Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on
your twenty four to seven home of the Black and
Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And welcome to our live ongoing coverage from the Steelers
Ota sessions here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex. I
am Dale Lolly here with the Matt Williamson and shirt
wearing Tom Offerman.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
I didn't get a the in front of my name.
That's reserved for Matt.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
That's reserved for Matt, right because there you know why, Tom,
there are a lot of Matt Williamson's out there. It's
a semi common name, no doubt, Dale Lolly, naughty, common name,
Tom Opferman, not necessarily.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
A carry uncommon, especially Tommy radio shirtless Tom.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, but Matt Williamson. If you google Matt Williamson, now
he shows up because he's the Matt Williamson. I think
I'm number one. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. He is
the number one Matt Williams right amongst.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Also as quality as the Ohio state. Far as the
product that he it's it's it's a yes.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Yeah, I think that's a little overstated there.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
It's a little guide anyway. Yeah, we're back at it.
We are back at here, the Steelers on the field
as we speak here outside in the rain. I guess
a little fool in the rain going on here.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
I'm not sure they'd be inside when we got word
from well here's the thing, secret source, they're gonna be
out here. I was shocked.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It's not supposed to I don't think ever, poor and
even if it does, as long as there's no lightning. Yeah, yeah, Mike,
Tom will always look at this. It's like, hey, look,
there are gonna be times when we have to play
in this kind of stuff, doubt right, And it's just
you know, this is the same as practicing in ninety
five degree weather. It's in a lot of different right,
It's something. It's a challenge.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Yeah, I mean it's jilli just a we're not on
camera here, but it's a constant little rain, cold, little
bit windy.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
You know.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
I got a sweatshirt with a jacket on and a
little chili. I mean, I'm sure that there's element. There
are elements. It's not terrible, but I'm sure it'll be
like this for the next three hours, a couple of hours.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
It's a new turfcause you have top up a turf
ras your focus a little bit more. You have to.
You have to you find out now who could stay
focused in adverse conditions and who cannot you know. So,
and and they're not going full speed anyways, no, no,
so you know it's and we talked about it yesterday too.
You get a lot more done out here. I mean
(02:32):
there's a lot more real estate. There's two fields that
they use, and they for people don't understand it, like
they break especially an individual period, trying to paint a
picture for everyone that they they'll they'll use different areas
of the field. The running backs are in this corner.
The tight ends are in this corner. When you're inside.
That's a lot of bodies on one field. Yeah, ninety
guys on a on a basically.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
And that's less field. And I mean that's that's an
eighty yard field from what I remember, you know, so
that's just tight.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
I mean, you're playing in Pittsburgh in the AFC doors
right right right. It feels like early October out here
right now.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
This should be nothing.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
This is what you're going to run into seven, eight,
nine times on the schedule, even colder and more extreme
weather as well.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
If this is late November. You're thrilled.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
It just feel it feels like you have shorts and
T shirt on.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
You know, no pun intended. It's good to get your
feet wet.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
When the weather allows you to get your feet wet
a little bit, it may catch.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
A wet ball, throw a wet ball. Yeah, I'm just
looking there. Donald Parhum is a very tall young man.
He stands out, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, that's what always is so shocking.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Area eighty nine. Who's eighty Oh that's parm Okay.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Every year I come down here for O tas with
you guys usually do once or twice a year. The
size of these massive people without well yeah, they're walking,
you know, right up next to the table when they
go in.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
The pat who shook their hands on the way out
and hurt.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Bear claw that just grabbed me.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I always tell the story Tom, like when I was
I'm standing on the sideline out at Saint Fencent College
at chuck Oldfield and we can get right up next
to the sideline and they ran a screenplay to Levy
on Bell and both Cam Hayward and stuff on to
it snuffed that they they read the screen and came
(04:08):
charging down to intercept chasing the ball, intersecting Levy on
Bell right right where I was standing at So I'm
standing there watching car is it like I am the
ball carrier? The ground is shaking as they're as they're
both coming at me, and I just like I start backing.
I've learned over the years, like a lot of people
will be typing on their phone or whatever, taking No,
(04:30):
my eyes are watching the field because I'm not getting killed.
I have no desire never. But as I looked up
and saw those two guys coming at me and the
ground is shaking a little bit, a little bit of
peace snuck out.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Your life might have started flashing a little bit.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
The ground is shaking. Thing is not a that's six
hundred and fifty pounds a human being coming at you
at whole speed, and they're running the speed.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
It feels like I hurd a buffalo Traassic Park, right,
It's like Jassic Park, right.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah, And you realize, I know what the gazelle feels
like when it's being chased by.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
The lion moving in that speed, and you realize you're
not the same species.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, those two we're talking, we're talking ten years ago now.
So so Cam and to it were at the height
of their you know, they were young in their prime. Yees. Yeah, No,
Cam's always in his prime, you.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Know what I mean, maybe his athletic prime.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, I mean band strength.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
He just uses one arm to hold off right offensive line.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Yeah, the two of the sides dangerous place.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Oh, you have to keep the eyes got to be up.
I can remember, you know, the first uh, basically the
first year, I think my first year, maybe second year,
and Cope had a little stool that he would use
to sit on the sideline. It was like a little
like maybe even a one leg stool that he just carried. Yeah,
(05:48):
so he could just kind of sit and his butt
wasn't very far from the ground to begin with, but
he would just kind of lean on it as it
sat there.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
What do he weighed like one hundred and twenty pounds
depending on how many toddies he.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
But he's sitting there in his little chair, taking copious
notes and he got run over head down, Yeah, because
he was sitting on his little stool. Wouldn't be sitting
on a stool. And you know, at that point, nobody's
going to tell Kobe he couldn't sit on his little stool.
But you sitting on a stool, you really don't have
any mobility. You know, he can feel like he was
going to jump up at that point and get out
(06:24):
of the way. So yeah, no question about it.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
So yeah, you do gain to your point, Tom, I mean,
certainly you really gain a perspective being this close to him,
even walking them, seeing him walk out on the on
the field, and the level athleticism, size, violence are capable
of to play this game at this level is remarkable,
it really is. And we're even when they're going half speed,
(06:49):
it's still wow.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Fast than I've ever seen.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
Yeah, and I've told the story on the air a
couple of times. But one day when I was working
for the Browns, we had tryouts, you know, during the season,
because well, first of first of all, we were arrible,
so we were looking for anybody we could get.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
To break the pot room. It would have been better,
better than what happened.
Speaker 5 (07:06):
But I'm in my button up and khakis, and they're
the dude that usually like work the guys out didn't
show up that day, so they're like, Matt, hold the uh,
hold the pads for this offensive lineman. Who's who's trying
to get a job. I mean that this six six,
three hundred and thirty pounds tackle that's doing everything possible
to try to impress the coaches, and he's.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Just blowing me apart. I mean, just.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
Blowing me apart. And then you were a lot lighter
back then too.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
I was a little lighter, but.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I don't think it would have much different.
Speaker 5 (07:33):
My knees were a little better, and it wouldn't have
mattered one bit. I mean, I'm just trying to kind
of stay low and give this guy a look. You know,
he's just smashing into a pad and I'm flying all over.
The coaches are laughing at me, and eventually one of
the coaches just like, when he hits the pad, just
drop it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Because you're gonna you're gonna die.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
You're gonna die, right, because he's not gonna be gentle
to he's trying to impress.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
You cross the line for these coaches of where it's
really funny to watch our scout Matt Williams.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Again, this guy's gonna get seriously.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
You're going to have he may not go home tonight, right,
but that's I mean, and him coming off the ball
of two hands, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Drive blocking and those things happened throughout the course of
the season. I think I think fans will be surprised
at how many guys do get tried out over the
course of the year. Early in the week, you bring
guy in Monday, Tuesday, there's always guys in and out
of the building. It doesn't even get rewarded, right, and
you know, you get guys Okay, this is a receiver.
That's it. And it depends you know, who got hurt
(08:29):
on Sunday A lot of times depends on.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
In our case, we were just so bad. We were
always just trying to grab anyone we knew. The bottom
the roster was terrible. And that was a big thing
I was involved with too. Was you know who the
scout teamers in your division? I was in charge of,
Are they better than the guys we got?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
And like, yeah, probably a good chance. Good chance, magic
magic eight ball says yes, a good chance.
Speaker 5 (08:55):
So you know, you start picking up guys off you know,
practice squads and things like that, just to maybe find somebody. Yeah,
I got to think too real quick on that is
like we've often talked about the emergency list. You know,
you always have it and sometimes you may not look
to sign that position. But this guy's got a knee,
so you bring him in and yeah, make sure that
(09:16):
if you do have to call on the emergency, that
the doctors have already you know, said yes on it, right, right.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I was really impressed by the and I've always been
impressed by when he talks. He's a very thoughtful young man.
