October 8, 2025 • 44 mins
Matt and Wes go over favorites for NFL Awards and Division winners as we are at the quarter point of the season.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Your tuns About Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good afternoon, Steelers Nation, It's the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. West Hrueler and Matt Williamson with you here
for the next two hours on a Wednesday as we
will kind of do some final bye week bigger picture
conversations and of course begin to take a look at
those Cleveland Browns. Matt, I know the stats are all done,
(00:51):
all prepared close.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Okay, Wednesday night is when they're due.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So is the one you sent me just kind of
a rough draft.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
It's like rough draft number, you know, like because I
also do a Wednesday night show with Tim and Tom Sure,
so I always make sure they get something and they
have the day to digest it. Well. Of course do
I carry that show too.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
From you, baby, Listen, I'm just trying to be sixty eight, Okay, Matt,
sixty six. I'm just trying. He's Swiss on Swiss. I'm
just trying to be sixty eight out there.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
You're doing the job, brother.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Every every batman needs a Robin and that's for sure.
So we've got plenty to get to today. We're also
going to catch up with our buddy Chris Daanski lot
on right, We're gonna do a little around campus.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I procured another kind of quarterback packet for you, some
similar names, some new names. I didn't even realize.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Its working a sucker.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah, we we obviously highlighted once or twice this Saturday,
big one between probably the top two quarterbacks right now
and Mendoza and Dante more out there in Eugene, between
Indiana and Oregon. But as I was putting this together,
there's four, five, six really good college football games to
watch this weekend, particularly from the lens of could this
(02:01):
be a Steelers future quarterback? So we'll get into all
of that eventually today too, But man, I just wanted
to start with you kind of.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
A I think I mentioned yesterday. I apologize sometimes I
get my wires crossed.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
But you do a lot of shows.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, because I did a whole show on it, I'm
one of my specific ones. One of these days soon,
maybe even today or next week or whatever, we should
go through the league and see teams that are in
the quarterback market. Absolutely, it starts growing. By the way,
it's gonna get harder and harder for the Steelers to
get their guy.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It is, and that's something too that we should plan
to because we'll have a couple more open ended shows
the week after that Thursday.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Next week. It's weird and you and I need to
talk about our first bye week situation. Yeah, yeah, I
mean things happen quick Thursday night game game.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, and I'll be leaving Wednesday afternoon with the team,
So we'll figure out.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
And we'll talk off the air.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
But it's probably about that. That's problems for Wes and
Matt next week.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Baby, we won't have a show next Thursday, folks.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
But yes, game day game days, certainly we'll be different
and we'll have to see what's going on Wednesday. We
will have a Friday recap show for sure. I might
be on just a couple hours of sleep, but we'll
get through it and then we'll be able to enjoy,
hopefully a peaceful weekend. Matt, let's dive into some way
too early NFL awards. I guess we're kind of at
(03:18):
the again. There's no perfect quarter poll in the NFL
anymore that they're seventeen games, but.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Steelers have played four.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Steelers have played four. Some in the league have played five,
We're starting to get into bye weeks all those things.
There's starting to be a little separation, not only in
the divisions, but also in some of these individual awards.
So I'll give you dealer's choice. Where you want to start.
You want to go MVP, Offensive or Defensive Player of
the Year the top, you want to go MVP. Let's
(03:45):
do it. That is the big one.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
I haven't given these individual awards much thought. I did
just do a podcast re guessing projecting my new playoffs picture,
which is way different, way different, I mean, way different.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
We can do that at some point here. Yeah, yeah too.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
But I haven't given these a ton of thoughts. So
let's go. I'm ready. I mean I like doing these things,
you know, organically on the air too.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yeah yeah, absolutely, MVP to me and listen, this has
in a lot of ways become a quarterback award.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I'm not even sure it's worth on anybody else because
Offensive Player of the Year.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Wasn't gonna win it last year, right, I mean, we
might never see another non quarterback win it, or at
least for a long time. Matt. To me, I feel
like there are certainly some names in this list in
a weird way. You should probably throw Lamar Jackson into
this or Joe Burrow into this, but that's a different
conversation to me. Right now, it feels like Josh Allen,
feels like Baker Mayfield, feels like Daniel Jones needs to
(04:42):
be in this conversation as well too.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Not the names we expected all yeah, yeah, right, but
I mean it's Alan, Lamar Mahomes. I want to throw
mahomes name out there right now, but he's not in
the mix right now. But if they get back to
like a twelve win team in this off, they overcame
her in the season, he might be worth this. Putting
(05:04):
a dollar on in Vegas right now, I bet it
pays off the five. Yeah, that might be worth it. Alan,
I mean, yes, but he hasn't had the dominant stats
that he did last year, and he's had a few
more mistakes. I'm not saying he's any worse. I think
he's as good a player as ever, but I kind
of think it's maybe one of the lesser known dudes,
(05:26):
you know, I mean not lesser known. Everyone knows Baker
Mayfield or than these guys are NFL quarterbacks. Dak Prescott's
playing as well as anyone.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Deserves to be in the conversation.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Game.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
They're two two and one right now. They would have
to stay at least above five hundred for him to
because you're right, I.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Mean, it's I mean, we know how the ward goes.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
You can dominate college football. If your team is seven
and five, you're not winning the Heisman, right.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Right, I mean you have to be really special. Stafford.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Stafford should be in the conversation.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, I'm just throwing out names so I don't miss anyone.
I'm scanning. What I'm doing right now is I'm scanning
league in my head.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I was just gonna say, Jared Goff.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yeah, I think GoF has a probably better case than staff.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
He might. He's been impressive through their five games.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I keep going back to Baker.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
That to me right now, listen, Josh Allen, it's almost
the weird. It's boring to use it, to use a
Heisman example for you again. Can you tell I just
put together a quarterback stats pack. It's it's We've seen
one time in the history of college football somebody win
the Heisman back to back, and that was Archie. Archie
(06:32):
the years years old, right, like Tim Tebow, didn't do it.
Liner didn't do it a lot.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
When people aren't even coming out early.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Or transfer exactly right.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
And there's plenty of instances worry football player was the
best player in the country two years in a row,
no doubt, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
No doumbound right there. And it's not that no one's
ever deserved to win it the second year. But it's like,
if you win the Heisman, you had a pretty insane season, Yes,
can you go back and do it again or be
even better? You know, that's almost kind of.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
A little last year. Certainly if it's a tie breaker
between him and Allen, I we're kind of stick of you.
I think it hurt wat with Defense Player of the Year.
You know, it definitely hurt Aaron Donald to his career.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Oh, you had twenty and a half sacks last year.
This year he only had seventeen, Right, I mean, could
you really have been the defense There's some Remember these
are humans that vote on these things, and there's some
voter fatigue and there's some recency bias and all that stuff.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Whereas like Allen's have to be superb to get it
this year.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
To win an award like the Heisman or the MVP
back to back, you have to again almost do better
than you did the previous season, at least from a
statistical standpoint, and that's a very tough ask, even if
you are a unicorn like Josh Allen.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
And he hasn't done better, right you know. I mean,
he still be the best, he might be the best
player walking the earth right now, but he didn't do
better statistically. That doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for him,
but I don't think the committee would, as is correct,
and I don't think anyone's running away with it either.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
No, no, no, no, no no. Like last year, it really
started to feel like it was going to be Lamar
or Josh Allen for a long time.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, and hey, maybe by Halloween we're singing a different tune.
Maybe it is a clear cut two or three person
race here after another three or four games. But I
think I might give Baker. I think that you i'd
vote for, which is crazy. I don't think.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I mean, they didn't have Worfs, they haven't had Evans.
Godwin just came back.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
That's kind of the And again it's not a great defense.
I almost wish I almost wish that MVP Awards were
like most Outstanding Player awards.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Because most valuable is misleading.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
It's misleading. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like Sidney Crosby only won
MVP twice because everyone was always like, oh, if Getty
Malkin's so good, he can't possibly be the MVP. He's
got another top five player on his team, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Like, because the Pens would survive without them, correct exactly.
What doesn't mean he's not the best player, but that.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Doesn't mean he was the best player on the planet
for you know, for a dozen years. So there's some
weirdness in that kind of MVP versus most Outstanding because
I don't think Baker has been the most outstanding, but
I in the in the true sense of the most
valuable player, I think it's Baker Mayfield right now.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I'm glad you mentioned Daniel Jones, but I can't quite
bring myself there. And part of it's because if we
were to do Offensive Player of the Year, I'm gonna
give some votes to Jonathan Taylor to totally, so I'm
not sure he's even the Colts MVP. That's a good point,
But of course this is a quarterback award.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
It is, and maybe we could maybe Herbert will work
his way back into this conversation.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Kind of running away. Not running away, but was making
the strongest case.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
If we had done this two weeks ago. This no,
not at all, and it's it's that again speaks to
the true nature of the award. If he can overcome
devastating injuries to his offensive line still got that team
to double digit wins in a playoff birth, that's value.
I mean that is most valuable Player overcome and all that.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Stuff they can rebound over. If they can survive a
brutal stretch of October and then come back November December
like they did September, he'll be right in hunt.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
One hundred per Let's go to Offensive Player the Year then,
since you mentioned that there, I feel like a three
person race.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Pooka, Nakua Taylor the two that come to mind.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Jackson Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Oh okay, Hit'd be a third though, Yes, okay.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
But I think he deserves a shout in the in
the conversation.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, he's been ridiculous. I think has to win it.
