Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williams
Sish on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and Gold cat n R Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Our number two on number two of Mini Camp. Here
on the set side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the walk
through portion of practices over. Then we'll have a full
practice here in about two hours. Matt and I will
be with you until then. It is a special edition
of The Drive. Here a live from the upmc rooney
Sports Complex, our pet ultimate show down here Matt Tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
The last has been fun, the last one.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Of three weeks down here. It is fun. Like it's
nice to get so, it's nice to see everybody. The
parking situation is at the parking situation is tough. It's
a lot of walking and moving and shaking, and you know,
the first week we had some rain and some weather
elements and things like that. But it is nice to
get back down here. It's nice to see people. I mean,
you and I were just throwing off our breaks in
the first hour talking about just seeing dk metcalf in them.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
That he is, oh yeah, he stands out.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
He could stand next to Darnell Washington and look like
he belonged. Not many skill pishon players could say.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
That those two, I mean are very rare for their
NFL position, I mean was rare in the NFL, but
they're rare amongst rare dudes.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You know, Yes, they are rare body types amongst all
of all of the rare body types. And uh so
plenty to get to here as we roll along today,
I would want to get into some more of that
Aaron Rodgers conversation. Mat Yeah, a lot of stuff he did,
and you know, let's go with one of the softballs,
maybe one of the low hanging fruit things. But you know,
you and I talked about at the start of the show,
could some of the drawn out and trows signing and
(01:38):
could it how did it maybe dampen the enthusiasm for some?
But I tell you the way that he was kind
of talking about Pittsburgh and the Insers and all the
coaching ties in his life from Western Pennsylvania, that's something
I know the fan bas will love here and everybody
got a kick out.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Of the Yeah, and I don't think he just did
a little homework to you know, make the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
He's talked about that for years in the past too,
even when he hasn't been.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I think everyone realizes that the NFL and football in
general has very strong ties this area of the country,
and it's through.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
A hotbed over decades and decades.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
And now it's Florida and Texas, but I mean still Pennsylvania, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
This is always fertile recruiting grounds.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
And I found it enlightening that he mentioned all the
great quarterbacks came out of this area and all the
coaches he worked with. But he said, you know Yinzer
background so and a couple of them. I've been around,
Luke Getzi, Ben McAdoo, et cetera. I've worked with or
you know, coach you know you do the signettes as
well too, or no, I didn't know them, but they
(02:36):
were big sig was it? I up when we were
at pitt and a couple of our guys transferred I
up and things like that that ted trouble.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Get on the field or whatever. You know, it'd be
a coaching clinics.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, enough enough of proximity that kind.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Of right down the road, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
But a lot of those dudes, I mean, I thought
that was really enlightening that he mentioned the football in
the area. I guess is one way of putting it.
He brought up Mike Tomlins say one hundred times. I mean, yeah,
me and Mike get a good relationship. That's why I'm here,
you know, Like, I hope people realize what I know,
(03:10):
that he's been under scrutiny because he doesn't want to
playoff game lately. We all know that.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
You know. Of course, we know.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
That they're not landing on the moon. We're not breaking
any news.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Right and oh, by the way, he's never had a
losing season. Yeah, I mean, I know.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Everybody knows unless you just woke up out of a
like you said, living on the moon or living under
a rock. But I don't think people understand how well
he's respected and coveted around the league. And it's a
great example when somebody that's been doing this for such
a long time at such a high level brings it
up over and over and over and over. It's it
(03:43):
sounds like it's the number one reason he's here. It's
not like they outbid a bunch of people for him.
It's about money, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
It was the first thing that Mega Fitzpatrick talked about
at nauseum down. He was acquired by the Steelers, the
relationship that he the foundation that he had with Mike
Tomlin when he was coming out of the draft and
throughout that process. It was the first thing Joey. We
just mentioned Joe Hayden in the last segment, and you
know how he hopped on a moving train with the
Steelers his first year here after training camp. He was
(04:10):
the same way talk about how much of an impression
Mike Tomlin made upon him. So you are absolutely right
that stuff matters, matters huge. I mean, in particularly to
a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who he's dealt with plenty
of the wet behind the ears, inexperienced head coaches at
this stage in his career. I'm sure that's the last
thing he wants.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Really every step of the way, every step of the way.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
We talked about that yesterday, Like I didn't even put
two and two together that he's been around so long
that McCarthy was even new. I mean, we know or
is in the jet situation, but he's never walked into
a building with a.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Tenured Super Bowl winning coach and Payton or a Pete
Carroll or was.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
There well before him, you know what I mean, Like
Lafleur is having a really good career. McCarthy had a
really good career. Part of it's because they coach Danon Rodgers,
but you know, which helps. But I thought that was
very prominent in his conversation of coach T Coach T
you know or Mike as you said. And I'm not
going to divulge any sources, but several people in this
(05:15):
organization have told me that after game days, like when
everybody kind of meets in the middle field, winner, laws,
shake hands, give a hunt, your buddy, someone who played
college with whatever, there's that social period there win or
lose that people that have been around near the coach
Tomlin at that time, it's not uncommon for opposing players
(05:37):
to come up to him and say, hey, I'm a
free agent after year, I really want to play for you.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, Like, I just want people to understand that about
this guy.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
You know, Yes, and again that stuff matters. That is
not the that is not much workout.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
You only have fifty three roster spots and only so
much money and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
But yeah, this has become a bigger debate in sports circles,
I think more so outside of the NFL. But there's
a lot of talk about like, is it fair for
organizations that live in states with no income tax? I
should the leagues do something about that? Right?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I think it's unfair, vantage I do too, but I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I mean, it's but I also realized that it's not
the end all be all.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
It's bigger than the NFL or any h O.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Don't get me wrong, right, it is great that the
Miami Heat can offer NBA players tax free living, sure,
but you know what else is probably better is playing
for that organization with pat Riley and getting to live
in an area like Miami and Lebron James was there
and Dwayne Wade was there. Yeah, but it's the organization should.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
He definitely matters in recruiting or free agency or all
that stuff too.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
If if Ohio were suddenly tax free income state, I
don't think people would be lining up to play for
the Cleveland Browns, right right, right, You're.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Still not considered a great organization, I mean, And that
one of the first things Rogers said I thought was
really interesting too, is basically said I was fortunate enough
to be drafted by one of these storied organizations. And
he didn't talk bad about the Jets, but he didn't
include them, ofvious, because they aren't. But he in title town,
Green Bay, and he linked the Steelers with that, and coincidentally,
(07:08):
I just, you know, I think people probably kind of
know these things, but I just did the research last
night for fun, because I don't know where i'd heard
about the losing season stuff. But this is the tweet
I put out. I mean, Chuck no Nole became the
Steelers head coach in nineteen sixty nine, which is three years.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Before I was even a long time again, three years
before I was born.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
I'm an old man. And he went one in thirteen,
five and nine and six and eight when he took
over what was basically the worst organization in the league.
So then I was born basically, and I'm old. And
since then, the Steelers have had seven losing seasons. So
that's basically like in my fifty two years of walk
on the planet, they've had seven losing seasons. And I
(07:47):
mentioned to Dale when he was well aware of it,
and he's like, I've covered his team for thirty three
years and I've seen three.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
It's insane.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
It's insane, you know, Like, again, I know they've won
a playoff lately, And I know coach Salmon doesn't a
losing record.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
You know all these things.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
But part of the reason, though, why part of those
part of the reason why we harp on those things
so much, though, is because of the expectation in the
standard that's been set. Sure, like it's a starting I
think you and I had this conversation last week or
the week before. My expectations is a WVU fan, Your
expectations is a pit fan. It's not the same as
(08:21):
Ohio State and Georgia fans.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Right, like Lions fans are like this is a first
good thing.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
But I wish I expected WV football to compete at
the level that Ohio State does. I wish that I
expected the Pirates to compete at the level that the
Yankees do.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Sure, you know, but that's why there's only a few
of them.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But that's why there's only a few of them. That's
why the expectations are what they are at those places.
And while it can be a curse against you, he's
also part of building those expectations as well too. Right,
It's like it's like the double edged sword in a way.
But yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Used to have part Starr and Farv and Rogers and
I love and you know right right and Rothels.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Where I was going with the no income you know
debate was like, those things are, without a doubt attractive,
but so is a stable organization and ownership and head coach, right,
because I don't think people would be lining up to
play for the Cleveland Browns if if Ohio was suddenly
an income income tax free state. I don't think people
would suddenly be lining up to play for the Carolina
(09:18):
Panthers if North Carolina suddenly became a income free tax state.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
I mean, from men thrilled to be a Jet if
he knew his offensive coordinator and head coach were both
gonna get fired mid season. No, you know, like that's
that's not good for anyone. No, you know, it's a
losing formula.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Absolutely, And like you know, everybody is having this debate
now in hockey circles too, because the Florida Panthers are
in the Stanley Cup for three for the third straight time,
and some of their guys have taken pay cuts to
stay there, and it's like, well, yeah, well they're tax free,
you know, in income tax free state.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
A lot of those guys from cold weather places in
the fun.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
But okay, fifteen probably great fifteen twenty years ago, when
the organization was a dumpster fire, nobody was lining up
to play for me, because that's where your career goes
to die.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
I mean, I assume it's not a fluke that they've
been this good. They're a strong organ.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Correct, correct, They've drafted well, and they've had the right
head coach, and it's been a you know, a decade
process of getting to this point where now, if you're
a player and you're choosing between three or four options, Okay,
this one has great weather, this one has no state
income tax, and they're a contender. Okay, bang easy, Sure,
But when you're only getting one of those most important
(10:24):
exactly right, guys still want to be in good situations.
Guys still want to be.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
He's not an attractive town to go to for a
lot of these guys. Some people love that's not Miami.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
I mean, dudes who grew up in Miami, Texas, et cetera,
do not want to play in that weather. And somebody
that want to have nightclubs in nightlife. But I want
to play for the Packers, right.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
And and and that That's that's I think the the
stuff that matters very importantly to these guys, especially someone
like Aaron Rodgers, who knows he can see the clubhouse.
I mean, you know what I mean, Like he might
not be on the eighteenth green right, right, but he
can see the club house. Yeah, he's not on the
front nine of his career anymore. He's not even on
the eleventh or twelfth hole.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
He's not twenty four coming off a fourth round draft
pick contract trying to get maximizes earning.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Exactly, you're not going to.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Be in the league potentially long and just I need
to make money while I can, which I don't begrudge
anyone on the planet for doing. Absolutely, go to the
highest bidder. Cool, that's that was your decision. And free
agency great, But he's made the money, I mean, and
he wants to go to.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
The right spot.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
He absolutely does. And there's there's no doubt that that
is as important in these equations for guys like him
as any To.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Be fair, he didn't have thirty two options either, right,
Let's ben't call you know, of course.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Right, you know the la Rams ended up hanging on
to Matt Stafford. Maybe that would you know, maybe that
would have been a real option, particularly if he could
have gotten all those guys to move the practice facility
to Malibu.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I can think about Malibu. It doesn't sound bad.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh dude, maybe have you ever been there before?