But the interview yesterday with Troy fi Otano, Yeah, it
was great. Just his demeanor and approach to this season.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
Yeah, and the way he handled being injured and where
he was one year ago as opposed to hear and
right tackle has become his home. And yeah, a lot
of the things and you and I and West we're
talking about it yesterday. But there always seems to be
themes to the off season that's certainly come from the
top down. And it sure sounds like coach Tomlin's putting
(10:02):
a lot of stress on the o line that it
all starts with you, you know, and Troy's a great
place to start there. I mean, he might be their
most talented guy and potential to be one of the
best ones out there, you.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Know, And I think rightfully so for Tomlin to be
putting an emphasis on that offensive line, this has been
now what three four years of investing a lot of capital.
Five draft picks in two seasons, two of them first rounders,
one of them you trade it up to get like it.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Showing returns.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Now you need to start seeing that offensive line blossom
into doesn't have to be elite right away, but it's
got to start trending towards that top ten in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
YEP. And there's a business side of it too.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
I mean, it's not long before you have to figure
out he picked up the fifth year options, that's next season.
Things happened really really quick in this league, so you
know it can't wait around.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
No, that's a huge year for Troy Fatano.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
I think because Roderick Jones you trade up for him,
and we all thought that he could be that anchor.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Maybe he still can be.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Right right now, he's switching back to his left tackle
spot where he was comfortable at in Georgia, so maybe
that helps him. But that anchor kind of spot is
up for grabs now a little bit. You know, it's
not a guarantee that it's going to be Broderick and
Fatanu can certainly step up. And you know, even though
you're at that right tackle spot. There's right tackles around
the NFL that are anchors to great offensive lines. Oh yeah,
the very top of the list, Philadelphia Johnson is their
(11:17):
best line and right now, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
And you think about that group. Now, guys, you've got
a core now that is twenty three, twenty four, twenty
five that if you hit on these guys, you could
be really good for the next decade.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
That's planned, right, if you could have your dicastro pouncy
combination type of thing.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
And I like that he brought that up yesterday. Yeah,
he bring me did bring up that name. You know,
the that era too.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
And when you say hit Dale, it's not like everyone's
going to bossom into an all pro But like Faltanu
maybe flirts with all pro Roderick Jones is a pro bowler.
McCormick's just a really solid even.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
If you think about that, that the pouncy dicastro line,
all those guys, Yeah, they weren't all stars to Sarah,
but everybod knew you know. Yeah, you you know Matt
Filer when you're right tackle and he goes off and
makes money Hubbard Hubbard and Indian But you know Ramon
Foster you know, I think made Pro Bowl once. If that,
(12:15):
you know, to Castro and Pouncy were the stars. Illanova
made was a Pro bowler once. But uh, you know,
they don't all have to be stars on your offensive line.
But if you have five average, two above average players
on your offensive line, you might have the best offensive
line in the league.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
It's a weakest link position a lot like the secondary.
You know, if you have one really weak link.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
It just gets picked on over and over.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
If you get picked.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Yeah, I mean, if you have two, it's really hard
to cover. If you have one, you can kind of
make up for it, but it makes it difficult. But
if you have to tails point, if you have five starters,
you know, I mean, you're ahead of the ahead of
the car.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Is basically what Buffalo has had. Yeah, Buffalo doesn't have
a star studded line, right, you know, but they have tack.
They've had five good ones.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Yeah, exactly, and it's more than enough, especially in this
league at star for offensive line.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Always invested in Den Dawkins is good, good like Pro
Bowl potential for sure.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
I think he's made a Pro Bowl before I started.
With all pros.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
That's all you need project to become or to become.
They don't have to be Sole or Lane Johnson. But
if they can get to a Dawkins level and everybody
else is just kind of good.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Like you said, line's gonna.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Be great, I think I think in Pittsburgh we get
too caught up in some of the I mean, obviously
Steeler fans watch their offensive line. I think there was
a a I thought that last year somehow the offensive
line was was a really weak part of the team,
and I didn't I don't know that that was necessarily
(13:41):
the case. I thought that they were an average an
NFL average offensive line. When you looked around the league
at what else was out there, there's some really bad ones.
I think it. Yeah, can they be better? Yes? Are
they going to get better? You would hope so with
all that, with all that youth. But one of the
things we kept hearing in the lead up to the
(14:02):
draft is all they needed to draft another offensive lineman.
I'm like, they've taken five in the previous two drafts,
Like how many how many bodies you want to throw
at that. I get it. You want to have more
than you need, and they did have more than they
needed last year. But you're not going to have first
round picks at every spot in your offensive line. It's
just not realistic. No, it's not.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
And I think we did talk about it quite a
bit yesterday, but in case you missed it, you can't
forget that the last year, Herbig's running with the ones
at the center, and Daniels is the right guard, and
Troy's in there. I mean, those three you got like
nothing from because they all got hurt pre season more
or less.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
And Dance at left tackle, Progerct's at right tackle. Right,
completely different.
Speaker 5 (14:47):
Right, And I'm just talking about who you had to
play with last year as opposed to who you planned
on playing with at this time of the year. Last year,
you tried to bring the mccormicks along slow. For Asier
probably would have become a starter at some point, but
he wasn't yet whenever Herbie got hurt, so they got
kind of forced into things.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
And as we often.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Say, continuity is so important on the offensive line, and
that got kind of shattered right off the bat. But
you look at it big picture, If those four can
be here for at least the length of their contract,
if not a second contract, that's phenomenal continuity. You know,
if you plug in the left left guard at some point,
then you could have a really solid five zome for
(15:26):
a long time.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And I think, to me, guys, I think Pat Meyer
gets a little bit of a bad rap. Everybody looks
at what, you know, Broder Jones in two years, he
hasn't really you know, he took a step backwards last
year without looking at it and saying yeah, but they
were able to plug a fourth round pick rookie into
this starting lineup and he was he was fine.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Zach Fraser was.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Zach Fraser was was one of the best centers in
the league last year a rookie.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Yes, and I'm not trying to contradict what you said earlier,
but Fraser already is that stone that I'm not saying
he's pouncing.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Or dirt, but he's had that for this line.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and if you could have one more
tackle with that, Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I thought they were tying, you know. And I'm not
just saying this from my judging it, but I was
told at times, you know, in training camp last year
that Foltan who might have been their best lineman.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Yeah, it makes sense that fact he will be.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
I think he will be. Fact he's going to be
a stud.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
They were going to start him.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
I mean, after dealing with injuries all through preseason and
barely playing in the preseason, he started the week.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Two games because he had been their best offensive lineman
in training camp.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
He was out there, clearly, he picked up the playbook.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Clearly, he was you know, he was a smart guy. Yes,
you know, to your point, Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
I think they're quietly.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Super optimistic about him.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
I mean not like, oh, we think he might be
pretty good, like he might be really, really really good.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
And then you know what, you slide Roger back to
left tackle and take a little bit of that pressure
off of him because you got Frasier as the stone,
You've got fatanho as that you know, maybe Robin to him.
All of a sudden, Roger just has to be the
third best line on that line.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
The other thing that happens here with Broderick Jones moving
from right to left tackle. If you think about it,
last year, that right side of your offensive line was
extremely young. Now you're putting him next to Saamalu, and
who is the most veteran player on this line. If
you look at somebody put out the chart last week
(17:22):
or over the weekend of how much or how guys,
how offensive lineman, how much they were helped, and how
much they had the block on their single block and
their performance against that. Now, Jones wasn't last in the
league or anything like that, but he was on the
lower end of the guys who had been helped because
they really couldn't help him as much because he's he's
(17:42):
lined up next to a rookie. He didn't get a
lot of help because you had to at least acknowledge
that you were starting a rookie next to him, and
that's where the help had to go.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
And Dan Moore is a fine player, but he's not
Anthony Munyo is just going to leave on an island
against Miles Garrett Ye.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
And if you looked at Dan Moore's stats on that,
Moore had gotten more help because again he's seeing the
best pass rushers from week to week. So a lot
of times Broderick's over there on the island by himself
next to a rookie who may or may not. And
again I'm not ripping McCormick, but he was thrown into
it a little bit. And so you know, you do
have to wonder you know, Okay, these guys are the
(18:24):
preparation may not be quite where you need it to
be all the time. Not that I don't want again,
I'm not. I'm just throwing that out to myself. And he's
a rookie and so you know you and you you
know you got you gotta help your left tackle. That's
just the reality of the league when he's when he's
facing Miles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson and you know all
(18:44):
those guys. So I think it will help him immensely.
