November 3, 2025 • 45 mins
Matt and Wes break down a much needed win for the Steelers, 27-20 over the Colts.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Your tunes about drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Back on the drive here on a victory Monday, as
we continue to react to Steelers twenty seven, Colts twenty
joining us now to continue the conversation. He is the
voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers. You heard him on the
call of course, on the Steelers flagship with Max Stark's
and Missy Matthews. It is the king in the castle,
Rob king king Er, thank you for taking time on
a busy Monday as always, And uh, I don't know
(00:50):
did you see that? Be honest with us, Kinger, Okay,
did you see that one coming yesterday? I think, particularly
the way it played out from a defensive perspective, everyone's
regurgitate the stat. Matt and I talked about it in
the open. But the Colts are a team that had
just four turnovers on the year. You force six in
that game, of course, five on defense, one on special teams.
(01:11):
But Kinger, I think we could have all maybe seen
away for the Steelers to win. But I don't know
if we saw it going down like that. What are
kind of your initial reactions here about twenty four hours out.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well. It's one of the reasons I love live sports,
because you don't know what's gonna happen. If you asked
me to predict, I would have said the score was
going to be in the thirties, probably for both teams,
because that's the way the Colts are trending offensively, the
way the See Thats are trending defensively. Steels had not
had a turnover since the third quarterback is Dublin, and
they completely reversed all of that and played the kind
(01:47):
of defense we saw them play when they had the
three game winning streak going. And so no, I didn't
see that score coming. I'm not surprised that this sear
has won the game. But they did. They won the game,
and they and they did what they needed to do,
and that's a big victory form, a big big victory form.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Yeah, I mean, certainly, when we previewed the game, we
said things like, if the Steelers win dot dot dot.
I'm sure they won the turnover battle bos and the
special teams were super strong, But deep down I kind
of thought, if they win this game, Rogers metcalf Friar move.
I mean like they had a lot of success through
(02:28):
the air attacking those corners, and frankly, that's not really
how the game went.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
No, And I actually thought, uh, you know, one thing
that didn't happen in the game for this from the
Steelers offensive perspective, and I agree with you, Matt, was
I thought they'd be able to run the ball on
the Colts.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Yeah, me too, you know the Colts.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah, there's you know, statistically, their defense against the run,
if you just look at the total yardage was outstanding,
but when you look at when you look at you know,
the yards per carry, that was not quite as flattering.
And so I thought, okay, And and the reason for
that is because they get they get fake leads and
(03:05):
the teams have to abandon the running game. And I
didn't think that was gonna happen. I thought the Seriers
were gonna run early, they were gonna run often, and
if they're gonna win the game, that was gonna be,
you know, one of the paths to success. And didn't
turn out that way. Good to see Jalen Warren get
into the end zone for the first time running the football,
did it twice in this game. But yeah, I thought
they would. I thought they were gonna run the ball,
(03:27):
and that surprised me that they didn't run.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
The ball, absolutely, and I think a lot surprising in
there in that contest, without a doubt. One thing though,
that guys, we continue to see that. I don't think
it's surprising, but it's still it's still nice whenever we
see it transpires just how much better, how much tougher
this offense is the match up against when Darnell Washington
(03:52):
is on the field, oh yeah, and doing the things
that that he was doing on Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah, and you know, we talked about the running game
once again, you know, Cimla trying to play through the
peck injury, and I'm assuming that was the issue that
kept him out for a lot of the second half,
which also, by the way, kept him out of the
second half except for the opening series against the Packers,
which has become a factor because that has been one
of the most effective offensive packages in both running and
(04:19):
throwing the ball. Was having you know, Spencer Anderson out
there is that sixth offensive lineman and Darneld Washington as
like a seventh offensive lineman. Of course, we know they're
both receiving threats now, including Spencer Anderson after he head
his reception against Green Bay. But no, I like that
jumbo package, but you know it is it is, by
(04:40):
and large a sort of mix and match, match up
kind of offense. You don't have other than DK Metcalf
who's always going to get a share of targets, and
if a defense wants to try to single him up,
he's going to get more targets. You know. Other than that,
it's and then trying to run the football. You know,
(05:01):
it's an offense that's gonna see Kenneth Gainwell maybe legion
receptions this week, and maybe John O Smith next week,
and then maybe the following we gets Pat Fryarmooth's opportunity.
I mean, I love what Darnell brings to the table,
but I don't expect to see Darnell get thirteen targets
in the game, you know. So there's still a little
bit of a mix and match element to me with
the Steelers offense. But I do like when Darnell's out
(05:23):
there because he's shown he can catch the ball and
obviously we know he can maul people in the running game.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
And I agree that there is a mix and match
and it's a week to week thing in a good way.
You know, you can find mismatches depending on what the
opponent wants to do.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
But I think at.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Least for me watching that game, I've warmed up to
adding a receiver even more. Do you are you on
board with that or no? I think you've kind of
leaned towards no over the last couple of weeks I had.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
But you know, again, what are you gonna get? You know,
what is it going to cost.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
You to be able to get?
Speaker 3 (06:02):
You know, I do understand what you're saying, and I
started to think about it more in terms of, you know,
after the offense or after the the points that were
scored against this to this defense. You know, that notion that. Look,
you're you're hoping you don't have to do it every week,
but there are gonna be weeks in which you need
(06:24):
to score a lot of points. Look, you know the
Bears needed to score they scored forty seven. They needed
to score forty three to win the game. You know,
and I don't think you can. You know, games in
which you scored twenty five like you did against the
Packers and thirty one like you did against the Bengals
should be enough. But you know what it wasn't wasn't
And sometimes you need to score more and so maybe
(06:47):
that additional weapon, if to do nothing else, then at
least make a team think about it. But Matt, I
just I'm not sure because I don't think a number
of quote unquote number two receiver and seeing you know,
maybe Calvin Austin take that downs roll on yesterday like
we saw, you know, depending upon what type of number
(07:08):
two receiver. It was like, you know, Jail and Wattle,
are they going to pay Wattle whatever? He's making twenty
eight million dollars a year. I can't see them investing
fifty eight million dollars in two receivers. I just can't.
I don't think it's gonna happen. So, you know, could
you get like I'm a big fan of Michael Pittman,
you know, a big range guy like that that can
get your first down. Sure, but who are they you know?
(07:31):
And are they available? So I I thought there would
be you know, wider spread effectiveness in the passing game.
It's it's shown signs of doing that I thought it
would be. Let me let me you know what I
thought about what it is now. I let's just say
that I'm more open to the idea of doing that
(07:53):
than I had been, and I was resistant to it
as you indicated in previous weeks.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
A couple more minutes here with our buddy Rob king
on the drive on a victory Monday, Kinger looking over
the snap counts for the Steelers defense. Three guys played
every single snap for the defense, Ramsey Queen and Joey
Porter Junior. And then right on their heels, right off
the plane and off the practice field, and fresh on
(08:18):
the roster was Dugger. Seventy seven snaps ninety nine percent
of the defensive snaps, also added four snaps on special teams.
To me, of all the encouraging things with the defense,
the splash, the sacks, the limitation of Jonathan Taylor, all
these different things, to me, it's almost flown under the
(08:39):
radar in the last twenty four hours. How successful that
safety tandem was with a guy who just got to
the roster and Jalen Ramsey who kind of had to
move to a position where they don't want him to
be all the time.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, And I guess the question is is that where
the defense's best. I mean, I think that Ramsey is
one of those guys that gives you the versatility to
play probably in the slot and free safety might be
the best positions at this point of his career. I
don't know you could you know that that's for somebody
else to argue other than I. But you know, this
(09:15):
is the fact that he has that versatility to do both.
And a lot of guys don't you know, is that
where you need him most? Is that where you know,
with all the injuries at the safety position and tim
in effectiveness at some of those positions, is that where
he can best serve your team. And if that's where
he can best serve your team, maybe that's where you
(09:36):
need to play him. And then, you know, I don't
know if you'd revisit it when Deshaun Elley, you know,
comes back from his injury. But again, keep in mind
that Douger and Elliott, you know, they're at their best
playing similar positions. They're not you know, necessarily the same
I'm not trying to say to the same player, but
you know, and then and then that becomes a different issue.
You know, you start thinking about big nickel or other
things he could potentially do. Uh, But I mean, for
(09:59):
right now, you know, you have to win the game
in front of you, and you know that's the most
important thing. And people, you know, the running game didn't
get going yesterday. The offense wasn't explosive yesterday, Kay, But
the offense did what it needed to do to win
the game in front of you. That's what you have
to do, win the game in front of you. And
maybe in the short term the best way to win
(10:20):
the game in front of you is Jalen Rams get
free safety.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
I thought it was a real stabilizing force and maybe
that is the tandem going forward. And you're just happy
with the safety situation for the first time in a
while now. Obviously on defense, Rob the stars, the leaders,
the big money guys really showed up in a tremendous way.
But I also think, and I know you're a fan
(10:44):
of him, the first round pick Derek Harmon is really
coming along nicely too, and is a pretty solid contributor already.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, he is. And I like that, especially that trio
of guys in the front, you know, Harmon v and Heyward.
You know they don't play a ton of snaps together.
You know, I wouldn't mind seeing him out there more.
I love that. I love what you can do with that.
You can stop the run, you can push the pocket back,
(11:13):
and I understand you can't get predictable. You know, I
was asked on an earlier so hey, he just simplified
the defense. Well, that maybe works for a week because
you have Kyle Dugger in there and you're trying to
get the communication down and all that other stuff. But
you know, you don't want to be too simple because
then teams look exploited. We've heard that be a criticism
of this Dents. Hey, we knew exactly what they were
gonna do, and people harp on that, oh, they're too simple,
(11:35):
and so you have to have a you have to have,
you know, the capability to move guys around and put
them in the best position possible. But I really like Harmon.
I think, you know, Keanuventon in the past rush game
has been a force in certain games. I thought, certainly,
not only did they have a sack yesterday, but I thought,
you know, he was a big factor and Harmon was
(11:56):
a big factor. And you know, it used to be
when a defensive lineman, you know, you saw somebody running
and then all of a sudden, you saw like a
flash of speed and somebody went down. You didn't even
have to look. You knew it was ninety seven. You
knew it was Cam Harby was the only guy that
big who could move that fast. Well, now we're seeing
Harmon track guys down, you know, on completions nine yards downfield.
