. But
I do think that, you know, especially with Jalen Warren
being full and back, I do I would love to
see them run the ball against this defense, give them,
(23:52):
you know, some some confidence, Like the O line was
feeling themselves in Dublin in that Vikings game. You know,
like you could see that the excitement on their faces,
you know, Mason McCormick and number single signaling first downs,
they just had a little pep in their step and
offensive linemen love that. So that that's something that would
(24:14):
be good to see. But I also think, you know,
let's let's keep going DK Metcalf, John new Smith and
Pat Fryermuth. Get them more involved, and it will be
interesting to see what happens without Calvin Austin, because it
doesn't appear like he's going to be ready to go.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Yeah, I was gonna ask you about Austin. Do you
think how do you think they fill in for him?
Do they just go directly to Miller? Do they try
to boost up Wilson? I've been asking everyone we have
on and I don't don't have a great solution.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, I don't. I don't know for sure. I mean
my natural instinct is Scotty Miller. Yeah, and that's nothing
against Roman Wilson, but like.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
That's kind of how it went in Dublin when he
got hurt.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Yeah, Like he's been there, he's done that. I remember
the last preseason game in Carolina, you know, Scotty had
one of those crazy games, and obviously he had to
play because there was a number of guys not playing.
But when I interviewed Aaron Rodgers in the second half,
I asked him about Scotty, and he, you know, just
went off and was so complimentary about the type of
(25:15):
player he is, the type of teammate he is. You know,
we all remember, you know, how he was talking about
in training camp, how he remembered that touchdown that he
had when he was with the Bucks against the Packers
in the NFC Championship when Tom Brady was there. It's just,
you know, the whole thing. And I do feel like
Scotty Miller is he's an Arthur Smith type of guy too.
(25:36):
To me, that makes the most sense. But I also
think like you have these really big tight ends that
can catch. So I'm not sure the solution, Matt that
that actually might be the most interesting thing to see
how that pans out on Sunday. Not that there's not
a lot of things, but that is the one where
you're kind of like, all right, Calvin, really, did you
know solidify that role and do some really great things
(25:58):
in the first four game.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Steelers side ron reporter clean queen. Easy for me to say,
queen of the sideline, Missy Matthews with us here on
the drive on a Friday. Missy, you have obviously been
with the team for a long time. You spend more
time around the team and the facilities and the sidelines
all that, obviously than the average person.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
I know.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
It's not like you're in the meeting rooms or anything.
But another number that matt kind of brought to the
forefront yesterday that you know, raised my eyebrows a little
bit in a good way, says Mike Tomlin's nineteenth years
the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is just
insane when you say it out loud. He is in
his previous eighteen years, fourteen and four off of the
(26:41):
bye week.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
That is my question, That's what I was about to
ask her.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yeah, great mindset, like and it's you know, it's not
that he's four and one off of a bye week.
I mean that is a large sample size at fourteen
and four. Any any peal behind the curtain of like
what is the secret sauce? How has he had so
much success out of the bye week in his near
two decades as the Steelers head coach.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Yeah. I that's a great question too, because I told
Pomp that he should have asked him that for his
TV show this week and didn't. But it's okay, you know,
I will say too. It's it's a unique stat As
you said, it's a large sample size. But like your
bye week is different every year, you know what I mean.
Like they've had early ones before, they've had late ones
(27:28):
middle so it's like there's not a consistent thing to it.
But I do think, you know, he takes care of
his players, of the guys, and it was you know,
the players knew that if they got that win in
Dublin against the Vikings, that they were not going to
have a ton of practices leading in. And I think
(27:49):
it is just like the regiment that they always go through.
They love a bonus Monday. They would rather give players
off like Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you know, reg come
back Monday instead of you know, maybe doing an extra
day and having Monday off. They just they live and
breathe by this this routine and it has been consistent,
(28:10):
trust me, the entire time that I've covered the Steelers,
which now feels like a really long time. I mean,
other than you know, some changes to the strength and
conditioning staff in terms of those things. But man, I'm
telling you that schedule, like we are wheels up the
same time every week, as you guys know, if it's
a west coast trip, you know it's a nine o'clock
(28:32):
wheels up. It changes. I just think the consistency and
it's probably just how he's able to regroup them. And
Broderick Jones I was telling Max and Rob earlier. I
was laughing when he said earlier this week that you
know when Mike Tomlin talks, it's like it's your dad,
So you like stand up and you you know, you're
like at attention and you listen. And he does just
(28:55):
have that commanding voice. It's like even if he's down
the hallway and I hear him, I am almost like, Okay,
what's happening? You know, like you're like should I be listening?
Should I not hear this? Because he doesn't have a
whisper boye, he doesn't have a quiet voice. But it's
something about I think keeping the routine and his way
somehow of being the same person, no matter if it's
(29:19):
after a loss, after a win, after an injury. You know,
it's very rarely will he let the personal emotions seep
into the football side of him.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
Last thing I got for you, miss he is, do
you think the Spencer Anderson eligibility package is here to stay?
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Well? I mean I think it should, right I do.
You know, he's kind of like the new Zach Banner.
And I think even you know, when Arthur Smith was
talking about how the type of athlete he is, his
basketball background and how that plays into it, You're like, Okay, no,
this absolutely makes sense. This wasn't just a one off. Now, well,
(30:00):
are they going to be able to do it all
the time, because again, that's an extra body that's on
the field that takes away from some of these other
weapons you have. No, but it's kind of like one
of those things you know, if it's not broke, you
don't have to fix it. So in that Vikings game,
it kept working, So why would you not continue doing it?
So I think we're going to see it. It'll be
(30:21):
interesting to see how much. You know, as the games,
we still have a long, long, long, long bit of
the season left, which doesn't seem possible but also very
possible at the same time.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Just so you know, Missy, when when Anderson and Mount
Washington are out there together, Matt and I have dubbed
it the corn beef package. All right, we brought that one,
brought that one home from Ireland, and you're and you're
welcome to tuck that in the back pocket for later
use anytime you want, Uh, Missy, real quick before we
let you go. Uh. We know now that Shador Sanders
will be the Browns QB number two on Sunday at
(30:55):
Akershare Stadium. What what should be the over under? The
amount of times that the they show him on the
TV broadcast, like a dozen times, fifteen times, twenty times?
How often is he going to be on TV?
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Oh, I think it's like the over unders at like eight. Okay,
maybe that would be like a fair prop bet type
of deal.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Twice a quarter. That sounds about right.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
It goes off if the Browns are losing significantly though, yes.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Oh well, yeah, that's true. I mean I think either way,
whatever number you're going to set it out, I'm probably
gonna take the over. It's going to be him warming up,
you know, it's just it's gonna be a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, for sure, it certainly is. It certainly is. The
great Missy Matthews, the Queen of the Sideline, kind enough
to give us some of her time on Friday, Missy,
great stuff, Thank you as always, and we will see
you on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Perfect. Thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
There she goes Missy Matthews with her unique view and
perspective from the sideline there and uh yeah, I mean,
I tell you, like, there's one of the I think
the more underrated you know, everyone tomlinisms. You know, paint
the red, cut your eyelids off, all these these different things.