And if Foulatanun is the best lineman and can hold
up on his own, McCormick's got the get the year
under his belt. He understands what to expect. Now, now
you got something there.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
That's what you save Troy as if he is everything
that maybe we think he can be and he can
handle a lot of stuff single that that helps your
left tackle immensely too. You know that Darnel Washington's.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Lining up exactly and then you're running behind those.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
Guys, you know, and you know and that that situation.
Two other things I wanted to bring up to is
this is very natural, but and I even think McCormick
and maybe Fraser recognized it late in the season that
there was a rookie wall situation here with this team,
with the older with the younger guys too. I mean
that that three games in eleven days that they had
never seen anything like.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
You hit a rookie well with a normal schedule, right, yeah, right,
I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
The preseason they played extensively.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Then they played way more games than anyone any point,
and they got into the playoffs. I mean, I'm sure
they were pretty physically beat up. And the other thing
I wanted to bring about the old line, and they
all kind of mentioned it. Siamalu. Maybe he is a
declining player, he's aging, but his role is very obvious,
like when you're a training camp, especially last year, all
(20:00):
the dudes staying after or following him.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
I mean, to have that veteran president, he's the mother duckling.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
And yeah, he's kind of super smart, been around the block,
been part of that great Eagles line.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Professional.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Yeah, I mean, I think having that guy in the room,
you don't want everybody to be a first or second year.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Hey I learned it together, you know. Yeah, absolutely, Hey, guys,
we got to get to a break. He is Tom
Mofferman that is the Matt Williamson. I'm Dale Lolly. You're
listening to our live coverage here from the Steelers Ota
Sessions here on Fox Sports Pittsburgh nine to seventy and
Steelers Nation Radio. We'll be back with more here from
the upmc rooney Sports Complex right after this.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
And welcome back. I am Dale LOLLI he is the
Mattiams And we're also joined here by Tom Opperman on
our live ongoing coverage here from the Steelers Ota Sessions
at the upmc rooney Sports Complex here on the South Side.
And I got a little little update there and some
number changes. Oh yeah, the new receiver that they signed
(21:17):
yesterday who was wearing number fourteen coming in. That was
Montana Lamonious Craig. Sounds like the key and peel.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
That's crazy.
Speaker 5 (21:29):
I got the oppression he signed like a minute before
practice because he was over here like I don't know
what to do.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
I mean, they initially gave him number fourteen and then
Kenneth game will so wait a second, Fourteen's open, wasn't
when I signed, wasn't when I signed Here.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Do you think he put it together? He saw that
guy wandering around.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Yeah, he was that second wearing number.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I don't know that person more important to this.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I am fourteen is my number. And so he took
the number fourteen. So Kenneth came Well, who wore fourteen
with the Eagles, is now fourteen for the Steelers. And uh,
the new guy believe he's wearing number twenty one, which
is what game was wearing. He's no, you're wearing He
went to, kid, you're taking this numb in his face?
Yeah right, you're taking this number.
Speaker 6 (22:14):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
DK Metcalf who also wore fourteen with Seattle, with Seattle
and in college, and in college.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
He lost out.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
He wasn't here yesterday. Snooze you lose, man, snooze you lose.
Speaker 5 (22:27):
And so he's still number four four. Okay, make him
look bigger and faster.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
I wonder if he's seeing those number four jerseys fly
off the shelves.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Well, there's there's that too. I mean there might be
some people, Yeah, yeah, there might. There's probably some people
that already bought.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Their number four, number four jersey, and then there's that
opportunity to double dip and go, you know what, get
the four end the four.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Here's the problem though, if they've already made a bunch
of dk Metcalf jerseys, I don't know if you know this.
This is crazy though. Yeah, he would then have to
buy them all back. If if he changes his number.
Speaker 5 (22:55):
Everyone created he has I get that rule.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
That guard's against exactly what.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
You can't just change numbers willing to try to.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Just bang on getting your jerseys.
Speaker 5 (23:03):
You would think that the four one goes up in
value because there's not many of them, you know, it's
they can they.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Could be air card or whatever.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
You know, like when you go to when you're in college,
you go to a darty a day drinking. But that
he always wear those weird jerseys like the number four
dk Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Right, Yeah, but that's not a steel rule. That's an
nfl R makes a ton of sense. Drink sells the
jerseys as well. So if they if they've already been
let's say twenty thousand DK Metcalf jerseys.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Made and there were prominent play, yeah, he would have
had to buy them all back.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
That's so do they ship them to your house. You
get twenty twenty thousand jerseys.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Or you would think it would be easier that, like
it could just they send them to Ethiopic. I mean
the good ones are you know, they're not stenciled on
there or something. They're sewn on.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Yeah, like you could think they could take those off
pretty but it's still it might rip the jersey up
and you ruin the jersey.
Speaker 5 (23:53):
I mean, I know, the equipment guys. You know, we'll
take names and numbers off and on stuff. They're not
gonna do it twenty thousand of them.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
No, Kenneth Ganwell wasn't too worried about buying back too
many number twenty ones.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
I probably hadn't, I guess not. Probably hadn't sold many
of those yet, many of them yet. But to your point,
Tom dk Met, you have a very prominent player. He's
got a ton out there, signed a four year deal
when he came here. Steeler fans know he's going to
be here for a while.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Next to what Hayward Minka, you know the defensive guys.
It's like the jersey to get right now.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
Yeah, yeah, I would think it makes sense so little
little breaking news like that we're breaking news or shattering.
So they're just stretching now. Not a whole lot of
going on still, but not that I'm allowed to talk
about practice. But the beginning is kind of doing things
on your own. They do some things, some team stuff,
(24:43):
and then they stretch, and then they'll go into individual periods,
which are definitely useful. I mean that's try to again
paint the picture for people that aren't aware of how
Otia's work.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
I mean, the.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
Individual stuff is just you with your position coach doing
specific drills for your position, and those valuable no matter
what you know.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
And there's definitely a level of uncomfortability out there because
I'm uncomfortable over here.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Sitting out of the audience.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
You know that it's not, you know, smooth sailing for
these guys. It's it's a tough, tough sledding.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Madden doesn't take you outside just to pull back.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Like Tom, we don't get to do it.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Tom is a producer for the Madden Show. Uh so
you know he is in studio a lot. Sometimes you
go out on remote too.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Sometimes he does should take me out very often though.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
He should buy take you up, buy your dinner every
once in a while.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
It would be nice, right, yeah, the station get dinner.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
It's very little bone, you know.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
But Mark treats me very well. I'm not going to complain,
and by that he doesn't yell at me. And what
more can I ask for? If people knew what he
was like off the air as opposed to on the air, Oh,
they'd be shocked. They'd be shocked.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Anyways. Uh yeah, So the Steelers going through they're a
stretched portion. Now. They've already done a little bit of
the the team work kind of stuff, so that warm
up type stuff, right, yeah, team building exercises twenty twenty five.
They should get T shirts made again.
Speaker 5 (26:09):
I know we're not allowed to comment a lot on practice,
but from where we're set up, I had to really
I forget the first time that watching defense is pretty
difficult because there is there are on the other sides away,
and there's a lot of huge human beings in between there.
So I didn't get a real good read of what
the defense was doing and how they looked.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
But Matt, I want to ask you this, what do
you think of Jack Sawyer's body type?
Speaker 5 (26:30):
As an interesting I actually did a different podcast some
initial impressions, and that was something that I made note
of is you could tell first of all that he's
a very serious football player, you know, like he was
one of the first ones out today by all accounts,
and I think you even mentioned It's not to put
words in your mouth, but he's very business like, you know,
(26:51):
in his approach and even just reading scouting reports and
the Beast and all his background. He's all about football
all the time and you can just see that on
his face. But his body type definitely is noteworthy because
flat out him and herbig don't look the same at all,
you know.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
And honestly he doesn't, you know, if you look at him.
High Smith is thicker, yes, yes, but he doesn't have
the overall length that Sawyer has in terms of height
and right. Sawyer's a big end, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
I mean as an edge setter, especially for a three
four outside linebacker, which is I mean, they're not in
a three four ton. But he is a big raven killer.