(12:19):
And by the way, Cam's always been a phenomenal hustler.
You know, there was a little while when it was
he into it, and then it's been you know, Cam's
been kind of you know, carrying the standard on his own,
and of course that standard's a high standard. I mean,
he's a future Hall of Famer for me. But it
is good to see these young guys, you know, Benton
and you know Harmon who you talked about flash and
(12:40):
be effective, and I'm I'm bullish on Harmon, and I
was also bullish on the performance of Benton, and I
think he's turned in several strong games as well.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob King kind enough to
join us here on a victory Monday. Make sure you're
listening to him in the locker room every morning at
ten am with Max Starks. King of great stuff as always.
Thank you for taking the time and we'll talk to
you soon.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Thanks guys, take care.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
There he goes. The King is exiting the castle. Rob
King there with us on the drive, and Matt remind me,
maybe not today because and you know, I was gonna
ask him a question or two about it too. But
just so much going on and so much to get to.
But Rob and I got to broadcast from the Steelers
alumni dinner Saturday night.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
Oh cool, Yeah, where they were.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Honoring the twentieth year anniversary of the Super Bowl forty team.
We had some cool guests, some fun conversations on Saturday nights.
I'll have to maybe tell one or two of those
funny Jeff Reid's story while.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
We were there.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Imagine that. Who would imagine Jeff Reid in the middle
of a funny story? Who saw that one coming? But
plenty more to get into from this Steelers victory twenty
seven to twenty will continue to comb over it all,
break it all down as we roll along West Shouler,
Matt Williamson, you are listening to the Drive on Steelers
Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
Now work.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 6 (14:36):
Good afternoons, Steelers Nation.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
It's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on a victory Monday,
West ruler Matt Williamson with you here for the next
two hours as the Steelers take care of the Colts
and get back into the win column twenty seven to
twenty over the team that entered that game with the
best record in the NFL. Matt plenty to get to
(14:58):
a lot of minutia, plenty of good. I think some
concern from that game. As always, when the Steelers lose,
we say that there's good in there. When they win,
there's still some things that we have to break down.
But all in all, I think a very successful Sunday
at Akrosar Stadium.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, I think it should be a joyous week, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
I mean the last couple were rough, and I get that,
and I very much respect the passion of our listeners
and steel Nations absolutely, And there were things defensively that, wow,
leading up to this game were very, very worrisome, and man,
I couldn't be I don't want to say optimistic, but
happier about how the big dogs on defense stepped up
(15:40):
and all the big plays and it's very clear, I
don't say dependent, but probably is the right word of
how this defense is with splash, and when they don't
get it, it's a long day. When they do get it,
look out, I mean, because it comes in tidle waves
and from all over. And frankly, they were way better
(16:00):
down to down in this one too. I mean they've
had games where frankly, they don't play great defense, but
they make great defensive plays.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
I thought down in and down out, they were really
really good.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
And I know he can, you know, be a polarizing
guy because he's been the head coach for a very
long time. And I'll get rid of Tomlin. It's always
fall blah blah blah. They never do anything different. But
I give him and the entire coaching staff a lot
of credit because I really feel like it will never
know this answer, but I feel like they looked in
the mirror and said, what we're doing is not working.
(16:34):
You know, we had a plan and it's time to
kind of go off course a little bit here and
change the safety situation and the coverages we run and
the amount of blitz we're going to do and frankly
going forward on fourth downs and not playing for field goals.
There were a couple instances where I mean, it's hard
(16:55):
to know this for one hundred percent, but they went
for multiple first down downs, and I think they did
have went for another too. There was one late in
the game. It was like third and four. They ran
the ball, which told me they're gonna take two downs
to do it, but they lost the yard, so it
turned into fourth and five and instead of fourth and two,
because you could see like Rogers and Tom and like.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
We're still going for it.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Okay, we're not this time, but like it was an
aggressive and good game plan.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It absolutely was, and you saw it right out of
a shoot. Steelers get the ball first, they go three
and out first.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Get the beginning was a little worried.
Speaker 6 (17:32):
So first, the beginning was a little worriosome.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
It's easy to remember now, but there was a lot
of points in that first quarter, a lot of different
moments where it felt like, uh, oh, this could this
could get away from them a little bit.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
You're just catching balls left and right and the offense
isn't moving the.
Speaker 6 (17:46):
Football one point Matt.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
At the end of the first quarter, the Colts had
ten first downs and the Steelers had zero. Right now,
by halftime, it was like Steelers had twelve first downs
and the.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
Colts had ten.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Right, But at one point late in the first quarter,
the Colts had ten first downs the Steelers had run
ten offensive plays.
Speaker 6 (18:01):
I think the Steelers want to have a first down
in the first I believe you are.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
I'm almost certain.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yeah, And then they rattled off like twelve straight before
the Colts got another one. So it was it was
a real juxtaposition there. But you get the ball first,
which I loved. By the way this offense.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
I just found this out.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Sorry to interrupt, but I guess the Colts and Falcons
are the two teams if they win the coin.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Flip, always take the ball. I didn't.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
I didn't never pay attention to that in my life.
And I wonder if Tomlin just did that to say, I.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Know you won it first, so I'm gonna take me
throw you off.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yeah, I don't know if he did great call whatever. Yeah,
And it didn't work. And we made this joke. I'd
made this joke a couple of times. The Steelers going
into Sunday, they had scored points on every opening drive
of the season in the United.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
States of America.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
The only game that they didn't was the one at
Croke Park against the Vikings in Dublin. Well, they finally
win a game here in the States without getting points
on their opening possession. They go three and out. Then
the Colts march down the field thirteen play drive, yeah,
stick it in on a fourth and one push push.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
Oh yeah. And it's like, oh no, this is what
this team does.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And then the offense goes three and out again, and
you're thinking, oh man, is this gonna get late early
here for this team? And they have a special team's
faux pas and you're like, okay, here we go. That's
the one play we needed. Everything's good, slow start, but
we're fine. You go for it on fourth down. You
don't get it, I mean, And I loved the decision
to go forward on Oh yeah, I'm not like, do
(19:23):
not just take the points here?
Speaker 6 (19:24):
You know what I mean? Like, you have to turn
this into a touchdown.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
There'll be a lot of points scoring this stage of
the game.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
We're gonna be a lot of points scored in this game.
This is not gonna be a twenty to seventeen game.
Do not settle for the field goal here. They didn't.
I still loved the aggressiveness and how that all played
out early and again, Matt, if you end up losing
this game, we're looking back on it differently, certainly, But
to me now it's even more encouraging that they didn't
even get the start that they wanted and they were
(19:52):
still by halftime in the third quarter, in the fourth
quarter in a commanding I don't want to say cruise
to victory, but almost cruizically every scenario, and I hear
a ton of people screaming it.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
Taylor wasn't much of a factor, especially late in the game.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Once again, we said this, This was one of our
positives about the loss of Green Bay.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
On Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
We were like, Hey, if whatever Josh Jacobs had in
that game, you would have signed for that in blood
going into that one Jonathan Taylor fourteen carries for forty
five yards, you would have signed in blood that before
the game started.
Speaker 5 (20:22):
You could have doubled it. And I've been like, sign
me up.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I think there's a lot to be said about a
game where we had talked a little bit too. Cam
Hayward had called out their mentality after that, after that
Packers game, we had talked about that last week. There
were a lot of moments in that first quarter where
I thought, uh, oh, you know again, this could this
could get late early here type of thing, And instead
(20:47):
it ended up being a comfortable victory in all intents
and purposes. I know a lot of people are screaming,
how do you only win that game by seven points?
Speaker 6 (20:54):
How do you only win that game by seven points?
They kicked a fifty some.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yard field goal with nine seconds left or else you
would have won by double digits and it would have felt.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
Much more comfortable.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And who really cares If Roman Wilson doesn't fumble that
ball at the end, maybe you add another field goal,
you end up winning by thirteen and we're singing a
different story.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Yeah, yeah, I was never worried.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
No to me, the way to get it to me,
the way that that all played out was was very encouraging.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
One thousand percent. And I know there's been a lot
of talk, and that's just how fans are. And I'm
not calling out our fans, you know, but man, you
should should have traded Watt. Never should have given him
that kind of contract. High Smith, trade him. Cam looks
old and done. You know, Slay doesn't want to tackle anymore,
doesn't want to get involved. Ramsey trade wouldn't make any sense.
(21:38):
You know, all these old defensive backs retread safeties from
the Patriots. You know how fans are. I mean, when
things go bad, you're just gonna blame everybody.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
Yep. And all those things trended the other direction.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
You know that you're a lot of proud leaders, and
almost all those guys I mentioned are veterans. They're not rookies,
they're not young guys. But I do want to talk
about some of the young guys on defense, namely Benton
and Wilson and a couple of these other guys I
think are trending the right way. But I thought the leaders,
your big money guys, your investment dudes, were all excellent
in this game. And we pre recorded just to pull
(22:12):
back the curtain. But there's a show on DV tonight
that Rob and Pursuda and I do every day or
every Monday. And Rob opened it and he's the point guard.
He went right to Mike and he's like, what do
you think of this game? And Mike said the same
thing you did about how Cam Hayward mentioned the effort,
and we all kind of thought this could be a
(22:34):
turning point in the season. I mean, if effort's not great,
and frankly, Slay seemed like the guy that was getting
the most arrows in that direction, which I totally understood.
Rewatching the game. I'm talking about last week and Rob
brought it up. He's like, how about Sleigh. I mean
he broke or dislocated or did something really bad to
(22:54):
his hand, because even like when he was laid on
the ground and they're coming to look at it, he's
like pulling away and like he was a lot of pain. Yes,
goes to the locker room, like I guess he's done.