Speaker 3 (11:52):
No, but I have heard. It's incredible.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
It's one of the makest places, one of the most
beautiful places on the planet, certainly in this that whole
Malibu Santa Monica area. Oh, it's just now, you need
to have Aaron Rodgers type of money to live well there.
But if you can, that is absolutely one of the
places in the world.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
They might be.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah, we'll broadcast their workouts. That's right, pay for my
own flight, just cover everything else, Just cover everything else
for me. Aaron sip a little red wine there on
the outskirts and NAPA h one of the other things
that we obviously have to discuss with his comments Matt
Is when he was asked about Arthur Smith's offense, what
he likes to do, how that balance could be struck.
(12:31):
You know, we were joking in the first hour. You
tweeted out about the Jets having the lowest amount of
rushing attempts, and your replies are full of Jets fans like, oh,
why do you think that is? Aaron loves to check
out of his out of his run plays. There is
some truth to that, certainly, but I also think this
is one of those misconception things with him, where it's
it's not to the level that the public perception might
(12:52):
believe it to be, and I might not coming to
the line of scrimmage every single play and going a
screw with the offensive Cordners coordinator said here's what we're.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Doing, and I'd be shocked. Maybe there is truth to it.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
I mean, maybe he does check to a pass a lot,
and I'm gonna be very open to paying attention to that,
especially on.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
More often than it doesn't.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I'm sure it has over his career. I'll take I'll
take that to the bank. I mean, maybe it didn't
in New York, but I'm sure it has over his career.
But frankly, I'd be shocked if it's just to pad
my stats. I mean, if he thinks the best calls
a pass, I think he's gonna go with the pass,
not so he could say I threw thirty touchdowns this year.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Maybe it's I don't know, I mean, but.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
I would be shocked if that's the motivation, and that's
what a lot of the people said, Well, he just
wants to pat his hats.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
I'm like, as long as ball gets the end zone,
I don't care how it gets it.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
You know, correct, And I don't know, maybe at one
point in his career, but at this standpoint, I don't
think he's watching his stat line anymore. I think he's
pretty secure in where he's at in terms of that,
that greatness of what his numbers look like.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
And a big thing we talked about yesterday too, probably
not even enough, is you don't get to where he's
at without having great.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Pride in your career, your legacy.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Totally.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Do you think he's to end it on the two
years he spent in New York? You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Nobody does?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Nobody does.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
I mean, I don't care what these guys tell Matt.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
That's Willy made with the Mets, you know, I mean, like,
that's that's not what you want to be remembered, as
you know, Matt.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I mean, Antonio Brown, for close to a decade was
the best period receiver period in period the world period.
People still talk about that without a doubt, but more
often than not, they talk about the end of his
career and how it ended in the off the field stuff.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
None of these guys, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
None of these None of these guys want that. They
they want to they want to go out on a
on a high note. They want to be remembered for
the greatness. They don't want to fall off a cliff
for being volatile situations at the end of their career.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Sure, go out like Lway and hand it off a
bunch and or Manning. I mean, those guys would.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
A couple of those are great examples, because those guys
all ended with you know, with championships at the at
the end of their career.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
But you know, but it's not unprecedented.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Even someone like Brett Farv. I mean, Bret Farv went
to an NFC championship game with a different organization at
the end of his career.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Just because he was with the Jets and Vikings doesn't
mean it was bad, right, right again, sky Rodgers pushing
him for playing time, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
And I think you're right.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
You don't.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
You don't get to the point that he's at without
having pride in that legacy, pride in that body of work.
And you know, the last two years of New York
or not how he wanted to.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I can do better than that.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I'm better than that. I can do better than that.
We can do better than that from my individual standpoint,
from an organizational standpoint.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Win lost standpoint everything.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And you know, while Steelers fans might look at it
and say, Okay, we're gonna win ten or eleven games,
we might lose in the first round, we might win
one playoff game. To Aaron Rodgers right now, that probably
sounds pretty good. You know, Hey, to go ten and seven,
eleven and six, something like that, maybe win a wild
card game. That'd be a good way to kind of
(15:47):
get my reputation back where it belongs and and where,
you know, the way that people should be talking about me. Yeah,
it's it's obviously gonna be very interesting to see what
the offense looks like with Aaron Rodgers, how it's different
from last year, how the run game incorporates into all
of that. It's a very open book.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
So yesterday I was struggling for the quote because I
heard somebody say it, and I guess it's from a country song.
You've probably heard of it that I don't know, but
someone on Twitter because corrected me and got a chuckle
out of me stumbling through it. And to me, it
resembles that, Okay, if you get in the playoffs and
it's Tim versus Josh Allen or Mahomes or Lamar or whatever.
I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm
(16:27):
once good, good one. But I'm exactly you nailed it
right then, you know it, and I'm old and dumb.
I don't know, but the old Gunslinger might have it.
It's one day in Buffalo in Tiger.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Tiger Woods at the twenty nineteen Masters.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Right right, you know he was He was not Tiger Woods.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
He hasn't been since, but for one weekend he pulled
it out and one and won the tournament against a
lot of guys at that point who were better golfers.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Than he was.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Because it's still in there. I mean, it's it's not
the first time it ever came out, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
You know, Sidney Crosby off, Guinny Malkin aren't what they
were ten years ago. But every once in a while,
you spin, are you you go? You know, Geno T's
one up from the top of the circle and you're like, oh,
I remember that I remember.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
That there will definitely be those moments.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Absolutely absolutely. In fact, I'm really looking forward to those
those moments this year because he can, He absolutely still can.
We got to get to another break. We have got
some Mike Tomlin audio to bring you, We've got some
Arthur Smith audio to bring you. So plenty still to
get to as we roll along here about halfway home
on our day too many camp coverage. It's live at
(17:31):
the upmc ren Sports Complex, a special edition of the
Drive with West Huler and Matt Williamson on Steelers Nation
Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold, Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
We're rolling along here on day number two of Mini
camp on this special edition of the Drive on Steelers
Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network. Wes Shooler, Matt
Williamson here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex. We got
our guy CJ hanging out with her down here on site,
taking care of business as always, justin keeping us crispy
back at the ranch, back at Studio HQ. And we
(18:21):
heard from Mike Tomlin yesterday yeah, on a needless to say,
I think a big day for coach as well too.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Yes, So there was a lot of questions.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
About, all right, what will this mean for Mike Tomlin
if the Aaron Rodgers thing doesn't end up working out?
Is in an indictment? Is he done?
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Does he not have it anymore?
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Can he not control the players anymore? Well, Matt Williams, Yeah,
he got.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Him, He got him right, and we shall see. I
like the chances, and again I've said this a thousand times,
I expect him to be the Steelers' best quarterback since
Ben's elbow injury. Yes, that's a pretty long stretch.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
That's a pretty long stretch, and that would be some
pretty decent football because while we haven't seen you know,
the Hall of Fame Ali certainly since Ben, we have
seen some decent stretches of quarterback play in there as
well too, you know, by Justin Fields at times, certainly
by Russell Wilson at times last season. So yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Get over that bar.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
You got to get over that bar. Absolutely, big day yesterday,
with a lot of anticipation, obviously hearing from Aaron Rodgers,
but we did want to take just a couple of
minutes here and play a few of Mike Tomlin's comments
from the first day of mini camp as well. Here's
what coach t had to say after yesterday.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
Man had a really good and exciting day to day,
very similar to the work we've done to this point
in the off season. But it's another step, another step
closer to a football like environment. The days are a
little bit longer, not only in terms of us being
in the building, but the length of practice. Just we're
at that stage where we get the opportunity to continue
(19:48):
to work on our football conditioning and display it, present
some more challenging schematics in all three phases, and just
really a little bit more formal work. And so from
a head of the standpoint, it's a fun environment and
we had a really good day. I'm gonna look forward
us getting back out and doing similar things tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Questions Cans.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
No, certainly we'd like him to be here, but certainly
not surprised by where we are. We've expressed a desire
to get the business done. He has as well, and
so we'll continue to work. We've been here before.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Is there a concern about his future?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
No, he give your advanced notice that he wouldn't.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Get whatever communication transfers between he and I will remain.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
There, like what is uh Aaron Walder digs in yours?
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I mean read's resume. We're excited about him being here,
He's excited about being here. But we'll make no bold predictions.
We're just gonna roll our sleeves up and go to
work and let let our efforts do to talking.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
He said that you want him what money do that?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
You see?
Speaker 5 (20:59):
I'd be really straightforward with you, Uh, June rep Soller
or a heck of a lot more important for a
guy like Will Howard at that at this stage of
his career than the guy who's been doing it for
twenty years. And so whatever snaps he gets, you take
away from a guy like Will Hire Howard. And we're
trying to get this collective ready for training camp. Like
he you said that I think needing comfortable being uncomfortable
(21:22):
in terms of the wage or.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
How felt uncomfortable?
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Was it really or did you.
Speaker 5 (21:28):
Kind of know you get to this point it wasn't
for me.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Like, oh uh, vision a quarterback competition in the summer.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
I don't I bet if it's not gonna be to
have anything again as I said, you know, physical repetitions
in June, for a guy with twenty years experience is
is not that significant. It's very fas significant for a
guy with no snaps.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Snaps here, guys, and this staff, this vile.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I I trust that whatever issues or you know, learning
curve thing that he needs to get through be be
handled during the during the down period of summer. For sure,
may said, he appreciated the way you're communicated with him for.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
His personal So what allowed you that patient to letting
him go through that stuff?
Speaker 5 (22:12):
Why you have most we've both been in our roles
a long time and and so there's personal comfort and
security in that, and maybe we could relate on that level.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
In the past, we had Russell Wilson hearing his leadership
and his better experience for the reason why you've eight
know they what does appear and bringing his avagar.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Reader's resume.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Anyone else all said Garrett Harton is started.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Now that's how you be ready.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
We'll sort out all of that division of labor and
rolls and depth chart things when we get to real football.