I think numbers are insane.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Insane right what he's doing right now.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Like if you projected out for the year, it's the
best receiver year ever by far.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
He's caught over eighty four percent of the passes thrown
in his direction. I mean, that's just insane. He, like you.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Mentioned, injections for catches and yards and.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Could be one of the best single seasons for a
wide receiver we've ever seen.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
And even his career, I think he's been underrated. I
think when you one of my favorite receiver stats is
yards per route run, because if you're running routes, you
have to demand targets, and what do you do with
those targets? You break it down to the lowest common
denominator per route run. I think he has the best
yards per route run in NFL history for a career.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I mean, he's always at one or two in the
league no matter what. He's so good after catch, and
I think that part of the things that hurt his
reputation is mcveigh's so good and well, Cup won the
Triple Crown two and they have DeVante Adams and it's
such a good schemer. All that's true, but that's like
blaming Montana for Walsh or Brady for Belichick, you know, right,
(11:29):
exactly exactly. I mean, the kupa on any team to
me is probably behind Chase and Jefferson, but he's in
competition for three four five as the best receiver on planet.
I mean, Ceedee Lamb and j Brown. I like, he's
got a guy. He's in that stratosphere.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
He might be the best player in football so far
this season.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah, he might be. He might be.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
That's I don't think that's in case. I don't think
that's an outrageous statement to make.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Taylor's having a ridiculous year, but I think it has
to go in.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
The KUPA agree, But those two feel like the leaders
in the clubhouse right now.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
I think Jackson Smith and jig But deserves a mention,
But those two feel like they're really sty're pulling away
from the y. Yeah. Yeah, Defensive player of the year,
Matt Is this gonna be as.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Garrett two names? Right?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Anyone else? Like does an Aiden Hutchinson deserve to be
thrown in there?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
I don't think that their level. Yeah, it feels like, yeah,
right now I'm saying I don't think anything.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Parsons I think could get into the conversation. They're still
obviously still kind of football left to be played.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
And of course this is gonna be true for you know,
all these comp conversations. But if you already had your
by you only played four games instead of five, it
doesn't you know. I'm thinking about Parsons, like, it doesn't
hurt your cause as much, you know. And what if
he played this past week and in three sacks, like, oh,
it's Parsons. He's playing the Bengals this week, he might
have six sacks and we'd be like, oh, but Parsons.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
You know, maybe if TJ goes out there and has
a three sack and forced fumble game, all of a sudden, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I would go Garrett. I think Benito has really leveled
up to being a Tier one pass rusher, which is
such a massive pat in the back. I mean, I
don't throw that turn around at all, but Matt stats.
I was digging in today and frankly, Garrett does much
more than just the stats. But I didn't realize he
(13:23):
leads the league and tackles for loss. He's playing the
run better than he ever has. They're the hardest defense
in the league to run against. So the pass rush
stuff's always been there, and it is and over his
career there's been I want to say he doesn't take
plays off. He plays really hard. But let's say he
saves some energy against the run at times, and I'm
(13:45):
sure coaches are like, great, savor energy the for third eight,
you know, but a run away from him, he might
dog after a little or whatever. I see less and
less of that this year. I mean, I really think
he's leveled up. Which I thought he might be the
best of Ust player in the year. Now he's better
than that.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
It's the uh, I don't know, maybe third or fourth
time you've said that in the last few weeks, and
I can feel everybody already typing their angry comments. Remember
that's at Williamson NFL.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Okay, I won't talk about it after this week until
they play the Browns again.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
We will do plenty of Miles, Garrett and Cleveland defense
conversation on the next two days on the show.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
I don't think he's crazy sack numbers though, I think
you know, it's.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Not crazy, it's not bad, but three or four, Yeah, honestly,
there's there's nobody that right now has sack numbers that
really jump off the page at you.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
I think Benito's one.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I think you are correct in that Gary was.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Tied for one, and then he didn't play last week. Yes,
you know, benefits from Parsons a lot.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
We will continue to uh to obviously monitor those as
we roll along here, Matt, let's take a break. We
come back on the other side. Offensive Rookie of the Year,
Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, some
interesting ones to coach the tough every year. Could certainly
be the case again this year. We'll continue the conversation
when we return on the other side, West Shooler at Williamson.
It's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers
(15:03):
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Back on the drive here as we get into some
way too early quarter season ish awards thoughts and predictions
here on the Steelers Audio Network. Matt, perhaps I think
the most difficult one to nail down at this point
Defensive Rookie of the Year. There's a lot of guys
(15:52):
that deserve to be brought up in the conversation. I
don't know if there's a clear cut winner right now.
I think Abdul Carter deserves mentioned.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
He was the preseason favorite by a lot, yes, you know,
which I totally understood.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And past rushers. It's kind of like quarterbacks, and in
this it's.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Hard to be a corner safety.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Exactly right, exactly right. But speaking of corners, I think
up in Stout from the Niners deserves some shout in this.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
It's been really good.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Doubt deserves a shout. I know again we're not allowed
to say nice things about the Browns, but Carsions Swassinger
has been very good for Cleveland, really good and played
a ton of snaps doing so anybody else that deserves
a shout in this?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
In this covers you mention linebackers have a chance because
they can accumulate a lot of stats recovery. Yeah, a
couple of picks. Two linebackers stand out to me, Schweesssinger
who you mentioned, who has been better than advertised, and
the Eagles first round pick jure Hud Campbell. Oh good
mention there. Yeah, I actually put a couple of bucks
(16:51):
on him preseason is a long shot. Nice feeling pretty
good about it. Nice. Carter started slow. I mean I
think he probably if I had to bet on who's
going to win it, I don't know that he's done
enough to date, Stout's good, but he's just a lot
and yeah, I mean he's gonna have a tough time. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I think those two linebackers are will be my vote
(17:12):
one of the two.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
This could certainly be something, you know, in one of
these awards where someone emerges down the stretch y Yeah, yeah,
maybe you know that we haven't even really kind of
hit on all the possibilities at this point, but this one,
to me is still kind of the most wide open.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Yeah. I would say so.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Every other one of these, it feels like you can
narrow down to two, three, four guys where this I
think we could probably list seven or eight where it
wouldn't surprise us if they ended up winning the award.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Really scanning the league right now too, thinking, man, I
mean thinking about the first rounders. Yeah, a lot of
those edge rushers aren't like lowing your doors off starting,
you know, right.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, so I think that's where we are with Defensive
Rookie of the Year now Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Different conversation. Yeah, is this another two horse race between
a Mecca Buca and Tyler Warren?
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Teed McMillan I would throw in there too, he's good. Yes,
his surroundings haven't been. He doesn't have the MVP throwing
to him. You know, we gave it the Baker, but
I think it's a bukavable. He's been unbelievable. I mean,
all his advanced stuff is at the top of the league.
He's attacking at all levels. Coming off a huge game,
I mean, Warren's great and exceeded expectations. I would give
(18:25):
it to a booka pretty clearly, though.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I don't think there's a wrong answer there, but I'm
leaning in that direction as well too.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
He's blowing the doors off he is.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
He's been outstanding leads rookies and receiving yards, receiving touchdowns,
second in yards per route run for your kind of
favorite stat there. And let's not kid ourselves, Matt, big
part of these awards are the moments, the snaf shots,
the highlights that everybody sees because the however many hundred
people that vote on this, don't kid yourselves, they're not
(18:57):
watching every second of every game NFL sunour right, They're
in a stadium covering some team, they're traveling, they're doing
a million different things. It's like every single week he's
making a big play against the Falcons, against the Jets,
against the Seahawks to help them win those games. Yes,
that's the kind of stuff that vote. It's like like
the Heisman moment thing. Yeah, you know, you got to
(19:18):
have those memorable moments. And I mean we're quarter poll
into the season and he's got two or three already.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
We're talking about him every week and yeah, and I
think that Godwin's back and he's easing back into shape.
Evans should be back soon. With all respect to Evans,
so I think is an all time great. I still
think he'll be their leading receiver. And I mean I
think a Buka is going to be the man.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
I mean that's a dangerous trio. I mean talk about
Lord Mayfield playing the way he is.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
And you know, right they get Bucky back. I mean
that is terrible. You know, could be saying that's the
best offense in the NFL. Time we get to the
end of the.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Season, I guess strengthened Baker's.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Cause would certainly yeah, right, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Getting better stuff for around him.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Uh. Finally here Matt Coach of the Year. This one
is always crazy difficult.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
I feel like the Colts in there.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Colts have to be in there. Shane Steichen has to
have to be in there. That is how he pronounces
his last name correct.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I called stich In, but I don't know stich Shane.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Shane is of the Colts. Uh Dan Campbell I think.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Has because he lost both coordinators, coordinators a lot to
that offensive line.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
I think everybody expected them to take a step back,
and they're four and one. Once again, Sean McVay in
the conversation.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I say Shanahan too.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Shanahan st in the conversation named McDonald in the conversation.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yeah, Shanahan lost so much and they've lost one game.
They're the most injured team the league not named the Ravens.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
This is going to be an interesting race to follow
because there's a lot of a lot of capable candidates. Heck,
if the Steelers end up winning eleven or twelve games in.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
The divisions, out of it, right.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Liam Cohen's not out of it. The Jags are four
and one. If they win eleven games and win the division,
he's got to get some some conversation.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
And the and mcveigh's don't win it as much as
the new guy that you know exceeded expectations. You know exactly,
and that's a big chuck'll ever won it, you know,
like Bellichick won it one.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
It's a big part. It's a big part of it too.
You have to exceed the expectations and because of that,
it kind of helps if you have lower expectations coming
into the year and then are able to to, you know,
win eleven or twelve games and win your division when
everyone thought you'd be picking in the top ten Chargers.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Harby I thought had a strong case when we were
talking about Herbert as MVP too. But they're starting to
fall off.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
They're starting they're they're they're falling, falling behind a little.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Bit certain years of one of the weirdest ones to me.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
It really is. It's it's always tough to pin down.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
It doesn't mean you're the best coach walking the planet.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Correct correct or else some of these guys go it
would have won it, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I mean talking about the exceeding expectations. They're definitely the team.