Oh well, you know, it's just just gonna be the
turn of the guard for a new corner. Blah blah
blah comes back and plays right through it. You know,
Like there's a lot of leadership in that building, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
There absolutely is there there.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
There is a lot, particularly on that defensive side of
the football too. And maybe it took a week later
to surface than we expected, sure, but I kept thinking
of that too, that Merrill Hodge line of never under
activate a professional that's been.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
Embarrassed, yep, and that defense has been embarrassed.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
Two weeks in a row.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Yeah, yeah, uh and and they knew too a lot
of the one of the things that I always laugh
at and and Motes and I would would argue, I
say argue in air quotes, which joke about this all
the time.
Speaker 6 (23:45):
Those guys love to talk about shutting out the noise.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
And we don't pay attention to what anybody says, and
we're singularly focused in all this.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
I always wonder they are full of it. Okay, okay,
Mozoy says that too.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
No Motes says it's a fifty ft He said. Some
guys are really good at shutting it out. Other guys
can't stay off their phone and can't you know, can't
can't turn it off.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
Back in the day, just don't get a newspaper in
the listen to.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
The radio, don't read the newspaper. I think I've told
you this story before. But the three years that I
worked in Philadelphia for the Eagles, I produced the afternoon
show there, and one of the hosts on there was
I Greece, who was a linebacker for the Eagles during
the Donovan McNab years, and then he played I think
two years for the Falcons at the end of his
career and He used to always joke when we would
draft young players on defense, they would always send me
(24:29):
to be like the guy that would pick him up
at the airport and mental the Eagles would always kind
of send me to be like the welcome to the town,
welcome to the franchise.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
And he's like, is an honor, that's not like.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
This is like late nineties, early two thousands, and he's like,
I would the first thing I would tell these guys
all the time is don't read the newspapers and don't
listen to w i P, which is a big sports
talk station in Philly.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
He's like, now, how it's so much? What am I
going to tell him? Don't have a cel phone? Social media,
you know, YouTube and all this different stuff.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Those guys knew how much they had been maligned, whether
it's the media, whether it's the fan base, anywhere and
everywhere in between.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
Over the last two games, they paid defense, defense. This
is what you're getting, I I think, coach.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
I think I think there was a clear needed response
there and and those guys delivered, and like you mentioned,
I'm got it. So happy we got it, and most
of it, most of it came from those leaders to
Cam was outstanding. TJ was outstanding, Ramsey was outstanding, leading from.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
The front, slaze injury.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
High Smith heard his ankle early on and came back
and played a phenomenal game.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yes, that's a great point as well, leading from the front,
getting it from every everywhere, Uh, TJ, Cam, Ramsey, high Smith.
Certainly those guys are well compensated for what they do.
Peyton Wilson was outstanding once again. Ke Benton played well.
Derek Harmon played well. I mean it was it was
(26:00):
all hands in the pile, all hands on deck.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Way fewer poems in the air. Communication problems and we'll
get into it later in the show. But and I'm
gonna watch the All twenty two when I get home tonight.
But definitely some defensive wrinkles that were intriguing.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Yeah, and how about Douger as well. I mean we're
twelve minutes into the show here, maybe we buried the lead.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
Yeah, step right in.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
He other than other than Ramsey, Corden and Porter, he
played the most snaps on that defense. Yes, after just
getting here a few days ago with him and Ramsey,
were you know, you talk about that communication stuff you
mentioned Alec Pierce and.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
They might be set at safety. Now, well, who knows.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Those wide receivers made some plays.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
They're a really good group.
Speaker 6 (26:45):
Are a really good group.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Yeah, but some of that too was kind of garbage time,
empty calories, lake drives, where you're letting them right, order
a McDonald's at three am in the morning, after you've
after you've been out at the at the bar all night,
empty calories.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
They early. I was worried.
Speaker 6 (27:01):
It did make some plays in the first.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I mean again, towards the end of the first court
of the Colts had ten first downs and the Steelers
had none.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
They were clearly making play.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
It started good, but thirty thousand foot view on the whole,
I think they did a really good job of staying
on the same page and limiting I mean, this was
the best offense in the NFL going into going into
yesterday's game.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
One thousand percent. That's the thing that I couldn't get around.
Was okay, and we go leading up to the game,
I noticed a proud defense. Are showing a lot of
warts right now, but maybe they do play better against
the Colts. But the bar has to be even higher
because this offense is phenomenal and I'm sure if we
were doing Colts Nation Radio would be like, it was
(27:43):
kind of a down day. You know, we didn't play
our best, right, it was Jones's worst day as a
cult for sure.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
And again, but that speaks to that happens to everybody
in the NFL. Oh yeah, yeah, I don't care how jr.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
You're gonna have a bad game where you're gonna have
to take it on the chin like the Colts did.
I don't I don't care how bad you are. You're
gonna have a good game and knock somebody out. You're
gonna be the Carolina Panthers and you're gonna go and
the Packers.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
That's league, right, I mean, Vikings met the Lions with McCarthy.
I mean, like, that's this league. But even like the
Patriot game, they had five takeaways. Some of them were
just dumb things the Patriots did. Like in this case,
other than the muffed punt situation, you earned your takeaways,
you took the ball away.
Speaker 5 (28:25):
Oh, they weren't giveaways, you know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Exactly right, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And so while I know on the surface, a lot
of people thinking should have blown that team out, could
have blown that team out.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
Yeah, I don't see it that way.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
I don't see it. I don't see it that way either.
They after that first quarter, they were in the driver's
seat the entire time.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
That's a playoff team all day long, if not more.
Speaker 6 (28:47):
They had the best record in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah, are they still now tied for the best record
in the NFL?
Speaker 6 (28:53):
I think or maybe one.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
I think it's them and the Packers going to have
two losses because they both lost.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Yeah, that's right, and the Packers lost as well too,
I mean maybe. I mean, I know, like Buffalo six
and two, they're you know, like right on their their
their tail type thing. But yeah, all in all, again,
even in wins, there's some things that you would have
liked to have cleaned up and see it seemed differently, but.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
I mean, offensively, they weren't great in this game.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
And Aaron Rodgers said that after the game.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yeah, you know, like twenty one of their twenty seven
points came off of turnovers. They've got to be better.
But you know, Aaron Rodgers said, we should have scored
in the thirties this game.
Speaker 5 (29:28):
And and and I love that way.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And really put them away. And I love that he
sees it that way too. And that's I mean, Matt,
we are just getting into the month of November. We
are halfway through the regulars.
Speaker 5 (29:38):
Pretty much at the halfway point.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Yeah, Like, let's let's not let's not kid ourselves too,
Like you want to see this by.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
The end of this month. Is when you want to
see this team peaking, you know.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
And and and I'm I'm thinking that yesterday was a
step in the right direction, you.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
Think, a massive step, well, especially defensively.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Especially defensively. Yeah, as you continue to clean some things
up in the meantime.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
M hm, no, I think so.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
And I mean, we'll talk way more about it tomorrow.
But you've got a trade deadline coming up tomorrow to
might you add a piece? I could see a defensive back,
and I when we've talked to no end about a
receiver that even makes you a little bit better football team,
you know, I think that's possible.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
We'll discuss that plenty as we roll along in certainly
plenty tomorrow. A jam packed trade deadline show tomorrow for you.
But for today, we've got to continue to break down
and come through. Steelers twenty seven, Colts twenty We'll continue
to do that. On the other side with the voice
of your Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob King joins us when we
return West Ruler Matt Williamson on a victory Monday. It's
(30:41):
the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network,
your tunes.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
About Drive on your twenty four to seven home of
the Black and Goal. Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Back on the Drive here as we roll along and
approach the end of the first hour of the show.
Here on a victory Monday, it was a crazy Sunday
across the NFL.
Speaker 6 (31:34):
We'll get into yeah, as usual, some of that an
hour number two.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
The very unpredictable league, it sure is.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
And thanks to Rob King for joining us there in
the previous segment.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
One of the things too, you know, like we kind
of touched on it a little bit in the open,
how there's still improvement for this offense. That to me
in a performance like that can almost be I don't
want to say encouraging, because that's the wrong word, but
I like how.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Your little board doing the right thing.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
There is my little board.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
I'm looking sometimes your screen and it's always moving and
now it's not the little blue has.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Oh yeah, no, it's just I was like it's like,
looks confused, what's going on?
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Like usually that's like buzzing along. I'm like, okay, never mind,
let me, I'll stick to my lane.
Speaker 6 (32:27):
Let me zoom it, let me a little bit. I'm like,
what's he looking at over there?
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:32):
Going on?
Speaker 5 (32:33):
I thought you like forgot to record or something that lane.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
I mean that that would be that would be uh,
that would be pretty pretty typical, I guess. But like
in a game where Aaron Rodgers just barely threw over
two hundred yards, in a game where Jalen warn sixteen
carries for thirty one yards, that's.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
The one I was a little disheartened with, you know, right.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
To me as much as you know, people are screaming,
I shouldn't say I'm I'm probably being a little hyperbolic,
but there have been a lot of people. You know,
how do you force six turnovers and only score twenty
seven points? How do you know, win the turnover margin
like that and only win by a touchdown?
Speaker 5 (33:11):
It wasn't I don't see it that way.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
I don't either, because it wasn't a Mona Lisa for
the Steelers offense, but they still found a way to
capitalize and Yeah, they got help from the defense, right right, right.
I mean, you know, Peyton Wilson interception.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
That was good complimentary football, like we were talking about all.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
Week, good complimentary football, and it was nice to see that.
I feel like that conversation for most of the year
has swung in the offense's favor.
Speaker 6 (33:33):
Oh times a thousand, whereas it was.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
It was good to see it swing back the other
way against an opponent where you probably needed it to.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Yeah, I was quite happy. And I know the turnovers
are so important in this in this instance, but you
beat a playoff team that is one of the better
teams in the league. I definitely believe that without your
offense's a game. You know, it wasn't there a game.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
They've got MVP candidates, Offensive Player of the Year candid,
it's coach of the Year candidates.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
And it's not a bad cold defense either.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
It is not, No, certainly not. And you were also
down a touchdown after fifteen minutes of play, and then
that defense just came alive when you when you absolutely
needed it too. But for me, I still want to
see more of a commitment to running the football.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
Yeah, that was one of my complaints, and I know.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Aside from the what the box score looks like and
all that stuff, I just I want to see more.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
I want to see more commitment to run in the football.