Standard is the standard. One of I think the more
(32:07):
underrated Mike tomlinisms is the secret sauce. Is there is
no secret sauce?
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Maybe like that, Like, there's not a secret sauce to
being good out of the bye week. It's just doing
what you do. Stay in, stay in regular, stay in particular,
not changing things up.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
I think it's just having a great knowledge of your
team too. This team needs more rest, This team needs
poked a little more. These rookies need to well, we're
right and we need to light a fire under cam
this We don't have to do anything with Cam. You know,
like the guys have been around what et cetera, blah
blah blah.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
You know, no doubt, no doubt the secret sauce is.
There is no secret sauce. We'll close down the first
hour of the show. When we return on the other side.
Time to start getting into some matchups here as it
relates to Steelers and Brown's Sunday at Akrosher Stadium. Will
begin with that when we return. West Shouler Matt Williamson.
It's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
H your two years about Drive on your twenty four
to seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
M m mm hmmmm mm hmmmmm mm hmmm mm hmmmm
(33:36):
mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
It's a five star matchup because we're in.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
My silk placing as.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Sorry for the delay there on the intro. Took me
a little bit longer to find the Detroit Paula Mall,
who's slighter than usual. But it is a Friday, the
Steelers play on Sunday, and that means it is time
for five Star Friday. Quite simply, it's just a matchup segment.
We just put a fancy name on it. Ye, slap
a little seven second sounder there at the beginning to
(34:22):
dress it up. Matt, this is probably one of those
pre production things that I should have asked you before,
you know, we went back on air.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
But you'll quickly realize you don't have to ask exactly.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Right, little free form jazz. Right, you want to start
Steelers offense, Browns defense or vice versa?
Speaker 4 (34:36):
They get around with the dude, you got the fun,
All right, let's.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Do Let's let's begin with the Steelers offense here, because
I think just there's more intrigue on this matchup versus
a very good Browns defense, I would say then probably
than probably the other way around.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Are agreed, And.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
I feel like if we're starting a for the challenge
more of a challenge, yes, yeah, if we're starting a
five Star Friday and we're focusing on the Browns defense
versus Steelers offense, it's the low hanging fruit, but it's
the truth. Like it's got to start with Miles Garrett
and how they go about slowing him down.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
Yeah, and whoever they'll move Garrett around, but I do think,
I mean, it's not like he goes in motion though,
you know, I mean, like he's gonna line up and
left right, you know, Like so I've gotten a lot
of questions. You know, we were kind of mentioned with
Missy too, like, well, when they bring out Anderson and
Washington and align them to one side, maybe this game
you put them on each end. And I think that's
(35:30):
a fine idea, don't get me wrong, but you could
put both of them on the right. Garrett comes out
of the huddle, is on the other side, and you
just put them in most they're allowed to move right right,
and that's not the only way they'll combat that. But
I definitely think Washington, with or without Anderson, is going
to get his hands on Garrett a lot. Yes, I
(35:51):
mean you want four hands on him and every snap? Yes, yeah, yeah, yes.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
That makes a ton of sense. And then there's a
very real trickle down effect there.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
He's problems. You don't want the other three to all
have one on ones all the time.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Which the other three are not superstars of his ILK,
but they're good players as well too. They're playing well.
Big part of that is the attention that Miles Garrett commands, sure,
but there's also taking advantage of it. There's almost like
a chicken or egg thing. There is like you don't
want to queue too much on Miles because then those
guys are gonna feast. But you don't want to queue
too much on those guys because then Miles is gonna feast.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
And it's more than just three guys, it's like six
of them that rotate. Yeah, and they're always fresh and
you know.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Yes, And who is of those guys who's kind of
after Miles Garrett, who's the most worrisome to you?
Speaker 4 (36:36):
I would say Elik Collins. I love them coming out
of school, really talented. But he said up and down career.
He said stints where it's like, whoa, he looks great
and then you don't hear from him for a year. Well,
he's in one of those stints, really looks great, and
you know he's just making a lot of plays, abusing
a lot of one on one matchups outside shoulder of
the guard, type of up the field type of dude.
(36:58):
He's gonna cause problems run nan pass game. I mean
this this team has a lot of tackles for loss
in the run game too, especially Garrett. But they get
a field, they're penetrating. They are not sit on your
heels front at all.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
No, No, they want to play downhill. They want to
say aggressive, they want to get after you, they get
off the ball, they sure do, they sure do. And
it is it's one of the more talented defensive fronts
in the league, playing like it, performing like it. To
this point, I think that's where the conversation starts with
the Browns defense. But that's certainly not where it ends
without a doubt. Is They've got some talented linebackers, particularly Sweassenger,
(37:32):
the rookie who's having an outstanding start to his career.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
Yeah, I think he'd be defensive Rookie of the Year.
And right now, you know, I mean, I know we
had that conversation earlier this week yesterday. I forget what
it was. But the more I thought through it, the
more I've watched them, I'm like, he's been one of
the top ten linebackers in the league or so already.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Which is hard to do as a rookie.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
Alright, they just get destroyed. I mean the guy next
W ten picks get Bush, yeah, playing better, right, yeah?
Yeah no, But Schweeshinger is a really, really good player.
Every down guy they found a dude, you know, there's
no question. The one thing I did want to throw
out there, and we talked about the cornerback trade for them,
(38:13):
I assume that they're just going to throw him right
in the mix because he's basically a man coverage corner.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
When they're pretty static, they're.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Pretty static, they're not super you know, they'll throw no right.
So I think he'll probably come up line up and
play man the opposite ward, you know. And but you've
got to test him at least I at least he's
not playing with the same people as days ago.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Absolutely, And that's another kind of bummer that it doesn't
seem like Calvin Austin is going, you know, barring a miracle.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Is I don't love him being out of this game.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
I don't. I don't either.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
I think I was talking to PURSUITA and last night's
show we did together, and he's right, and what he
said was Calvin Austin isn't as good as James Dalen Ramsey.
We all know that, but I'd rather have Austin, Yes,
I would think, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Not a knock on Jalen Ramsey at all. It's just
on how you would like to attack this Browns defense.
That plays a lot of single high, likes to stack.
Speaker 4 (39:06):
The box next week against the Bengals, I'd pick Ramsey, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
You know, I from because again this is I mean,
we should talk about these matchups too. From the Steelers
offensive perspective. For all the great the DK metcalf is,
he's not necessarily a man on man, one on one
downfield beat you type guy. That's not his bread and butter.
You'd like to stretch this defense?
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yeah, a single high that'd be.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
A lot easier to do if you had Calvin Austin.
Speaker 4 (39:34):
I agree, agreed, And even just getting guys out of
the box. I mean this this team, this defense is
not timid about playing heavier boxes. You know, they're they're
dedicated to stopping the run with a lot of bodies
that attack downhill, like you said, and they trust their
their secondary. I mean, Delp it's a really good safety
as well. The whole whole secondary is quite good. But
you are getting them in a week when it's a
(39:54):
little more influx than it's been, you know.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yes, you know, yes that that that's an interesting that's
a real interesting wrinkle when we're kind of focusing on
this aspect of the game. Steelers offense versus the Browns
defense is what can you get from your receivers not
named DK.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
Yeah, I think it's huge.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Because that could be the X factor in winning comfortably.