I think he's the most.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I think he's my one. I think Dan Campbell's my
two for right now, and then a lot of other
deserving candidates.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
And one other name I throw out, there's Rabel certainly.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
I mean, again, they make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
I would go a long way. They were so bad
a year.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Ago, so bad, and and you know, yeah, there's there's
some real names that have a chance here. Liams won.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
They won the division by two or three games and
win ten or eleven games and a lot of change.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Matt. That's uh our kind of quarter pole thoughts and
predictions and awards.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
It would be Rookie of the Year. I haven't given
this any thought at all. I just.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Hm hmm. I think it's going to be Derek Harmon.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
But right now, I think you could vote for him.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Now, right now, I might say, why are black.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Not bad? I mean definitely not Johnson.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Not Johnson swear we've seen some of But I think
I think why a black? And again there's some like
the exceeding expectations type thing where he just really put
his hand in the pile earlier than I think we did.
The second round pick, first round pick was her third
round pick is barely play. I think it has to
be black black at this point. Now, a month from now,
(23:25):
we might be saying Derek Harmon.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Right yeah, it might be enough. Like I always seen
a couple of games from he's the best.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Guy offensive Rookie of the year, can we I mean,
can we even pick one? Or you're just going Rookie
of the Year in general awards called Yeah, it's the
it's the mean Joe Green performance. Yeah ye, which, of
course Zach Fraser won this past season. Yes, Steelers m
(23:53):
v P. Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Rogers tell you what.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Though, I think the last couple of games t J.
Watt's making making a case.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Certainly Cam, Hey, we're ain't dead, yeah, Cam, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
But it's got I think it's got to be Aaron
Rodgers at this point. I would say Newcomer of the
Year DK Metcalf, Okay, maybe Jalen.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Ramsey Yeah yeah, but I just man.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
They would their their past game would really be struggling
without DK Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Yeah. Not as many targets as you think though. No.
That's one of my Matt stats this week is he's
averaging like five and a half targets a game, which
is like forty third amongst wide receivers.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
We need to get that up to go to get
that up into the top twenty five. All right, Matt,
uh you want to, I guess kind of say stay
same church, different pew here. We got a few minutes
left in this segment till we got a break. Uh,
you want to go around the divisions and pick our
new division winners or well, I guess some of them
(24:54):
will be the same as the beginning of the year,
but our division winners at this.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
I did this the other day, so I think I
know mine off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Okay, and don't I think I can do this is
one of those like off fly things I think I
can do pretty quickly. Let's start in the NFC. NFC Yeah,
let's start in the NFC West, which I think is
one of the more interesting conversations.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
I picked the Rams, and I thought that was the
hardest division winner to pick.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I think this is right now the hardest to pick. Yes, yes,
And there's a couple others, definitely the The AFC West
is tough to pick as well too.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Yeah. AFC South is hard.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
AFC South is difficult.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
One thing about West. When we went into this, we
did a whole podcast on it, so it was a
whole half hour, so we went deeper than we're going
to in these few minutes. But we even went into
like the Niners, they only have one loss, but it
was to an AFC team. They already have some division wins,
like they're ninibreakers. It really matters, especially for wild cards.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
For the Steelers. Man, they win these next two games,
and you're five and one. Your only loss was an
NFC loss year right, three and oh in the conference
in two and oh in your division. That's the heck.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
It's a good start, right, But the Niners are really
sitting pretty. That's one thing that hurts the Rams a
little bit is their tie breakers aren't as good.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
They're great, and the tie breakers already. I think I
would lean Rams though, too, just because I trust their
quarterback more than the others. I think Darnold's been good.
The Niners, man Mac Jones has done everything you could
ask them to do. And they'll get Rock Party back.
They'll get a lot back the Niners.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Yeah, yeah, But I.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Think I'm gonna lean on the Rams because I like
their head coach the most. I like their quarterback the most.
That's a tough one, though, to pay.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
It was the hard we start with the hardest division,
I think.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yeah, NFC South, it's the box. This might be the
easiest one to point. I mean, I could see the
Falcons showing some life and maybe fishing with eight or
nine wins, but feels like this one they.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Went every year. I mean, it's like the most underreported story.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
They're like five straight years they've won the division and
been to the playoffs, and that has included the post
Tom Brady era. That's not just a Brady statistic anymore.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
M hm.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
This that one's pretty easy to me. I think with
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFC North is interesting. Nice start for
the Lions, but I certainly don't think the Packers are
going to go quietly into the either.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
And I picked my preseason pick was the Packers, and
I had them going to the super Bowl. But I'm
gonna take the Lions just because they're in a little
better shape mathematically right now.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I might still take the Packers.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
I totally get it. That was a coin flip from it.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I think we're gonna see I think we're gonna see
Parsons really unleashed here after the bye week. They do
have that tie breaker over the Lions, Green Bay does
at this point.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
That's important, but this is also that weird tie. The
tie breakers aren't gonna matter for that.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
That's true, that's true. I'm gonna I'm gonna lean towards
the Packers. I'm crazy impressed with how the Lions have
responded since that week one big loss at Lambeau, very
much so. But I'm gonna lean towards the Packers on
this one.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
I'm taking the Eagles in the East still, Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
And this one it feels like, I mean, Matt, it's
been twenty years since somebody won that division two years
in a row, which is which is wild? Yeah? I
think the Commanders could at least push the Eagles.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yeah, I mean, they might be in the wildcard talk.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
But this to me feels like Philly's division and in
the driver's seat. They just lost their first game in
ten months. I mean right, they're in pretty good shape.
They're in very good ship, very good shape. Let's take
a break here. We'll do the AFC when we get back.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
I got three wild cards too.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Okay, yeah, let's do Let's do the NFC wildcards. Yes, sorry,
before we go to break, let's do that. Let's do that.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Who you got for wildcom I bet we both agree
that the other North team is going to be a wildcard. Yes,
for me, that's the pack. I also went with Seattle
and the Niners, and mostly because of the Niners tiebreaker stuff.
So I have the Commanders out, I have the Falcons out,
I have the Vikings out.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
I think I'm going to agree with you on that. Okay,
the Commanders are still intriguing to me. I don't think
they're quite.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
As goods for that seventh spot for me, but.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
They you know, they were able to study the ship
without Daniels. Now they get him back.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Running the ball really well. Offense is gonna be good.
McLaurin is still going to come back.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
But I think I think, I think I will go.
I'm with you. I'm gonna go Niners, Seahawks and Lions.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yeah. Yeah, the other North team. I feel pretty strong
about Seattle.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Feels pretty strong about Seattle. Feel pretty strong about the
other North team. Yeah, it's Detroit and green Bay.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
That man.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I could see San Francisco kind of falling apart a
little bit, but I think they deserve the benefit of
the doubt at this day.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Go to Tampa this week, and it wouldn't shock me
if they could beat bad, you know, and all of
a sudden, we're like, but they were kind of held
together with duct tape and you know, yeah, but then
they might get kittle in a week and you can
to start to get right. There's a lot of talk
to they can try to trade for Hendrickson or somebody
like that too, which is right up there alley. They
do that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
A both of these conferences. I think the wild Card
races are going to be a lot of fun this year. Yeah,
a lot of fun this year. On the other side,
let's do AFC on the other side, we'll do that.
To close down the first hour of the program, Weser
Matt Williams, and it is The Drive on Steelers Nation
Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Closing down the first hour of today's edition of The Drive,
Weser Matt Williamson, kind of going over some bigger picture
maybe kind of the final portion of this bye week
conversation in a lot of ways. Yeah, yeah, bigger picture
awards stuff, the Vision winners, all those things before we really,
of course, the next two days turn the page to
(30:56):
the Cleveland Browns and we'll begin to do some of
that with our buddy Chris Adamski in the second hour
of the show as well. But Matt, we have got
to go through the AFC now to give our division
winners and our wild card teams. Let's start with another
tough one, the AFC West.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Okay, yeah, right now.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
You got the Chargers and the Broncos each at three
and two. You got the Chiefs at two and three. Chargers.
The good news for them is in those first three
wins of the season they built up some nice kind
of tie breaker equity. They've lost a little bit of it,
but they still are three and oh in that division,
three and oh against the AFC division. Yeah, that puts them.
(31:39):
You know, the season ended today, they would be the
AFC West champions via tie breaker. But I don't know
if either of us is going to be picking them
to win the division at this point.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I'm not. I think it comes down to the Broncos
and Chiefs. And I expected the Chiefs to win Sunday night.
They didn't. I thought they were maybe the better team.
But I am sorry to come around that. They're starting
to come around, you know that they I think they're
starting to turn a corner a little bit. RACI Rice
should be back soon. That'll go a long way. I'm
(32:09):
taking the Chiefs just because they've earned it. They win
it every year. I mean, I don't know if any
Reid's not never won the division.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
It's a good point.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
I can't remember.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, I mean, because he was winning with Alex Smith before,
right before Mahomes even got there. This one's tough because
I am a Broncos believer. M Like, I really am.
I think that they are a dangerous team. I think
they have one of the best defenses in the National
Football League. Yeah, and I think I've been very encouraged
(32:41):
by the performance of bo Nicks over the last couple
of weeks after a little bit of a slow start
for him. Having said all that, here comes the butt.