Speaker 5 (34:29):
Yeah. Now, And.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
It's a perfect example of how progress isn't linear. You know,
the running game is getting better, it's getting better, it's
getting better. Okay, this is a step back. Let's just
realize that's how.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
This thing goes.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
And as you mentioned, you're not even halfway done with
your games at this point. If you can continue to
get better over the chunks of three four games as
opposed to every game getting better, that's it's not how
it works. Fine, but this goes back to the second
half of the Green Bay game. Three K carries for
Jalen Warren. I don't love that now, but I don't know.
(35:08):
And hey, I think anyone that listens to us probably realizes.
I am an Aaron Rodgers believer, but he has a
lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 5 (35:18):
I'm sure I know where you're going.
Speaker 4 (35:20):
I'm sure play calls come in with ron or pass
options or there. I don't know how they specifically get
things from the booth to Aaron's ears.
Speaker 6 (35:31):
You got three different play calls yeah and go with
on this play.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
Exactly, and he's gonna audible and he's not gonna draw
things up in the sand like people think. But he
certainly has a reputation over his career of checking out
the runs to throw. Like with the Jets, they were
like had the fewest carries in the league. Now they
were losing all the time, and people are like, oh,
he's just trying to pad his stats. I don't know
why he does it, but it's pretty much worked for
(35:54):
eighteen years or since the guy was going to go
the Hall of Fame, right, And I don't know if
it's stat padding or if he's just looking at the
best option and goes there. So I just I guess
my point is, don't just blame Arthur Smith entirely.
Speaker 5 (36:08):
Oh they're not running the ball.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
Enough, because I think his track record's pretty strong that
he's going to put the ball in the running backs belly.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
You know what I mean, And I.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Know why you are absolutely correct, And I certainly think
over the last two games where it's felt like like
before that Green Bay game, it felt like the like
the Steelers run game was really on an upward trajectory.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
Yeah, Yeah, and and big picture, I still believe it
is completely agreed.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Yeah, but I do think that it's it's pretty clear
that there's some of those situations where it's an either
or that Aaron Rodgers is allowed to decide, as he's
earned every right to do.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
And I bet he's calling plays as much as Arthur Smith.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
And and yeah, you know what, it's a maybe point,
it's a good point. Or again where it's just a hey,
here's two or three options when I get to the
line of scrimmage, which one do you like best? I understand,
I underst stand why too. And he's earned the right
to do what he wants to do and to keep
the ball in his hands, and especially now that it
feels like he's got the healthiest complement of weapons and
(37:12):
pass catchers that he's had, you know, this season, count
in Austin fully back in the fold and everything they've
been able to do with Darnell Washington and what we've
seen from Pat Fryarmouth. Yeah, the last the last absolutely, yeah, absolutely.
I mean they once again go play action on the
first play. That was another one of those bad things
early on where I thought, oh man, you got a
chance to hit a twenty thirty yard game to John
(37:33):
u on the on the first play of the game,
and it wasn't a perfect throw but should have probably
still been caught.
Speaker 6 (37:38):
Yeah, I I I.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
And you knew that they were practice. I mean that
was playing four days ago, totally.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
It was playing just like the just like the Darnell
washing was a few a few weeks prior. I still though,
I think this offensive line has shown improvement in not
only pass protection but in the run game. And I
think other and Aaron Rodgers, you could argue Jalen Warren
as good as anybody else on that offense.
Speaker 5 (38:05):
Yeah, including Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Became Metcalf would be in the conversation, absolutely, but that's
I think.
Speaker 5 (38:09):
Warren's a heck of football player.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
He is a fantastic football player, and I think so
much of it is just when you can get him
going early, it really opens up everything else for the
for the rest of the.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
Offense thousand percent.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
I mean, analytics folks will will laugh at establishing the
run and all the old school things like that.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
But the more things change, the more they stay the.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Same, right, I mean, it's certainly a nice thing to
lean back on when you are moving bodies, and Warren's
getting a lot of yardage, and you can run the
football early and it's always there in your back pocket
one thousand percent. And that was missing yesterday and I've
been missing, I guess for six quarters now. I don't
think it's shot that they've gone back to not being
(38:53):
a good running team. I don't believe that at all now.
One thing I wanted to mention, this is a huge
knock on Wood thing, and maybe it even comes up
this week. Watching the Sunday Nighter last night, one of
the announcers said, there's only two or three teams that
have started the same five offensive linemen for every game.
Oh don't go here, Williamson stealers are one of them,
(39:14):
and that's in jeopardy again with Siamalo. Yeah, and hopefully
that's why I'm knocking on wood, you know, left and right.
You don't have change up front, you know, because that
could derail a good young group that's all progressing together.
I think the tackles are playing pretty well, especially Falton.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
You know what.
Speaker 6 (39:33):
I'm glad you said that too.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
And we're you know now almost an hour into the show,
and we should have referenced Troy Fultanu at some point
I thought he was fantastic. Yeah, Roger Jones has been
much better, much better. But I think Chroy Faltanu has
really listened.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Matt.
Speaker 5 (39:49):
I think he's gonna be a start.
Speaker 6 (39:51):
You and I.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
I I was thinking about this in the midst of
the game as Faltonu was playing outstanding and Darnell Washington
was like the focal point of the offense. Like you
and I did some predictions and we'll revisit all this
stuff at the end of the year. We don't need
to go too deep into it now. You and I did.
We had a show or like an hour you know,
after training camp before the season started, when we've got
(40:13):
some time to kill there where we did predictions for
this Steelers season.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (40:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
One of our predictions was Darnell Washington fifty or more
targets on the season. We're trending in the right direction
in that regard.
Speaker 5 (40:26):
Yes, helped.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Yesterday certainly helped. He had six targets yesterday, four receptions.
The other was by the end of the year, everyone's
calling Zach Frasier and Troy Faltanu stars.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
Man.
Speaker 6 (40:38):
I think it's feel pretty good abo that I'm feeling pretty.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Good about that. And I thought, to be fair too,
Fualtanu really stood out. And it's easier to do that.
As a tackle. You either stand out in a good
way or stand out in a bad way. It's almost
like a defensive back, right, It's like there's very there's
very rare, like that guy had a B game. You know,
he was fine. He wasn't great, he wasn't terrible. He
had a B a three point zero GPA. It tackle
(41:02):
in at corner it's like you're eive a valedictorian or
you were a bum. There's typically not much of a
position nature of the position. And so while Filtanu stood
out in that regard, I thought McCormick and Fraser played
very well, very well too, And that is Jones And yeah,
that's encouraging and you would hate to lose, Sayamalu, I think,
particularly for what it means for some of the other
(41:24):
stuff that you can do, the corned beef package, all
those things. But you also, I think would feel pretty
confident about Anderson sliding in there the way that the
other four are currently performing.
Speaker 4 (41:33):
Yeah, I think they'd be okay with Anderson. For Ciamalu
one for one. Now the jumbo you know, Cornborn stuff
to be worked out. We touched on it a little
bit last week of what some options would be, but
they I did just want to mention that they've been
very fortunate with health, which great because they need to
be because I'm glad they're young and they're all growing together.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
They have they have and you know, they've missed some
keep overall. I think that that's been something that you
can't complain too much about. They've miss some key guys.
You're gonna miss to Sean Elliott. You know, he missed
some time at the beginning of the year. He's missing
time now, Alex high Smith, all those things, but you
haven't had other defense.
Speaker 5 (42:09):
All other injuries have been defensive orient.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
Correct which is not great, no, but you feel like
you've got a lot of depth there, and you've got
a lot of stars there, and you've got a lot
of leadership there. You've got the flexibility to overcome what
we just saw with Jalen Ramsey and Duggar and what
they had to do and kind of some some patchwork
throwing a safety tandem together here this week to get
ready for the Colts.
Speaker 4 (42:33):
And I also commended the Steelers and Omar in the
front office the off season because I think a big
priority of the off season was building defensive depth total
because you know, you're older, you know, like, I know,
the most expensive defense in the league. But it's not
all because the stars too. I mean, you're paying like
a Harrison, you know. Some of your depth guys are veterans,
(42:53):
you know, I mean, because yeah, and that's why, like
the fourth quarter points allow so bothers something. It's like,
but you built the depth, you know, like, let's use it.
And I think we did yesterday and we saw yesterday.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
I think they did. And again it's not gonna be
every single week here here they go. But that's one
of those those guys deserve a lot of credit. And
I know I said this to you earlier in the season,
but I always laugh. It's like when the Steelers defense
is performing like they did against the Bengals or the
Packers second half against the Packers, there's a lot of
(43:27):
highest paid defense in the league one dollars or whatever
it is, but then when they go out there and
get six turnovers, everyone not Everyone's not like, ah, that's
what you get what you pay for.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
Right, I mean they never should have signed what Cam's
over the hill high Smith trade him.
Speaker 5 (43:43):
Cam Hayward was a force phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
He was a force, so many deflected passes, so much
chaos caused great in the run game.
Speaker 6 (43:52):
I think Quentin Nelson wants that guy to retire big time.
Oh yeah, I mean he's tired.
Speaker 4 (43:56):
They might be equal players, but one wins the individual
matchups every time.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
And sports are weird like that, just sometimes so certain
guys have certain guys numbers and styles make fights, and
maybe there's one part of your game where you don't excel,
and that's a part of my game where I could
take advantage. But I mean, I tell you what if
Cam Hayward played the Colts every single week, Aaron Donald
(44:21):
type type numbers, if he was playing Indianapolis every single week,
which is saying something because that's a really good Colts
offensive line, and that's a Quentin Nelson who is in
all likelihood gonna be wearing a gold jacket one day
as well.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
I think the bottom line is Cam is still phenomenal
and showed it again.
Speaker 6 (44:37):
He sure did, as did T. J.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Watt, as did Alex high Smith, as did a ton
of guys on that defense that I think we did
a pretty good job of giving them some flowers, giving
them some roses here in the first hour, that is
an hour in the books more on this game. An
hour number two will also go around the league and
and tap into a wild Sunday across the NFL. Maybe
get to some of your tweets well before we get
(45:01):
up out of here. Halfway home on the drive West Schuler,
Matt Williams and it's the Steelers Audio Network.