I say, air quots comfortably by ten points, thirteen points
verse happen to kind of scrape one out and grip
your seat tight and play it down to the wire.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
Because I think another thing that might happen is Missey
mentioned it. We've mentioned about the week. Okay, you got
to keep that run game momentum going, but I don't
know you will.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
This might not be a weak I mean, this might
not be the hardest for it the.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
Best run defense in the league, heavy boxes, great players,
we talked about Schwessenger, Garrett, et cetera, et cetera. And
the Steelers might be looking at it like, Okay, we're
happy with our run game last week, but this team
isn't great against the short, quick passing game. And we
got this Rogers guy, and we might just not scrap
the run, but we might want a scrimmage. Okay, iron
(41:00):
mouth for three and get whatever you can for that
one out of the backfield Metcalf on a slant. He
might throw the ball a lot. Yeah, forty times right
in surprise, right, not at all, you know, like if
you're gonna give me heavy boxes and single high, I'm
checking to a pass all day long.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
And you know he's in doing one of the things
Aaron Rodgers does so well with that in mind, yes
or no. For the second straight week, well, second straight
game because it was a bye week, you get it.
For the second straight game. Well, Darnell Washington lead the
Steelers uh eligibles in snap count.
Speaker 4 (41:39):
Now it'll be Metcalf. I think he'll lead the tight ends,
which he did it comfortably last week.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
And he had a few more than Metcalf in that game, right,
not a lot, I think maybe just two or three.
He was number one, he was number one of the
skill position guys.
Speaker 4 (41:54):
I think he'll be on the field an awful lot,
tough to your point, and usually near Garrett, Yeah, yeah,
no matter what else is going on, Yeah, usually near.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Getting a lot of twelve personnel against this defense.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
Yeah, I think so too, especially with Austin out. I mean,
maybe even more thirteen than we've seen. Like I thought
they're thirteen percentage. Like if we were chatting in camp
and you told me their thirteen percentage on October tenth
is what it is now. I'd have been like, oh,
I would have thought higher. Yeah, you know, I mean
it's high, but it's not way more than everyone else
(42:28):
in the league.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
You know, it was like close to ten percent of
the time last year, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
Think, which was over tens a ton a thirteen big time.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah, even if you're like eight nine percent, that's towards
the top of the league.
Speaker 4 (42:38):
It wouldn't blow me away if it's fifteen sixteen, seventeen,
particularly in this game without Austin, you know, and trying
to get much match.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
Helps you in the run game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, mismatches
leak one. Like we talked about short passing game, you know,
using those guys for four or five six yard Yes,
gain get it out quick and get it out quick.
Speaker 4 (42:56):
You still have a physicality to you. And he is
playing better. But I promise you they're gonna challenge Bush.
Why would you not. I mean, I know them be
extremely well. And yeah, I mean it's been a while
since he's been here, but he's also undersized, you know.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
And whilst Wessner's playing well, he's still a rookie who's
played five NFL games.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
How many snaps against thirteen has he had in his career?
Not many.
Speaker 2 (43:19):
How many times has he seen a tight end like
Darnel Washington? Not many?
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Right? Right?
Speaker 2 (43:24):
Yeah, No, it makes a lot of sense, it does.
So that's the picture from the Steelers offense against the
Cleveland defense, and we come back to start our number two.
We'll spin the block a little five Star Friday from
the other perspective of what will it look like when
the Steelers defense lines up against that Browns offense. We'll
talk about that and more in our number two when
(43:46):
we return. Weshyeler, Matt Williamson. It's the Drive on Steelers
Nation Radio or the Steelers Audio Network.
Your tuned to about Drive on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good afternoon, Steelers Nation. It's the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. Rush Ruler and Matt Williamson charged up on
a Friday, here with you as it's time to get
ready for all things at Steelers and Brown's Sunday one
o'clock at Akrashuer Stadium. We'll have five Star Friday today,
our NFL picks today, Steelers predictions, a lot to squeeze in,
(00:47):
a lot to squeeze in. As always, our good friend
Missy Matthews gonna join us here in about fifteen minutes
or so, but just some of the news of the
day here Matt to get us started on this Friday afternoon.
And it's something that people have speculated plenty about. I
do think it's kind of funny how much attention has
been made of this. But the news is now official.
(01:09):
Should Door Sanders will be the backup quarterback number two?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
I didn't see that. That must have just been announced semi recently.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Okay, it was by Adam Schefter about an hour or
so ago. Okay, about forty five minutes ago. Shaudur Sanders
will be the backup to Dylan Gabriel on Sunday and
serve as Cleveland's QB number two. According to head coach
Kevin Stefanski, it's a.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Move I agree with now. So when Flaco got benched
a couple of weeks ago, there was a big hubbub
of why isn't Sanders the two? You know, Gabriel's the one.
Why isn't Sanders the two? Well, the people that do
that have not been a part of a team, are
been to practices very much, because especially if you're gonna
throw Gabriel in going into a week to prepare for
(01:54):
Flora's first time is starter.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
In a different country.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Oh, by the way, and it's a tough defense, but
it doesn't even matter to play theiest defense in the
league in your backyard. It's still a rookies' first start.
He should take every snatch.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
He's going to nine pie as much as.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
He can digest. I want him getting ready for the game. Thus,
the number two gets none or next to it. Now,
who would you rather have get none? Flacco or another rookie?
Obviously Flacco totally makes sense, right, and that's actually protecting Sanders.
Let's say Gabriel in England gets hurt on the second series.
(02:33):
You throw Shador in there, who hasn't practiced. He's gonna
look terrible, terrible, and the whole world's gonna crush him,
and you're gonna lose, and you're not gonna have it.
I mean, there's nothing to gain by it. Now you
have Zappi, but Zappi versus Flacco in terms of being
around the block and all that is still night and day.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
You know.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Yeah, now you give san Gabriels at least started a game.
This is totally up to Stefanski, of course. But maybe
Sanders gets twenty five percent of the rep storing the week,
you know, and maybe he looks really good and does
a series with the ones. Maybe, I mean, I'm stretching it,
but okay, let's see what. And you don't make it
look like a competition. There's clearly a one. It's not
(03:12):
like camp, like, okay, you're throwing a judy now, now,
I mean, you make the team know who the one is.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
But he's at least getting some of that pie. At
least he's getting some work in some.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
So some Browns people or people in the know that
I've been chatting with over the last couple of days
kind of said. One of the reasons they got rid
of Flacco is they were feeling like Sanders was getting
disengaged as the three. You know, I'm not involved with
the team. I'm running scouts. He's got an ego like
everyone else, and probably more than some and so let's
(03:46):
get him more engaged, more involved by getting the other
guy out of the way too, you know, which is
part of the problem when they devise this whole plan.