I've said this to you, I think four or five
times already this year. The Chiefs to me have entered
Brady belichick Patriots territory. Oh yeah, Now, this division isn't
(33:02):
nearly as much of a cake walk as it was
for Brady and Belichick and those guys in the years
with the Jets and the Dolphins and the and the
Bills all stunk to high Heaven. Yeah, they had that
division one by Halloween but I am just I in
the same way that I didn't pick against the Patriots
(33:22):
ever back then. I'm not going to pick against the
Chiefs now I might either. I would love to pick
the Broncos. I don't know if I've ever shared this
with you or the Drive audience before I had with
Moats and on the Steelers Blitz and when the Steelers
would play the Broncos like they did last year, he
would always give me a bunch of grief. I was
kind of a Broncos fan growing up.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
Really.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
I went to that nineteen ninety seven ninety eight AFC
Championship game at Three Rivers with my grandpa wearing a
John Elway Broncos jersey with my Steelers jacket over top.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
I still have a John Elway and a Terrell Davis
jersey somewhere in a box in my attic. I was
a Broncos fan growing up.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
It'd be an easy team to root for.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
I was like one of the Like, there's a lot
of kids around the Pittsburgh area now that love the Steelers,
and they got Patrick Mahomes just you know, because it's
just when you're a kid, it's just those guys are fun.
They're good. You're not like I can only root for
one team.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
I was a Broncos and a Steelers fan growing up,
and so there's still kind of a very tiny there's
still a tiny little Broncos soft spot in my heart
from my childhood. Interesting, I would love to pick the Broncos,
but I'm going Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
I have no soft spot whatsoever for my team of
that nature. But when I was eight, nine, ten, twelve
years old and really really into football, and that never
really changed. Obviously, the Chargers were reinventing things. Eric coriol Yeah,
people didn't throw the ball like Fouts and Winslow Winslow
Senior and Chandler and Joiner and Jefferson. They didn't play
(34:52):
any deep.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
They were a different gravy.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
I mean, if you were a young kid, everyone loved
the Chargers. So the only non Steeler gear I've ever owned,
I guess what besides the Browns that gave that I
paid for fouls jersey. I paid that. Somebody in my
family paid for I didn't pay for that jersey. But yeah,
the only I've ever worn was Steeler stuff. Brown stuff
(35:15):
for a year. Quickly didn't go after that, although I
still have a sweatshirt, says Williamson on it from the brown.
Everything else went on eBay, but.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Hold on, I was gonna say it's a good memory.
I don't know if it's the best memory.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
That's a nice I want to keep that one. A
full sweatsuit, says Williams on both sides. Yeah, both pants
and sweatshirt. And I did have a fouls jersey.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
I you could ask our our Steelers Radio Network game
day producer Dan Quinlan, when we went to Mile High
Stadium last year, they have like their kind of Haul
of Honor, Ring of Honor equivalent outside Okay, and they
have like little like almost kind of like the Pro
Football Hall of Fame. There's like little head busts of
each of them, you know, Davis and Sharp and and
(35:58):
all and all and at Water and all they oh Way,
of course, so when we were walking in, they're all there,
and it's like Lway and Davis right next to each other.
I was like, Dan, you gotta take my picture real quickly.
I went up between the Terrell Davis and the John
Elway busts and like smiled.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Yeah, you don't remember young Lway though, Like I do.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
No, not really, but he was My first favorite football player.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Was Joe, which I totally respect because they're Even when
I was like new to media, I often said he's
the most underrated of quarterbacks. They went to Super Bowls
with nobody, with nobody, and people like, well, you know,
they had the three amigos, Like, tell me who the
three amigos are. I think one's last name was Jackson,
(36:39):
and yeah, there's three dudes, right right. They did lose
every time, but to take that team to Super Bowl
over and over was he was.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Remarkable, impressive, impressive. I think I've told you this before.
The first football game I remember like vividly was Super
Bowl thirty when the Steelers lost the Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Okay, thinks funny, mine is the Steelers winning over the Rams.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I think I think that. I mean I was like
six or seven, and I think that's the only time
I ever saw my grandpa cry was when the Steelers
lost to the Cowboys in Super Bowl thirty.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
But this I was pretty beat.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
But the second vivid memory that I remember is Super
Bowl thirty two when Elway and the Broncos beat far
from the Packers and Elway did the helicopter right old
l Way and they and they finally won their first
before you know, going back to back and doing it
again next year.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Young was like Homes of the time though.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
It was like the electric him, him and Lemieux and Yoager.
Where my where my guys growing up?
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Good ones.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
I would love to pick the Broncos, but I'm taking
the Chiefs. But I think we'll probably We're both gonna
have Broncos as one of our wild card teams. Yeah,
we'll probably my top. Yeah, we'll get there in a minute.
AFC South another very interesting one. Three teams with as
real shot to do it. I might go Houston, Matt,
I totally get it.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
I am taking a.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Cool experience in the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
I'm taking the I like both sides of the ball
better than the other two teams. I don't trust the
quarterback as much as Stroud, but none of them are proven.
I mean, I'm not betting against Mahomes or Lamar here.
I'm betting against Stroud and Lawrence. You know. Yeah, I
just think they're playing the best.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
They certainly are in that yeah, yeah, they absolutely are
and one and in the Division four and oh in
the AFC.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
The Colts their last shouldn't hurt him. Bad it was.
They lost the Rams, right, they did.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
So they're in a good spot. They are in a
great spot in terms of those early tie breakers AFC North.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
I'm taking the Steelers same, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
I don't really have to think about this one.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
No, I'm not going to totally discount the Ravens because
I do think the Ravens lose this week against the
Rams bye and then come back strong. But that's such
a what are they not one in four? So that
would be one in five?
Speaker 2 (38:53):
They are oh and two sorry, one three in the conference,
one and oh in the division.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
So if they come out of the by one in
five with eleven to play, you pretty much have to
win nine or ten. And I know their schedule gets
a lot easier, but I bet they split with the Steelers.
They play the Packers. I think they have one another
pretty tough game and they're going to stumble somewhere. And
they're not. They're so banged up right right, I mean,
(39:21):
I can't imagine them winning nine out of the final eleven.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
I can't either, and only gets you to ten. I'm
ready to stick a fork in the Ravens, especially if
they lose to the Rams this weekend.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
Yeah, and I expect them to. I mean they're a
big dog.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
AFC is pretty easy, is I mean, they Bill the Bills.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
I know they lost to the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
I don't think they'll run away from New England by
three or four games. Yeah, but I but I think
that they will.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
I'm pretty confident in the division. Yeah, probably even get
the number one seed overall in the AFC.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Yes, And like right now, if we had to do
the whole kind of like rank your confidence thing, yeah,
I think maybe other than Tampa Bay, they might be
the team that I'm most confident in the Steelers in
that conversation pretty soon, but second or third, yeah, I
I know that right now, those first choice. I know
they're just one game up on the Patriots right now,
and the Patriots just beat them. But I think again,
the Patriots are going to do the three steps forward,
(40:14):
two steps back, five steps forward, three steps back.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
And I think we said yesterday, I'm definitely betting on
the Bills to win the next matchup.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
What the spread is? Points? Okay, So there's our division winners,
three wild card teams from you, Matthew for the AFC
at Denver, for sure, that's one of mine as well.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
Yeah, they're my easiest ones, and I'm trying to make
sure I took the Texans and Jags, okay, so but
the Patriots and Chargers out, no, you know who I took.
I'm sorry to make sure I don't do it differently.
I took the Texans, no, okay. I had the Jags
(40:55):
go because they did have one loss. I mean, they're
it's hard not to get in when you're four and one,
So Denver, Jacksonville, and then I was torn between Houston
and Baltimore. I still think Baltimore could end up with
nine or ten wins, you know, but Houston beat him,
had the head So if that's what it comes down to,
I'd like their chances of beating them.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
You know, I'm picking up what you're putting down there.
My wild cards are going to be, for sure, the
Broncos and the Colts too. I had Houston. I had
Houston winning the division, so I'm gonna go Broncos and
Colts for sure. I might go Patriots is my final wildcard.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
I don't think that's nuts. I had a hard time
leaving the Chargers off, just because if they can weather
this storm a little it's just bad vibes right now.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
Vrabel to me is like a I don't know what
his ultimate ceiling is as a head coach, but I
think he brings a very high floor.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
And one of those guys.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
I think that team at three and two right now
can certainly win nine games, which would have him in
the conversation, could win ten.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
It'd be a favorite. Get licking on them real quick.
Their upcoming schedule is so soft.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Atlanta at Tampa Bay, the next Jets,
Cincinnati Giants. Right they should go six and two in
those games.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
That sounds like ten wins.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
That sounds like a ten And I do think I
can close the year down with the Jets and the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
Like wow. I mean they got four games against those
two in the division.
Speaker 2 (42:25):
They still play New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, the Giants,
the Jets Miami.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
So even if it is two to three, step forward,
one step back.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
I'm going Patriots on a wildcard team.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
I didn't realize it was that bad.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
Patriots is my three wildcard teams.
Speaker 3 (42:43):
Three games were super easy. I didn't realize the rest
of the schedules.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
No Chargers no Ravens, No Jags. Jags I think will
be my first. If we're doing the March Madness bubble thing,
like first teams out, I think would probably be the Jags.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
Jags have a tough game this week. I forget who
they play, but I could see them coming back to Earth.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
They have Seattle this week and then the Rams.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
I could see. They just don't seem like a five
and one team.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
They still have Houston and the Chargers coming up soon.
They got to play the Colts. I think. I think
they're like, I don't think they're gonna fall off the
face of the Earth. I think they'll be right there.
But they to me, will be the when the Musical
Chairs game ends, they'll be the last the one. Yeah,
they'll be number eight who couldn't quite find a seat
(43:29):
at the table.