Right now, it's just football like.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
All right, thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Right now, it's just football like I like that much
good Mike Tomlin as he spoke at the conclusion of
yesterday's proceedings there, Matt Williamson, and you know, one thing
that really stands out to me is the June reps
comment about Will Howard. Yes, and listen to you and
I have have had these discussions. You and Dale have
(23:12):
had these discussions. Motes and I have had these discussions
about how when you get into a training camp setting,
there's only so many reps to go around. Like we
we talked about this last week when we were going
around the division and talking about now all the you know,
the bites at the apple that the Browns are going
to try and position, and how much of a is
it safe to say, like when you've got a guy
like Aaron Rodgers, you want him at training camp to
(23:36):
be able to get all the work that he's going
to want as much or his little new offense, new system,
new teammates, training camp at training camp. So in this setting,
let's let Will Howard get as much as possible, because
who knows, when we get the training camp there might
not be as you know, that slice of the pie
is going to be much more divvied up.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
So even going back to the Rogers interview we played
in the first hour, Yeah, he said. You know, Mike
and I talked about how instead of me trying to
run an offense that I don't know yet you got
to sign two days ago or whatever, you know. I mean,
like he has some hints, but he's not going to
you know, call him plays and know where everyone's at.
I'm just gonna do individual. Let the other guys get
as many reps as they possibly could. I even said
(24:16):
last week, you know that those six days of Rudolph
running with the ones is really good because he's not
a new I mean, he's not new to the organization,
but he's new to the Arthur Smith offense. Yes, so
that's important. And Howard give him everything. I mean, I mean,
I keep thinking about the preseason Rogers. If it was
up to me, maybe Roger would play a series. Maybe
(24:38):
if he wants, you know whatever, Rudolph might play the
equivalent of three quarters or a half or something like that.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
But I want Howard to play.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Like crazy, at least a half every game.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
Yeah. And just while we're talking Howard, I want to
get back to Rogers and stuff, you know, Coach Somlin said, too.
But coincidentally, I just and I've been on you know,
steel a quarterback the last couple of days. Wonder why
that I watched the John Gruden special with quarterback in
quarterback camp before he was drafted, you know.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
And I'm very, very impressive with Howard.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And I've always said that Howard to me from the
neck up is also great that he kind of reminds
me of like Frank Reich to Jim Kelly or Jason
Garrett to Aikman, like these Hall of Fame quarterbacks, yeah,
who have the long term backup. And I bring those
names up too because they went on to be head
coaches in the league, you know, like some of these
quarterbacks that are backups that end up being big time coaches.
(25:35):
I could see that being Howard's future. And I'm not
sure changing him as a player, because I think he
might surprise some people too. Some people I think are
a little too optimistic about him. Sure that was a
real and I urge people to check out YouTube and
just do a search for it because it's worth forty
five minutes of your life. You'll be even more impressed.
But I want him to play as much as possible
because I want him to be the next Rudolph. I've
(25:57):
been calling him next year's first round pick, Caddy, you know,
like that would be great. Yeah, I mean, with a
year under your belt and you know Whoever, if I'm
right and they do draft the guy in the first
round next year, he's gonna come in and be like
I remember watching you win the national title a year
before that.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
He already has pelts on.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
I was watching, I was watching you and how you
in Ohio State did all those games or.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
You outdooled me or whatever you know it was. You know,
so I think giving him everything possible is super important,
and it's one of the benefits of Rogers not being
here the last two weeks is those two got a
lot of valuable stuff, earned some trust and credence of
their coaches and teammates.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And we mentioned it yesterday. I don't know if this
will be the case, but I bet it will be
as it was with Ben, as it is with Cam Hayward.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
There's probably gonna be training camp days that Rogers takes
off right, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
I mean, and he should. I mean, that would be wonderful.
He'll know the offense by then. Great. Get these two
as much as they possibly can, but especially Howard.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah, I think that makes a ton of sense, and
that I think is an is A is a is
another one of those like kind of misnomers that I think.
I think fans think that there's a well training camp.
There's just all the time in the world for these
guys to get reps and get work.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
And not days anymore, not two days anymore.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Everything is capped now. And again once you start to
get to that point too, you're trying to get your
first team ready, you know, out here you want to
get a look at everybody, and there is an element
of that a training camp too, obviously, sure, but.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Better than Warren might pop up that oh wow, we
found a guy, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
But you really better be getting nothing Harris ready to
be the number one guy, right, I mean.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
You know what I mean, Like like that's like going
back to the Browns thing, Like if if we make
the assumption that Flacco's a starter, he's gonna need some.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Reps with some I mean, he at least needs some work. Yeah,
I mean, you.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Gotta play in week one and all those other guys
don't get those reps. And you mentioned Rogers. I mean
it was kind of well known, like Peyton Manning's back
up that poor guy didn't get any snack enough of
Manning ones everyone, everyone, all the time, all the time,
all the time. I don't know if rogers that way
or not, but I think the way he phrased it
was give him whatever he wants.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Whatever he wants, Yes, if he wants a time, or
absolutely if he just wants off.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
No problem.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Arms a little short take that you know right out ver, right,
or let Howard run with the ones his time he's
looking good, or you know, whatever you know.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
But whatever he wants is the answer.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Just hopefully it won't be a sore calf from a
blocking sled, right, Probably won't. That's good to do that.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
I bet he'd just laugh at them if they did that.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
No, No, we'll do that on our private workouts in Malibui. Right,
I'll do that around here. Another break to get to here.
But when we come back to close down this hour,
some more on Aaron Rodgers offense. The final kind of
thoughts on some of the comments that have been made
over the last twenty four hours or so. We'll do
all of that to close down Hour number two was
Shuler Matt Williamson u pmc rooney Sports Complex for another
(28:52):
day of mini camp coverage here on Steelers Nation Radio
on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold, Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Back on the Drive here from the upmc rooney Sports Complex,
West Shuler and Matt Williamson as we roll along with you,
approaching Wednesday afternoons, still technically Wednesday morning, but a walk
through in the books for the Steelers, a practice to
follow here a little over an hour from now. A
lot of sunshine, a lot of energy at Pittsburgh's like
the center of the sports universe this week. Matthew oh
(29:41):
with the golf, golf with Aaron Rodgers. The Buckos are
about to play the Buckos they and they've won like
eight of their last ten games. Don't look now, but
they're they're They're getting some press and everything that Paul
Skeens has going on. Of course, Penguins just introduced their
new head coach, Dan Muse this morning, so it's like
all happening here in western Pennsylvania. But obviously we are
(30:02):
focused on the football. We will hear Arthur Smith spoke
after this morning's walkthrough. We'll hear from him to start
the next hour.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
But here's and real quick quick, guys, in case you
missed it in the beginning. Here this segment between the
walkthrough and then actual practice, they're gonna get lunch, they're
gonna get treatment, they might get taped up, they might
be right right right, They're definitely gonna be in some
sort of position meeting, maybe the offense all meet together,
or a special teams meeting. So they're they're they're doing
(30:32):
stuff now in between. But this is like their typical Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
from what I understand.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
And that's the you know, if if we had a X,
if we had Starks or Motes or one of those
guys sitting with us here. Yeah, that's the main difference.
The main difference between OTA's and Mini camp isn't necessarily
what's going on out here, it's what's going on inside
and the walls behind us. Yeah, exactly during during ot as,
you might come in a little early, get your workout in,
go out practice, and then your days over.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Here it's much more structured, like you said there, it's
like treatment there's meetings, there's a bunch of different things.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Yeah, it's like it's the season.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
It's like it's the season.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
One more thing to learn of the operation here.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Yes, exactly right, closer to training camp style, like it's
the regular season again. Kind of an all part of
that linear process to ramping themselves up for when we
get to September and the real things happened.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
I think Rogers even said in his interview, He's like,
not these guys have names on their in their jerseys, right,
I wasn't sure where what rooms I'm supposed to go to,
you know, Like.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I ask the jersey Aaron Rodgers is wearing right now,
what Corless Weightman was probably wearing, you know what I mean,
Just hey, let's take that off. Let's watch it a
few times to here you go before we get the
real you know, in season ones. But yeah, it's it's
it's all part of the process here, and it's all
you know, we've used the analogies, this, the school analogies
and all those different things going forward. But obviously now
(31:51):
with the addition of number eight out here h and
Aaron Rodgers being signed, sealed and delivered, it's starting to
feel more like the real thing. You can start, you
can start to have more, you know, real good faith
conversations about the real thing. And I ask you, with
that in mind, Matt, how now that now that again,
because we've all thought since March that this was going
(32:12):
to happen, But now that it has, how do expectations
change for you for the Pittsburgh Steelers as we sit
here today as to you know, maybe where we were
a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
I would say playoff competitiveness is one way to put it. Now.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
I'm not going to guarantee they're going to win a
playoff game, or win the division or even get in
the playoffs, but I sure like their chance is a
lot better of making noise in the postseason. Yes, I mean,
I guess that's one way of putting it. Then, in
certainly in recent years. Rob King joined us yesterday, and
you know, I think he was dead on. He says,
I think this roster is better than last year's, and
(32:50):
I think I would agree with that. I think last
year was better than the year before. You know, so
the organization, the roster, the team building I think is
continually taking steps in the right direction, particularly in the trenches,
you know, is a start. And now I think you're
better at the most important position, so that should be
the expectations. And Tom and I went through the AFC,
(33:10):
and you know, does this His question was this, does
this change your pecking order or your tiers or your
AFC power ranking?
Speaker 3 (33:18):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (33:18):
And I said, well, the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills are
in their own tier, and this does not put the
Steelers there for me, but I think they can hang
with basically anyone in that next group. Yeah, you know, Chargers, Broncos, Bengals.
You know, maybe the Texans are a little better than
those guys. We'll see, but you know, that's the neighborhood
you're firmly in and where you should at least, you know,
(33:41):
compete throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
You know. I I completely agree with that, and it
feels like like I like, and I'll continue to go
back to this, I'm sure probably throughout the off season. Now,
the Toby Keith line that you that you uh or
for us there, that you butchered for us ain't as
good as I once was. But I'm as good once
as I ever was.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Yeah, I think that's a lot of the theme here,
you know, last.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Year, and particularly down the stretch when the Steelers lost
those four straight games entering the playoffs and you know,
stumbled into the postseason, it felt like, Okay, you might
have a tiny chance to go into Baltimore and turn
your fortunes around. I don't think any of us were
feeling it. I don't think any of us were feeling great.