Pickett Flacco, two rookies.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
The pie is not big enough to you only eight
slices of pizza. These guys gonna eat right.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Like my freshman year Pitt Johnstown, I roomed with two
wrestlers who I didn't know, but they end up being
great guys. They come home from practice, we or like
two pizzas and there wasn't enough to go around. I
got it was like those guys. Those guys just were
devouring machines, you know, And that's how's bed, you know, Like,
hey man, you know I've right. I'm a big guy too,
(04:26):
you know, so I think that makes all the sense
in the world, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Now, Now I think is the right time. Yeah. Yeah,
again that that is laid out perfectly. It does make
all the sense in the world. That's kind of the
minutia that a lot of people don't think about when
they just see Joe Flacco will remain QB two and
should or QB three. Yeah, neither of those guys are
gonna get much spin throughout the week. You'll want the
one who's way more experienced, who comes off the bench,
(04:53):
who comes off the bend.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Right, the guy that actually played football.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
The one who's played in the NFL for decades for
a long time, or the one who's still wet behind
the years and hasn't taken a regular season snap.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
And no, by the way, that guy is going to
a new team is going to start right away too,
you know, like he won't know every nuance of the book.
But I mean, if Rogers got traded to the Bengals
right now, he'd been.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
The right spent that much time in the NFL, played
in that many different offenses, prepared for that many different defenses.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Yeah, and give me a fifty play playbook. And now
maybe you guys call it something a little different.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Exactly We figured it out exactly right.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
You happened to see Jamar Chase might not play.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I was just gonna. I was just going to say
a couple more injury related quick hitters for you here
in the first segment. Uh, Jamar Chase questionable for Sunday's
game with an illness, miss practice today for illness.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
You know how these guys heal not great? Right?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Not great? Also, after missing the last two days of
practice with that foot injury, Kyler Murray back to practice
today for the Cardinals.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Oh okay.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And then the Baltimore Ravens. Uh, still know Davontees Walkers.
Still no ro Kwan Smith, still no Lamar Jackson. Lamar
missed practice for the third straight day, so he ain't
playing against the Rams.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
On the wall there.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Baltimore and my best Bob Labriola gavel slams.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Oh yeah, he was in nail at town yesterday.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Judge labs Baltimore about to fall to one in five,
and I think, so stick a fork in them.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It's like a one more Ravens. Note that we talked
about that oh way Gilman trade, you know, the Harbaugh
yes Ancestral trade the other day. What I think they're
trying to do? And I understand a little better now,
and I still think they could be in the market
for a defensive lineman. Still, if they're gonna save their season,
they need help up front. But I think what they're
(06:37):
trying to do, and I've heard some people close to
the team say this, let's get great on the back
end because we don't have any pass rushers that can
win one verse one consistently anyway, and we're just gonna
blitz like crazy. Yes, you know, Okay, we're just gonna
bring people from everywhere, Kyle Hamilton, linebackers, whatever, so we'll
get good on the back end with safeties and corners
we trust and try it differently because we don't have
(07:00):
any pass rushers. So even though we got rid of
an okay, one, we're gonna bring five and six guys
all the time.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You do something different, right, right, right, right, don't do
the definition of insanity thing at this point, I guess.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
But I think that's kind of it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah. I think in the next couple of weeks here,
we're going to see the trade market really pick up,
because after another week or two for some of these teams,
it's going to be undeniable that all right, we're not
going anywhere this year, we might as well start, you know,
stockpiling some capital and looking towards the future. And for
some other teams, it's going to be like this road
is getting narrowed pretty quick, Like it's getting late quick
(07:35):
here for us, and we got to win some games
and we need some help.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, I think I've fallen for this before, But I
think the trade deadline will be maybe the busiest one
in history. I mean, at least early, like now to
the trade deadline, or you know, last week the trade
dead in season trades, we'll just call it that, you know,
because who knows when exactly they pop. But I could
see a lot of teams raiders, a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Of one one win teams right now, Like yeah, early,
it's going to be over in another week or two.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
If you want Jeffrey Simmons bad enough for quinnin Williams
or you know, Kamara or.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Jeffrey Simmons has been outstanding this year. It's so good
he goes to a contender, he might fight himself in
that defensive player of the Year converse.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
I must link him to Baltimore just now too, Like
I mean, you made some moves like go get Simmons.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It would be a great movie, as much as I
would hate to see it. Exaup. I think he's one
of the maybe the most underrated defensive lineman in the
league because he plays on a team that nobody watches.
Never on national TV. He's phenomenal, right, Matt Last night
on national TV? I guess not Amazon Prime count as
National TV. Yes, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Watch it from anywhere in the nation.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
In twenty twenty five, it probably does. How about the
New York Football Giants thirty four to seventeen over the Eagles.
Bad night to be a Philly fan.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Last night? Bad the Flyers lose to Flyers loss.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Philly's an air in the bottom of the ninth or
the eleventh inning to end their season against the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
It's so sad, so sad the Eagles.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
And then the Eagles get boat raced. Yeah, I have
by their division hold. The New York Giants had a
rough night to be across the Commonwealth there in Philadelphia.
I hate to see it. Eagles fall to four and two,
Giants moved to two and four. Wow, I mean.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Yeah, I didn't see that coming. I took the Giants
plus seven a half, but I did not take them
to wait.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I didn't think it. I know a lot of people
were predicting some Eagles blowout and I didn't think that
that was going to be the case. But man, they
are maybe starting to gravel a little bit. There's some
issues there.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah, and I might as we saw the way because
I've been taking air. I've did two other shows today
that are more national stuff. They're not just you, you know,
and I've been getting some arrows from Giants fans. Hey,
it's a great win. You know, you guys should be
super thrilled.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Why because you're not a big Jackson Dart guys.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
That why I've had a little bit too much at
Dart and Scatterby to be honest, Like they're okay, but
you can't say anything slightly derogatory about like.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Will Howard in that regard on a Bigger Walk on Water.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
I mean, Scatabu is fun to root for and he
runs so hard. I wish he was a Steeler, don't
get me wrong, but he's not a Marion Hampton or
Genty or Judkins. I mean, this is what he's gonna
do forever, and it's fine, and he's always He's gonna
be a complimentary piece and he's fun to root for.
And the energy these two guys bring is great, including Dart,
(10:23):
And part of it's because I'm slightly prejudiced against the
way I've looked at him as a college prospect. I
had a lot of doubts. You know, I got a
lot of my Steeler buddies. Steeler should taken Dart instead
of Harmon. I get that today. I mean I would
have not considered it on draft day because he came
from a total mickey mouths.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Revisit that at Thanksgivings.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Yes, and Okay, Dart plays super hard and he's better
than I thought. I might be very wrong about him,
and frankly, i'd love him to be a Steeler right now.
Maybe great to root for, learn from Rogers blah blah
blah blah, but that's the key he needs to learn.
I mean, boy, he plays, and he's got a lot
of ability.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Thrown his head around like a projectile missile.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
That's one of my problems. Like, dude, it's the Johnny
Knoxville comparison.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Ryan Clark out there, You're going to last.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Five minutes in this league. I mean that you can't.
You can't do that. The sec you're lucky you get
away with it, You're gonna get destroyed in this league
playing that way and all the instructure things, the way
the play is designed. He never runs it right, you know.
I mean not that he's he's just young. You know.
It's not like boom precise. It's okay the first reads
(11:30):
out there, I run around, I make a play. Yes,
that's great, but that's.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
How notustainable at all.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
And he takes eight hits on it's a train wreck
every time he runs the ball or it gets involved.