Your tunes about drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Back on the drive here on a victory Monday, as
we continue to react to Steelers twenty seven, Colts twenty
joining us now to continue the conversation. He is the
voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers. You heard him on the
call of course, on the Steelers flagship with Max Stark's
and Missy Matthews. It is the king in the castle,
Rob king king Er, thank you for taking time on
a busy Monday as always, And uh, I don't know
(00:50):
did you see that? Be honest with us, Kinger, Okay,
did you see that one coming yesterday? I think, particularly
the way it played out from a defensive perspective, everyone's
regurgitate the stat. Matt and I talked about it in
the open. But the Colts are a team that had
just four turnovers on the year. You force six in
that game, of course, five on defense, one on special teams.
(01:11):
But Kinger, I think we could have all maybe seen
away for the Steelers to win. But I don't know
if we saw it going down like that. What are
kind of your initial reactions here about twenty four hours out.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well. It's one of the reasons I love live sports,
because you don't know what's gonna happen. If you asked
me to predict, I would have said the score was
going to be in the thirties, probably for both teams,
because that's the way the Colts are trending offensively, the
way the See Thats are trending defensively. Steels had not
had a turnover since the third quarterback is Dublin, and
they completely reversed all of that and played the kind
(01:47):
of defense we saw them play when they had the
three game winning streak going. And so no, I didn't
see that score coming. I'm not surprised that this sear
has won the game. But they did. They won the game,
and they and they did what they needed to do,
and that's a big victory form, a big big victory form.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Yeah, I mean, certainly, when we previewed the game, we
said things like, if the Steelers win dot dot dot.
I'm sure they won the turnover battle bos and the
special teams were super strong, But deep down I kind
of thought, if they win this game, Rogers metcalf Friar move.
I mean like they had a lot of success through
(02:28):
the air attacking those corners, and frankly, that's not really
how the game went.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
No, And I actually thought, uh, you know, one thing
that didn't happen in the game for this from the
Steelers offensive perspective, and I agree with you, Matt, was
I thought they'd be able to run the ball on
the Colts.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Yeah, me too, you know the Colts.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah, there's you know, statistically, their defense against the run,
if you just look at the total yardage was outstanding,
but when you look at when you look at you know,
the yards per carry, that was not quite as flattering.
And so I thought, okay, And and the reason for
that is because they get they get fake leads and
(03:05):
the teams have to abandon the running game. And I
didn't think that was gonna happen. I thought the Seriers
were gonna run early, they were gonna run often, and
if they're gonna win the game, that was gonna be,
you know, one of the paths to success. And didn't
turn out that way. Good to see Jalen Warren get
into the end zone for the first time running the football,
did it twice in this game. But yeah, I thought
they would. I thought they were gonna run the ball,
(03:27):
and that surprised me that they didn't run.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
The ball, absolutely, and I think a lot surprising in
there in that contest, without a doubt. One thing though,
that guys, we continue to see that. I don't think
it's surprising, but it's still it's still nice whenever we
see it transpires just how much better, how much tougher
this offense is the match up against when Darnell Washington
(03:52):
is on the field, oh yeah, and doing the things
that that he was doing on Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah, and you know, we talked about the running game
once again, you know, Cimla trying to play through the
peck injury, and I'm assuming that was the issue that
kept him out for a lot of the second half,
which also, by the way, kept him out of the
second half except for the opening series against the Packers,
which has become a factor because that has been one
of the most effective offensive packages in both running and
(04:19):
throwing the ball. Was having you know, Spencer Anderson out
there is that sixth offensive lineman and Darneld Washington as
like a seventh offensive lineman. Of course, we know they're
both receiving threats now, including Spencer Anderson after he head
his reception against Green Bay. But no, I like that
jumbo package, but you know it is it is, by
(04:40):
and large a sort of mix and match, match up
kind of offense. You don't have other than DK Metcalf
who's always going to get a share of targets, and
if a defense wants to try to single him up,
he's going to get more targets. You know. Other than that,
it's and then trying to run the football. You know,
(05:01):
it's an offense that's gonna see Kenneth Gainwell maybe legion
receptions this week, and maybe John O Smith next week,
and then maybe the following we gets Pat Fryarmooth's opportunity.
I mean, I love what Darnell brings to the table,
but I don't expect to see Darnell get thirteen targets
in the game, you know. So there's still a little
bit of a mix and match element to me with
the Steelers offense. But I do like when Darnell's out
(05:23):
there because he's shown he can catch the ball and
obviously we know he can maul people in the running game.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
And I agree that there is a mix and match
and it's a week to week thing in a good way.
You know, you can find mismatches depending on what the
opponent wants to do.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
But I think at.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Least for me watching that game, I've warmed up to
adding a receiver even more. Do you are you on
board with that or no? I think you've kind of
leaned towards no over the last couple of weeks I had.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
But you know, again, what are you gonna get? You know,
what is it going to cost.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
You to be able to get?
Speaker 3 (06:02):
You know, I do understand what you're saying, and I
started to think about it more in terms of, you know,
after the offense or after the the points that were
scored against this to this defense. You know, that notion that. Look,
you're you're hoping you don't have to do it every week,
but there are gonna be weeks in which you need
(06:24):
to score a lot of points. Look, you know the
Bears needed to score they scored forty seven. They needed
to score forty three to win the game. You know,
and I don't think you can. You know, games in
which you scored twenty five like you did against the
Packers and thirty one like you did against the Bengals
should be enough. But you know what it wasn't wasn't
And sometimes you need to score more and so maybe
(06:47):
that additional weapon, if to do nothing else, then at
least make a team think about it. But Matt, I
just I'm not sure because I don't think a number
of quote unquote number two receiver and seeing you know,
maybe Calvin Austin take that downs roll on yesterday like
we saw, you know, depending upon what type of number
(07:08):
two receiver. It was like, you know, Jail and Wattle,
are they going to pay Wattle whatever? He's making twenty
eight million dollars a year. I can't see them investing
fifty eight million dollars in two receivers. I just can't.
I don't think it's gonna happen. So, you know, could
you get like I'm a big fan of Michael Pittman,
you know, a big range guy like that that can
get your first down. Sure, but who are they you know?
(07:31):
And are they available? So I I thought there would
be you know, wider spread effectiveness in the passing game.
It's it's shown signs of doing that I thought it
would be. Let me let me you know what I
thought about what it is now. I let's just say
that I'm more open to the idea of doing that
(07:53):
than I had been, and I was resistant to it
as you indicated in previous weeks.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
A couple more minutes here with our buddy Rob king
on the drive on a victory Monday, Kinger looking over
the snap counts for the Steelers defense. Three guys played
every single snap for the defense, Ramsey Queen and Joey
Porter Junior. And then right on their heels, right off
the plane and off the practice field, and fresh on
(08:18):
the roster was Dugger. Seventy seven snaps ninety nine percent
of the defensive snaps, also added four snaps on special teams.
To me, of all the encouraging things with the defense,
the splash, the sacks, the limitation of Jonathan Taylor, all
these different things, to me, it's almost flown under the
(08:39):
radar in the last twenty four hours. How successful that
safety tandem was with a guy who just got to
the roster and Jalen Ramsey who kind of had to
move to a position where they don't want him to
be all the time.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, And I guess the question is is that where
the defense's best. I mean, I think that Ramsey is
one of those guys that gives you the versatility to
play probably in the slot and free safety might be
the best positions at this point of his career. I
don't know you could you know that that's for somebody
else to argue other than I. But you know, this
(09:15):
is the fact that he has that versatility to do both.
And a lot of guys don't you know, is that
where you need him most? Is that where you know,
with all the injuries at the safety position and tim
in effectiveness at some of those positions, is that where
he can best serve your team. And if that's where
he can best serve your team, maybe that's where you
(09:36):
need to play him. And then, you know, I don't
know if you'd revisit it when Deshaun Elley, you know,
comes back from his injury. But again, keep in mind
that Douger and Elliott, you know, they're at their best
playing similar positions. They're not you know, necessarily the same
I'm not trying to say to the same player, but
you know, and then and then that becomes a different issue.
You know, you start thinking about big nickel or other
things he could potentially do. Uh, But I mean, for
(09:59):
right now, you know, you have to win the game
in front of you, and you know that's the most
important thing. And people, you know, the running game didn't
get going yesterday. The offense wasn't explosive yesterday, Kay, But
the offense did what it needed to do to win
the game in front of you. That's what you have
to do, win the game in front of you. And
maybe in the short term the best way to win
(10:20):
the game in front of you is Jalen Rams get
free safety.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
I thought it was a real stabilizing force and maybe
that is the tandem going forward. And you're just happy
with the safety situation for the first time in a
while now. Obviously on defense, Rob the stars, the leaders,
the big money guys really showed up in a tremendous way.
But I also think, and I know you're a fan
(10:44):
of him, the first round pick Derek Harmon is really
coming along nicely too, and is a pretty solid contributor already.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, he is. And I like that, especially that trio
of guys in the front, you know, Harmon v and Heyward.
You know they don't play a ton of snaps together.
You know, I wouldn't mind seeing him out there more.
I love that. I love what you can do with that.
You can stop the run, you can push the pocket back,
(11:13):
and I understand you can't get predictable. You know, I
was asked on an earlier so hey, he just simplified
the defense. Well, that maybe works for a week because
you have Kyle Dugger in there and you're trying to
get the communication down and all that other stuff. But
you know, you don't want to be too simple because
then teams look exploited. We've heard that be a criticism
of this Dents. Hey, we knew exactly what they were
gonna do, and people harp on that, oh, they're too simple,
(11:35):
and so you have to have a you have to have,
you know, the capability to move guys around and put
them in the best position possible. But I really like Harmon.
I think, you know, Keanuventon in the past rush game
has been a force in certain games. I thought, certainly,
not only did they have a sack yesterday, but I thought,
you know, he was a big factor and Harmon was
(11:56):
a big factor. And you know, it used to be
when a defensive lineman, you know, you saw somebody running
and then all of a sudden, you saw like a
flash of speed and somebody went down. You didn't even
have to look. You knew it was ninety seven. You
knew it was Cam Harby was the only guy that
big who could move that fast. Well, now we're seeing
Harmon track guys down, you know, on completions nine yards downfield.
