December 18, 2025 • 46 mins
Matt and Wes are joined by Bob Labriola to discuss the state of the team as they prepare to head to the Motor City to face the Detroit Lions. The guys also break down the injuries surrounding both teams, and also take a look at the Steelers path to the playoffs.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Your tunes about drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good evening, Steeler Nation, how you doing well? That's good
us too. It is our number two of the Drive
here and we go to the phone lines to talk
to the Dean of Doom, the lord of living in
his fears, Steeler's historian and our friend Bob Labriola Labs.
Thank you for taking the time for us on a Thursday.
As always, Matt and I kind of kicked around a
(00:37):
Aaron Rodgers question to start the show, and I wanted
to get your opinion on it to this point, Aaron Rodgers,
has he met your expectations? Has he exceeded your expectations?
Or do you still need to wait and see how
these last three plus games play out?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Stole my question for.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I gotta say he's exceeded my expectations. I mean, the
you know, the physical part of it, the way he
plays the game is still at a high level. I mean,
and I didn't really have any you know, I wasn't
really paying close attention to him, you know, when he
(01:16):
was with the Jets, so you know, watching it from Afar,
hearing about it from afar, you know, forty two year
old man, you know, the whole thing. But he can
really still play. He can spin it, he sees it,
he can often anticipate it, and he's throwing the ball
(01:40):
in an anticipatory and on time way. But what has
really impressed me is, you know, the way he has
been a quarterback, a leader. He is available for his teammates.
He's an example. You know, the narrative that was you know,
(02:00):
following Aaron Rodgers around, you know, in terms of what
kind of guy he was teammate and all that kind
of stuff to me is nothing. There's nothing farther from
the what we have learned to be the truth. So
uh yeah, I'm really uh, I'm really high on what
the Steelers have gotten from Aaron Rodgers this season. And
(02:25):
you know, if he's interested and I was in charge,
which I am not, I would be interested in, uh
maybe making it more than a one year situation.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, that's where I was going to kind of piggyback,
is I. I know you're not deep into the draft
prep and all that stuff, but it doesn't look like
a lot of great options to go down that road.
And even if they were, who would be a better
mentor than Rogers to spend a year in the quarterback
room with. And again I have no clue if he
has any interest at all, but I don't see a
(02:56):
lot of other options, and I'm happy with this one. Hey, Aaron,
you to do it and try it again?
Speaker 4 (03:01):
You know? Yeah again, No, but I mean he's gotta
I don't know if he is interested. Yeah, yeah, And
I and I think that that is the you know,
his level of interest, his buy in, his wont to
all of that is what may is in my mind,
what is what has made him more than what I expected? Again,
(03:25):
I mean I had nothing to concrete in terms of
having seen any of that, So you know, I almost
kind of feel guilty saying that what he's doing now
is beyond my expectations because you know, maybe that's been
him all long and I just didn't know it. So
(03:46):
but you know, the answer the question, I would say,
he has exceeded my expectations. And what has really impressed
me is, you know, more than the above the next stuff. Yeah,
the presence and yeah he's not wearing a wristband, what
(04:08):
plays on it? Seriously, I mean, this isn't somebody who
you know, was in this system before he has no
he had no history with Arthur Smith, so you know,
there's no easy hook for him in terms of learning
this offense. And the guy never wore the wristband. I
(04:31):
mean he is capable of learning it and hearing it
and communicating it to his teammates, you know, within the
parameters of the play clock, and has been since this started.
So you know, I don't I don't think that that's
an I don't think that's an insignificant thing in terms
(04:52):
of his intelligence and awareness.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
If the Steelers were we haven't tug into the practice report,
but if Watt and her Big you're both out for
this game, how much does that concern you? Against this
passing attack they're going to visit.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
How about this running attack?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Well, all the above, I guess yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I mean, you know, if no Want and no Herbiic
that's two of your top three edge people, then that's significant. Uh.
But you know this is I don't know the Lions.
(05:35):
This is a very difficult opponent. I'm not really comfortable with,
you know, the the living in my fierce thing. You
look at the Steelers injury report, you know there there's
just seems to be a lot of areas where you
know the Steelers are going to be kind of dipping
down into the well of their depths, right, James Pierre
(06:00):
gonna play because those two receivers aren't bad either. Think
Brown and Jameson Williams. And you know, Golf he can
he can be very efficient if given the time. And
you know, I don't think you can necessarily blitz him
(06:25):
because you know that will leave you thinner in terms
of the people you can commit to the coverage. As
already said, the receivers I think are both pretty good.