Speaker 3 (43:29):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Hour in the books another hour ago. That was a
fun hour. I enjoyed bigger picture stuff. Matt. We are
going to talk to our buddy Chris Danski and hour
number two. Before we do that, you want to go
around campus. Let's go around campus. Talk about a big
weekend for college quarterbacks. If you're watching on Saturday with
some black and gold glasses on. We'll get into that
(43:51):
to start Hour number two. West Shuler, Matt Williamson. It's
the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio
Network
Your tuns About Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good afternoon, Steelers Nation, It's the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. West Hrueler and Matt Williamson with you here
for the next two hours on a Wednesday as we
will kind of do some final bye week bigger picture
conversations and of course begin to take a look at
those Cleveland Browns. Matt, I know the stats are all done,
(00:51):
all prepared close.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Okay, Wednesday night is when they're due.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So is the one you sent me just kind of
a rough draft.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
It's like rough draft number, you know, like because I
also do a Wednesday night show with Tim and Tom Sure,
so I always make sure they get something and they
have the day to digest it. Well. Of course do
I carry that show too.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
From you, baby, Listen, I'm just trying to be sixty eight, Okay, Matt,
sixty six. I'm just trying. He's Swiss on Swiss. I'm
just trying to be sixty eight out there.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
You're doing the job, brother.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Every every batman needs a Robin and that's for sure.
So we've got plenty to get to today. We're also
going to catch up with our buddy Chris Daanski lot
on right, We're gonna do a little around campus.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I procured another kind of quarterback packet for you, some
similar names, some new names. I didn't even realize.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Its working a sucker.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah, we we obviously highlighted once or twice this Saturday,
big one between probably the top two quarterbacks right now
and Mendoza and Dante more out there in Eugene, between
Indiana and Oregon. But as I was putting this together,
there's four, five, six really good college football games to
watch this weekend, particularly from the lens of could this
(02:01):
be a Steelers future quarterback? So we'll get into all
of that eventually today too, But man, I just wanted
to start with you kind of.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
A I think I mentioned yesterday. I apologize sometimes I
get my wires crossed.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
But you do a lot of shows.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, because I did a whole show on it, I'm
one of my specific ones. One of these days soon,
maybe even today or next week or whatever, we should
go through the league and see teams that are in
the quarterback market. Absolutely, it starts growing. By the way,
it's gonna get harder and harder for the Steelers to
get their guy.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It is, and that's something too that we should plan
to because we'll have a couple more open ended shows
the week after that Thursday.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Next week. It's weird and you and I need to
talk about our first bye week situation. Yeah, yeah, I
mean things happen quick Thursday night game game.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, and I'll be leaving Wednesday afternoon with the team,
So we'll figure out.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
And we'll talk off the air.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
But it's probably about that. That's problems for Wes and
Matt next week.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Baby, we won't have a show next Thursday, folks.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
But yes, game day game days, certainly we'll be different
and we'll have to see what's going on Wednesday. We
will have a Friday recap show for sure. I might
be on just a couple hours of sleep, but we'll
get through it and then we'll be able to enjoy,
hopefully a peaceful weekend. Matt, let's dive into some way
too early NFL awards. I guess we're kind of at
(03:18):
the again. There's no perfect quarter poll in the NFL
anymore that they're seventeen games, but.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Steelers have played four.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Steelers have played four. Some in the league have played five,
We're starting to get into bye weeks all those things.
There's starting to be a little separation, not only in
the divisions, but also in some of these individual awards.
So I'll give you dealer's choice. Where you want to start.
You want to go MVP, Offensive or Defensive Player of
the Year the top, you want to go MVP. Let's
(03:45):
do it. That is the big one.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
I haven't given these individual awards much thought. I did
just do a podcast re guessing projecting my new playoffs picture,
which is way different, way different, I mean, way different.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
We can do that at some point here. Yeah, yeah too.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
But I haven't given these a ton of thoughts. So
let's go. I'm ready. I mean I like doing these things,
you know, organically on the air too.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yeah yeah, absolutely, MVP to me and listen, this has
in a lot of ways become a quarterback award.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I'm not even sure it's worth on anybody else because
Offensive Player of the Year.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Wasn't gonna win it last year, right, I mean, we
might never see another non quarterback win it, or at
least for a long time. Matt. To me, I feel
like there are certainly some names in this list in
a weird way. You should probably throw Lamar Jackson into
this or Joe Burrow into this, but that's a different
conversation to me. Right now, it feels like Josh Allen,
feels like Baker Mayfield, feels like Daniel Jones needs to
(04:42):
be in this conversation as well too.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Not the names we expected all yeah, yeah, right, but
I mean it's Alan, Lamar Mahomes. I want to throw
mahomes name out there right now, but he's not in
the mix right now. But if they get back to
like a twelve win team in this off, they overcame
her in the season, he might be worth this. Putting
(05:04):
a dollar on in Vegas right now, I bet it
pays off the five. Yeah, that might be worth it. Alan,
I mean, yes, but he hasn't had the dominant stats
that he did last year, and he's had a few
more mistakes. I'm not saying he's any worse. I think
he's as good a player as ever, but I kind
of think it's maybe one of the lesser known dudes,
(05:26):
you know, I mean not lesser known. Everyone knows Baker
Mayfield or than these guys are NFL quarterbacks. Dak Prescott's
playing as well as anyone.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Deserves to be in the conversation.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Game.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
They're two two and one right now. They would have
to stay at least above five hundred for him to
because you're right, I.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Mean, it's I mean, we know how the ward goes.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
You can dominate college football. If your team is seven
and five, you're not winning the Heisman, right.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Right, I mean you have to be really special. Stafford.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Stafford should be in the conversation.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, I'm just throwing out names so I don't miss anyone.
I'm scanning. What I'm doing right now is I'm scanning
league in my head.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I was just gonna say, Jared Goff.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yeah, I think GoF has a probably better case than staff.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
He might. He's been impressive through their five games.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I keep going back to Baker.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
That to me right now, listen, Josh Allen, it's almost
the weird. It's boring to use it, to use a
Heisman example for you again. Can you tell I just
put together a quarterback stats pack. It's it's We've seen
one time in the history of college football somebody win
the Heisman back to back, and that was Archie. Archie
(06:32):
the years years old, right, like Tim Tebow, didn't do it.
Liner didn't do it a lot.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
When people aren't even coming out early.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Or transfer exactly right.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
And there's plenty of instances worry football player was the
best player in the country two years in a row,
no doubt, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
No doumbound right there. And it's not that no one's
ever deserved to win it the second year. But it's like,
if you win the Heisman, you had a pretty insane season, Yes,
can you go back and do it again or be
even better? You know, that's almost kind of.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
A little last year. Certainly if it's a tie breaker
between him and Allen, I we're kind of stick of you.
I think it hurt wat with Defense Player of the Year.
You know, it definitely hurt Aaron Donald to his career.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Oh, you had twenty and a half sacks last year.
This year he only had seventeen, Right, I mean, could
you really have been the defense There's some Remember these
are humans that vote on these things, and there's some
voter fatigue and there's some recency bias and all that stuff.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Whereas like Allen's have to be superb to get it
this year.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
To win an award like the Heisman or the MVP
back to back, you have to again almost do better
than you did the previous season, at least from a
statistical standpoint, and that's a very tough ask, even if
you are a unicorn like Josh Allen.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
And he hasn't done better, right you know. I mean,
he still be the best, he might be the best
player walking the earth right now, but he didn't do
better statistically. That doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for him,
but I don't think the committee would, as is correct,
and I don't think anyone's running away with it either.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
No, no, no, no, no no. Like last year, it really
started to feel like it was going to be Lamar
or Josh Allen for a long time.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, and hey, maybe by Halloween we're singing a different tune.
Maybe it is a clear cut two or three person
race here after another three or four games. But I
think I might give Baker. I think that you i'd
vote for, which is crazy. I don't think.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I mean, they didn't have Worfs, they haven't had Evans.
Godwin just came back.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
That's kind of the And again it's not a great defense.
I almost wish I almost wish that MVP Awards were
like most Outstanding Player awards.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Because most valuable is misleading.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
It's misleading. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like Sidney Crosby only won
MVP twice because everyone was always like, oh, if Getty
Malkin's so good, he can't possibly be the MVP. He's
got another top five player on his team, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Like, because the Pens would survive without them, correct exactly.
What doesn't mean he's not the best player, but that.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Doesn't mean he was the best player on the planet
for you know, for a dozen years. So there's some
weirdness in that kind of MVP versus most Outstanding because
I don't think Baker has been the most outstanding, but
I in the in the true sense of the most
valuable player, I think it's Baker Mayfield right now.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I'm glad you mentioned Daniel Jones, but I can't quite
bring myself there. And part of it's because if we
were to do Offensive Player of the Year, I'm gonna
give some votes to Jonathan Taylor to totally, so I'm
not sure he's even the Colts MVP. That's a good point,
But of course this is a quarterback award.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
It is, and maybe we could maybe Herbert will work
his way back into this conversation.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Kind of running away. Not running away, but was making
the strongest case.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
If we had done this two weeks ago. This no,
not at all, and it's it's that again speaks to
the true nature of the award. If he can overcome
devastating injuries to his offensive line still got that team
to double digit wins in a playoff birth, that's value.
I mean that is most valuable Player overcome and all that.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Stuff they can rebound over. If they can survive a
brutal stretch of October and then come back November December
like they did September, he'll be right in hunt.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
One hundred per Let's go to Offensive Player the Year then,
since you mentioned that there, I feel like a three
person race.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Pooka, Nakua Taylor the two that come to mind.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Jackson Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Oh okay, Hit'd be a third though, Yes, okay.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
But I think he deserves a shout in the in
the conversation.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, he's been ridiculous. I think has to win it.