I mean, I just keep thinking about the Ravens. His
body tape honestly reminds me a little bit.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
And then this is going to be it's a little
Mike Rabel like I could see that I don't remember
Vrabel was six five and you know, right, but we've
talked about Rabel.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
A lot with his stint here second round pick that
he kind of had a tough go of it from
what I recall, because are we going to trim you
down and be a three four outside linebacker or we're
gonna bulk you up and make you Aaron Smith. And
in the end he didn't really do either here and
kept having to change his body, and then he went
to New England and kind of found himself. And not
(28:08):
that he was a bad player here, but you could
see the same with Sawyer. I don't think they have
any intentions of making a three four n but he's
got bulk and thickness to him already that he could
hold up at the point with another five ten pounds
on the inside too.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Speaking of that, if I'm looking here at the Marvin
leel and it looks like he's put the weight back on.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
I thought he looked heavier too, YEA, watching him walk on.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
The field, I think this. You know, the drafting of
Jack Sawyer, they said, Okay, you're not gonna play outside linebacker,
which I think is for him.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
Yeah, I like that quite a bit and alarm bells
went off for me when they draft or when they
traded for Preston Smith last year. You know, like he's
not really a three four edge either, you know, he's
he's probably even bigger than Sawyer.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
He's longer than Sawyer. Yeah, but I think that was
that was the body type they wanted. That's what they
wanted from lel They wanted that jumbo guy.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
But he never grew into that.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Well, but he got hurt last year. He was having
a good camp and just had that neck injury. But
I think they had a distinct role that they wanted
him to play, that Prushton Smith's role, and then they
didn't have like.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
Him better on the inside. I do too, But I
do think that having that's kind of the rabel thing
for him, you know, just pick one. Yeah, I mean,
I think that'd be helpful to the player.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
You said raven killer when you were talking about Sawyer
and his body type, And I want to go back
to that, Matt because as much as I love Nick
herbig and he has a ton of impact in the
short volume that he's on the field, it's kind of
like an NBA matchup, right, Like there's just some teams
where you might.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Just not be able to play him as much. And
the Ravens are the one that comes right to me.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Against Cincinnati, Yeah, Herbig's out there all day. He's Russian
Burrow like crazy. But Henry's running, you know, twenty twenty
five times a game. Oh that's of a Jack Sawyer
type card, multiple tight ends. If high Smith or a
lot need to blow, that's more Sawyer's territory.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
So we've talked about this a lot, and I didn't
really I was wrong. I did not foresee Edge as
being a need on draft day. But after drafting Preston
Smith and then when they took Sawyer, the bells just.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Went off in my head.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Is if what or high Smith has to miss a game,
I can't trust her Big to be out there for
seventy stats. I mean, he's he's just not big enough.
He's not physical enough, you know, again, especially against the
Raven type team. So if you miss either one of
your stars Sawyer and her Big becomes that guy, right,
and then the other one's out.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
There and they're not stupid.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
They had injury problems with their top two players, high
Smith and wat over the past couple of years. They've
needed games where backups had to play starter roles. And
last year, I mean her Big had to step into
that role early in the season for high Smith and
he got hurt and then high Smith comes back, and
it's kind of like you're just shuffling one in and
out and the other one out.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
And you also never want that position to become an
area you always want to be a huge strength. I mean,
going back to four order and Lloyd and Green, I mean,
they're never going to be bad there, you know, in
dal take an extra, you know, and always have a
surplus there.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
When those guys end up, you know, you're back up
outside linebackers or backup linebackers in period end up being
four special teams players.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Yeah, that's the thing is, I don't know what Sawyer's
capable or what he will be like as a special team.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I think he'll be pretty good at it, I would imagine.
Speaker 5 (31:18):
I don't think he did much of an Ohio State
probably like a five star recruit, played right away. He
was the leader of the defense type guys.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
With that new kickoff rule being like an oversized stretch play,
his own stretch play. Okay, I want to I want
guys out there who've defended that in the past, who
knew how to go find the football.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
You know, he's very serious about football and we'll do
everything capable of.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Special man has got some speed.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
He took one to the house from ninety nine yards
in the damn Sugar Bowl last year to be Texas.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
So Dale, I don't know if you noticed this, and
you know, maybe on a typical drive we'd have went
through it. But you know how it's lists season and
Pro Football Focus, who I like but is not gone
put out their top thirty two edge rushers two days
ago and TJ was three.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
He was behind Parsons and Garrett.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
You know, they nothing bad to say about him because
they said he was set records in their their PFF
run defense, and you know he's as good as ever. Basically,
high Smith was twelve, and I don't know that everyone
realizes just how good he is.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
When people were talking about trading him last offseason because
he could just throw her brain. I'm like, he's one.
I think you understand how good this guy is.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
He's one of the best players on this field right now.
He's one of the best players at his position in
the league's.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
But it's really, really, if they would want to entertain
the idea of trading Alex high Smith, they would get
a very good draft pick. But you don't want to Again,
I'm not saying they need to do that. You know
you would get it because of his age and everything
else involved. You would get a really good draft pick
for him.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
You're getting a second round pick.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
It's yeah, he is a very good football player. And
I think because of what what does it goes overlooked
a little bit, right.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
I mean, you know what, this game always jumps out
to me when I'm thinking high Smith and talking high Smith.
Do you remember the Giants game last year on Monday
Night Football where Watt had a big impact. Yeah, but
it was really high Smith who was dominating that game.
I mean, he was just working his matchup and some
of the sacks that Watt had were plays that high
Smith ran Daniel Jones into him like high Smith had
(33:23):
moments last year, and that Giants game just jumps to
my mind more than any of them, where he was
the most dominant defensive player on the field for the Steelers.
Speaker 5 (33:30):
But back to what we were talking about on that list,
and again, pro football focused is a gospel, but Wat
was three high. Smith was twelve, Herbig was thirty two.
I mean they had three guys on the top, the
top thirty two and they're right up on Herbig was
really good, you know. Basically his run defense grade for
them was well below par anylayer. But they said he
(33:51):
is the ultimate pass rush specialist because their pass rush
grade was as good as like Garretts or Watts. You know.
Speaker 7 (33:58):
But you can't ask in order to get that out
of him. He can't be the first down right right.
Henry pound into him all the time. Jack Swayer, Yeah,
we were surprised, Matt.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
I remember talking with They scratched Preston Smith for the
playoff game last year.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
It just became a numbers issue and he's not going
to get help you on special teams.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
And so and then you were weak and against Derek
Henry and look what happened. Now you don't have that problem, though,
because we're confident in Sawyer and what he can do
with special teams, so he can dress to be in
that role.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
And I really think that's what it came down to
with the decision on the Land and Roberts. I would
you love to have a landon Roberts the football player
to play fifteen snaps a game for you, absolutely, but
you need that player that back up inside linebacker to
be a guy who also gives you something on special
teams and especially in the mix. And yeah, Wilson's role
(34:51):
that's just not just not what a Landom Roberts is
going to give you at this point in his career.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
And you've said it well when they signed him, I
mean Harrison kind of Maybe Harrison's not as good a
defensive player as Roberts, but he has he plays the
similar role, and he's the Matta Kaevich. He's excellent on
special teams. So you killed two birds with one step.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
It also hurts the Ravens, you know. I think the Ravens,
in an ideal world would have brought him back because
when they made their other defensive switches last year, when
they finally kind of turned things around, it was because
Malie Harrison went into the starting lineup and Jerome Simpson
went to the bench. Now, ideally for them, they would
like Jerome Simpson to take that next step this year
(35:33):
in his third year guarantee, but there's no guarantee that happens.
They benched him last year couldn't trust him.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
Steelers keep picking from that inside linebacker room for Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Not a bad thing if you can, if you can
make your team better while hurting your one of your opponents. Guys,
I had somebody bring this up to me or I
was on our message board on YouTube on our last
show last week and we were talking about Steelers Ravens
and somebody saill, that's not that's not a rivalry anymore,
and like, really, I don't think Steelers Ravens is a rivalry.
(36:05):
And I think his point was because the Steelers lost
the last two games, Okay, what about the games before those?
That's what I said. I'm like one, I said, I
was kind of I mean, I got sarcastic with him
and said, yeah, you're right when it when one team
is won eight of the previous nine meetings, you're right,
it's not a rivalry, right.
Speaker 4 (36:22):
If anything, the Ravens winning those two games made.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
It more of a rivalry, right.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
It brought the rivalry back a little bit, like, oh, hey,
we can still can beat the Steelers because they hadn't
in a very long time consistently. Now the 'ren's starting
to come down, how.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
To say, by the Steelers gained the reputation not just
here but around the league is like the Lamar Busters.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
Yeah right, the team that could stop everybody.
Speaker 5 (36:45):
Yeah, which is kind of you know, if we were
Baltimore right now, you're like, well, maybe we turned that corner,
you know maybe.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
I think of the reason why they turned the corner
made it easier for him, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
No question.
Speaker 5 (36:57):
But their quarterback in Balmarin's not too shait He's all right,
I guess real quick to back with what we're saying, though,
I do think one of the absolute strengths of this
team is I often don't call them outside linebackers, but
linebacker overall, those edge guys and the the off the
ball dudes, they have four.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
You could make the it's certainly if you just look
at the linebacker group as a whole, top three in
the league.
Speaker 5 (37:24):
If we're including the edge in the inside, yeah, yeah,
I think.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
So Watt Heismiths, you could make the cases the best
tandem in the league.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
So start there.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
That's a good case for being top three in the league.