But it's the Ravens. You know them, well, you'd still
won five your last six against them, or four of
(34:23):
your last five against them.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
It's gonna be a three point game, whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
But then if somehow you would have, let's play the
hypothetical that you know, you would have found a way
to go into Baltimore and get a win last year,
I don't think many people would have been feeling that
there was much of a chance the following week going
into Buffalo or going into Kansas City, right, or.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
Even the past two years going into Buffalo in Kansas City, right,
there was a whole lot of hope. Correct, Correct, anyone
can win on any given Sunday, we know that, But
where is this year?
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Anyone was picking the Steelers to win outright?
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Now, Where's where is this year? If you get into
a wild Card game and maybe you beat the Texans
and go to go to Houston or LA or something
crazy like that.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Right.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
I think I think there is. There's much more realistic possibility.
There's much more optimism that you can hang with those
super Bowl favorites. I think you're right. I don't think
this makes the Steelers a super Bowl favorite, but I
think it at least gives you optimism that you can
hang with the super Bowl favorites. And I think it
gives you optimism that by the time December rolls around,
maybe you could be a super Bowl contender.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
Maybe not in that.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Favorite vein with the Eagles and the Chiefs, right, but maybe,
like you mentioned in that next.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Group, if you're running the ball well on your defense
is pretty dominant, you might be like.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Hey, we're not the Lions, we're not the Eagles, we're
not the Chiefs, but we get a bounce or two, right,
win a turnover battle, right, Bosworth's.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
A great kicker and he wins us one at the end,
or you know what I mean. I mean, I don't
think that's insane to think about. And I guess the
way i'd sum it up is the ceiling got higher.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
The ceiling got higher.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, yeah, not astronomical through the through the roof, the
highest one in the league, but.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
It's definitely higher than it's been the higher two years, right,
you know, maybe even higher than it's been since Ben's
elbow injury.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
I think so, I think that should be the expectations.
And if Rogers plays the whole year and they're not
destroyed by injuries, and heaven forbid they only win five games,
well yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Right, you know, yeah, no, and and that's hey, those
are the things that we won't know until we know.
But here here is.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Bad stuff coming.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
There's a lot of bad a lot of a lot
of potential for injury, a lot of that stuff.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
But you got to kind of true with the chiefs
and builds and right.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Absolutely absolutely listen, Patrick Mahomes could pick up a serious injury.
Josh Allen could pick up a serious injury. There's a
there's a lot of different things that can happen between
now and September and then now and the holidays and
the and the playoff push in the postseason.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
The watch situation needs to get ironed out. Yeah, I mean,
that's the next story we're gonna be talking about.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Yeah, that that that certainly is and I don't have
too much of a concern level there. I know a
lot of people are pointing out that, you know, four
years ago at this time when it was kind of
a similar uh contract time for TJ, that he was
here doing the hold end thing, and is this totally
different now, because yeah, I still a lot of that.
To me, is is is just different noise? You know
(36:59):
that I I I'm still supribly confident that at some point,
probably in early August during training camp, we'll get that
news that'll break. It'll be the nice pep in the
step for everybody in the middle of dog days of camp.
There'll be excitement in the cafeteria and in the locker
rooms that you know that that they got it done.
We've seen this fish before.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm sure that there's been talks going on
for the better part of a year. I mean, I'm
sure they're in the same ballpark. And I don't have
much concern that it will get done. I'm sure they
wanted to get done, oh, no doubt. And you know,
I think he wants it to get done. And I
know we're not allowed to report on things, but DK
metcalf just walked right from the table, and I wouldn't
(37:37):
want to press him at the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
I would not. No, I'm good on that, and let
me ask let me ask you that too, because I
think Aaron Rodgers is low hanging fruit but obviously probably
number one on all of our lists of most excited
to see will get when we get the camp and yeah,
and we we'll see it. We've seen them doing the
little things out here, but it's it's obviously not the
full gam but it was dk number two on that
(37:59):
list of most excited when we get to li Trope
in July. Yeah, like when the speed really picks up
and the pads.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
Go on, right, right, Yeah, I think that's fair. I mean,
draft picks are always high on that list. Now, there's
no question.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
I think guys like like Troy Fultanu are going to
be high on that this year as well.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
Get a double dose of draft picks too, you know,
dual first.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Rounders sleigh certainly right, right, right.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Rookies are always high on that list, no matter what
camp it is. If it's three thousand, twenty thirty three,
we're about the.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
First right, exactly exactly right, So that's.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
High on the list. But yes, I think your answer
is dead on.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Keanu Benton would be high on that list for me
to just heading into a third year.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Broderty Jones.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Another great one. Even the guy like Zach Frasier too,
you know, and turning this process now is the unquestioned guy.
And let me ask you.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
About one on ones Fraser versus Heyward.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Absolutely, that's the kind.
Speaker 4 (38:46):
Of stuff you're gonna see now, Like, Okay, if you
are one of the top three centers, you're got to
deal with guys like.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Right, And you didn't see as much of that last
year because it was more of him against guys like
the Marvin Leal and louder Mirale and Keanu Betton at
that time too.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
And people forget the day Herbig was injured. He was
the starting center, right, you know that hadn't happened.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yet, right now, exactly right, Zach was was? I mean,
we had seen him, I think, get a little bit
of work with the Ones, but it was looking promising
and I think we all thought that there was a possibility,
certainly that we would see him sooner rather than later.
But yeah, it was still there. It was still Nate.
It was still Nate Herbig's spot when he had that
unfortunate injury. Let me ask you about Zach as it
kind of relates to this conversation and we're talking oh
(39:25):
line now too. Benefits detriments, the good the bad of
first year veteran Hall of Fame credentials, super Bowl champion,
Russell Wilson, second year now to even another extent, four time,
four time NFL MVP, super Bowl champion, future Hall of Famer,
(39:48):
one of the best to ever do it in Aaron Rodgers.
Benefit for Zach Frasier of getting to work with two
guys like that right out of the shoot. Might it
be better in an ideal situation to have somebody to
grow with? Or is that okay? You can get that
down on the line, Like, what what do you think
of the opportunity that he has now to work with
a guy like this after a pretty good start with
guys like you know, Russell Wilson and Justin Field's NFL
(40:09):
quarterbacks as well too.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
I said it at a bunch yesterday that I just
think Rogers presence has.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
A massive intellectual.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Trickle down effect to everybody on offense, the whole team,
but especially everyone on offense. Of little things like and
especially a center because I'm sure Rogers is going to
do all the protections and things like that too. That
doesn't mean Fraser can't handle those things, but they're gonna
have to work in unison like a pouncy bend situation.
And oh, by the way, and I keep putting myself
(40:41):
ahead of this, but I do think there's a big
picture here that well, what if they have a rookie
first round quarterback next year?
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Totally and now Fraser has two years.
Speaker 4 (40:49):
Under his belt with big time established in one of
the best minds ever at the quarterback position, to you know,
to go back on, Yeah, this is how we did
it with the pretty good base left Okay, sign up
right right?
Speaker 2 (41:04):
Know that that makes a ton of sense. Yeah, from
that standpoint of just how does this guy prepare? How
does this guy, like you said, diagnose coverage? What's his
preparation like quick about it, right, What's what's what's his
preparation throughout the week that allows him to get to
that point on on game day? Verse the twenty years
of experience that he has in the week to week,
(41:25):
Like I think.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
It all the little tricks does too.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
I keep bringing up because he's the best I've ever
seen at it, like defensive subbing and here we got
qui guys on the field boom, you know, you know
that kind of we're.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Gonna free play real quick here and take a shot
and see what happens.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
Every little loophole or you know, every little edge he
can get he always maximizes.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
Yeah, and the trickle down effect of that is real
for everybody on the offense. But I think for a
for a center, a young one, and.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
Young line in general too.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Yes, that's a that's I mean, that's a great point.
Other than Isaac Sayamala, they're all gonna be on their
rookie deals stilm. It's it's it's good to have what
you want.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
People about it, And it was definitely true at the
end of Ben's career too, like of course, these guys
always give one hundred percent, but man, I don't want
the forty one. Let get hit, you know what I mean,
Like Ben when he was in his prime, or Josh Allen,
Like I blew a block or I blew my sign.
Speaker 3 (42:16):
The guy but I didn't get but I shrugged, you know,
the quarterback shrugged it off. I mean, like I'm not
letting that guy ever get hit. Like we the the
pleasure of working with the.
Speaker 2 (42:25):
Wolf all the time, I was hoping you were going
to tell this story, right.
Speaker 3 (42:28):
He would always talk about like man if I because
a Bradshaw was.
Speaker 2 (42:31):
Because the end, by the time the wolves got drafted.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Rings on his finger. I am not going to be
the one that lets Bradshaw think it hit.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
I am not going to be I'll hold and claw
bite everybody. I'll get whatever personal penalty I have to, right,
but that won't be me. You know, there's there's absolutely
an element of that too.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
Sure the young guy is not letting the old quarterback
getting blasted, you.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Know, without a doubt, like the standard that you want
to uphold of taking care of this guy, protecting this guy,
and I think to just the the onus that that
will give them all going going forward, you know, working work,
getting to.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Work with his presence his belt here.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, And like you said, hopefully when he's gone,
that's still going to remain in the sense of what
these guys can pick up from him in the next
you know, eight nine months or so or potentially you've
been into next year as well too.
Speaker 4 (43:17):
Like I don't think if there's shadows and echoes of
Joe Green in this out in this building still, you know,
I mean, like people that are that established and have
that kind of influence don't totally go away.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
You know, there's a legacy.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
One hundred percent, You're you're absolutely right, there's there's still
James Ferrier echoes in these in these hallways, you know,
from next year at this thing, hundred hundred percent. So yeah,
I think, you know, absolutely right. Like I think, leader,
it's huge for everybody on that offensive line, big for
Zach Frasier, and as you have mentioned too, just with
(43:49):
the Creed Humphrey and Mahomes factor, it's always good for
a center to be on TV, to be in discussions,
to be getting looked at more often with their quarterback
being kind of the center of attention.
Speaker 3 (43:59):
Right now, just tired and all of a sudden, like.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
In that level exactly right, finding himself on some of
those lists already, and and a year with Aaron Rodgers
I think will only help that cause certainly.