I think numbers are insane.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Insane right what he's doing right now.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Like if you projected out for the year, it's the
best receiver year ever by far.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
He's caught over eighty four percent of the passes thrown
in his direction. I mean, that's just insane. He, like you.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Mentioned, injections for catches and yards and.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Could be one of the best single seasons for a
wide receiver we've ever seen.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
And even his career, I think he's been underrated. I
think when you one of my favorite receiver stats is
yards per route run, because if you're running routes, you
have to demand targets, and what do you do with
those targets? You break it down to the lowest common
denominator per route run. I think he has the best
yards per route run in NFL history for a career.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I mean, he's always at one or two in the
league no matter what. He's so good after catch, and
I think that part of the things that hurt his
reputation is mcveigh's so good and well, Cup won the
Triple Crown two and they have DeVante Adams and it's
such a good schemer. All that's true, but that's like
blaming Montana for Walsh or Brady for Belichick, you know, right,
(11:29):
exactly exactly. I mean, the kupa on any team to
me is probably behind Chase and Jefferson, but he's in
competition for three four five as the best receiver on planet.
I mean, Ceedee Lamb and j Brown. I like, he's
got a guy. He's in that stratosphere.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
He might be the best player in football so far
this season.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah, he might be. He might be.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
That's I don't think that's in case. I don't think
that's an outrageous statement to make.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Taylor's having a ridiculous year, but I think it has
to go in.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
The KUPA agree, But those two feel like the leaders
in the clubhouse right now.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
I think Jackson Smith and jig But deserves a mention,
But those two feel like they're really sty're pulling away
from the y. Yeah. Yeah, Defensive player of the year,
Matt Is this gonna be as.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Garrett two names? Right?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Anyone else? Like does an Aiden Hutchinson deserve to be
thrown in there?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
I don't think that their level. Yeah, it feels like, yeah,
right now I'm saying I don't think anything.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Parsons I think could get into the conversation. They're still
obviously still kind of football left to be played.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
And of course this is gonna be true for you know,
all these comp conversations. But if you already had your
by you only played four games instead of five, it
doesn't you know. I'm thinking about Parsons, like, it doesn't
hurt your cause as much, you know. And what if
he played this past week and in three sacks, like, oh,
it's Parsons. He's playing the Bengals this week, he might
have six sacks and we'd be like, oh, but Parsons.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
You know, maybe if TJ goes out there and has
a three sack and forced fumble game, all of a sudden, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I would go Garrett. I think Benito has really leveled
up to being a Tier one pass rusher, which is
such a massive pat in the back. I mean, I
don't throw that turn around at all, but Matt stats.
I was digging in today and frankly, Garrett does much
more than just the stats. But I didn't realize he
(13:23):
leads the league and tackles for loss. He's playing the
run better than he ever has. They're the hardest defense
in the league to run against. So the pass rush
stuff's always been there, and it is and over his
career there's been I want to say he doesn't take
plays off. He plays really hard. But let's say he
saves some energy against the run at times, and I'm
(13:45):
sure coaches are like, great, savor energy the for third eight,
you know, but a run away from him, he might
dog after a little or whatever. I see less and
less of that this year. I mean, I really think
he's leveled up. Which I thought he might be the
best of Ust player in the year. Now he's better
than that.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
It's the uh, I don't know, maybe third or fourth
time you've said that in the last few weeks, and
I can feel everybody already typing their angry comments. Remember
that's at Williamson NFL.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Okay, I won't talk about it after this week until
they play the Browns again.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
We will do plenty of Miles, Garrett and Cleveland defense
conversation on the next two days on the show.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
I don't think he's crazy sack numbers though, I think
you know, it's.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Not crazy, it's not bad, but three or four, Yeah, honestly,
there's there's nobody that right now has sack numbers that
really jump off the page at you.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
I think Benito's one.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I think you are correct in that Gary was.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Tied for one, and then he didn't play last week. Yes,
you know, benefits from Parsons a lot.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
We will continue to uh to obviously monitor those as
we roll along here, Matt, let's take a break. We
come back on the other side. Offensive Rookie of the Year,
Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, some
interesting ones to coach the tough every year. Could certainly
be the case again this year. We'll continue the conversation
when we return on the other side, West Shooler at Williamson.
It's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers
(15:03):
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Back on the drive here as we get into some
way too early quarter season ish awards thoughts and predictions
here on the Steelers Audio Network. Matt, perhaps I think
the most difficult one to nail down at this point
Defensive Rookie of the Year. There's a lot of guys
(15:52):
that deserve to be brought up in the conversation. I
don't know if there's a clear cut winner right now.
I think Abdul Carter deserves mentioned.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
He was the preseason favorite by a lot, yes, you know,
which I totally understood.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And past rushers. It's kind of like quarterbacks, and in
this it's.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Hard to be a corner safety.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Exactly right, exactly right. But speaking of corners, I think
up in Stout from the Niners deserves some shout in this.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
It's been really good.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Doubt deserves a shout. I know again we're not allowed
to say nice things about the Browns, but Carsions Swassinger
has been very good for Cleveland, really good and played
a ton of snaps doing so anybody else that deserves
a shout in this?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
In this covers you mention linebackers have a chance because
they can accumulate a lot of stats recovery. Yeah, a
couple of picks. Two linebackers stand out to me, Schweesssinger
who you mentioned, who has been better than advertised, and
the Eagles first round pick jure Hud Campbell. Oh good
mention there. Yeah, I actually put a couple of bucks
(16:51):
on him preseason is a long shot. Nice feeling pretty
good about it. Nice. Carter started slow. I mean I
think he probably if I had to bet on who's
going to win it, I don't know that he's done
enough to date, Stout's good, but he's just a lot
and yeah, I mean he's gonna have a tough time. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I think those two linebackers are will be my vote
(17:12):
one of the two.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
This could certainly be something, you know, in one of
these awards where someone emerges down the stretch y Yeah, yeah,
maybe you know that we haven't even really kind of
hit on all the possibilities at this point, but this one,
to me is still kind of the most wide open.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Yeah. I would say so.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Every other one of these, it feels like you can
narrow down to two, three, four guys where this I
think we could probably list seven or eight where it
wouldn't surprise us if they ended up winning the award.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Really scanning the league right now too, thinking, man, I
mean thinking about the first rounders. Yeah, a lot of
those edge rushers aren't like lowing your doors off starting,
you know, right.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, so I think that's where we are with Defensive
Rookie of the Year now Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Different conversation. Yeah, is this another two horse race between
a Mecca Buca and Tyler Warren?
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Teed McMillan I would throw in there too, he's good. Yes,
his surroundings haven't been. He doesn't have the MVP throwing
to him. You know, we gave it the Baker, but
I think it's a bukavable. He's been unbelievable. I mean,
all his advanced stuff is at the top of the league.
He's attacking at all levels. Coming off a huge game,
I mean, Warren's great and exceeded expectations. I would give
(18:25):
it to a booka pretty clearly, though.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I don't think there's a wrong answer there, but I'm
leaning in that direction as well too.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
He's blowing the doors off he is.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
He's been outstanding leads rookies and receiving yards, receiving touchdowns,
second in yards per route run for your kind of
favorite stat there. And let's not kid ourselves, Matt, big
part of these awards are the moments, the snaf shots,
the highlights that everybody sees because the however many hundred
people that vote on this, don't kid yourselves, they're not
(18:57):
watching every second of every game NFL sunour right, They're
in a stadium covering some team, they're traveling, they're doing
a million different things. It's like every single week he's
making a big play against the Falcons, against the Jets,
against the Seahawks to help them win those games. Yes,
that's the kind of stuff that vote. It's like like
the Heisman moment thing. Yeah, you know, you got to
(19:18):
have those memorable moments. And I mean we're quarter poll
into the season and he's got two or three already.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
We're talking about him every week and yeah, and I
think that Godwin's back and he's easing back into shape.
Evans should be back soon. With all respect to Evans,
so I think is an all time great. I still
think he'll be their leading receiver. And I mean I
think a Buka is going to be the man.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
I mean that's a dangerous trio. I mean talk about
Lord Mayfield playing the way he is.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
And you know, right they get Bucky back. I mean
that is terrible. You know, could be saying that's the
best offense in the NFL. Time we get to the
end of the.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Season, I guess strengthened Baker's.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Cause would certainly yeah, right, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Getting better stuff for around him.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Uh. Finally here Matt Coach of the Year. This one
is always crazy difficult.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
I feel like the Colts in there.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Colts have to be in there. Shane Steichen has to
have to be in there. That is how he pronounces
his last name correct.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I called stich In, but I don't know stich Shane.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Shane is of the Colts. Uh Dan Campbell I think.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Has because he lost both coordinators, coordinators a lot to
that offensive line.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
I think everybody expected them to take a step back,
and they're four and one. Once again, Sean McVay in
the conversation.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I say Shanahan too.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Shanahan st in the conversation named McDonald in the conversation.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yeah, Shanahan lost so much and they've lost one game.
They're the most injured team the league not named the Ravens.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
This is going to be an interesting race to follow
because there's a lot of a lot of capable candidates. Heck,
if the Steelers end up winning eleven or twelve games in.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
The divisions, out of it, right.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Liam Cohen's not out of it. The Jags are four
and one. If they win eleven games and win the division,
he's got to get some some conversation.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
And the and mcveigh's don't win it as much as
the new guy that you know exceeded expectations. You know exactly,
and that's a big chuck'll ever won it, you know,
like Bellichick won it one.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
It's a big part. It's a big part of it too.
You have to exceed the expectations and because of that,
it kind of helps if you have lower expectations coming
into the year and then are able to to, you know,
win eleven or twelve games and win your division when
everyone thought you'd be picking in the top ten Chargers.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Harby I thought had a strong case when we were
talking about Herbert as MVP too. But they're starting to
fall off.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
They're starting they're they're they're falling, falling behind a little.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Bit certain years of one of the weirdest ones to me.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
It really is. It's it's always tough to pin down.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
It doesn't mean you're the best coach walking the planet.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Correct correct or else some of these guys go it
would have won it, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I mean talking about the exceeding expectations. They're definitely the team.