And I'm excited about Wilson.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
I really think he's gonna think he's gonna be really
good this year.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Had great moments last year.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Yeah, I think he's gonna have a better understanding thing.
Speaker 5 (37:44):
He's gonna have one defined role defensive.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Player of the year in college his final year and
he's just had knee problems. Is the only reason why
Philly would have been a first round pick if he
was healthy and he flashed some of that and he
is healthy, if he didn't have.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
A track record of injury.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Right right, Yeah, absolutely, guys. Let's get to another break.
As the rain continues to fall here at the upmc
rooney Sports Complex. We are live from the Steelers OTA Sessions,
Session number two, taking place tools two of six OTA sessions,
and then they'll also then have their three day mini
camp to finish off the off season program. They'll then
(38:19):
take a little bit of a break in between here
about a little bit over a month, and then it
will be on the training camp at Saint Vincent College
and full steam ahead. But we are going to take
a break now. He is Matt Williamson. That is Tom Opperman.
I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to Fox Sports Pittsburgh
and Steelers Nation Radio. We will be back with more
(38:41):
right after this.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven Home of the Black
and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
And we are back. I am Dale Lolly here with
Tom Afferman and the Matt Williamson. We are live from
the Steelers Ota sessions here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex.
We will be bringing you the live coverage here every
day that the Steelers are on the field here at
the upmc rooney Sports Complex, and that will be every Tuesday,
(39:23):
Wednesday and Thursday for the next two weeks and then
Mini Camp. We will also be here for that the
following week again Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and three weeks in
a row Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Yes, okay, yeah, yeah, nine
sessions over all, nine sessions, and.
Speaker 5 (39:39):
We won't do any more drives other than that for
those three weeks.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
Correct, Okay, yeah, right right, that's like, thank god.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
But then we'll go back to our regular drive schedule,
regular offseason drivet schedule of Monday Wednesday Friday. Yeah. After
that little swath, take us back to training camp, and
then once training camp kicks off, it is full steam
ahead for us. Every day they practice.
Speaker 4 (40:01):
We were on yes, oh, it's marathon coverage. Baby Flabs
and I kick it off at like eight am and
we get to go to like nine pm.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Ye in our YouTube, stuff will come back then too. Yeah,
so exciting. Actually, I actually sat down, guys last night
and watched a little bit of the YouTube's show, just
to critique what it looked like and everything on my
TV because I know there are people who watch it. Yeah,
people who watch it on TV now not necessarily my
(40:31):
cup of tea. In terms of watching a radio show
on TV.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
You don't like to do that.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
I'm not going to rip anybody. If that's what you
want to do, that's great.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
It's definitely an acquired taste.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
Yeah, I don't understand, you know, watching two guys sit
and talk to each other to each other, Yeah, but
I understand you want to just hear what you know.
Maybe you just want to hear what maybe it's on
his background. Yeah, right, right, right, So it's all good.
But yeah, I mean I enjoyed show. It was one
of our older shows. I just picked one out of randomly,
(41:05):
and uh, you look great. I look like.
Speaker 6 (41:09):
You know me?
Speaker 5 (41:10):
If I look great, that's not that's not a very
high bar. Tyler does a heck of a job making
us presentable, you know, with the lighting and all that makes.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
Us look like he's very concerned about the lighting and
exactly what we wind up and the lights.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
Oh yeah, as you should. He is down to a
science now. But that's been good a lot. We've got
a lot of responses from the YouTube stuff. To be
back at you a couple months really than a couple.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Months, guys. The rain has now let up a little bit.
There was coming down pretty good there. Coffee, I like, man,
it's really nasty. Yeah, everybody kind of came over here
and congregated around the table here underneath the awning. But
it's chili though, chili. We stayed right. That's all I
care about. Yea, we're not getting wet. But the the
players again, this is like I was watching again, not
(41:57):
not giving anything away here, watching the quarterbacks go through
a little drill when they threw the ball and then
they roll out in the quarterback coach Tom Arth pitches
in the football and challenging that ring.
Speaker 4 (42:12):
Yeah, but oh yeah, it's not fun out there right now.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
No, And that's I think that's one of the big
reasons why Mike Thomas said we're practiced out doors today
let's let's deal with these elements.
Speaker 5 (42:21):
It's funny brought the quarterbacks. As I was walking in
to get coffee. I wanted to bring up one of them.
I mean, he's the least talked about signal caller that's
either a Steeler or maybe soon to be a Steeler.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
But Skyler Thompson is a pretty good athlete. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
Yeah, he's not a total throwaway. I know that he's
fourth and you want Howard to be the you know,
the next to take the third back up and all
that good stuff. And I'm not saying Skyler Thompson is
going to be the next Ben Roethlisberg or anything, but
he's been around the league. I liked him coming out
of school. He's a good athlete. Like he's going to
be on a roster somewhere this somewhere.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
Yeah. Yeah, I just don't think he gets ever mentioned.
Speaker 4 (42:56):
He was Am I wrong about this? The guy who
started for the Dolphin against the Bills.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
Yes, the Steelers have two quarterbacks on their roster who
have started playoff games.
Speaker 4 (43:05):
Yeah, and if I remember that game correctly, it was
not a blowout like Buffalo had expected it to be.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Like Miami kind of stuck around in that game for
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Yeah, he's not terrible.
Speaker 5 (43:14):
I mean, I think he needs to be recognized that
he's gonna make He's gonna stick in this league for
you know, five years or so.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
But he interesting thing is make this roster right if
I wouldn't practice squad. He and Will Howard actually shared
playing time together at Kansas State. Oh that adds up. Okay, Yeah,
they were both there at the same time. And and uh,
I mean, so you had two NFL quarterbacks on the
roster and they.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
Tompson kind of at the end of his call.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
He was at the end of his career and Howard
was at the beginning. And they split some time early
in Howard's career.
Speaker 5 (43:47):
So Howard probably succeeded him as a starter before transferring.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
To Ohio State.
Speaker 5 (43:51):
Yeah, okay, and that makes sense because he's college career Thompson.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Yeah, yeah, so they I mean, they both both guys
uh a similar I think. I think how Thompson is
a little bit better athlete.
Speaker 5 (44:04):
Yeah, I think he's the most athletic quarterback here.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Yeah, but Howard has you know, a little bit more size.
Speaker 5 (44:12):
Uh, you know, in his favor. Howard does, I think
he's more of an anticipatory guy.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (44:15):
I mean, we'll see him at the NFL level, but
at least the prospect he you know, looks to be
is reading things quick, get it out of your hands,
really good for the neck up, you know. I think
that's gonna be Howard's game.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
Howard just has that build of a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
At the draft, it's like, you can't tell right now,
but when we were out we were out here for
rookie mini camp. He's got massive legs, Howard. Yeah, Yeah,
he's kind of got a square hockey film.
Speaker 4 (44:42):
He's perceptive with his athleticism.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
He's got a running back type, tight ends type legs.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
He's got like four to seventy plus runs in knowledge.
Speaker 5 (44:51):
Yeah, he's got kind of a square build, thick thighs
and said, kind of like a hockey player.
Speaker 2 (44:56):
Yeah, he's a big, a big pocket style quarterback who's
got some mobility. He does. He does absolutely, And you
know what I like about him?
Speaker 3 (45:02):
And again I don't.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
I hate when people get too far in their fantasies
when it comes to the sixth round Pickwill Howard right,
and it's going a little nuts. Sometimes this offsets bit,
but I love the fact that he was handed the
keys to basically an NFL offense last year. And I
think one of the biggest problems quarterbacks can have with
NFL offenses that are so skilled as feeding all the mouths.
And he spread the ball around beautifully for Ohio State.
(45:25):
Everybody was involved in the offense. He executed it perfectly.
If you're coming from college to the NFL, yeah, and
if you're coming from college to the NFL, there's always
going to be a jump.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
But that offense he was playing, it was basically an
NFL offense.
Speaker 2 (45:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (45:39):
I mean people might not know. I mean everyone knows
that Ohio State's loaded and they pump.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
Out receivers are the best, ridiculous.
Speaker 5 (45:46):
Number but there it sounds like they're going to have
another first rounder next year. And oh, by the way,
they have the best receiver in the country who is
eighteen Smith. Smith isn't even eligible for next year and
is going to.
Speaker 4 (46:00):
TechEd and they have running backs running backs.
Speaker 5 (46:03):
Like it's a loaded NFL type offense, right, and he handled.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
It very well, Matt. The punters are the on the
other field, they're kicking. It's another area of strength of
this yeah, which Cameron Johnston's about ready to unleash one here,
and it's very good to see him back on the
football field.