(12:19):
And by the way, Cam's always been a phenomenal hustler.
You know, there was a little while when it was
he into it, and then it's been you know, Cam's
been kind of you know, carrying the standard on his own,
and of course that standard's a high standard. I mean,
he's a future Hall of Famer for me. But it
is good to see these young guys, you know, Benton
and you know Harmon who you talked about flash and
(12:40):
be effective, and I'm I'm bullish on Harmon, and I
was also bullish on the performance of Benton, and I
think he's turned in several strong games as well.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob King kind enough to
join us here on a victory Monday. Make sure you're
listening to him in the locker room every morning at
ten am with Max Starks. King of great stuff as always.
Thank you for taking the time and we'll talk to
you soon.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Thanks guys, take care.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
There he goes. The King is exiting the castle. Rob
King there with us on the drive, and Matt remind me,
maybe not today because and you know, I was gonna
ask him a question or two about it too. But
just so much going on and so much to get to.
But Rob and I got to broadcast from the Steelers
alumni dinner Saturday night.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
Oh cool, Yeah, where they were.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Honoring the twentieth year anniversary of the Super Bowl forty team.
We had some cool guests, some fun conversations on Saturday nights.
I'll have to maybe tell one or two of those
funny Jeff Reid's story while.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
We were there.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Imagine that. Who would imagine Jeff Reid in the middle
of a funny story? Who saw that one coming? But
plenty more to get into from this Steelers victory twenty
seven to twenty will continue to comb over it all,
break it all down as we roll along West Shouler,
Matt Williamson, you are listening to the Drive on Steelers
Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
Now work.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 6 (14:36):
Good afternoons, Steelers Nation.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
It's the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on a victory Monday,
West ruler Matt Williamson with you here for the next
two hours as the Steelers take care of the Colts
and get back into the win column twenty seven to
twenty over the team that entered that game with the
best record in the NFL. Matt plenty to get to
(14:58):
a lot of minutia, plenty of good. I think some
concern from that game. As always, when the Steelers lose,
we say that there's good in there. When they win,
there's still some things that we have to break down.
But all in all, I think a very successful Sunday
at Akrosar Stadium.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, I think it should be a joyous week, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
I mean the last couple were rough, and I get that,
and I very much respect the passion of our listeners
and steel Nations absolutely, And there were things defensively that, wow,
leading up to this game were very, very worrisome, and man,
I couldn't be I don't want to say optimistic, but
happier about how the big dogs on defense stepped up
(15:40):
and all the big plays and it's very clear, I
don't say dependent, but probably is the right word of
how this defense is with splash, and when they don't
get it, it's a long day. When they do get it,
look out, I mean, because it comes in tidle waves
and from all over. And frankly, they were way better
(16:00):
down to down in this one too. I mean they've
had games where frankly, they don't play great defense, but
they make great defensive plays.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
I thought down in and down out, they were really
really good.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
And I know he can, you know, be a polarizing
guy because he's been the head coach for a very
long time. And I'll get rid of Tomlin. It's always
fall blah blah blah. They never do anything different. But
I give him and the entire coaching staff a lot
of credit because I really feel like it will never
know this answer, but I feel like they looked in
the mirror and said, what we're doing is not working.
(16:34):
You know, we had a plan and it's time to
kind of go off course a little bit here and
change the safety situation and the coverages we run and
the amount of blitz we're going to do and frankly
going forward on fourth downs and not playing for field goals.
There were a couple instances where I mean, it's hard
(16:55):
to know this for one hundred percent, but they went
for multiple first down downs, and I think they did
have went for another too. There was one late in
the game. It was like third and four. They ran
the ball, which told me they're gonna take two downs
to do it, but they lost the yard, so it
turned into fourth and five and instead of fourth and two,
because you could see like Rogers and Tom and like.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
We're still going for it.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Okay, we're not this time, but like it was an
aggressive and good game plan.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It absolutely was, and you saw it right out of
a shoot. Steelers get the ball first, they go three
and out first.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Get the beginning was a little worried.
Speaker 6 (17:32):
So first, the beginning was a little worriosome.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
It's easy to remember now, but there was a lot
of points in that first quarter, a lot of different
moments where it felt like, uh, oh, this could this
could get away from them a little bit.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
You're just catching balls left and right and the offense
isn't moving the.
Speaker 6 (17:46):
Football one point Matt.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
At the end of the first quarter, the Colts had
ten first downs and the Steelers had zero. Right now,
by halftime, it was like Steelers had twelve first downs
and the.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
Colts had ten.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Right, But at one point late in the first quarter,
the Colts had ten first downs the Steelers had run
ten offensive plays.
Speaker 6 (18:01):
I think the Steelers want to have a first down
in the first I believe you are.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
I'm almost certain.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yeah, And then they rattled off like twelve straight before
the Colts got another one. So it was it was
a real juxtaposition there. But you get the ball first,
which I loved. By the way this offense.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
I just found this out.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Sorry to interrupt, but I guess the Colts and Falcons
are the two teams if they win the coin.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Flip, always take the ball. I didn't.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
I didn't never pay attention to that in my life.
And I wonder if Tomlin just did that to say, I.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Know you won it first, so I'm gonna take me
throw you off.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yeah, I don't know if he did great call whatever. Yeah,
And it didn't work. And we made this joke. I'd
made this joke a couple of times. The Steelers going
into Sunday, they had scored points on every opening drive
of the season in the United.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
States of America.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
The only game that they didn't was the one at
Croke Park against the Vikings in Dublin. Well, they finally
win a game here in the States without getting points
on their opening possession. They go three and out. Then
the Colts march down the field thirteen play drive, yeah,
stick it in on a fourth and one push push.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
Oh yeah. And it's like, oh no, this is what
this team does.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And then the offense goes three and out again, and
you're thinking, oh man, is this gonna get late early
here for this team? And they have a special team's
faux pas and you're like, okay, here we go. That's
the one play we needed. Everything's good, slow start, but
we're fine. You go for it on fourth down. You
don't get it, I mean, And I loved the decision
to go forward on Oh yeah, I'm not like, do
(19:23):
not just take the points here?
Speaker 6 (19:24):
You know what I mean? Like, you have to turn
this into a touchdown.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
There'll be a lot of points scoring this stage of
the game.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
We're gonna be a lot of points scored in this game.
This is not gonna be a twenty to seventeen game.
Do not settle for the field goal here. They didn't.
I still loved the aggressiveness and how that all played
out early and again, Matt, if you end up losing
this game, we're looking back on it differently, certainly, But
to me now it's even more encouraging that they didn't
even get the start that they wanted and they were
(19:52):
still by halftime in the third quarter, in the fourth
quarter in a commanding I don't want to say cruise
to victory, but almost cruizically every scenario, and I hear
a ton of people screaming it.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
Taylor wasn't much of a factor, especially late in the game.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Once again, we said this, This was one of our
positives about the loss of Green Bay.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
On Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
We were like, Hey, if whatever Josh Jacobs had in
that game, you would have signed for that in blood
going into that one Jonathan Taylor fourteen carries for forty
five yards, you would have signed in blood that before
the game started.
Speaker 5 (20:22):
You could have doubled it. And I've been like, sign
me up.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I think there's a lot to be said about a
game where we had talked a little bit too. Cam
Hayward had called out their mentality after that, after that
Packers game, we had talked about that last week. There
were a lot of moments in that first quarter where
I thought, uh, oh, you know again, this could this
could get late early here type of thing, And instead
(20:47):
it ended up being a comfortable victory in all intents
and purposes. I know a lot of people are screaming,
how do you only win that game by seven points?
Speaker 6 (20:54):
How do you only win that game by seven points?
They kicked a fifty some.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yard field goal with nine seconds left or else you
would have won by double digits and it would have felt.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
Much more comfortable.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And who really cares If Roman Wilson doesn't fumble that
ball at the end, maybe you add another field goal,
you end up winning by thirteen and we're singing a
different story.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Yeah, yeah, I was never worried.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
No to me, the way to get it to me,
the way that that all played out was was very encouraging.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
One thousand percent. And I know there's been a lot
of talk, and that's just how fans are. And I'm
not calling out our fans, you know, but man, you
should should have traded Watt. Never should have given him
that kind of contract. High Smith, trade him. Cam looks
old and done. You know, Slay doesn't want to tackle anymore,
doesn't want to get involved. Ramsey trade wouldn't make any sense.
(21:38):
You know, all these old defensive backs retread safeties from
the Patriots. You know how fans are. I mean, when
things go bad, you're just gonna blame everybody.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
Yep. And all those things trended the other direction.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
You know that you're a lot of proud leaders, and
almost all those guys I mentioned are veterans. They're not rookies,
they're not young guys. But I do want to talk
about some of the young guys on defense, namely Benton
and Wilson and a couple of these other guys I
think are trending the right way. But I thought the leaders,
your big money guys, your investment dudes, were all excellent
in this game. And we pre recorded just to pull
(22:12):
back the curtain. But there's a show on DV tonight
that Rob and Pursuda and I do every day or
every Monday. And Rob opened it and he's the point guard.
He went right to Mike and he's like, what do
you think of this game? And Mike said the same
thing you did about how Cam Hayward mentioned the effort,
and we all kind of thought this could be a
(22:34):
turning point in the season. I mean, if effort's not great,
and frankly, Slay seemed like the guy that was getting
the most arrows in that direction, which I totally understood.
Rewatching the game. I'm talking about last week and Rob
brought it up. He's like, how about Sleigh. I mean
he broke or dislocated or did something really bad to
(22:54):
his hand, because even like when he was laid on
the ground and they're coming to look at it, he's
like pulling away and like he was a lot of pain. Yes,
goes to the locker room, like I guess he's done.
Oh well, you know, it's just just gonna be the
turn of the guard for a new corner. Blah blah
blah comes back and plays right through it. You know,
Like there's a lot of leadership in that building, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
There absolutely is there there.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
There is a lot, particularly on that defensive side of
the football too. And maybe it took a week later
to surface than we expected, sure, but I kept thinking
of that too, that Merrill Hodge line of never under
activate a professional that's been.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
Embarrassed, yep, and that defense has been embarrassed.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
Two weeks in a row.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Yeah, yeah, uh and and they knew too a lot
of the one of the things that I always laugh
at and and Motes and I would would argue, I
say argue in air quotes, which joke about this all
the time.