I think he's the most.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I think he's my one. I think Dan Campbell's my
two for right now, and then a lot of other
deserving candidates.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
And one other name I throw out, there's Rabel certainly.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
I mean, again, they make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
I would go a long way. They were so bad
a year.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Ago, so bad, and and you know, yeah, there's there's
some real names that have a chance here. Liams won.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
They won the division by two or three games and
win ten or eleven games and a lot of change.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Matt. That's uh our kind of quarter pole thoughts and
predictions and awards.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
It would be Rookie of the Year. I haven't given
this any thought at all. I just.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Hm hmm. I think it's going to be Derek Harmon.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
But right now, I think you could vote for him.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Now, right now, I might say, why are black.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Not bad? I mean definitely not Johnson.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Not Johnson swear we've seen some of But I think
I think why a black? And again there's some like
the exceeding expectations type thing where he just really put
his hand in the pile earlier than I think we did.
The second round pick, first round pick was her third
round pick is barely play. I think it has to
be black black at this point. Now, a month from now,
(23:25):
we might be saying Derek Harmon.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Right yeah, it might be enough. Like I always seen
a couple of games from he's the best.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Guy offensive Rookie of the year, can we I mean,
can we even pick one? Or you're just going Rookie
of the Year in general awards called Yeah, it's the
it's the mean Joe Green performance. Yeah ye, which, of
course Zach Fraser won this past season. Yes, Steelers m
(23:53):
v P. Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Rogers tell you what.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Though, I think the last couple of games t J.
Watt's making making a case.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Certainly Cam, Hey, we're ain't dead, yeah, Cam, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
But it's got I think it's got to be Aaron
Rodgers at this point. I would say Newcomer of the
Year DK Metcalf, Okay, maybe Jalen.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Ramsey Yeah yeah, but I just man.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
They would their their past game would really be struggling
without DK Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Yeah. Not as many targets as you think though. No.
That's one of my Matt stats this week is he's
averaging like five and a half targets a game, which
is like forty third amongst wide receivers.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
We need to get that up to go to get
that up into the top twenty five. All right, Matt,
uh you want to, I guess kind of say stay
same church, different pew here. We got a few minutes
left in this segment till we got a break. Uh,
you want to go around the divisions and pick our
new division winners or well, I guess some of them
(24:54):
will be the same as the beginning of the year,
but our division winners at this.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
I did this the other day, so I think I
know mine off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Okay, and don't I think I can do this is
one of those like off fly things I think I
can do pretty quickly. Let's start in the NFC. NFC Yeah,
let's start in the NFC West, which I think is
one of the more interesting conversations.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
I picked the Rams, and I thought that was the
hardest division winner to pick.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I think this is right now the hardest to pick. Yes, yes,
And there's a couple others, definitely the The AFC West
is tough to pick as well too.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Yeah. AFC South is hard.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
AFC South is difficult.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
One thing about West. When we went into this, we
did a whole podcast on it, so it was a
whole half hour, so we went deeper than we're going
to in these few minutes. But we even went into
like the Niners, they only have one loss, but it
was to an AFC team. They already have some division wins,
like they're ninibreakers. It really matters, especially for wild cards.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
For the Steelers. Man, they win these next two games,
and you're five and one. Your only loss was an
NFC loss year right, three and oh in the conference
in two and oh in your division. That's the heck.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
It's a good start, right, But the Niners are really
sitting pretty. That's one thing that hurts the Rams a
little bit is their tie breakers aren't as good.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
They're great, and the tie breakers already. I think I
would lean Rams though, too, just because I trust their
quarterback more than the others. I think Darnold's been good.
The Niners, man Mac Jones has done everything you could
ask them to do. And they'll get Rock Party back.
They'll get a lot back the Niners.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Yeah, yeah, But I.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Think I'm gonna lean on the Rams because I like
their head coach the most. I like their quarterback the most.
That's a tough one, though, to pay.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
It was the hard we start with the hardest division,
I think.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yeah, NFC South, it's the box. This might be the
easiest one to point. I mean, I could see the
Falcons showing some life and maybe fishing with eight or
nine wins, but feels like this one they.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Went every year. I mean, it's like the most underreported story.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
They're like five straight years they've won the division and
been to the playoffs, and that has included the post
Tom Brady era. That's not just a Brady statistic anymore.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
M hm.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
This that one's pretty easy to me. I think with
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFC North is interesting. Nice start for
the Lions, but I certainly don't think the Packers are
going to go quietly into the either.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
And I picked my preseason pick was the Packers, and
I had them going to the super Bowl. But I'm
gonna take the Lions just because they're in a little
better shape mathematically right now.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I might still take the Packers.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
I totally get it. That was a coin flip from it.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I think we're gonna see I think we're gonna see
Parsons really unleashed here after the bye week. They do
have that tie breaker over the Lions, Green Bay does
at this point.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
That's important, but this is also that weird tie. The
tie breakers aren't gonna matter for that.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
That's true, that's true. I'm gonna I'm gonna lean towards
the Packers. I'm crazy impressed with how the Lions have
responded since that week one big loss at Lambeau, very
much so. But I'm gonna lean towards the Packers on
this one.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
I'm taking the Eagles in the East still, Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
And this one it feels like, I mean, Matt, it's
been twenty years since somebody won that division two years
in a row, which is which is wild? Yeah? I
think the Commanders could at least push the Eagles.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yeah, I mean, they might be in the wildcard talk.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
But this to me feels like Philly's division and in
the driver's seat. They just lost their first game in
ten months. I mean right, they're in pretty good shape.
They're in very good ship, very good shape. Let's take
a break here. We'll do the AFC when we get back.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
I got three wild cards too.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Okay, yeah, let's do Let's do the NFC wildcards. Yes, sorry,
before we go to break, let's do that. Let's do that.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Who you got for wildcom I bet we both agree
that the other North team is going to be a wildcard. Yes,
for me, that's the pack. I also went with Seattle
and the Niners, and mostly because of the Niners tiebreaker stuff.
So I have the Commanders out, I have the Falcons out,
I have the Vikings out.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
I think I'm going to agree with you on that. Okay,
the Commanders are still intriguing to me. I don't think
they're quite.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
As goods for that seventh spot for me, but.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
They you know, they were able to study the ship
without Daniels. Now they get him back.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Running the ball really well. Offense is gonna be good.
McLaurin is still going to come back.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
But I think I think, I think I will go.
I'm with you. I'm gonna go Niners, Seahawks and Lions.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yeah. Yeah, the other North team. I feel pretty strong
about Seattle.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Feels pretty strong about Seattle. Feel pretty strong about the
other North team. Yeah, it's Detroit and green Bay.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
That man.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I could see San Francisco kind of falling apart a
little bit, but I think they deserve the benefit of
the doubt at this day.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Go to Tampa this week, and it wouldn't shock me
if they could beat bad, you know, and all of
a sudden, we're like, but they were kind of held
together with duct tape and you know, yeah, but then
they might get kittle in a week and you can
to start to get right. There's a lot of talk
to they can try to trade for Hendrickson or somebody
like that too, which is right up there alley. They
do that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
A both of these conferences. I think the wild Card
races are going to be a lot of fun this year. Yeah,
a lot of fun this year. On the other side,
let's do AFC on the other side, we'll do that.
To close down the first hour of the program, Weser
Matt Williams, and it is The Drive on Steelers Nation
Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Closing down the first hour of today's edition of The Drive,
Weser Matt Williamson, kind of going over some bigger picture
maybe kind of the final portion of this bye week
conversation in a lot of ways. Yeah, yeah, bigger picture
awards stuff, the Vision winners, all those things before we really,
of course, the next two days turn the page to
(30:56):
the Cleveland Browns and we'll begin to do some of
that with our buddy Chris Adamski in the second hour
of the show as well. But Matt, we have got
to go through the AFC now to give our division
winners and our wild card teams. Let's start with another
tough one, the AFC West.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Okay, yeah, right now.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
You got the Chargers and the Broncos each at three
and two. You got the Chiefs at two and three. Chargers.
The good news for them is in those first three
wins of the season they built up some nice kind
of tie breaker equity. They've lost a little bit of it,
but they still are three and oh in that division,
three and oh against the AFC division. Yeah, that puts them.
(31:39):
You know, the season ended today, they would be the
AFC West champions via tie breaker. But I don't know
if either of us is going to be picking them
to win the division at this point.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I'm not. I think it comes down to the Broncos
and Chiefs. And I expected the Chiefs to win Sunday night.
They didn't. I thought they were maybe the better team.
But I am sorry to come around that. They're starting
to come around, you know that they I think they're
starting to turn a corner a little bit. RACI Rice
should be back soon. That'll go a long way. I'm
(32:09):
taking the Chiefs just because they've earned it. They win
it every year. I mean, I don't know if any
Reid's not never won the division.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
It's a good point.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
I can't remember.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, I mean, because he was winning with Alex Smith before,
right before Mahomes even got there. This one's tough because
I am a Broncos believer. M Like, I really am.
I think that they are a dangerous team. I think
they have one of the best defenses in the National
Football League. Yeah, and I think I've been very encouraged
(32:41):
by the performance of bo Nicks over the last couple
of weeks after a little bit of a slow start
for him. Having said all that, here comes the butt.