So let's just not get ahead of ourselves on him.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You know, I understand the enthusiasm.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
There should be great enthusiasm or funding New York.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And it's the thing. It's a massive market team. This
happens in every sport. Sure you get a little bit
more credit than probably you should because his.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Coaches los his mind when russells to throw one pass. Yeah,
he's yelling at doctors get him back in there. I
don't care, you know, Like, what do we do it here?
I mean, he's not the second coming.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
It's it's there's rhyme to the reason. I get it.
Franchise has been in the dumps for a while. Now
they need something to get excited about. The Yankees just
got eliminated there turning the page to football season, and
and it's against Philly, who was you know, kind of
beating them down and been their big brother for a
few years.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Super excited about the game and the win in the quarterback.
I'm just not.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Let's yeah, yea, let's pump the brakes. Let's wait and
see it. I'm not saying that there's nothing there, but
I'm also not ready to crown these guys, right, you know,
the next great young team, putting them r with.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Like Drake may Or.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Yeah, yeah, it's not, it's not. It's not Dak and
Zekiel Elliott in twenty sixteen, when you know when those
guys's rookies won twelve games or whatever it was in
the division title.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Exactly again, maybe by Thanksgiving, I'll say that it is.
You know, they've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Go hands up right, right?
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Right? Do we have time to talking with the Eagles
or are we gonna get in touch with miss Yeah?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
We got like a minute or two.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
All right, A couple of things with them. I think
the loss of Kellen Moore is hurting them bad, big time,
big time, and they're not running the ball well. They
have to be a run first team.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
They're going to get aggressive in the trade market soon.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
I could see that. Yes, I could see that they're
not nearly where they've been on either line of scrimmage,
and that's showing up in a big way. Jalen Carter
wasn't there last night, but there's a lot going wrong.
And one thing I think that we saw it with
the Chiefs a little bit. When you play that many
postseason games, two three, four years in a row, it's
(13:37):
almost like they played an extra season. You know, Like
if Lane Johnson was sitting here right now, I'd be like, dude,
I played like twenty one games a year.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
It's the same thing that happened to the Pends a
decade ago when they were going back by the same
thing's happened with the Florida Panthers, who have gone straight
Stanley Cups right now.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
That's me massively true in hockey, I mean, because the
postseason is so girling up.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
And those two I just know for the Penguins specifically, Yeah,
in Pittsburgh, I'm a Penguins fan. Those two years that
they went back to back in the Stanley Cup finals.
They played like forty one more games than anybody else
in the division.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
And you're not resting sid.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And those are forty one of the most intense, physically
demanding games you can play.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
A preseason game. It's not a time.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Of year sixty regular you know, forty playoff games is
like sixty regular season games.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
And I'm sure there are some overtimes in there, maybe
doubles and triples.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
And you're playing San Jose and you're traveling across the
country and.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
You know, like against a great team, yeah, no matter
who you play, and the more physical team when you're.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
The Eagles, when you're the Chiefs, that one thousand percent
at ten extra games over a couple of years. And again,
the most intense, physical demanding games you can imagine, yes,
no matter what, and pretty kind of like not just
physically demanding, but also like just the kind of like
emotional and pressure side of it as well to the
most pressure packed games like career defining legacy games.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
And all your buddies that you're playing against are on
their ouch or resting or in Malibu or whatever they're doing.
You know, they're not playing games and they're you know, healing.
Your off season starts later too.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
We talked about that a ton with Will Howard as well.
I mean, he played football into late January. Most of
those guys for four weeks were getting ready for the
Combine and healing while he's playing Tennessee and Oregon and
you know Texas.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
Some of those guys went right to the Senior Bowl
like two days later, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Right, come right. So that kind of stuff always matters,
Oh huge, And that's where I think you get some
of that Super Bowl hangover talk and things like like that,
because it's real, it's tangible, and especially when you've played
as many postseason games as they have.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Last note I have on like Saquon Barkley had one
thousand yards before contact last week.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
It's insane, like he's.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Not seeing those kind of holes at all, you know,
I mean they're not dominating the lines of scrimmage like
they did the last couple of years. No, you know,
it's hard to keep up.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Offensive line isn't quite as good as it was, defense
isn't quite as good as it was, right, and.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
And coordinator issue and.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Like their playmakers on offensive taken. I think DeVonta Smith
is still but but the rest of the rest of
them have kind of taken a little bit of a
step back.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Brown has orkly looks a little not quite the same.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Ye you know, and you're you're four and two. I mean,
the sky is not falling, but it's it's again a
proverbial like this is a thing that you see in hockey,
and I think in baseball a lot all the time,
to where you play a lot more games, like we're
gonna make a trade just to shake things up, get
everybody's attention in the locker room, new energy, new voices.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
I think that's what trade is for the Bengals, hundred.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Percent different extent than the Eagles. That's what they're saving
season where I'm starting one and again is you know this.
Anybody who's died into the NFL knows this. I spent
three years in Philly working around and for the Eagles organization.
Howie Roseman isn't going to sit on his hands and
just oh well, we have a Super Bowl hangover. Okay,
(16:55):
Henderson could end up there. It's something big like that.
In fact, I wouldn't even I would even.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Expect that for the eye to.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Happen here in the next week or two, because that's
just the style of franchise that they've been since twenty
eighteen when Schip Kelly was out and Howie Roseman got
power AND's worked. They've been three Super Bowls in that
time and won two of them. Jeffrey Glory is like, rightfully,
so here you go, Howie, here's all the money on,
here's the keys, the Lamborghini. Just don't spend it right. Yeah,
(17:25):
we got to get to our first break. We will
have more around the league, and hour number two we'll
go through our gambit of NFL picks as always, but
our friend Missy Matthews going to join us on the
other side. We'll get all her thoughts on the Steelers
returning home to Akraschure for the first time and about
a month. That's weird and what is always a intense
AFC North Battle, first AFC North Clash for the Steelers
(17:47):
this season. All that and more with our friend double
m Missy Matthews on the other side, Wells Shooler and
Matt Williams. And it's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio
on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
You were tuned about Drive on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
When you hear that bounce on a Friday, you know
what time it is. It's time to get our view
from the sideline with the Queen of the sideline, Missy Matthews,
joining us. Now, Missy, thank you so much for the
time plenty that we want to discuss with you. It
is Steelers Brown's back home at Ackrochure for the first
time in what feels like forever, first AFC North Clash
(18:48):
of the season for the Steelers and Missy. You know,
on Thursdays, Matt and I kind of dig into his
numbers and his Matt's stats and he had laid out
some t J. Watt and Miles Garrett stuff that was, like,
I think, shocking, but also not surprising at the same time.
You know, these two, since they were drafted, lead the
league in sacks. I don't think that surprises anybody. But
(19:10):
the next closest, Danil Hunter, is over twenty sacks behind
both of those guys. Yeah, it's crazy how much that
you know, drafted the same year and kind of opposite
ends of the first round in the same division, playing
each other two times a year. I mean TJ. Versus
Miles while they're never on the field at the same time, Like,
this is always a huge storyline, and I think rightfully,
(19:32):
so anytime these two teams meet.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
And Missy you taking an even further you're on the
field with these guys. Do you do you think they
feel each other's presence in these games?