Speaker 4 (44:13):
Has been the case my entire life. The Steelers once
again one of the best centers in the league.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
You know, certain things edge rushers centers, it feels like
They're always towards the top of the packing order in
that regard, and they change their head coach about as
often as we change the roof on our homes. Two
hours in the books, another hour ago. We will hear
what Arthur Smith had to say when we return here
from the Steelers offensive coordinator. Continue some of these conversations
(44:39):
on the offensive side of the football as we roll
along West Yuler Matt Williamson Special edition of The Drive
here on Steelers Nation Radio and the Steelers Audio Network
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williams
Sish on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and Gold cat n R Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Our number two on number two of Mini Camp. Here
on the set side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the walk
through portion of practices over. Then we'll have a full
practice here in about two hours. Matt and I will
be with you until then. It is a special edition
of The Drive. Here a live from the upmc rooney
Sports Complex, our pet ultimate show down here Matt Tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
The last has been fun, the last one.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Of three weeks down here. It is fun. Like it's
nice to get so, it's nice to see everybody. The
parking situation is at the parking situation is tough. It's
a lot of walking and moving and shaking, and you know,
the first week we had some rain and some weather
elements and things like that. But it is nice to
get back down here. It's nice to see people. I mean,
you and I were just throwing off our breaks in
the first hour talking about just seeing dk metcalf in them.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
That he is, oh yeah, he stands out.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
He could stand next to Darnell Washington and look like
he belonged. Not many skill pishon players could say.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
That those two, I mean are very rare for their
NFL position, I mean was rare in the NFL, but
they're rare amongst rare dudes.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You know, Yes, they are rare body types amongst all
of all of the rare body types. And uh so
plenty to get to here as we roll along today,
I would want to get into some more of that
Aaron Rodgers conversation. Mat Yeah, a lot of stuff he did,
and you know, let's go with one of the softballs,
maybe one of the low hanging fruit things. But you know,
you and I talked about at the start of the show,
could some of the drawn out and trows signing and
(01:38):
could it how did it maybe dampen the enthusiasm for some?
But I tell you the way that he was kind
of talking about Pittsburgh and the Insers and all the
coaching ties in his life from Western Pennsylvania, that's something
I know the fan bas will love here and everybody
got a kick out.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Of the Yeah, and I don't think he just did
a little homework to you know, make the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
He's talked about that for years in the past too,
even when he hasn't been.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I think everyone realizes that the NFL and football in
general has very strong ties this area of the country,
and it's through.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
A hotbed over decades and decades.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
And now it's Florida and Texas, but I mean still Pennsylvania, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
This is always fertile recruiting grounds.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
And I found it enlightening that he mentioned all the
great quarterbacks came out of this area and all the
coaches he worked with. But he said, you know Yinzer
background so and a couple of them. I've been around,
Luke Getzi, Ben McAdoo, et cetera. I've worked with or
you know, coach you know you do the signettes as
well too, or no, I didn't know them, but they
(02:36):
were big sig was it? I up when we were
at pitt and a couple of our guys transferred I
up and things like that that ted trouble.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Get on the field or whatever. You know, it'd be
a coaching clinics.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, enough enough of proximity that kind.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Of right down the road, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
But a lot of those dudes, I mean, I thought
that was really enlightening that he mentioned the football in
the area. I guess is one way of putting it.
He brought up Mike Tomlins say one hundred times. I mean, yeah,
me and Mike get a good relationship. That's why I'm here,
you know, Like, I hope people realize what I know,
(03:10):
that he's been under scrutiny because he doesn't want to
playoff game lately. We all know that.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
You know. Of course, we know.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
That they're not landing on the moon. We're not breaking
any news.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Right and oh, by the way, he's never had a
losing season. Yeah, I mean, I know.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Everybody knows unless you just woke up out of a
like you said, living on the moon or living under
a rock. But I don't think people understand how well
he's respected and coveted around the league. And it's a
great example when somebody that's been doing this for such
a long time at such a high level brings it
up over and over and over and over. It's it
(03:43):
sounds like it's the number one reason he's here. It's
not like they outbid a bunch of people for him.
It's about money, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
It was the first thing that Mega Fitzpatrick talked about
at nauseum down. He was acquired by the Steelers, the
relationship that he the foundation that he had with Mike
Tomlin when he was coming out of the draft and
throughout that process. It was the first thing Joey. We
just mentioned Joe Hayden in the last segment, and you
know how he hopped on a moving train with the
Steelers his first year here after training camp. He was
(04:10):
the same way talk about how much of an impression
Mike Tomlin made upon him. So you are absolutely right
that stuff matters, matters huge. I mean, in particularly to
a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who he's dealt with plenty
of the wet behind the ears, inexperienced head coaches at
this stage in his career. I'm sure that's the last
thing he wants.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Really every step of the way, every step of the way.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
We talked about that yesterday, Like I didn't even put
two and two together that he's been around so long
that McCarthy was even new. I mean, we know or
is in the jet situation, but he's never walked into
a building with a.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Tenured Super Bowl winning coach and Payton or a Pete
Carroll or was.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
There well before him, you know what I mean, Like
Lafleur is having a really good career. McCarthy had a
really good career. Part of it's because they coach Danon Rodgers,
but you know, which helps. But I thought that was
very prominent in his conversation of coach T Coach T
you know or Mike as you said. And I'm not
going to divulge any sources, but several people in this
(05:15):
organization have told me that after game days, like when
everybody kind of meets in the middle field, winner, laws,
shake hands, give a hunt, your buddy, someone who played
college with whatever, there's that social period there win or
lose that people that have been around near the coach
Tomlin at that time, it's not uncommon for opposing players
(05:37):
to come up to him and say, hey, I'm a
free agent after year, I really want to play for you.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, Like, I just want people to understand that about
this guy.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
You know, Yes, and again that stuff matters. That is
not the that is not much workout.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
You only have fifty three roster spots and only so
much money and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
But yeah, this has become a bigger debate in sports circles,
I think more so outside of the NFL. But there's
a lot of talk about like, is it fair for
organizations that live in states with no income tax? I
should the leagues do something about that? Right?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I think it's unfair, vantage I do too, but I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I mean, it's but I also realized that it's not
the end all be all.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
It's bigger than the NFL or any h O.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Don't get me wrong, right, it is great that the
Miami Heat can offer NBA players tax free living, sure,
but you know what else is probably better is playing
for that organization with pat Riley and getting to live
in an area like Miami and Lebron James was there
and Dwayne Wade was there. Yeah, but it's the organization should.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
He definitely matters in recruiting or free agency or all
that stuff too.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
If if Ohio were suddenly tax free income state, I
don't think people would be lining up to play for
the Cleveland Browns, right right, right, You're.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Still not considered a great organization, I mean, And that
one of the first things Rogers said I thought was
really interesting too, is basically said I was fortunate enough
to be drafted by one of these storied organizations. And
he didn't talk bad about the Jets, but he didn't
include them, ofvious, because they aren't. But he in title town,
Green Bay, and he linked the Steelers with that, and coincidentally,
(07:08):
I just, you know, I think people probably kind of
know these things, but I just did the research last
night for fun, because I don't know where i'd heard
about the losing season stuff. But this is the tweet
I put out. I mean, Chuck no Nole became the
Steelers head coach in nineteen sixty nine, which is three years.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Before I was even a long time again, three years
before I was born.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
I'm an old man. And he went one in thirteen,
five and nine and six and eight when he took
over what was basically the worst organization in the league.
So then I was born basically, and I'm old. And
since then, the Steelers have had seven losing seasons. So
that's basically like in my fifty two years of walk
on the planet, they've had seven losing seasons. And I
(07:47):
mentioned to Dale when he was well aware of it,
and he's like, I've covered his team for thirty three
years and I've seen three.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
It's insane.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
It's insane, you know, Like, again, I know they've won
a playoff lately, And I know coach Salmon doesn't a
losing record.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
You know all these things.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
But part of the reason, though, why part of those
part of the reason why we harp on those things
so much, though, is because of the expectation in the
standard that's been set. Sure, like it's a starting I
think you and I had this conversation last week or
the week before. My expectations is a WVU fan, Your
expectations is a pit fan. It's not the same as
(08:21):
Ohio State and Georgia fans.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Right, like Lions fans are like this is a first
good thing.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
But I wish I expected WV football to compete at
the level that Ohio State does. I wish that I
expected the Pirates to compete at the level that the
Yankees do.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Sure, you know, but that's why there's only a few
of them.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But that's why there's only a few of them. That's
why the expectations are what they are at those places.
And while it can be a curse against you, he's
also part of building those expectations as well too. Right,
It's like it's like the double edged sword in a way.
But yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Used to have part Starr and Farv and Rogers and
I love and you know right right and Rothels.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Where I was going with the no income you know
debate was like, those things are, without a doubt attractive,
but so is a stable organization and ownership and head coach, right,
because I don't think people would be lining up to
play for the Cleveland Browns if if Ohio was suddenly
an income income tax free state. I don't think people
would suddenly be lining up to play for the Carolina
(09:18):
Panthers if North Carolina suddenly became a income free tax state.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
I mean, from men thrilled to be a Jet if
he knew his offensive coordinator and head coach were both
gonna get fired mid season. No, you know, like that's
that's not good for anyone. No, you know, it's a
losing formula.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Absolutely, And like you know, everybody is having this debate
now in hockey circles too, because the Florida Panthers are
in the Stanley Cup for three for the third straight time,
and some of their guys have taken pay cuts to
stay there, and it's like, well, yeah, well they're tax free,
you know, in income tax free state.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
A lot of those guys from cold weather places in
the fun.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
But okay, fifteen probably great fifteen twenty years ago, when
the organization was a dumpster fire, nobody was lining up
to play for me, because that's where your career goes
to die.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
I mean, I assume it's not a fluke that they've
been this good. They're a strong organ.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Correct, correct, They've drafted well, and they've had the right
head coach, and it's been a you know, a decade
process of getting to this point where now, if you're
a player and you're choosing between three or four options, Okay,
this one has great weather, this one has no state
income tax, and they're a contender. Okay, bang easy, Sure,
But when you're only getting one of those most important
(10:24):
exactly right, guys still want to be in good situations.
Guys still want to be.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
He's not an attractive town to go to for a
lot of these guys. Some people love that's not Miami.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
I mean, dudes who grew up in Miami, Texas, et cetera,
do not want to play in that weather. And somebody
that want to have nightclubs in nightlife. But I want
to play for the Packers, right.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
And and and that That's that's I think the the
stuff that matters very importantly to these guys, especially someone
like Aaron Rodgers, who knows he can see the clubhouse.
I mean, you know what I mean, Like he might
not be on the eighteenth green right, right, but he
can see the club house. Yeah, he's not on the
front nine of his career anymore. He's not even on
the eleventh or twelfth hole.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
He's not twenty four coming off a fourth round draft
pick contract trying to get maximizes earning.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Exactly, you're not going to.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Be in the league potentially long and just I need
to make money while I can, which I don't begrudge
anyone on the planet for doing. Absolutely, go to the
highest bidder. Cool, that's that was your decision. And free
agency great, But he's made the money, I mean, and
he wants to go to.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
The right spot.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
He absolutely does. And there's there's no doubt that that
is as important in these equations for guys like him
as any To.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Be fair, he didn't have thirty two options either, right,
Let's ben't call you know, of course.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Right, you know the la Rams ended up hanging on
to Matt Stafford. Maybe that would you know, maybe that
would have been a real option, particularly if he could
have gotten all those guys to move the practice facility
to Malibu.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I can think about Malibu. It doesn't sound bad.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh dude, maybe have you ever been there before?