Speaker 6 (23:45):
Those guys love to talk about shutting out the noise.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
And we don't pay attention to what anybody says, and
we're singularly focused in all this.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
I always wonder they are full of it. Okay, okay,
Mozoy says that too.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
No Motes says it's a fifty ft He said. Some
guys are really good at shutting it out. Other guys
can't stay off their phone and can't you know, can't
can't turn it off.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
Back in the day, just don't get a newspaper in
the listen to.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
The radio, don't read the newspaper. I think I've told
you this story before. But the three years that I
worked in Philadelphia for the Eagles, I produced the afternoon
show there, and one of the hosts on there was
I Greece, who was a linebacker for the Eagles during
the Donovan McNab years, and then he played I think
two years for the Falcons at the end of his
career and He used to always joke when we would
draft young players on defense, they would always send me
(24:29):
to be like the guy that would pick him up
at the airport and mental the Eagles would always kind
of send me to be like the welcome to the town,
welcome to the franchise.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
And he's like, is an honor, that's not like.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
This is like late nineties, early two thousands, and he's like,
I would the first thing I would tell these guys
all the time is don't read the newspapers and don't
listen to w i P, which is a big sports
talk station in Philly.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
He's like, now, how it's so much? What am I
going to tell him? Don't have a cel phone? Social media,
you know, YouTube and all this different stuff.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Those guys knew how much they had been maligned, whether
it's the media, whether it's the fan base, anywhere and
everywhere in between.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
Over the last two games, they paid defense, defense. This
is what you're getting, I I think, coach.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
I think I think there was a clear needed response
there and and those guys delivered, and like you mentioned,
I'm got it. So happy we got it, and most
of it, most of it came from those leaders to
Cam was outstanding. TJ was outstanding, Ramsey was outstanding, leading from.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
The front, slaze injury.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
High Smith heard his ankle early on and came back
and played a phenomenal game.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yes, that's a great point as well, leading from the front,
getting it from every everywhere, Uh, TJ, Cam, Ramsey, high Smith.
Certainly those guys are well compensated for what they do.
Peyton Wilson was outstanding once again. Ke Benton played well.
Derek Harmon played well. I mean it was it was
(26:00):
all hands in the pile, all hands on deck.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Way fewer poems in the air. Communication problems and we'll
get into it later in the show. But and I'm
gonna watch the All twenty two when I get home tonight.
But definitely some defensive wrinkles that were intriguing.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Yeah, and how about Douger as well. I mean we're
twelve minutes into the show here, maybe we buried the lead.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
Yeah, step right in.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
He other than other than Ramsey, Corden and Porter, he
played the most snaps on that defense. Yes, after just
getting here a few days ago with him and Ramsey,
were you know, you talk about that communication stuff you
mentioned Alec Pierce and.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
They might be set at safety. Now, well, who knows.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Those wide receivers made some plays.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
They're a really good group.
Speaker 6 (26:45):
Are a really good group.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Yeah, but some of that too was kind of garbage time,
empty calories, lake drives, where you're letting them right, order
a McDonald's at three am in the morning, after you've
after you've been out at the at the bar all night,
empty calories.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
They early. I was worried.
Speaker 6 (27:01):
It did make some plays in the first.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I mean again, towards the end of the first court
of the Colts had ten first downs and the Steelers
had none.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
They were clearly making play.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
It started good, but thirty thousand foot view on the whole,
I think they did a really good job of staying
on the same page and limiting I mean, this was
the best offense in the NFL going into going into
yesterday's game.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
One thousand percent. That's the thing that I couldn't get around.
Was okay, and we go leading up to the game,
I noticed a proud defense. Are showing a lot of
warts right now, but maybe they do play better against
the Colts. But the bar has to be even higher
because this offense is phenomenal and I'm sure if we
were doing Colts Nation Radio would be like, it was
(27:43):
kind of a down day. You know, we didn't play
our best, right, it was Jones's worst day as a
cult for sure.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
And again, but that speaks to that happens to everybody
in the NFL. Oh yeah, yeah, I don't care how jr.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
You're gonna have a bad game where you're gonna have
to take it on the chin like the Colts did.
I don't I don't care how bad you are. You're
gonna have a good game and knock somebody out. You're
gonna be the Carolina Panthers and you're gonna go and
the Packers.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
That's league, right, I mean, Vikings met the Lions with McCarthy.
I mean, like, that's this league. But even like the
Patriot game, they had five takeaways. Some of them were
just dumb things the Patriots did. Like in this case,
other than the muffed punt situation, you earned your takeaways,
you took the ball away.
Speaker 5 (28:25):
Oh, they weren't giveaways, you know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Exactly right, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And so while I know on the surface, a lot
of people thinking should have blown that team out, could
have blown that team out.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
Yeah, I don't see it that way.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
I don't see it. I don't see it that way either.
They after that first quarter, they were in the driver's
seat the entire time.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
That's a playoff team all day long, if not more.
Speaker 6 (28:47):
They had the best record in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah, are they still now tied for the best record
in the NFL?
Speaker 6 (28:53):
I think or maybe one.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
I think it's them and the Packers going to have
two losses because they both lost.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Yeah, that's right, and the Packers lost as well too,
I mean maybe. I mean, I know, like Buffalo six
and two, they're you know, like right on their their
their tail type thing. But yeah, all in all, again,
even in wins, there's some things that you would have
liked to have cleaned up and see it seemed differently, but.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
I mean, offensively, they weren't great in this game.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
And Aaron Rodgers said that after the game.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yeah, you know, like twenty one of their twenty seven
points came off of turnovers. They've got to be better.
But you know, Aaron Rodgers said, we should have scored
in the thirties this game.
Speaker 5 (29:28):
And and and I love that way.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And really put them away. And I love that he
sees it that way too. And that's I mean, Matt,
we are just getting into the month of November. We
are halfway through the regulars.
Speaker 5 (29:38):
Pretty much at the halfway point.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Yeah, Like, let's let's not let's not kid ourselves too,
Like you want to see this by.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
The end of this month. Is when you want to
see this team peaking, you know.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
And and and I'm I'm thinking that yesterday was a
step in the right direction, you.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
Think, a massive step, well, especially defensively.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Especially defensively. Yeah, as you continue to clean some things
up in the meantime.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
M hm, no, I think so.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
And I mean, we'll talk way more about it tomorrow.
But you've got a trade deadline coming up tomorrow to
might you add a piece? I could see a defensive back,
and I when we've talked to no end about a
receiver that even makes you a little bit better football team,
you know, I think that's possible.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
We'll discuss that plenty as we roll along in certainly
plenty tomorrow. A jam packed trade deadline show tomorrow for you.
But for today, we've got to continue to break down
and come through. Steelers twenty seven, Colts twenty We'll continue
to do that. On the other side with the voice
of your Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob King joins us when we
return West Ruler Matt Williamson on a victory Monday. It's
(30:41):
the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network,
your tunes.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
About Drive on your twenty four to seven home of
the Black and Goal. Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Back on the Drive here as we roll along and
approach the end of the first hour of the show.
Here on a victory Monday, it was a crazy Sunday
across the NFL.
Speaker 6 (31:34):
We'll get into yeah, as usual, some of that an
hour number two.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
The very unpredictable league, it sure is.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
And thanks to Rob King for joining us there in
the previous segment.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
One of the things too, you know, like we kind
of touched on it a little bit in the open,
how there's still improvement for this offense. That to me
in a performance like that can almost be I don't
want to say encouraging, because that's the wrong word, but
I like how.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Your little board doing the right thing.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
There is my little board.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
I'm looking sometimes your screen and it's always moving and
now it's not the little blue has.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Oh yeah, no, it's just I was like it's like,
looks confused, what's going on?
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Like usually that's like buzzing along. I'm like, okay, never mind,
let me, I'll stick to my lane.
Speaker 6 (32:27):
Let me zoom it, let me a little bit. I'm like,
what's he looking at over there?
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:32):
Going on?
Speaker 5 (32:33):
I thought you like forgot to record or something that lane.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
I mean that that would be that would be uh,
that would be pretty pretty typical, I guess. But like
in a game where Aaron Rodgers just barely threw over
two hundred yards, in a game where Jalen warn sixteen
carries for thirty one yards, that's.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
The one I was a little disheartened with, you know, right.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
To me as much as you know, people are screaming,
I shouldn't say I'm I'm probably being a little hyperbolic,
but there have been a lot of people. You know,
how do you force six turnovers and only score twenty
seven points? How do you know, win the turnover margin
like that and only win by a touchdown?
Speaker 5 (33:11):
It wasn't I don't see it that way.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
I don't either, because it wasn't a Mona Lisa for
the Steelers offense, but they still found a way to
capitalize and Yeah, they got help from the defense, right right, right.
I mean, you know, Peyton Wilson interception.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
That was good complimentary football, like we were talking about all.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
Week, good complimentary football, and it was nice to see that.
I feel like that conversation for most of the year
has swung in the offense's favor.
Speaker 6 (33:33):
Oh times a thousand, whereas it was.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
It was good to see it swing back the other
way against an opponent where you probably needed it to.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Yeah, I was quite happy. And I know the turnovers
are so important in this in this instance, but you
beat a playoff team that is one of the better
teams in the league. I definitely believe that without your
offense's a game. You know, it wasn't there a game.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
They've got MVP candidates, Offensive Player of the Year candid,
it's coach of the Year candidates.
Speaker 5 (34:02):
And it's not a bad cold defense either.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
It is not, No, certainly not. And you were also
down a touchdown after fifteen minutes of play, and then
that defense just came alive when you when you absolutely
needed it too. But for me, I still want to
see more of a commitment to running the football.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
Yeah, that was one of my complaints, and I know.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Aside from the what the box score looks like and
all that stuff, I just I want to see more.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
I want to see more commitment to run in the football.