Speaker 5 (46:20):
I think it was rob that we were sitting with
here you Go yesterday and Johnston just boomed one from
the deep down there.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
He's like, whoa, what was that? Here goes that?
Speaker 4 (46:32):
Right, that's insane.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
He kicked out on about sixty five yards.
Speaker 3 (46:40):
First last year.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
It wasn't his first one, but it was maybe his
second or third.
Speaker 3 (46:45):
The first couple were monsters.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
Yeah, I mean yeah, it was just unfortunate that they
lost that weapon.
Speaker 5 (46:50):
So we watched like every one of his punts in camp,
and it was like a spectacle. Right, it's a spectacle
like that one, Right, there was a spectacle. Harvid was
really good in camp too, because frankly, there was no pressure.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
There was no elas camp. He was eighty five degrees and.
Speaker 5 (47:05):
He's just getting out the driver and killing it. Yeah,
the Harvins like boom boom. But this guy, he's got
the driver, he's got every club in the bag. He's
got these different kicks where it's end over end, or
he knuckles it or he puts it in the corner
like he's kind of a craftsman and he's got the power.
So I thought, you know, Corliss weightman did it an exceptional.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
It was really good last year.
Speaker 5 (47:28):
Yeah, they definitely have two of the top thirty two.
But the guy that they're paying the money and is
the number one is going to be one of the
best punters, and this is.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
A great way to keep him around.
Speaker 2 (47:37):
This is a great day to test those guys out.
Sure Element day, Element day for the kickers in the
in the punters and the holders and the holders as welders.
That's that's another reason to come out here and practice
in the elements and make sure those guys they're going
to play in games like this, there's no doubt about
it all.
Speaker 4 (47:54):
But yeah, Matt, to your point, there is a team
that is going to go through training camp in preseason
have punting problems, and they're going to wait for that news.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
To move past them. You might even be able to
get a seventh round pick.
Speaker 3 (48:08):
For yeah, right, why they still keep him around?
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Right, We're getting get a six and get rid of
your you know one of your say, you might be
able to get another six out of it if you
swap a seven with them, that's better than me.
Speaker 5 (48:18):
But I think as a rule of thumb, they bring
in two kickers and one punter to training camp.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Yeah, okay, that's because you've got ninety guys. Now you
don't want you don't want Cameron Johnston doing all the kicking.
Speaker 4 (48:31):
And with what d just said there, it's it's probably
a good strategy.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
I would hold on the weight but until the last
That's where I'm going with it.
Speaker 5 (48:37):
Was I thought they usually brought in one, but I
would bring in two, just because he's too valuable just
to let go of this time of year.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Yeah, I think the post you might be able to
get something.
Speaker 3 (48:46):
Give him that third preseasons.
Speaker 5 (48:47):
To keeping a seventh safety at camp or whatever.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
You right, absolutely, guys, let's get through another break. That's
going to do it. For our number one of our
live ongoing coverage here from the Steeler O t A
sessions at the U p M. C Rooney Sports Complex,
I'm Dale Lolly here with Tom Opferman and Matt Williamson.
Will be back with more here on Fox Sports Pittsburgh
and Steelers Nation Radio right after this.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
This is The Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven Home of the Black
and gold Steelers Nation.
Speaker 2 (49:27):
Radio, and we are back. I am Dale Lolly here
with Tom Opferman and the Matt Williamson. We're joined now
by the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob King, sitting
down with us here a little a little. I think
he just wants to get out of the rain. Which
from there for a minute there the wind changed directions
(49:50):
on us and was blowing onto our table. I did
not much care for that. No, I don't think I've
been very dry throughout this whole process. And and uh,
you know, just to pull back. We got a bunch
of electronics here that were sitting next to that.
Speaker 4 (50:03):
Cardinal rule is to keep the equipment. So I was
getting a little nervous as well, A little.
Speaker 2 (50:07):
Nervous so you don't like to see that. I can
remember being in the press box in uh we were
out in San Francisco one year, out of the old
Candlestick Park, and there they had the press box actually
had was glass and closed over top too. It was
like being in like a little gerrarium or terrarium or something.
And it's really started raining hard, and I'm like, well,
(50:28):
it's raining hard. And at one point I look down
on the floor in all of our equipment, all of
everybody has their power cords going to their laptops, and
there was water coming into the and I'm like everything.
I'm like, guys, we might want to pick our stuff
up all that it's all sitting in water right now? Yeah,
like this was not good. It may have been. I
can't they all run together at this point, right.
Speaker 6 (50:51):
I was out there for that Monday night or I
remember that. That was back in the early two thousands.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
I figured it out last year. We were in a
press box in somewhere last year, I can't remember, awhare
and they made an announcement to somebody had just covered
his five hundredth game for the for the covered that
team for his five hundredth game, and I'm like, I
wonder how many games I've done. So I sat down
for it was over seven hundred. You've done games that
I've covered. I've physically been in the building.
Speaker 6 (51:17):
I'm like, that's NFL get Steelers games, Steeler games. Yeah,
so that's well over thirty years. Right, Well you got
you you have playoff pre covered, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
I've covered like two seasons worth of playoff. I guarantee
you I've covered more playoff games than the entire Cleveland
media combined.
Speaker 3 (51:36):
So you have your number around seven hundred right.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
Now, it's well over seven hundred.
Speaker 4 (51:40):
Keep tracks so when you get to a thousand, we
can get you like a cake.
Speaker 2 (51:43):
Or you know, our our friend here, Bomar Shati, I
just got his ten thousandth consecutive day of running at
least three miles, ten thousand days in a row, isn't it? What? Bo,
where's your streak stand at in terms of linked in
terms of where are you at? Number five? Number ten?
Where are you at seventy five? Seventy five people have
(52:05):
a streak longer than ten thousand, and that's three miles
or more?
Speaker 5 (52:08):
Right?
Speaker 2 (52:09):
Yeah, okay, I.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
Don't think I've run ten thousand days.
Speaker 5 (52:13):
Damn press, COVID bad as you know, funeral right right right,
So feel like it'll over right right.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Ten thousand graduation. He just did that last week. He
just achieved that crazy last week. He's now ten thousand
and counting. He didn't stop at ten thousand. This wasn't
Forrest Gump like where you stop running one day. He
does have the beard going though, it's no he has
trimmed out.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (52:41):
Uh, ten thousand days of running. So a couple observations.
Speaker 5 (52:49):
I know we're not like talked truly about practice, but
remend Wilson could scoot.
Speaker 2 (52:54):
Oh yeah, yeah, Like here's a four to three nine
guy coming out. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (52:57):
I mean just watching him these two days. His quick
this his low center of gravity, his pure acceleration, his
you know, his top end speed all really good.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
I mean that's I can't remember exactly what Calvin Austin ran.
Yeah he had, he had a great low four threes. Yeah,
but you're adding another guy who has that four to
three speed to your offense. And I don't care if
it's four three nine or it's four three two, right, right,
you're in a four threes. You're damn fast. You're adding
(53:28):
another guy that can can do that to your offense.
You're gonna be a lot faster. Yeah, he can really
scoot though.
Speaker 4 (53:35):
And like we were talking about with Fatanu in the
first hour, so much to prove for Roman Wilson rookie season.
Speaker 2 (53:41):
Austin was four three to two four three two, I knew.
So you've got two guys there that and oh, by
the way, DK metcalf Ran in the four threes. Oh yeah,
some speed in the receiving room.
Speaker 6 (53:52):
Yeah, yeah, that was one of you know, going into
the offseason, that was one of the things that they
were talking about, right, getting more explosives on offense, getting
bigger plays, Metcalf, hopefully Roland Wilson back in the mix.
Speaker 2 (54:03):
It was interesting.
Speaker 6 (54:04):
I'll just be on go balls, you know, right, Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely.
I mean, you know, you need you need players that
have the capability to take a crossing pattern and just.
Speaker 2 (54:14):
Go the distance with him, make a guy miss and boom.
Speaker 6 (54:17):
We saw Pickings do that first first row that Mason
woodoff throw him right a couple of years ago. Yeah,
he took it.
Speaker 5 (54:22):
Pickings after the catch. Stuff got dramatically better last year.
I mean it was very helpful. But they need that
for sure.
Speaker 6 (54:27):
You know, with that in mind when they were going
to draft a running back, was it any surprise too
that they took somebody in Caleb Johnson, not that he
can't make big plays, but doesn't have that big top
end speed.
Speaker 2 (54:40):
Here's the thing about Caleb Johnson is that the forty
time is not all that impressive. Four or five to
seven a is faster than what Nausee Harris was Nausey
was probably in the four to sixes somewhere. He didn't
run on he didn't run on purpose yeat. Typically when
that happens, a guy knows he's not a blazer. Secondly,
if you look at some of the GPS numbers on
(55:02):
Caleb Johnson, there were several times over the course of
his career that he broke twenty one miles per hour
and some the other times where he hit as fast
as twenty two miles per hour. On the football field.