Speaker 3 (11:52):
No, but I have heard. It's incredible.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
It's one of the makest places, one of the most
beautiful places on the planet, certainly in this that whole
Malibu Santa Monica area. Oh, it's just now, you need
to have Aaron Rodgers type of money to live well there.
But if you can, that is absolutely one of the
places in the world.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
They might be.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah, we'll broadcast their workouts. That's right, pay for my
own flight, just cover everything else, Just cover everything else
for me. Aaron sip a little red wine there on
the outskirts and NAPA h one of the other things
that we obviously have to discuss with his comments Matt
Is when he was asked about Arthur Smith's offense, what
he likes to do, how that balance could be struck.
(12:31):
You know, we were joking in the first hour. You
tweeted out about the Jets having the lowest amount of
rushing attempts, and your replies are full of Jets fans like, oh,
why do you think that is? Aaron loves to check
out of his out of his run plays. There is
some truth to that, certainly, but I also think this
is one of those misconception things with him, where it's
it's not to the level that the public perception might
(12:52):
believe it to be, and I might not coming to
the line of scrimmage every single play and going a
screw with the offensive Cordners coordinator said here's what we're.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Doing, and I'd be shocked. Maybe there is truth to it.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
I mean, maybe he does check to a pass a lot,
and I'm gonna be very open to paying attention to that,
especially on.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
More often than it doesn't.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I'm sure it has over his career. I'll take I'll
take that to the bank. I mean, maybe it didn't
in New York, but I'm sure it has over his career.
But frankly, I'd be shocked if it's just to pad
my stats. I mean, if he thinks the best calls
a pass, I think he's gonna go with the pass,
not so he could say I threw thirty touchdowns this year.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Maybe it's I don't know, I mean, but.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
I would be shocked if that's the motivation, and that's
what a lot of the people said, Well, he just
wants to pat his hats.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
I'm like, as long as ball gets the end zone,
I don't care how it gets it.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
You know, correct, And I don't know, maybe at one
point in his career, but at this standpoint, I don't
think he's watching his stat line anymore. I think he's
pretty secure in where he's at in terms of that,
that greatness of what his numbers look like.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
And a big thing we talked about yesterday too, probably
not even enough, is you don't get to where he's
at without having great.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Pride in your career, your legacy.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Totally.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Do you think he's to end it on the two
years he spent in New York? You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Nobody does?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Nobody does.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
I mean, I don't care what these guys tell Matt.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
That's Willy made with the Mets, you know, I mean, like,
that's that's not what you want to be remembered, as
you know, Matt.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I mean, Antonio Brown, for close to a decade was
the best period receiver period in period the world period.
People still talk about that without a doubt, but more
often than not, they talk about the end of his
career and how it ended in the off the field stuff.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
None of these guys, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
None of these None of these guys want that. They
they want to they want to go out on a
on a high note. They want to be remembered for
the greatness. They don't want to fall off a cliff
for being volatile situations at the end of their career.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Sure, go out like Lway and hand it off a
bunch and or Manning. I mean, those guys would.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
A couple of those are great examples, because those guys
all ended with you know, with championships at the at
the end of their career.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
But you know, but it's not unprecedented.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Even someone like Brett Farv. I mean, Bret Farv went
to an NFC championship game with a different organization at
the end of his career.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Just because he was with the Jets and Vikings doesn't
mean it was bad, right, right again, sky Rodgers pushing
him for playing time, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
And I think you're right.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
You don't.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
You don't get to the point that he's at without
having pride in that legacy, pride in that body of work.
And you know, the last two years of New York
or not how he wanted to.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I can do better than that.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I'm better than that. I can do better than that.
We can do better than that from my individual standpoint,
from an organizational standpoint.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Win lost standpoint everything.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And you know, while Steelers fans might look at it
and say, Okay, we're gonna win ten or eleven games,
we might lose in the first round, we might win
one playoff game. To Aaron Rodgers right now, that probably
sounds pretty good. You know, Hey, to go ten and seven,
eleven and six, something like that, maybe win a wild
card game. That'd be a good way to kind of
(15:47):
get my reputation back where it belongs and and where,
you know, the way that people should be talking about me. Yeah,
it's it's obviously gonna be very interesting to see what
the offense looks like with Aaron Rodgers, how it's different
from last year, how the run game incorporates into all
of that. It's a very open book.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
So yesterday I was struggling for the quote because I
heard somebody say it, and I guess it's from a country song.
You've probably heard of it that I don't know, but
someone on Twitter because corrected me and got a chuckle
out of me stumbling through it. And to me, it
resembles that, Okay, if you get in the playoffs and
it's Tim versus Josh Allen or Mahomes or Lamar or whatever.
I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm
(16:27):
once good, good one. But I'm exactly you nailed it
right then, you know it, and I'm old and dumb.
I don't know, but the old Gunslinger might have it.
It's one day in Buffalo in Tiger.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Tiger Woods at the twenty nineteen Masters.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Right right, you know he was He was not Tiger Woods.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
He hasn't been since, but for one weekend he pulled
it out and one and won the tournament against a
lot of guys at that point who were better golfers.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Than he was.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Because it's still in there. I mean, it's it's not
the first time it ever came out, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
You know, Sidney Crosby off, Guinny Malkin aren't what they
were ten years ago. But every once in a while,
you spin, are you you go? You know, Geno T's
one up from the top of the circle and you're like, oh,
I remember that I remember.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
That there will definitely be those moments.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Absolutely absolutely. In fact, I'm really looking forward to those
those moments this year because he can, He absolutely still can.
We got to get to another break. We have got
some Mike Tomlin audio to bring you, We've got some
Arthur Smith audio to bring you. So plenty still to
get to as we roll along here about halfway home
on our day too many camp coverage. It's live at
(17:31):
the upmc ren Sports Complex, a special edition of the
Drive with West Huler and Matt Williamson on Steelers Nation
Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold, Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
We're rolling along here on day number two of Mini
camp on this special edition of the Drive on Steelers
Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network. Wes Shooler, Matt
Williamson here at the upmc rooney Sports Complex. We got
our guy CJ hanging out with her down here on site,
taking care of business as always, justin keeping us crispy
back at the ranch, back at Studio HQ. And we
(18:21):
heard from Mike Tomlin yesterday yeah, on a needless to say,
I think a big day for coach as well too.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Yes, So there was a lot of questions.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
About, all right, what will this mean for Mike Tomlin
if the Aaron Rodgers thing doesn't end up working out?
Is in an indictment? Is he done?
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Does he not have it anymore?
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Can he not control the players anymore? Well, Matt Williams, Yeah,
he got.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Him, He got him right, and we shall see. I
like the chances, and again I've said this a thousand times,
I expect him to be the Steelers' best quarterback since
Ben's elbow injury. Yes, that's a pretty long stretch.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
That's a pretty long stretch, and that would be some
pretty decent football because while we haven't seen you know,
the Hall of Fame Ali certainly since Ben, we have
seen some decent stretches of quarterback play in there as
well too, you know, by Justin Fields at times, certainly
by Russell Wilson at times last season. So yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Get over that bar.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
You got to get over that bar. Absolutely, big day yesterday,
with a lot of anticipation, obviously hearing from Aaron Rodgers,
but we did want to take just a couple of
minutes here and play a few of Mike Tomlin's comments
from the first day of mini camp as well. Here's
what coach t had to say after yesterday.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
Man had a really good and exciting day to day,
very similar to the work we've done to this point
in the off season. But it's another step, another step
closer to a football like environment. The days are a
little bit longer, not only in terms of us being
in the building, but the length of practice. Just we're
at that stage where we get the opportunity to continue
(19:48):
to work on our football conditioning and display it, present
some more challenging schematics in all three phases, and just
really a little bit more formal work. And so from
a head of the standpoint, it's a fun environment and
we had a really good day. I'm gonna look forward
us getting back out and doing similar things tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Questions Cans.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
No, certainly we'd like him to be here, but certainly
not surprised by where we are. We've expressed a desire
to get the business done. He has as well, and
so we'll continue to work. We've been here before.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Is there a concern about his future?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
No, he give your advanced notice that he wouldn't.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Get whatever communication transfers between he and I will remain.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
There, like what is uh Aaron Walder digs in yours?
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I mean read's resume. We're excited about him being here,
He's excited about being here. But we'll make no bold predictions.
We're just gonna roll our sleeves up and go to
work and let let our efforts do to talking.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
He said that you want him what money do that?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
You see?
Speaker 5 (20:59):
I'd be really straightforward with you, Uh, June rep Soller
or a heck of a lot more important for a
guy like Will Howard at that at this stage of
his career than the guy who's been doing it for
twenty years. And so whatever snaps he gets, you take
away from a guy like Will Hire Howard. And we're
trying to get this collective ready for training camp. Like
he you said that I think needing comfortable being uncomfortable
(21:22):
in terms of the wage or.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
How felt uncomfortable?
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Was it really or did you.
Speaker 5 (21:28):
Kind of know you get to this point it wasn't
for me.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Like, oh uh, vision a quarterback competition in the summer.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
I don't I bet if it's not gonna be to
have anything again as I said, you know, physical repetitions
in June, for a guy with twenty years experience is
is not that significant. It's very fas significant for a
guy with no snaps.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Snaps here, guys, and this staff, this vile.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I I trust that whatever issues or you know, learning
curve thing that he needs to get through be be
handled during the during the down period of summer. For sure,
may said, he appreciated the way you're communicated with him for.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
His personal So what allowed you that patient to letting
him go through that stuff?
Speaker 5 (22:12):
Why you have most we've both been in our roles
a long time and and so there's personal comfort and
security in that, and maybe we could relate on that level.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
In the past, we had Russell Wilson hearing his leadership
and his better experience for the reason why you've eight
know they what does appear and bringing his avagar.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Reader's resume.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Anyone else all said Garrett Harton is started.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Now that's how you be ready.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
We'll sort out all of that division of labor and
rolls and depth chart things when we get to real football.