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (19:42):
A thousand percent? Okay, one thousand percent. I can tell
you just from knowing Cam and TJ and hearing them
talk on the bench even you know after the game,
they pay attention to their sacks, you know. I think
it was even Cam was joking that Keanu Benton could
have had more sacks, but TJ sometimes steals them, you know,
(20:02):
like they pay attention to those little things for sure,
And it was funny. JJ Watt. Obviously, TJ's brother was
on Pat McAfee this week and they were kind of like, so, dude,
like you're calling another Steelers game. That's kind of weird,
and he's like, yeah, you know it just it keeps happening.
I think this is our third game with that crew,
(20:24):
and he's like, I'm not gonna lie though. Guys like
I literally get to watch TJ and Miles Garrett like
two premier guys not go at it but do what
they do best on a field and talk about it,
like how cool is that for me? And when he
kind of said that, You're like, yeah, you know what,
we are kind of spoilt. We see this usually twice
a year, knock on wood when both guys are healthy.
(20:46):
Mainly knocking on wood for TJ staying healthy. But I
you know, I do love the comparison. You know, even
when you go through the game notes from the Steelers
that Michael from the Steelers PR team does, there's always
the category for Brown's week of like TJ has seventeen
stacks against the Brown Mouth, Garrett only has thirteen against
the Steelers. You know, like, I love that pettiness and
(21:09):
just the comparison, and it is, you know, people in
Pittsburgh or Team TJ, and everyone in Cleveland is team Miles,
and I get it.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
So obviously Garrett is one of the big keys. But Missy,
the two of us and Rob King do a video
for Steelers dot Com every week preview, and you know
some keys we have for the game. What's something else
that stands out to you for the Steelers this week?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I mean stopping the run for sure. Yeah, because then
I think it you know, it goes into making a
rookie quarterback making his second NFL start very uncomfortable when
you don't have that safety blanket, and it makes you
one dimensional and it might make you make some really
bad decisions for a team that loves to take the
ball away and hopefully for the Steelers case, that's something
(21:58):
that they're able to do. And I think, you know,
Derek Harmon is getting more comfortable the more and more
he's playing. You know, we saw them for the first
time limited snaps in terms of the New England game,
so things are starting to come together together for the defense. Obviously,
you would love to have your full compliment, and they
have yet to be able to do that, but you
(22:19):
will have TJ. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. It
sounds like on the field at the same time for
the first time the season, and that that's good. We've
seen them use the three outside linebackers before, but also
to have the three of those guys to rotate through
and to make the tackles for the Browns miserable, I'm
all for it.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Maybe similar conversation, Missy feels like against a Browns defense
that is very stout, very stingy. I think, particularly in
the run game, feels like, you know, coming off of
the Steelers' most encouraging performance in that department ninety nine
yards over five yards per carry for Kenneth Gainwell and
Dublin against the Vikings, now it sounds like Jalen Warren
(23:02):
is all in the clear and ready to go. This
would be a big week for that run game to
take another step forward and build off of their last performance.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Absolutely, it sure would. But at the same time, I
am all for what I feel like Arthur Smith and
Aaron Rodgers and this offense have done it, which is
very much so tailor their game plan to the opponent,
and I think, you know, it is a very good
run defense. As you said, it's AFC norths football, so
(23:31):
it's like everybody wants to run the ball, everybody wants
to stop the run. You know, we're all built the same,
have the same mentality. I think that's why, you know,
AFC North clashes are always so physical and crazy. But
I do think that, you know, especially with Jalen Warren
being full and back, I do I would love to
see them run the ball against this defense, give them,
(23:52):
you know, some some confidence, Like the O line was
feeling themselves in Dublin in that Vikings game. You know,
like you could see that the excitement on their faces,
you know, Mason McCormick and number single signaling first downs,
they just had a little pep in their step and
offensive linemen love that. So that that's something that would
(24:14):
be good to see. But I also think, you know,
let's let's keep going DK Metcalf, John new Smith and
Pat Fryermuth. Get them more involved, and it will be
interesting to see what happens without Calvin Austin, because it
doesn't appear like he's going to be ready to go.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Yeah, I was gonna ask you about Austin. Do you
think how do you think they fill in for him?
Do they just go directly to Miller? Do they try
to boost up Wilson? I've been asking everyone we have
on and I don't don't have a great solution.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, I don't. I don't know for sure. I mean
my natural instinct is Scotty Miller. Yeah, and that's nothing
against Roman Wilson, but like.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
That's kind of how it went in Dublin when he
got hurt.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Yeah, Like he's been there, he's done that. I remember
the last preseason game in Carolina, you know, Scotty had
one of those crazy games, and obviously he had to
play because there was a number of guys not playing.
But when I interviewed Aaron Rodgers in the second half,
I asked him about Scotty, and he, you know, just
went off and was so complimentary about the type of
(25:15):
player he is, the type of teammate he is. You know,
we all remember, you know, how he was talking about
in training camp, how he remembered that touchdown that he
had when he was with the Bucks against the Packers
in the NFC Championship when Tom Brady was there. It's just,
you know, the whole thing. And I do feel like
Scotty Miller is he's an Arthur Smith type of guy too.
(25:36):
To me, that makes the most sense. But I also
think like you have these really big tight ends that
can catch. So I'm not sure the solution, Matt that
that actually might be the most interesting thing to see
how that pans out on Sunday. Not that there's not
a lot of things, but that is the one where
you're kind of like, all right, Calvin, really, did you
know solidify that role and do some really great things
(25:58):
in the first four game.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Steelers side ron reporter clean queen. Easy for me to say,
queen of the sideline, Missy Matthews with us here on
the drive on a Friday. Missy, you have obviously been
with the team for a long time. You spend more
time around the team and the facilities and the sidelines
all that, obviously than the average person.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
I know.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
It's not like you're in the meeting rooms or anything.
But another number that matt kind of brought to the
forefront yesterday that you know, raised my eyebrows a little
bit in a good way, says Mike Tomlin's nineteenth years
the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is just
insane when you say it out loud. He is in
his previous eighteen years, fourteen and four off of the
(26:41):
bye week.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
That is my question, That's what I was about to
ask her.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yeah, great mindset, like and it's you know, it's not
that he's four and one off of a bye week.
I mean that is a large sample size at fourteen
and four. Any any peal behind the curtain of like
what is the secret sauce? How has he had so
much success out of the bye week in his near
two decades as the Steelers head coach.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Yeah. I that's a great question too, because I told
Pomp that he should have asked him that for his
TV show this week and didn't. But it's okay, you know,
I will say too. It's it's a unique stat As
you said, it's a large sample size. But like your
bye week is different every year, you know what I mean.
Like they've had early ones before, they've had late ones
(27:28):
middle so it's like there's not a consistent thing to it.
But I do think, you know, he takes care of
his players, of the guys, and it was you know,
the players knew that if they got that win in
Dublin against the Vikings, that they were not going to
have a ton of practices leading in. And I think
(27:49):
it is just like the regiment that they always go through.