Speaker 5 (34:29):
Yeah. Now, And.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
It's a perfect example of how progress isn't linear. You know,
the running game is getting better, it's getting better, it's
getting better. Okay, this is a step back. Let's just
realize that's how.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
This thing goes.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
And as you mentioned, you're not even halfway done with
your games at this point. If you can continue to
get better over the chunks of three four games as
opposed to every game getting better, that's it's not how
it works. Fine, but this goes back to the second
half of the Green Bay game. Three K carries for
Jalen Warren. I don't love that now, but I don't know.
(35:08):
And hey, I think anyone that listens to us probably realizes.
I am an Aaron Rodgers believer, but he has a
lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 5 (35:18):
I'm sure I know where you're going.
Speaker 4 (35:20):
I'm sure play calls come in with ron or pass
options or there. I don't know how they specifically get
things from the booth to Aaron's ears.
Speaker 6 (35:31):
You got three different play calls yeah and go with
on this play.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
Exactly, and he's gonna audible and he's not gonna draw
things up in the sand like people think. But he
certainly has a reputation over his career of checking out
the runs to throw. Like with the Jets, they were
like had the fewest carries in the league. Now they
were losing all the time, and people are like, oh,
he's just trying to pad his stats. I don't know
why he does it, but it's pretty much worked for
(35:54):
eighteen years or since the guy was going to go
the Hall of Fame, right, And I don't know if
it's stat padding or if he's just looking at the
best option and goes there. So I just I guess
my point is, don't just blame Arthur Smith entirely.
Speaker 5 (36:08):
Oh they're not running the ball.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
Enough, because I think his track record's pretty strong that
he's going to put the ball in the running backs belly.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
You know what I mean, And I.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Know why you are absolutely correct, And I certainly think
over the last two games where it's felt like like
before that Green Bay game, it felt like the like
the Steelers run game was really on an upward trajectory.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
Yeah, Yeah, and and big picture, I still believe it
is completely agreed.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Yeah, but I do think that it's it's pretty clear
that there's some of those situations where it's an either
or that Aaron Rodgers is allowed to decide, as he's
earned every right to do.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
And I bet he's calling plays as much as Arthur Smith.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
And and yeah, you know what, it's a maybe point,
it's a good point. Or again where it's just a hey,
here's two or three options when I get to the
line of scrimmage, which one do you like best? I understand,
I underst stand why too. And he's earned the right
to do what he wants to do and to keep
the ball in his hands, and especially now that it
feels like he's got the healthiest complement of weapons and
(37:12):
pass catchers that he's had, you know, this season, count
in Austin fully back in the fold and everything they've
been able to do with Darnell Washington and what we've
seen from Pat Fryarmouth. Yeah, the last the last absolutely, yeah, absolutely.
I mean they once again go play action on the
first play. That was another one of those bad things
early on where I thought, oh man, you got a
chance to hit a twenty thirty yard game to John
(37:33):
u on the on the first play of the game,
and it wasn't a perfect throw but should have probably
still been caught.
Speaker 6 (37:38):
Yeah, I I I.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
And you knew that they were practice. I mean that
was playing four days ago, totally.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
It was playing just like the just like the Darnell
washing was a few a few weeks prior. I still though,
I think this offensive line has shown improvement in not
only pass protection but in the run game. And I
think other and Aaron Rodgers, you could argue Jalen Warren
as good as anybody else on that offense.
Speaker 5 (38:05):
Yeah, including Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Became Metcalf would be in the conversation, absolutely, but that's
I think.
Speaker 5 (38:09):
Warren's a heck of football player.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
He is a fantastic football player, and I think so
much of it is just when you can get him
going early, it really opens up everything else for the
for the rest of the.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
Offense thousand percent.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
I mean, analytics folks will will laugh at establishing the
run and all the old school things like that.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
But the more things change, the more they stay the.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Same, right, I mean, it's certainly a nice thing to
lean back on when you are moving bodies, and Warren's
getting a lot of yardage, and you can run the
football early and it's always there in your back pocket
one thousand percent. And that was missing yesterday and I've
been missing, I guess for six quarters now. I don't
think it's shot that they've gone back to not being
(38:53):
a good running team. I don't believe that at all now.
One thing I wanted to mention, this is a huge
knock on Wood thing, and maybe it even comes up
this week. Watching the Sunday Nighter last night, one of
the announcers said, there's only two or three teams that
have started the same five offensive linemen for every game.
Oh don't go here, Williamson stealers are one of them,
(39:14):
and that's in jeopardy again with Siamalo. Yeah, and hopefully
that's why I'm knocking on wood, you know, left and right.
You don't have change up front, you know, because that
could derail a good young group that's all progressing together.
I think the tackles are playing pretty well, especially Falton.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
You know what.
Speaker 6 (39:33):
I'm glad you said that too.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
And we're you know now almost an hour into the show,
and we should have referenced Troy Fultanu at some point
I thought he was fantastic. Yeah, Roger Jones has been
much better, much better. But I think Chroy Faltanu has
really listened.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Matt.
Speaker 5 (39:49):
I think he's gonna be a start.
Speaker 6 (39:51):
You and I.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
I I was thinking about this in the midst of
the game as Faltonu was playing outstanding and Darnell Washington
was like the focal point of the offense. Like you
and I did some predictions and we'll revisit all this
stuff at the end of the year. We don't need
to go too deep into it now. You and I did.
We had a show or like an hour you know,
after training camp before the season started, when we've got
(40:13):
some time to kill there where we did predictions for
this Steelers season.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (40:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
One of our predictions was Darnell Washington fifty or more
targets on the season. We're trending in the right direction
in that regard.
Speaker 5 (40:26):
Yes, helped.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Yesterday certainly helped. He had six targets yesterday, four receptions.
The other was by the end of the year, everyone's
calling Zach Frasier and Troy Faltanu stars.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
Man.
Speaker 6 (40:38):
I think it's feel pretty good abo that I'm feeling pretty.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Good about that. And I thought, to be fair too,
Fualtanu really stood out. And it's easier to do that.
As a tackle. You either stand out in a good
way or stand out in a bad way. It's almost
like a defensive back, right, It's like there's very there's
very rare, like that guy had a B game. You know,
he was fine. He wasn't great, he wasn't terrible. He
had a B a three point zero GPA. It tackle
(41:02):
in at corner it's like you're eive a valedictorian or
you were a bum. There's typically not much of a
position nature of the position. And so while Filtanu stood
out in that regard, I thought McCormick and Fraser played
very well, very well too, And that is Jones And yeah,
that's encouraging and you would hate to lose, Sayamalu, I think,
particularly for what it means for some of the other
(41:24):
stuff that you can do, the corned beef package, all
those things. But you also, I think would feel pretty
confident about Anderson sliding in there the way that the
other four are currently performing.
Speaker 4 (41:33):
Yeah, I think they'd be okay with Anderson. For Ciamalu
one for one. Now the jumbo you know, Cornborn stuff
to be worked out. We touched on it a little
bit last week of what some options would be, but
they I did just want to mention that they've been
very fortunate with health, which great because they need to
be because I'm glad they're young and they're all growing together.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
They have they have and you know, they've missed some
keep overall. I think that that's been something that you
can't complain too much about. They've miss some key guys.
You're gonna miss to Sean Elliott. You know, he missed
some time at the beginning of the year. He's missing
time now, Alex high Smith, all those things, but you
haven't had other defense.
Speaker 5 (42:09):
All other injuries have been defensive orient.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
Correct which is not great, no, but you feel like
you've got a lot of depth there, and you've got
a lot of stars there, and you've got a lot
of leadership there. You've got the flexibility to overcome what
we just saw with Jalen Ramsey and Duggar and what
they had to do and kind of some some patchwork
throwing a safety tandem together here this week to get
ready for the Colts.
Speaker 4 (42:33):
And I also commended the Steelers and Omar in the
front office the off season because I think a big
priority of the off season was building defensive depth total
because you know, you're older, you know, like, I know,
the most expensive defense in the league. But it's not
all because the stars too. I mean, you're paying like
a Harrison, you know. Some of your depth guys are veterans,
(42:53):
you know, I mean, because yeah, and that's why, like
the fourth quarter points allow so bothers something. It's like,
but you built the depth, you know, like, let's use it.
And I think we did yesterday and we saw yesterday.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
I think they did. And again it's not gonna be
every single week here here they go. But that's one
of those those guys deserve a lot of credit. And
I know I said this to you earlier in the season,
but I always laugh. It's like when the Steelers defense
is performing like they did against the Bengals or the
Packers second half against the Packers, there's a lot of
(43:27):
highest paid defense in the league one dollars or whatever
it is, but then when they go out there and
get six turnovers, everyone not Everyone's not like, ah, that's
what you get what you pay for.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
Right, I mean they never should have signed what Cam's
over the hill high Smith trade him.
Speaker 5 (43:43):
Cam Hayward was a force phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
He was a force, so many deflected passes, so much
chaos caused great in the run game.
Speaker 6 (43:52):
I think Quentin Nelson wants that guy to retire big time.
Oh yeah, I mean he's tired.
Speaker 4 (43:56):
They might be equal players, but one wins the individual
matchups every time.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
And sports are weird like that, just sometimes so certain
guys have certain guys numbers and styles make fights, and
maybe there's one part of your game where you don't excel,
and that's a part of my game where I could
take advantage. But I mean, I tell you what if
Cam Hayward played the Colts every single week, Aaron Donald
(44:21):
type type numbers, if he was playing Indianapolis every single week,
which is saying something because that's a really good Colts
offensive line, and that's a Quentin Nelson who is in
all likelihood gonna be wearing a gold jacket one day
as well.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
I think the bottom line is Cam is still phenomenal
and showed it again.
Speaker 6 (44:37):
He sure did, as did T. J.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Watt, as did Alex high Smith, as did a ton
of guys on that defense that I think we did
a pretty good job of giving them some flowers, giving
them some roses here in the first hour, that is
an hour in the books more on this game. An
hour number two will also go around the league and
and tap into a wild Sunday across the NFL. Maybe
get to some of your tweets well before we get
(45:01):
up out of here. Halfway home on the drive West Schuler,
Matt Williams and it's the Steelers Audio Network.
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