I've said this to you, I think four or five
times already this year. The Chiefs to me have entered
Brady belichick Patriots territory. Oh yeah, Now, this division isn't
(33:02):
nearly as much of a cake walk as it was
for Brady and Belichick and those guys in the years
with the Jets and the Dolphins and the and the
Bills all stunk to high Heaven. Yeah, they had that
division one by Halloween but I am just I in
the same way that I didn't pick against the Patriots
(33:22):
ever back then. I'm not going to pick against the
Chiefs now I might either. I would love to pick
the Broncos. I don't know if I've ever shared this
with you or the Drive audience before I had with
Moats and on the Steelers Blitz and when the Steelers
would play the Broncos like they did last year, he
would always give me a bunch of grief. I was
kind of a Broncos fan growing up.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
Really.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
I went to that nineteen ninety seven ninety eight AFC
Championship game at Three Rivers with my grandpa wearing a
John Elway Broncos jersey with my Steelers jacket over top.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
I still have a John Elway and a Terrell Davis
jersey somewhere in a box in my attic. I was
a Broncos fan growing up.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
It'd be an easy team to root for.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
I was like one of the Like, there's a lot
of kids around the Pittsburgh area now that love the Steelers,
and they got Patrick Mahomes just you know, because it's
just when you're a kid, it's just those guys are fun.
They're good. You're not like I can only root for
one team.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
I was a Broncos and a Steelers fan growing up,
and so there's still kind of a very tiny there's
still a tiny little Broncos soft spot in my heart
from my childhood. Interesting, I would love to pick the Broncos,
but I'm going Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
I have no soft spot whatsoever for my team of
that nature. But when I was eight, nine, ten, twelve
years old and really really into football, and that never
really changed. Obviously, the Chargers were reinventing things. Eric coriol Yeah,
people didn't throw the ball like Fouts and Winslow Winslow
Senior and Chandler and Joiner and Jefferson. They didn't play
(34:52):
any deep.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
They were a different gravy.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
I mean, if you were a young kid, everyone loved
the Chargers. So the only non Steeler gear I've ever owned,
I guess what besides the Browns that gave that I
paid for fouls jersey. I paid that. Somebody in my
family paid for I didn't pay for that jersey. But yeah,
the only I've ever worn was Steeler stuff. Brown stuff
(35:15):
for a year. Quickly didn't go after that, although I
still have a sweatshirt, says Williamson on it from the brown.
Everything else went on eBay, but.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Hold on, I was gonna say it's a good memory.
I don't know if it's the best memory.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
That's a nice I want to keep that one. A
full sweatsuit, says Williams on both sides. Yeah, both pants
and sweatshirt. And I did have a fouls jersey.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
I you could ask our our Steelers Radio Network game
day producer Dan Quinlan, when we went to Mile High
Stadium last year, they have like their kind of Haul
of Honor, Ring of Honor equivalent outside Okay, and they
have like little like almost kind of like the Pro
Football Hall of Fame. There's like little head busts of
each of them, you know, Davis and Sharp and and
(35:58):
all and all and at Water and all they oh Way,
of course, so when we were walking in, they're all there,
and it's like Lway and Davis right next to each other.
I was like, Dan, you gotta take my picture real quickly.
I went up between the Terrell Davis and the John
Elway busts and like smiled.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Yeah, you don't remember young Lway though, Like I do.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
No, not really, but he was My first favorite football player.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Was Joe, which I totally respect because they're Even when
I was like new to media, I often said he's
the most underrated of quarterbacks. They went to Super Bowls
with nobody, with nobody, and people like, well, you know,
they had the three amigos, Like, tell me who the
three amigos are. I think one's last name was Jackson,
(36:39):
and yeah, there's three dudes, right right. They did lose
every time, but to take that team to Super Bowl
over and over was he was.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Remarkable, impressive, impressive. I think I've told you this before.
The first football game I remember like vividly was Super
Bowl thirty when the Steelers lost the Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Okay, thinks funny, mine is the Steelers winning over the Rams.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I think I think that. I mean I was like
six or seven, and I think that's the only time
I ever saw my grandpa cry was when the Steelers
lost to the Cowboys in Super Bowl thirty.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
But this I was pretty beat.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
But the second vivid memory that I remember is Super
Bowl thirty two when Elway and the Broncos beat far
from the Packers and Elway did the helicopter right old
l Way and they and they finally won their first
before you know, going back to back and doing it
again next year.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Young was like Homes of the time though.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
It was like the electric him, him and Lemieux and Yoager.
Where my where my guys growing up?
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Good ones.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
I would love to pick the Broncos, but I'm taking
the Chiefs. But I think we'll probably We're both gonna
have Broncos as one of our wild card teams. Yeah,
we'll probably my top. Yeah, we'll get there in a minute.
AFC South another very interesting one. Three teams with as
real shot to do it. I might go Houston, Matt,
I totally get it.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
I am taking a.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Cool experience in the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
I'm taking the I like both sides of the ball
better than the other two teams. I don't trust the
quarterback as much as Stroud, but none of them are proven.
I mean, I'm not betting against Mahomes or Lamar here.
I'm betting against Stroud and Lawrence. You know. Yeah, I
just think they're playing the best.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
They certainly are in that yeah, yeah, they absolutely are
and one and in the Division four and oh in
the AFC.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
The Colts their last shouldn't hurt him. Bad it was.
They lost the Rams, right, they did.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
So they're in a good spot. They are in a
great spot in terms of those early tie breakers AFC North.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
I'm taking the Steelers same, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
I don't really have to think about this one.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
No, I'm not going to totally discount the Ravens because
I do think the Ravens lose this week against the
Rams bye and then come back strong. But that's such
a what are they not one in four? So that
would be one in five?
Speaker 2 (38:53):
They are oh and two sorry, one three in the conference,
one and oh in the division.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
So if they come out of the by one in
five with eleven to play, you pretty much have to
win nine or ten. And I know their schedule gets
a lot easier, but I bet they split with the Steelers.
They play the Packers. I think they have one another
pretty tough game and they're going to stumble somewhere. And
they're not. They're so banged up right right, I mean,
(39:21):
I can't imagine them winning nine out of the final eleven.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
I can't either, and only gets you to ten. I'm
ready to stick a fork in the Ravens, especially if
they lose to the Rams this weekend.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
Yeah, and I expect them to. I mean they're a
big dog.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
AFC is pretty easy, is I mean, they Bill the Bills.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
I know they lost to the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
I don't think they'll run away from New England by
three or four games. Yeah, but I but I think
that they will.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
I'm pretty confident in the division. Yeah, probably even get
the number one seed overall in the AFC.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Yes, And like right now, if we had to do
the whole kind of like rank your confidence thing, yeah,
I think maybe other than Tampa Bay, they might be
the team that I'm most confident in the Steelers in
that conversation pretty soon, but second or third, yeah, I
I know that right now, those first choice. I know
they're just one game up on the Patriots right now,
and the Patriots just beat them. But I think again,
the Patriots are going to do the three steps forward,
(40:14):
two steps back, five steps forward, three steps back.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
And I think we said yesterday, I'm definitely betting on
the Bills to win the next matchup.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
What the spread is? Points? Okay, So there's our division winners,
three wild card teams from you, Matthew for the AFC
at Denver, for sure, that's one of mine as well.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
Yeah, they're my easiest ones, and I'm trying to make
sure I took the Texans and Jags, okay, so but
the Patriots and Chargers out, no, you know who I took.
I'm sorry to make sure I don't do it differently.
I took the Texans, no, okay. I had the Jags
(40:55):
go because they did have one loss. I mean, they're
it's hard not to get in when you're four and one,
So Denver, Jacksonville, and then I was torn between Houston
and Baltimore. I still think Baltimore could end up with
nine or ten wins, you know, but Houston beat him,
had the head So if that's what it comes down to,
I'd like their chances of beating them.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
You know, I'm picking up what you're putting down there.
My wild cards are going to be, for sure, the
Broncos and the Colts too. I had Houston. I had
Houston winning the division, so I'm gonna go Broncos and
Colts for sure. I might go Patriots is my final wildcard.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
I don't think that's nuts. I had a hard time
leaving the Chargers off, just because if they can weather
this storm a little it's just bad vibes right now.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
Vrabel to me is like a I don't know what
his ultimate ceiling is as a head coach, but I
think he brings a very high floor.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
And one of those guys.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
I think that team at three and two right now
can certainly win nine games, which would have him in
the conversation, could win ten.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
It'd be a favorite. Get licking on them real quick.
Their upcoming schedule is so soft.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Atlanta at Tampa Bay, the next Jets,
Cincinnati Giants. Right they should go six and two in
those games.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
That sounds like ten wins.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
That sounds like a ten And I do think I
can close the year down with the Jets and the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
Like wow. I mean they got four games against those
two in the division.
Speaker 2 (42:25):
They still play New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, the Giants,
the Jets Miami.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
So even if it is two to three, step forward,
one step back.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
I'm going Patriots on a wildcard team.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
I didn't realize it was that bad.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
Patriots is my three wildcard teams.
Speaker 3 (42:43):
Three games were super easy. I didn't realize the rest
of the schedules.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
No Chargers no Ravens, No Jags. Jags I think will
be my first. If we're doing the March Madness bubble thing,
like first teams out, I think would probably be the Jags.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
Jags have a tough game this week. I forget who
they play, but I could see them coming back to Earth.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
They have Seattle this week and then the Rams.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
I could see. They just don't seem like a five
and one team.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
They still have Houston and the Chargers coming up soon.
They got to play the Colts. I think. I think
they're like, I don't think they're gonna fall off the
face of the Earth. I think they'll be right there.
But they to me, will be the when the Musical
Chairs game ends, they'll be the last the one. Yeah,
they'll be number eight who couldn't quite find a seat
(43:29):
at the table.
Speaker 3 (43:29):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Hour in the books another hour ago. That was a
fun hour. I enjoyed bigger picture stuff. Matt. We are
going to talk to our buddy Chris Danski and hour
number two. Before we do that, you want to go
around campus. Let's go around campus. Talk about a big
weekend for college quarterbacks. If you're watching on Saturday with
some black and gold glasses on. We'll get into that
(43:51):
to start Hour number two. West Shuler, Matt Williamson. It's
the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio
Network
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