They love a bonus Monday. They would rather give players
off like Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you know, reg come
back Monday instead of you know, maybe doing an extra
day and having Monday off. They just they live and
breathe by this this routine and it has been consistent,
(28:10):
trust me, the entire time that I've covered the Steelers,
which now feels like a really long time. I mean,
other than you know, some changes to the strength and
conditioning staff in terms of those things. But man, I'm
telling you that schedule, like we are wheels up the
same time every week, as you guys know, if it's
a west coast trip, you know it's a nine o'clock
(28:32):
wheels up. It changes. I just think the consistency and
it's probably just how he's able to regroup them. And
Broderick Jones I was telling Max and Rob earlier. I
was laughing when he said earlier this week that you
know when Mike Tomlin talks, it's like it's your dad,
So you like stand up and you you know, you're
like at attention and you listen. And he does just
(28:55):
have that commanding voice. It's like even if he's down
the hallway and I hear him, I am almost like, Okay,
what's happening? You know, like you're like should I be listening?
Should I not hear this? Because he doesn't have a
whisper boye, he doesn't have a quiet voice. But it's
something about I think keeping the routine and his way
somehow of being the same person, no matter if it's
(29:19):
after a loss, after a win, after an injury. You know,
it's very rarely will he let the personal emotions seep
into the football side of him.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
Last thing I got for you, miss he is, do
you think the Spencer Anderson eligibility package is here to stay?
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Well? I mean I think it should, right I do.
You know, he's kind of like the new Zach Banner.
And I think even you know, when Arthur Smith was
talking about how the type of athlete he is, his
basketball background and how that plays into it, You're like, Okay, no,
this absolutely makes sense. This wasn't just a one off. Now, well,
(30:00):
are they going to be able to do it all
the time, because again, that's an extra body that's on
the field that takes away from some of these other
weapons you have. No, but it's kind of like one
of those things you know, if it's not broke, you
don't have to fix it. So in that Vikings game,
it kept working, So why would you not continue doing it?
So I think we're going to see it. It'll be
(30:21):
interesting to see how much. You know, as the games,
we still have a long, long, long, long bit of
the season left, which doesn't seem possible but also very
possible at the same time.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Just so you know, Missy, when when Anderson and Mount
Washington are out there together, Matt and I have dubbed
it the corn beef package. All right, we brought that one,
brought that one home from Ireland, and you're and you're
welcome to tuck that in the back pocket for later
use anytime you want, Uh, Missy, real quick before we
let you go. Uh. We know now that Shador Sanders
will be the Browns QB number two on Sunday at
(30:55):
Akershare Stadium. What what should be the over under? The
amount of times that the they show him on the
TV broadcast, like a dozen times, fifteen times, twenty times?
How often is he going to be on TV?
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Oh, I think it's like the over unders at like eight. Okay,
maybe that would be like a fair prop bet type
of deal.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Twice a quarter. That sounds about right.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
It goes off if the Browns are losing significantly though, yes.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Oh well, yeah, that's true. I mean I think either way,
whatever number you're going to set it out, I'm probably
gonna take the over. It's going to be him warming up,
you know, it's just it's gonna be a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, for sure, it certainly is. It certainly is. The
great Missy Matthews, the Queen of the Sideline, kind enough
to give us some of her time on Friday, Missy,
great stuff, Thank you as always, and we will see
you on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Perfect. Thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
There she goes Missy Matthews with her unique view and
perspective from the sideline there and uh yeah, I mean,
I tell you, like, there's one of the I think
the more underrated you know, everyone tomlinisms. You know, paint
the red, cut your eyelids off, all these these different things.
Standard is the standard. One of I think the more
(32:07):
underrated Mike tomlinisms is the secret sauce. Is there is
no secret sauce?
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Maybe like that, Like, there's not a secret sauce to
being good out of the bye week. It's just doing
what you do. Stay in, stay in regular, stay in particular,
not changing things up.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
I think it's just having a great knowledge of your
team too. This team needs more rest, This team needs
poked a little more. These rookies need to well, we're
right and we need to light a fire under cam
this We don't have to do anything with Cam. You know,
like the guys have been around what et cetera, blah
blah blah.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
You know, no doubt, no doubt the secret sauce is.
There is no secret sauce. We'll close down the first
hour of the show. When we return on the other side.
Time to start getting into some matchups here as it
relates to Steelers and Brown's Sunday at Akrosher Stadium. Will
begin with that when we return. West Shouler Matt Williamson.
It's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers
Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
H your two years about Drive on your twenty four
to seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
M m mm hmmmm mm hmmmmm mm hmmm mm hmmmm
(33:36):
mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
It's a five star matchup because we're in.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
My silk placing as.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Sorry for the delay there on the intro. Took me
a little bit longer to find the Detroit Paula Mall,
who's slighter than usual. But it is a Friday, the
Steelers play on Sunday, and that means it is time
for five Star Friday. Quite simply, it's just a matchup segment.
We just put a fancy name on it. Ye, slap
a little seven second sounder there at the beginning to
(34:22):
dress it up. Matt, this is probably one of those
pre production things that I should have asked you before,
you know, we went back on air.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
But you'll quickly realize you don't have to ask exactly.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Right, little free form jazz. Right, you want to start
Steelers offense, Browns defense or vice versa?
Speaker 4 (34:36):
They get around with the dude, you got the fun,
All right, let's.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Do Let's let's begin with the Steelers offense here, because
I think just there's more intrigue on this matchup versus
a very good Browns defense, I would say then probably
than probably the other way around.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Are agreed, And.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
I feel like if we're starting a for the challenge
more of a challenge, yes, yeah, if we're starting a
five Star Friday and we're focusing on the Browns defense
versus Steelers offense, it's the low hanging fruit, but it's
the truth. Like it's got to start with Miles Garrett
and how they go about slowing him down.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
Yeah, and whoever they'll move Garrett around, but I do think,
I mean, it's not like he goes in motion though,
you know, I mean, like he's gonna line up and
left right, you know, Like so I've gotten a lot
of questions. You know, we were kind of mentioned with
Missy too, like, well, when they bring out Anderson and
Washington and align them to one side, maybe this game
you put them on each end. And I think that's
(35:30):
a fine idea, don't get me wrong, but you could
put both of them on the right. Garrett comes out
of the huddle, is on the other side, and you
just put them in most they're allowed to move right right,
and that's not the only way they'll combat that. But
I definitely think Washington, with or without Anderson, is going
to get his hands on Garrett a lot. Yes, I
(35:51):
mean you want four hands on him and every snap? Yes, yeah, yeah, yes.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
That makes a ton of sense. And then there's a
very real trickle down effect there.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
He's problems. You don't want the other three to all
have one on ones all the time.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Which the other three are not superstars of his ILK,
but they're good players as well too. They're playing well.
Big part of that is the attention that Miles Garrett commands, sure,
but there's also taking advantage of it. There's almost like
a chicken or egg thing. There is like you don't
want to queue too much on Miles because then those
guys are gonna feast. But you don't want to queue
too much on those guys because then Miles is gonna feast.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
And it's more than just three guys, it's like six
of them that rotate. Yeah, and they're always fresh and
you know.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Yes, And who is of those guys who's kind of
after Miles Garrett, who's the most worrisome to you?