Right now, it's just football like.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
All right, thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Right now, it's just football like I like that much
good Mike Tomlin as he spoke at the conclusion of
yesterday's proceedings there, Matt Williamson, and you know, one thing
that really stands out to me is the June reps
comment about Will Howard. Yes, and listen to you and
I have have had these discussions. You and Dale have
(23:12):
had these discussions. Motes and I have had these discussions
about how when you get into a training camp setting,
there's only so many reps to go around. Like we
we talked about this last week when we were going
around the division and talking about now all the you know,
the bites at the apple that the Browns are going
to try and position, and how much of a is
it safe to say, like when you've got a guy
like Aaron Rodgers, you want him at training camp to
(23:36):
be able to get all the work that he's going
to want as much or his little new offense, new system,
new teammates, training camp at training camp. So in this setting,
let's let Will Howard get as much as possible, because
who knows, when we get the training camp there might
not be as you know, that slice of the pie
is going to be much more divvied up.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
So even going back to the Rogers interview we played
in the first hour, Yeah, he said. You know, Mike
and I talked about how instead of me trying to
run an offense that I don't know yet you got
to sign two days ago or whatever, you know. I mean,
like he has some hints, but he's not going to
you know, call him plays and know where everyone's at.
I'm just gonna do individual. Let the other guys get
as many reps as they possibly could. I even said
(24:16):
last week, you know that those six days of Rudolph
running with the ones is really good because he's not
a new I mean, he's not new to the organization,
but he's new to the Arthur Smith offense. Yes, so
that's important. And Howard give him everything. I mean, I mean,
I keep thinking about the preseason Rogers. If it was
up to me, maybe Roger would play a series. Maybe
(24:38):
if he wants, you know whatever, Rudolph might play the
equivalent of three quarters or a half or something like that.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
But I want Howard to play.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Like crazy, at least a half every game.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
Yeah. And just while we're talking Howard, I want to
get back to Rogers and stuff, you know, Coach Somlin said, too.
But coincidentally, I just and I've been on you know,
steel a quarterback the last couple of days. Wonder why
that I watched the John Gruden special with quarterback in
quarterback camp before he was drafted, you know.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
And I'm very, very impressive with Howard.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And I've always said that Howard to me from the
neck up is also great that he kind of reminds
me of like Frank Reich to Jim Kelly or Jason
Garrett to Aikman, like these Hall of Fame quarterbacks, yeah,
who have the long term backup. And I bring those
names up too because they went on to be head
coaches in the league, you know, like some of these
quarterbacks that are backups that end up being big time coaches.
(25:35):
I could see that being Howard's future. And I'm not
sure changing him as a player, because I think he
might surprise some people too. Some people I think are
a little too optimistic about him. Sure that was a
real and I urge people to check out YouTube and
just do a search for it because it's worth forty
five minutes of your life. You'll be even more impressed.
But I want him to play as much as possible
because I want him to be the next Rudolph. I've
(25:57):
been calling him next year's first round pick, Caddy, you know,
like that would be great. Yeah, I mean, with a
year under your belt and you know Whoever, if I'm
right and they do draft the guy in the first
round next year, he's gonna come in and be like
I remember watching you win the national title a year
before that.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
He already has pelts on.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
I was watching, I was watching you and how you
in Ohio State did all those games or.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
You outdooled me or whatever you know it was. You know,
so I think giving him everything possible is super important,
and it's one of the benefits of Rogers not being
here the last two weeks is those two got a
lot of valuable stuff, earned some trust and credence of
their coaches and teammates.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And we mentioned it yesterday. I don't know if this
will be the case, but I bet it will be
as it was with Ben, as it is with Cam Hayward.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
There's probably gonna be training camp days that Rogers takes
off right, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
I mean, and he should. I mean, that would be wonderful.
He'll know the offense by then. Great. Get these two
as much as they possibly can, but especially Howard.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah, I think that makes a ton of sense, and
that I think is an is A is a is
another one of those like kind of misnomers that I think.
I think fans think that there's a well training camp.
There's just all the time in the world for these
guys to get reps and get work.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
And not days anymore, not two days anymore.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Everything is capped now. And again once you start to
get to that point too, you're trying to get your
first team ready, you know, out here you want to
get a look at everybody, and there is an element
of that a training camp too, obviously, sure, but.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Better than Warren might pop up that oh wow, we
found a guy, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
But you really better be getting nothing Harris ready to
be the number one guy, right, I mean.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
You know what I mean, Like like that's like going
back to the Browns thing, Like if if we make
the assumption that Flacco's a starter, he's gonna need some.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Reps with some I mean, he at least needs some work. Yeah,
I mean, you.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Gotta play in week one and all those other guys
don't get those reps. And you mentioned Rogers. I mean
it was kind of well known, like Peyton Manning's back
up that poor guy didn't get any snack enough of
Manning ones everyone, everyone, all the time, all the time,
all the time. I don't know if rogers that way
or not, but I think the way he phrased it
was give him whatever he wants.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Whatever he wants, Yes, if he wants a time, or
absolutely if he just wants off.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
No problem.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Arms a little short take that you know right out ver, right,
or let Howard run with the ones his time he's
looking good, or you know, whatever you know.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
But whatever he wants is the answer.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Just hopefully it won't be a sore calf from a
blocking sled, right, Probably won't. That's good to do that.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
I bet he'd just laugh at them if they did that.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
No, No, we'll do that on our private workouts in Malibui. Right,
I'll do that around here. Another break to get to here.
But when we come back to close down this hour,
some more on Aaron Rodgers offense. The final kind of
thoughts on some of the comments that have been made
over the last twenty four hours or so. We'll do
all of that to close down Hour number two was
Shuler Matt Williamson u pmc rooney Sports Complex for another
(28:52):
day of mini camp coverage here on Steelers Nation Radio
on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold, Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Back on the Drive here from the upmc rooney Sports Complex,
West Shuler and Matt Williamson as we roll along with you,
approaching Wednesday afternoons, still technically Wednesday morning, but a walk
through in the books for the Steelers, a practice to
follow here a little over an hour from now. A
lot of sunshine, a lot of energy at Pittsburgh's like
the center of the sports universe this week. Matthew oh
(29:41):
with the golf, golf with Aaron Rodgers. The Buckos are
about to play the Buckos they and they've won like
eight of their last ten games. Don't look now, but
they're they're They're getting some press and everything that Paul
Skeens has going on. Of course, Penguins just introduced their
new head coach, Dan Muse this morning, so it's like
all happening here in western Pennsylvania. But obviously we are
(30:02):
focused on the football. We will hear Arthur Smith spoke
after this morning's walkthrough. We'll hear from him to start
the next hour.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
But here's and real quick quick, guys, in case you
missed it in the beginning. Here this segment between the
walkthrough and then actual practice, they're gonna get lunch, they're
gonna get treatment, they might get taped up, they might
be right right right, They're definitely gonna be in some
sort of position meeting, maybe the offense all meet together,
or a special teams meeting. So they're they're they're doing
(30:32):
stuff now in between. But this is like their typical Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
from what I understand.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
And that's the you know, if if we had a X,
if we had Starks or Motes or one of those
guys sitting with us here. Yeah, that's the main difference.
The main difference between OTA's and Mini camp isn't necessarily
what's going on out here, it's what's going on inside
and the walls behind us. Yeah, exactly during during ot as,
you might come in a little early, get your workout in,
go out practice, and then your days over.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Here it's much more structured, like you said there, it's
like treatment there's meetings, there's a bunch of different things.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Yeah, it's like it's the season.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
It's like it's the season.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
One more thing to learn of the operation here.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Yes, exactly right, closer to training camp style, like it's
the regular season again. Kind of an all part of
that linear process to ramping themselves up for when we
get to September and the real things happened.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
I think Rogers even said in his interview, He's like,
not these guys have names on their in their jerseys, right,
I wasn't sure where what rooms I'm supposed to go to,
you know, Like.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I ask the jersey Aaron Rodgers is wearing right now,
what Corless Weightman was probably wearing, you know what I mean,
Just hey, let's take that off. Let's watch it a
few times to here you go before we get the
real you know, in season ones. But yeah, it's it's
it's all part of the process here, and it's all
you know, we've used the analogies, this, the school analogies
and all those different things going forward. But obviously now
(31:51):
with the addition of number eight out here h and
Aaron Rodgers being signed, sealed and delivered, it's starting to
feel more like the real thing. You can start, you
can start to have more, you know, real good faith
conversations about the real thing. And I ask you, with
that in mind, Matt, how now that now that again,
because we've all thought since March that this was going
(32:12):
to happen, But now that it has, how do expectations
change for you for the Pittsburgh Steelers as we sit
here today as to you know, maybe where we were
a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
I would say playoff competitiveness is one way to put it. Now.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
I'm not going to guarantee they're going to win a
playoff game, or win the division or even get in
the playoffs, but I sure like their chance is a
lot better of making noise in the postseason. Yes, I mean,
I guess that's one way of putting it. Then, in
certainly in recent years. Rob King joined us yesterday, and
you know, I think he was dead on. He says,
I think this roster is better than last year's, and
(32:50):
I think I would agree with that. I think last
year was better than the year before. You know, so
the organization, the roster, the team building I think is
continually taking steps in the right direction, particularly in the trenches,
you know, is a start. And now I think you're
better at the most important position, so that should be
the expectations. And Tom and I went through the AFC,
(33:10):
and you know, does this His question was this, does
this change your pecking order or your tiers or your
AFC power ranking?
Speaker 3 (33:18):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (33:18):
And I said, well, the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills are
in their own tier, and this does not put the
Steelers there for me, but I think they can hang
with basically anyone in that next group. Yeah, you know, Chargers, Broncos, Bengals.
You know, maybe the Texans are a little better than
those guys. We'll see, but you know, that's the neighborhood
you're firmly in and where you should at least, you know,
(33:41):
compete throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
You know. I I completely agree with that, and it
feels like like I like, and I'll continue to go
back to this, I'm sure probably throughout the off season. Now,
the Toby Keith line that you that you uh or
for us there, that you butchered for us ain't as
good as I once was. But I'm as good once
as I ever was.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Yeah, I think that's a lot of the theme here,
you know, last.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Year, and particularly down the stretch when the Steelers lost
those four straight games entering the playoffs and you know,
stumbled into the postseason, it felt like, Okay, you might
have a tiny chance to go into Baltimore and turn
your fortunes around. I don't think any of us were
feeling it. I don't think any of us were feeling great.