The play that DK metcalf had where he ran down
Buddha Baker, Yeah, that everybody talks about. He was going
twenty two miles an hour. Caleb Johnson has hit that
(55:24):
speed right when he's opened things up, so he plays
faster than he tests. I talked to his high school coach.
I wrote a story on Caleb last week for Steeler
two weeks ago now for Steelers dot Com, and he
talked about He talked about Caleb speedy City. He always
looks like he's running at about ninety percent speed. He's
one of those guys and then all of a sudden,
it just he has that extra gear.
Speaker 5 (55:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (55:44):
Right, Nobody ever caught Jerry right, Yeah, it's exactly right. Yeah,
Jerry Rice is a really good one. Not did we
want to compare anybody quite did Jerry Rice? You're right?
You can see people hauling Jerry Rice down from behind
now right and with Pat and the video with Caleb
john And showed him. Yeah, I didn't see many guys tracking.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
That's the other thing he said. He is a Look
he did that. He broke a lot of long runs
in the Big ten, which has put a lot of
guys in the NFL. Those defensive backs weren't running him
down from behind. And you know, Matt and I talked
about it a couple of weeks ago. You know, Derrick
Henry is considered a fast running back, right, oh yeah,
four or five two.
Speaker 6 (56:26):
That's interesting because you never see him caught either.
Speaker 2 (56:29):
No, because I think a lot of times guys don't
want to catch him.
Speaker 6 (56:32):
But you know what, I think a lot of guys
rather catch him from behind than hit him from the front.
Though it's a it's a large human being, you know.
Speaker 4 (56:43):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (56:45):
To me, Johnson's he's a he's a fascinating guy to
add to this mix at the running back because he
does have that sort of you know, workhorse type of size. Yeah,
but you know, the the ability to to run away
from guys. And we saw last year, you know in camp,
the last couple of years, Naji constantly working on that
sprint machine, right, you.
Speaker 2 (57:06):
Know, working his way back, trying to get more explosive.
Speaker 6 (57:08):
Right, trying to get more explosive. The team would be out,
there would be you know, during the end of practice
and frequently after practice, Nagi tirelessly working on that speed.
But you know, in his time with the Steelers, he
never had a carry of over forty yards. Thirty nine
was his long Yeah, and so you know he kept
on working on the speed, working on the speed, working
on the speed. But it did feel like there was
a point in his runs in which sort of that
(57:30):
was it, right, Like there there wasn't going to be
that pull away.
Speaker 2 (57:33):
I think a lot of times too, is he went
looking for contact in the secondary. Yeah, where I want
to I want to punish somebody at the end of
this run, as opposed to trying to make somebody miss
and get another five yards. I'm going to punish this
defensive back and throw him to the ground and maybe
he hauls me down, but he's going to feel that
one in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (57:55):
He's never going to be a long speed guy right in,
but he did, and they created quite a few compared
to the rest of the league ten to twenty yard
games runs on the ground. Now, if they could turn
into sixties and seventies once in a while, it would
be huge, I mean, and that's never going to be
Nausey's game. But back to Johnson. People might not know
(58:16):
this because they don't promote it when you watch the combine,
but they do do a miles per hour when you
run your forty in Indy, and his, especially if you
factor in wait, his miles per hour reached when he
ran that forty, which wasn't a great time, was one
of the better running back scores, especially for a bigger back.
Speaker 2 (58:33):
In a group of running backs. That was the fastest
that combine history.
Speaker 5 (58:37):
Where what killed him is forty is his ten yard
split was poor, which shocked me because he ran track
in high school. But I wonder has he worked on
his starts at all the last five years or even
care to, because he both busted a lot of long
runs at Iowa, and once he got out of that
first ten yards, he was really moving.
Speaker 2 (58:55):
You know.
Speaker 6 (58:55):
I think one of the things that I found years
and years ago when I was working in Upstate New York.
I covered a guy named Donald Foyle. So, Donald Foyle
was a guy who came to the United States. He
was from the Caribbean. He lived with a with a family,
very very bright guy, lived with a family in Hamilton, Hamilton,
(59:18):
New York. He played at Colgate University. He had offers
to play everywhere basketball player right six nine he played.
I think he's gonna I think he played six or
seven years in the NBA, something along those lines. But
I I did a story on him when he was
preparing for the draft and what he was preparing for.
(59:38):
And he had deficiencies in his game because he didn't
grow up playing basketball. He needed to be, for example,
a better free throw shooter. He needed to be a
better shooter. But what he spent his time working on
was testing. So how would he tested the combine? Not
how can you become a better player?
Speaker 2 (59:55):
You know?
Speaker 4 (59:56):
So?
Speaker 6 (59:56):
Although I know, right, so, if you're testing for the combine,
and if calib Johnson is not testing for the combine,
if his tape tells you what you need to know
about him, to your point about working on that ten
yard start on this line. Yeah, if he didn't do that,
then you know that may have cost him, you know,
(01:00:17):
a few ticks off that that forty time that maybe
gets him even drafted higher.
Speaker 5 (01:00:21):
Who knows, absolutely well, I'll never forget it. Like the
day after they drafted Deontay Johnson, they flew him in
and he sat down with us upstairs. We were doing
the draft and his forty time wasn't great. But I'm like,
I remember asking him, like, you play a lot faster
than your forty and he's like, that didn't practice forty
at all, doesn't make me a better player, right, he
definitely would have got drafted higher.
Speaker 2 (01:00:40):
Yeah, right, if he could have shaved half a second.
Speaker 5 (01:00:42):
Off his forty. He's like, I'm not to waste of
time with that. I was like, wow, that's pretty impressive.
Speaker 2 (01:00:45):
So is Jalen Warren considered a fast running back?
Speaker 3 (01:00:50):
I wouldn't consider him fast.
Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
He's four or five to five game well. Considered a
fast running back.
Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
You wouldn't think of him as a burner.
Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
No, four, four to seven. I said, he's probably the
fast just one here. Yeah, you know, I don't care
necessarily about straight line speed. At his pro day game
when we're in a four to four two.
Speaker 5 (01:01:11):
Doesn't surprise me. Yeah, and he's won ninety ish though too. Yeah,
you know, right, well, I think he like two of
five somewhere in that ring. Okay, But you know, straight
line speed for running backs isn't the end all be all?
Speaker 6 (01:01:24):
No no no.
Speaker 2 (01:01:25):
If it was, Dree Archer would have been fantastic, right.
Speaker 5 (01:01:28):
But Rod, back to your point too, Like, of all
the running backs in this draft that they brought in
for visits, the majority of them were low four fours,
high four threes, two hundred and two hundred and ten pounds,
not the rec replacements for nausea, and boy, I was like,
I wonder, are they just go Are they really searching
(01:01:49):
for explosives that much that they might get away from
the big bruising Steeler Jerome you know, Bam Morris back.
Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
It may have just been a situation that that was
what was largely available in this draft as well outside
zone because most of the guys in this draft were
those you know, two hundred and ten pound running backs.
That's what was available outside of the Johnson's and the
Quinshawn Judkins and guys like that.
Speaker 5 (01:02:13):
Right, So I'm hoping and I think we have an
inclination that they kind of got the best of both worlds, right,
you know, where it's the guy that can hit the
home run. Maybe he doesn't win a race against Brayshawn
Tuten or you know who, having the fastest guys out there,
but plays fast, but he also but he's also not
just a little guy that he can do a lot
of the nausey stuff too, hopefully. I mean, I think
(01:02:35):
that's what they hope they got. And they ran to
the podium and he was there.
Speaker 4 (01:02:37):
Well, you mentioned the outside zone stuff too, and I
mean it's clear that Arthur Smith wants to do that
because he kept doing it even though it was becoming
clear and clear that Naji Harris was just not capable
of executing.
Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
But they were done a lot more if it was
if it.
Speaker 4 (01:02:49):
Was possible, right, right, And I think that that's something
that they look at this guy and say.
Speaker 3 (01:02:53):
He can do this.
Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
That's what they r that's what he does heavily. Right.
Speaker 6 (01:02:58):
I think the uh, the Ohio State thing, it is
fascinating those two running backs. I'm really really eager to
see how those guys fare in the NFL, because you
have two guys now again, uh, this is one of
the beauties about football. We talk about this all the time, right,
So what is the situation when is a guy in
a game? You know, the difference is between the college
game and the pro game. But Traveon Henderson was what
(01:03:21):
two yards to carry more than than than Judkins in
the same system, right, two running backs, and Judkins I
believe went before him in the draft. I think he
went right.
Speaker 2 (01:03:33):
So they were both early second rounders, right that.