Speaker 4 (36:36):
I would say Elik Collins. I love them coming out
of school, really talented. But he said up and down career.
He said stints where it's like, whoa, he looks great
and then you don't hear from him for a year. Well,
he's in one of those stints, really looks great, and
you know he's just making a lot of plays, abusing
a lot of one on one matchups outside shoulder of
the guard, type of up the field type of dude.
(36:58):
He's gonna cause problems run nan pass game. I mean
this this team has a lot of tackles for loss
in the run game too, especially Garrett. But they get
a field, they're penetrating. They are not sit on your
heels front at all.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
No, No, they want to play downhill. They want to
say aggressive, they want to get after you, they get
off the ball, they sure do, they sure do. And
it is it's one of the more talented defensive fronts
in the league, playing like it, performing like it. To
this point, I think that's where the conversation starts with
the Browns defense. But that's certainly not where it ends
without a doubt. Is They've got some talented linebackers, particularly Sweassenger,
(37:32):
the rookie who's having an outstanding start to his career.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
Yeah, I think he'd be defensive Rookie of the Year.
And right now, you know, I mean, I know we
had that conversation earlier this week yesterday. I forget what
it was. But the more I thought through it, the
more I've watched them, I'm like, he's been one of
the top ten linebackers in the league or so already.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Which is hard to do as a rookie.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
Alright, they just get destroyed. I mean the guy next
W ten picks get Bush, yeah, playing better, right, yeah?
Yeah no, But Schweeshinger is a really, really good player.
Every down guy they found a dude, you know, there's
no question. The one thing I did want to throw
out there, and we talked about the cornerback trade for them,
(38:13):
I assume that they're just going to throw him right
in the mix because he's basically a man coverage corner.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
When they're pretty static, they're.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Pretty static, they're not super you know, they'll throw no right.
So I think he'll probably come up line up and
play man the opposite ward, you know. And but you've
got to test him at least I at least he's
not playing with the same people as days ago.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Absolutely, And that's another kind of bummer that it doesn't
seem like Calvin Austin is going, you know, barring a miracle.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Is I don't love him being out of this game.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
I don't. I don't either.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
I think I was talking to PURSUITA and last night's
show we did together, and he's right, and what he
said was Calvin Austin isn't as good as James Dalen Ramsey.
We all know that, but I'd rather have Austin, Yes,
I would think, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Not a knock on Jalen Ramsey at all. It's just
on how you would like to attack this Browns defense.
That plays a lot of single high, likes to stack.
Speaker 4 (39:06):
The box next week against the Bengals, I'd pick Ramsey, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
You know, I from because again this is I mean,
we should talk about these matchups too. From the Steelers
offensive perspective. For all the great the DK metcalf is,
he's not necessarily a man on man, one on one
downfield beat you type guy. That's not his bread and butter.
You'd like to stretch this defense?
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yeah, a single high that'd be.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
A lot easier to do if you had Calvin Austin.
Speaker 4 (39:34):
I agree, agreed, And even just getting guys out of
the box. I mean this this team, this defense is
not timid about playing heavier boxes. You know, they're they're
dedicated to stopping the run with a lot of bodies
that attack downhill, like you said, and they trust their
their secondary. I mean, Delp it's a really good safety
as well. The whole whole secondary is quite good. But
you are getting them in a week when it's a
(39:54):
little more influx than it's been, you know.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yes, you know, yes that that that's an interesting that's
a real interesting wrinkle when we're kind of focusing on
this aspect of the game. Steelers offense versus the Browns
defense is what can you get from your receivers not
named DK.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
Yeah, I think it's huge.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Because that could be the X factor in winning comfortably.
I say, air quots comfortably by ten points, thirteen points
verse happen to kind of scrape one out and grip
your seat tight and play it down to the wire.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
Because I think another thing that might happen is Missey
mentioned it. We've mentioned about the week. Okay, you got
to keep that run game momentum going, but I don't
know you will.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
This might not be a weak I mean, this might
not be the hardest for it the.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
Best run defense in the league, heavy boxes, great players,
we talked about Schwessenger, Garrett, et cetera, et cetera. And
the Steelers might be looking at it like, Okay, we're
happy with our run game last week, but this team
isn't great against the short, quick passing game. And we
got this Rogers guy, and we might just not scrap
the run, but we might want a scrimmage. Okay, iron
(41:00):
mouth for three and get whatever you can for that
one out of the backfield Metcalf on a slant. He
might throw the ball a lot. Yeah, forty times right
in surprise, right, not at all, you know, like if
you're gonna give me heavy boxes and single high, I'm
checking to a pass all day long.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
And you know he's in doing one of the things
Aaron Rodgers does so well with that in mind, yes
or no. For the second straight week, well, second straight
game because it was a bye week, you get it.
For the second straight game. Well, Darnell Washington lead the
Steelers uh eligibles in snap count.
Speaker 4 (41:39):
Now it'll be Metcalf. I think he'll lead the tight ends,
which he did it comfortably last week.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
And he had a few more than Metcalf in that game, right,
not a lot, I think maybe just two or three.
He was number one, he was number one of the
skill position guys.
Speaker 4 (41:54):
I think he'll be on the field an awful lot,
tough to your point, and usually near Garrett, Yeah, yeah,
no matter what else is going on, Yeah, usually near.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Getting a lot of twelve personnel against this defense.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
Yeah, I think so too, especially with Austin out. I mean,
maybe even more thirteen than we've seen. Like I thought
they're thirteen percentage. Like if we were chatting in camp
and you told me their thirteen percentage on October tenth
is what it is now. I'd have been like, oh,
I would have thought higher. Yeah, you know, I mean
it's high, but it's not way more than everyone else
(42:28):
in the league.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
You know, it was like close to ten percent of
the time last year, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
Think, which was over tens a ton a thirteen big time.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah, even if you're like eight nine percent, that's towards
the top of the league.
Speaker 4 (42:38):
It wouldn't blow me away if it's fifteen sixteen, seventeen,
particularly in this game without Austin, you know, and trying
to get much match.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
Helps you in the run game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, mismatches
leak one. Like we talked about short passing game, you know,
using those guys for four or five six yard Yes,
gain get it out quick and get it out quick.
Speaker 4 (42:56):
You still have a physicality to you. And he is
playing better. But I promise you they're gonna challenge Bush.
Why would you not. I mean, I know them be
extremely well. And yeah, I mean it's been a while
since he's been here, but he's also undersized, you know.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
And whilst Wessner's playing well, he's still a rookie who's
played five NFL games.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
How many snaps against thirteen has he had in his career?
Not many.
Speaker 2 (43:19):
How many times has he seen a tight end like
Darnel Washington? Not many?
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Right? Right?
Speaker 2 (43:24):
Yeah, No, it makes a lot of sense, it does.
So that's the picture from the Steelers offense against the
Cleveland defense, and we come back to start our number two.
We'll spin the block a little five Star Friday from
the other perspective of what will it look like when
the Steelers defense lines up against that Browns offense. We'll
talk about that and more in our number two when
(43:46):
we return. Weshyeler, Matt Williamson. It's the Drive on Steelers
Nation Radio or the Steelers Audio Network.
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