But it's the Ravens. You know them, well, you'd still
won five your last six against them, or four of
(34:23):
your last five against them.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
It's gonna be a three point game, whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
But then if somehow you would have, let's play the
hypothetical that you know, you would have found a way
to go into Baltimore and get a win last year,
I don't think many people would have been feeling that
there was much of a chance the following week going
into Buffalo or going into Kansas City, right, or.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
Even the past two years going into Buffalo in Kansas City, right,
there was a whole lot of hope. Correct, Correct, anyone
can win on any given Sunday, we know that, But
where is this year?
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Anyone was picking the Steelers to win outright?
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Now, Where's where is this year? If you get into
a wild Card game and maybe you beat the Texans
and go to go to Houston or LA or something
crazy like that.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Right.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
I think I think there is. There's much more realistic possibility.
There's much more optimism that you can hang with those
super Bowl favorites. I think you're right. I don't think
this makes the Steelers a super Bowl favorite, but I
think it at least gives you optimism that you can
hang with the super Bowl favorites. And I think it
gives you optimism that by the time December rolls around,
maybe you could be a super Bowl contender.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
Maybe not in that.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Favorite vein with the Eagles and the Chiefs, right, but maybe,
like you mentioned in that next.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Group, if you're running the ball well on your defense
is pretty dominant, you might be like.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Hey, we're not the Lions, we're not the Eagles, we're
not the Chiefs, but we get a bounce or two, right,
win a turnover battle, right, Bosworth's.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
A great kicker and he wins us one at the end,
or you know what I mean. I mean, I don't
think that's insane to think about. And I guess the
way i'd sum it up is the ceiling got higher.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
The ceiling got higher.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, yeah, not astronomical through the through the roof, the
highest one in the league, but.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
It's definitely higher than it's been the higher two years, right,
you know, maybe even higher than it's been since Ben's
elbow injury.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
I think so, I think that should be the expectations.
And if Rogers plays the whole year and they're not
destroyed by injuries, and heaven forbid they only win five games,
well yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Right, you know, yeah, no, and and that's hey, those
are the things that we won't know until we know.
But here here is.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Bad stuff coming.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
There's a lot of bad a lot of a lot
of potential for injury, a lot of that stuff.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
But you got to kind of true with the chiefs
and builds and right.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Absolutely absolutely listen, Patrick Mahomes could pick up a serious injury.
Josh Allen could pick up a serious injury. There's a
there's a lot of different things that can happen between
now and September and then now and the holidays and
the and the playoff push in the postseason.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
The watch situation needs to get ironed out. Yeah, I mean,
that's the next story we're gonna be talking about.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Yeah, that that that certainly is and I don't have
too much of a concern level there. I know a
lot of people are pointing out that, you know, four
years ago at this time when it was kind of
a similar uh contract time for TJ, that he was
here doing the hold end thing, and is this totally
different now, because yeah, I still a lot of that.
To me, is is is just different noise? You know
(36:59):
that I I I'm still supribly confident that at some point,
probably in early August during training camp, we'll get that
news that'll break. It'll be the nice pep in the
step for everybody in the middle of dog days of camp.
There'll be excitement in the cafeteria and in the locker
rooms that you know that that they got it done.
We've seen this fish before.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm sure that there's been talks going on
for the better part of a year. I mean, I'm
sure they're in the same ballpark. And I don't have
much concern that it will get done. I'm sure they
wanted to get done, oh, no doubt. And you know,
I think he wants it to get done. And I
know we're not allowed to report on things, but DK
metcalf just walked right from the table, and I wouldn't
(37:37):
want to press him at the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
I would not. No, I'm good on that, and let
me ask let me ask you that too, because I
think Aaron Rodgers is low hanging fruit but obviously probably
number one on all of our lists of most excited
to see will get when we get the camp and yeah,
and we we'll see it. We've seen them doing the
little things out here, but it's it's obviously not the
full gam but it was dk number two on that
(37:59):
list of most excited when we get to li Trope
in July. Yeah, like when the speed really picks up
and the pads.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
Go on, right, right, Yeah, I think that's fair. I mean,
draft picks are always high on that list. Now, there's
no question.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
I think guys like like Troy Fultanu are going to
be high on that this year as well.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
Get a double dose of draft picks too, you know,
dual first.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Rounders sleigh certainly right, right, right.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Rookies are always high on that list, no matter what
camp it is. If it's three thousand, twenty thirty three,
we're about the.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
First right, exactly exactly right, So that's.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
High on the list. But yes, I think your answer
is dead on.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Keanu Benton would be high on that list for me
to just heading into a third year.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Broderty Jones.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Another great one. Even the guy like Zach Frasier too,
you know, and turning this process now is the unquestioned guy.
And let me ask you.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
About one on ones Fraser versus Heyward.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Absolutely, that's the kind.
Speaker 4 (38:46):
Of stuff you're gonna see now, Like, Okay, if you
are one of the top three centers, you're got to
deal with guys like.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Right, And you didn't see as much of that last
year because it was more of him against guys like
the Marvin Leal and louder Mirale and Keanu Betton at
that time too.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
And people forget the day Herbig was injured. He was
the starting center, right, you know that hadn't happened.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yet, right now, exactly right, Zach was was? I mean,
we had seen him, I think, get a little bit
of work with the Ones, but it was looking promising
and I think we all thought that there was a possibility,
certainly that we would see him sooner rather than later.
But yeah, it was still there. It was still Nate.
It was still Nate Herbig's spot when he had that
unfortunate injury. Let me ask you about Zach as it
kind of relates to this conversation and we're talking oh
(39:25):
line now too. Benefits detriments, the good the bad of
first year veteran Hall of Fame credentials, super Bowl champion,
Russell Wilson, second year now to even another extent, four time,
four time NFL MVP, super Bowl champion, future Hall of Famer,
(39:48):
one of the best to ever do it in Aaron Rodgers.
Benefit for Zach Frasier of getting to work with two
guys like that right out of the shoot. Might it
be better in an ideal situation to have somebody to
grow with? Or is that okay? You can get that
down on the line, Like, what what do you think
of the opportunity that he has now to work with
a guy like this after a pretty good start with
guys like you know, Russell Wilson and Justin Field's NFL
(40:09):
quarterbacks as well too.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
I said it at a bunch yesterday that I just
think Rogers presence has.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
A massive intellectual.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Trickle down effect to everybody on offense, the whole team,
but especially everyone on offense. Of little things like and
especially a center because I'm sure Rogers is going to
do all the protections and things like that too. That
doesn't mean Fraser can't handle those things, but they're gonna
have to work in unison like a pouncy bend situation.
And oh, by the way, and I keep putting myself
(40:41):
ahead of this, but I do think there's a big
picture here that well, what if they have a rookie
first round quarterback next year?
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Totally and now Fraser has two years.
Speaker 4 (40:49):
Under his belt with big time established in one of
the best minds ever at the quarterback position, to you know,
to go back on, Yeah, this is how we did
it with the pretty good base left Okay, sign up
right right?
Speaker 2 (41:04):
Know that that makes a ton of sense. Yeah, from
that standpoint of just how does this guy prepare? How
does this guy, like you said, diagnose coverage? What's his
preparation like quick about it, right, What's what's what's his
preparation throughout the week that allows him to get to
that point on on game day? Verse the twenty years
of experience that he has in the week to week,
(41:25):
Like I think.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
It all the little tricks does too.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
I keep bringing up because he's the best I've ever
seen at it, like defensive subbing and here we got
qui guys on the field boom, you know, you know
that kind of we're.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Gonna free play real quick here and take a shot
and see what happens.
Speaker 4 (41:38):
Every little loophole or you know, every little edge he
can get he always maximizes.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
Yeah, and the trickle down effect of that is real
for everybody on the offense. But I think for a
for a center, a young one, and.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
Young line in general too.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Yes, that's a that's I mean, that's a great point.
Other than Isaac Sayamala, they're all gonna be on their
rookie deals stilm. It's it's it's good to have what
you want.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
People about it, And it was definitely true at the
end of Ben's career too, like of course, these guys
always give one hundred percent, but man, I don't want
the forty one. Let get hit, you know what I mean,
Like Ben when he was in his prime, or Josh Allen,
Like I blew a block or I blew my sign.
Speaker 3 (42:16):
The guy but I didn't get but I shrugged, you know,
the quarterback shrugged it off. I mean, like I'm not
letting that guy ever get hit. Like we the the
pleasure of working with the.
Speaker 2 (42:25):
Wolf all the time, I was hoping you were going
to tell this story, right.
Speaker 3 (42:28):
He would always talk about like man if I because
a Bradshaw was.
Speaker 2 (42:31):
Because the end, by the time the wolves got drafted.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Rings on his finger. I am not going to be
the one that lets Bradshaw think it hit.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
I am not going to be I'll hold and claw
bite everybody. I'll get whatever personal penalty I have to, right,
but that won't be me. You know, there's there's absolutely
an element of that too.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
Sure the young guy is not letting the old quarterback
getting blasted, you.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Know, without a doubt, like the standard that you want
to uphold of taking care of this guy, protecting this guy,
and I think to just the the onus that that
will give them all going going forward, you know, working work,
getting to.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Work with his presence his belt here.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, And like you said, hopefully when he's gone,
that's still going to remain in the sense of what
these guys can pick up from him in the next
you know, eight nine months or so or potentially you've
been into next year as well too.
Speaker 4 (43:17):
Like I don't think if there's shadows and echoes of
Joe Green in this out in this building still, you know,
I mean, like people that are that established and have
that kind of influence don't totally go away.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
You know, there's a legacy.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
One hundred percent, You're you're absolutely right, there's there's still
James Ferrier echoes in these in these hallways, you know,
from next year at this thing, hundred hundred percent. So yeah,
I think, you know, absolutely right. Like I think, leader,
it's huge for everybody on that offensive line, big for
Zach Frasier, and as you have mentioned too, just with
(43:49):
the Creed Humphrey and Mahomes factor, it's always good for
a center to be on TV, to be in discussions,
to be getting looked at more often with their quarterback
being kind of the center of attention.
Speaker 3 (43:59):
Right now, just tired and all of a sudden, like.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
In that level exactly right, finding himself on some of
those lists already, and and a year with Aaron Rodgers
I think will only help that cause certainly.
Speaker 4 (44:13):
Has been the case my entire life. The Steelers once
again one of the best centers in the league.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
You know, certain things edge rushers centers, it feels like
They're always towards the top of the packing order in
that regard, and they change their head coach about as
often as we change the roof on our homes. Two
hours in the books, another hour ago. We will hear
what Arthur Smith had to say when we return here
from the Steelers offensive coordinator. Continue some of these conversations
(44:39):
on the offensive side of the football as we roll
along West Yuler Matt Williamson Special edition of The Drive
here on Steelers Nation Radio and the Steelers Audio Network
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