Speaker 6 (01:03:35):
I think that's But again, now, now who are you
who you're playing for in the pros is going to
have an impact as well? But you know, I I
I do wonder if you know, Jalen Warren's got you know,
he's signed for what just this one year?
Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
Right?
Speaker 6 (01:03:49):
One four year? You know, I think that the thing
you're looking for is the guy that you're going to
put the ball on his belly twenty to twenty two
times a game. That's the number one thing you're looking
for as opposed to, you know, even if your desires
to have a home run hitter, and he's sort of
a maybe you know, not quicker than what you had,
not necessarily the home run hitter, but the guy who's
(01:04:11):
going to get the ball twenty two times versus the
guy's going to get the ball eight times in a game.
Speaker 5 (01:04:15):
I absolutely love Warren, and I even think some of
the people listening don't understand how good a football player
he is. Passing game protection, all the little things change
a direction. I mean, some of his receiving numbers are
frankly right there with like McCaffrey. I mean, they're elite
in terms of yards after cats. I mean all kinds
(01:04:36):
of really nerdy stats. But one thing about him, and
I'm not saying he can't do it, but he's never
played in an NFL game where he has received more
than fifty percent of the carries for his respective team.
Speaker 2 (01:04:49):
You know, now, could he do it for two games? Probably? Right,
But I don't think that's you don't know it well.
Speaker 6 (01:04:57):
A lot of us to see that happen, right, So
there were times, you know, maybe a couple of years ago,
you know, before Arthur Smith came here, because this last
year he was hurt and he never really got on track.
But a couple of years ago, a lot of people saying, well,
maybe they should flip those guys, right, maybe Jalen Warren
should be the guy getting all the carries, and Nagy
(01:05:17):
should be the one spelling him because much like.
Speaker 5 (01:05:19):
I think Warren is the better football player the two,
but that doesn't mean he can do what Nausey can.
Speaker 6 (01:05:23):
Do, right, And much much like Henderson and Judkins, although
you know obviously different types of players, you know, you
went with the bigger, stronger guy. I wonderful House State
fans are saying, how come we're not giving the ball
more to Henderson?
Speaker 2 (01:05:36):
Right?
Speaker 6 (01:05:36):
You know, one guy's maybe you could argue softening up
the defense or or running into more heavy boxes because
of how he's being utilized. Warren because of the pass
blocking ability, maybe in there more on third down, more
running room playing against nickel and dime packages. So yeah,
but but we never did get a chance to see
that to your point.
Speaker 2 (01:05:53):
Right, right, And I don't think they want to test that, right.
Speaker 3 (01:05:57):
That's why they drafted Johnson, right.
Speaker 5 (01:05:58):
I mean, I don't think he was They want him
to be a seventy percent touch guy. But I don't
think his role is going away at all, even if
Johnson's a huge hit, because he's what he does. He
does as well as almost any back in the league.
Speaker 4 (01:06:12):
No, I know, Johnson's a rookie, so there's a lot
of unknowns still there. But I think the running back
room is I don't maybe saying a lot better than
last year is a little extreme, but I think it's
better for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:06:21):
I mean I think it's I think it's deeper. I
think you know, they have different styles. Are guys that
fit better stylistically and give you different looks depending on
who's in there.
Speaker 5 (01:06:31):
I'm curious what Gainwell will do. I mean, he's he's
been a good pro and all of a sudden, I mean,
the room's a little crowded for him to get regular touches, but.
Speaker 2 (01:06:42):
He's going to be active every game day.
Speaker 3 (01:06:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:06:45):
Is he going to touch the ball five times a
game in Week one?
Speaker 3 (01:06:48):
Is going to be a return man?
Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
He's definitely gonna be a return man. Yeah, I mean
he was.
Speaker 6 (01:06:53):
He was up brush line as a kick return of
last year. Correct.
Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Yeah, I mean yeah, that speed that you know again,
the ability to get the football quickly turn it upfield.
You know, it's what you had hoped that they were
going to have in Corderio Patterson.
Speaker 5 (01:07:09):
I just don't think war is probably why don't think
Warrant's third down stuff is going away at all.
Speaker 2 (01:07:14):
No, No, I think he still do that and then
he'll get more than that. One of the better pass
blocking running backs in the league.
Speaker 6 (01:07:21):
Yeah, were you up at camp when he That's how
he kind of initially made his name the backs on.
Speaker 2 (01:07:26):
Back first backs on backer drill. He was like, whoa,
I was up there for that, for that, but when
we were we were on the air doing it, it's
like whoa yeah, And that's how you get the coach's attention,
you know, as a as an undrafted guy, because they
brought in other there were other running backs that they
brought in the undrafted guys that year, and he was
he stood out because of that past protection and the
(01:07:51):
willingness and desire to stick your nose in there. And
it didn't matter who they put him up against, because
Mike tomin will will, he'll set the matchups he wants.
And you know, for an undrafted guy like that, early, okay,
you're getting some other the roster type guys. But then
as you show, okay, we're gonna we're gonna move you
up in Waight class a little bit. Okay, now we're
(01:08:13):
gonna bump you up in wait class a little bit
more so, by the you know, by the end of
it in terms of the you know, the second time
around when they did backs on backers, It's like, Okay,
now he's going up against what Yeah, right exactly.
Speaker 5 (01:08:28):
So Tom and I actually were talking about this before
we were on the air. We were just kind of
here a little early, and I don't know what will
happen about him, but I do have an eyebrow up
for Trey Sermon and Evan Hull too. I mean, both
those guys were really good big ten backs not long
ago that were third and fourth round picks, I think, respectively.
Speaker 2 (01:08:48):
Been around the league a little bit, been around league
a little bit.
Speaker 5 (01:08:50):
I don't know if they're special team capable at all,
but to be frank, I mean, they're at career extinction
time where they have no they have to do everything
possible stick in this league, and they do have ability.
So I wonder at camp if they start showing up
or one of the two starts showing up as oh wow,
you know, maybe they know the guy you thought they
were coming out of college.
Speaker 6 (01:09:11):
And maybe a little less pedigree. But I got the sense,
and I don't know if you guys felt the same way.
I got the sense that Jonathan Ward was on the
on the cusp of maybe getting a little bit longer.
Look when he pulled his hamstring. Uh last year, you
know he had to breakaway speed that they that they
were lacking last year. Now, maybe the mix this year
changes that had that outlook for him, but might as
(01:09:31):
well just toss him into the mix too. It's when
you look at the roster. You know, there's always a position, right,
You look at the roster and you're like, well, boy,
you need a little more there. Maybe you're wow that
that position is like we're all talking about it. Are
they going to add another wide receiver? I look at
that running back group, I'm like, that's you know, somebody
who's pretty good is not going to make the team. Probably.
Speaker 2 (01:09:49):
Yeah. It's like the defensive line group, like there's gonna
be NFL guys.
Speaker 6 (01:09:53):
There's like a ten deep yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:09:55):
The line's really named and back to like a Hull
or a Sermon who was their lead back at Northwestern
in Ohio State. I bet they have no special teams
background and that's probably hurt them. While you know they're
gonna have to be special teamers to make this team.
Speaker 2 (01:10:09):
And I just don't. I can't comment on that. I
remember talking about that years ago with Freddie McAfee, and
McAfee was a guy who played, i think over twelve
years in the league. Is it is a special team space,
a great Spain teams guy. And he said that. You know,
over the years, you know, these young running backs would
come in who had been the guy at their respective
(01:10:30):
you know, college, and you know they would laugh at him. Oh,
you're just a special teams guy. You never get any carries.
He's like, I'm gonna be in the league for you know,
ten plus I get a check every week for every
week and right, yeah, talk to me in five years, right,
and I get bet Lloyd. I always talked about Benny Snell.
Speaker 6 (01:10:49):
Darius Hayward, Benny Snell. Yeah, they would be a different position, right,
first round pick exactly.
Speaker 5 (01:10:55):
I mean Snell was the feature back on an SEC team.
Gets here in real I'm not going to be the
feature back in the NFL and became a pretty good
special teamer.
Speaker 2 (01:11:03):
You know you have to Yeah, absolutely, you guys. Let's
get to a break. We are live from the Steelers
Ota sessions here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex here
on Fox Sports nine seventy and Steelers Nation Radio. I
am Dale Lally. You heard Rob King, the voice of
the Steelers there, joining us here for a little session
(01:11:24):
to stay out of the rain. I know what he's
trying to do here.
Speaker 6 (01:11:27):
Come on, I was here yesterday when when you were.
Speaker 2 (01:11:31):
That's true, some money in the bank. There also Tom
Opperman and the Matt Williamson joining us here. We're gonna
take a little break. We'll be back with more from
the upmc rooney Sports Complex right after this