So you know, the Lions of the highest scoring team
in the league, you know, and we're in We're in
week what is this week sixteen? Yeah? Yeah, okay, So
(06:48):
this isn't one of those small sample sizes where you
can say, yeah, they they blew out a couple of
teams and they ranked number one in the NFL scoring
a This is a multi month deal for them, and
they're at home, and so I mean, I you know
they're gonna they're gonna score a lot of points.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
I believe the score in twenty four no, uh, because
you know, high twenties might get you by if you
had all.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Your defensive players, but you don't so uh. And and
some of the guys you're missing are your potentially dynamic playmakers.
And I know that's the way I think you've got
to play defense against this team too. You cannot expect
to shut them down. They're not going to go three
and out a bunch of times. You're gonna give up yards.
(07:44):
They're gonna move the ball, they're gonna possess the ball.
But hopefully, you know, you do enough in some situations
to create negative negativity for them. Maybe they have to
settle for some field goals and maybe you get a
few takeaways, and that's gonna be the way you play
good defense against them. But again, you know, no what,
(08:05):
no herbig, no James Pierre so far, and all due
respect to James Pierre, Uh, you know he's not in
any danger of getting voted to the Pro Bowl either.
And you know you don't even have him, so yes,
(08:29):
very much so. And then in terms of the your
your offense to try and you know, keep up with them.
Who's responsible for Aden Hutchinson? Well but yeah, right, I
mean because they list him. You know, I've seen various
(08:52):
depth charts, you know the line sometimes they list him
as an edge. Sometimes they list him as a left
defensive end. And I'm enough about the Lions too, you know,
do they keep it? Is he kind of anchored in
one spot? Okay? So I mean, uh, whose problem is that? Yeah,
(09:12):
you know Dylan Cook played well last week, but uh
that happened against a uh players who are lesser than
Aiden Hutchinson, and uh, you know he got some help,
which you know it was only fair and right. So
I mean, I don't you know, this is a.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Tough game in their building and.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Right, all of that stuff. So you know, I understand
there are you know, best case scenarios in terms of
what could happen to where that Week eighteen game against
the Ravens is meaningless in a good way for the Steelers.
But I don't. I only anticipate the Steelers path to
(10:04):
that being a simple one or an easy one. So
you know, I would sitting here right now if you
ask me what I think is going to be the
outcome Sunday, I wouldn't be real confident in a victory.
I'll tell you that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
I'm leaning that way too.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I think we all are, especially with some of the
injury stuff that has popped up. The one thing I
will say, though, LABS is certainly feels, you know, a
lot different amongst Steeler Nation in Western Pennsylvania and countrywide
and worldwide here on December eighteenth, twenty twenty five than
it did three hundred and sixty five days ago, when
(10:43):
this team felt like it was going in the opposite direction,
the wrong direction at the absolute worst time. Now it
feels like the quarterback is getting better, the offense is
getting better, the defense, despite some key injuries, is maintaining form.
I'm with you, guys, like it does seem like they're
kind of stepping into a hornet's nest on Sunday against
(11:03):
a desperate team and a tough environment, a physical team
too that can kind of match how the Steelers want
to play in that regard. But I also got to
think there's a lot more optimism, There's a lot more
you know, just kind of energy and juice down there
on the south side. Then again, you know three hundred
and sixty five days ago, where it felt like this
was heading in the opposite direction.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Yeah, and again I trace a lot of that back
to the quarterback totally. I just do I mean, I
just think that you know, Rogers Aaron Rodgers has it it.
You know, they refer to as it. I don't know
how I would necessarily define the word it in that context.
But you know, he's one of these guys who you know,
(11:49):
when you hear Deon Sanders talk about the Hall of Fame,
you know, and he says there's different wings and plateaus
and all that stuff. You know, Aaron Rodgers is at
the upper level of his position. Uh. And he is
a certain in my opinion, you know, sure sure thing,
first ballot inductee. So you know, a lot of I
(12:12):
don't know presence or again I don't I don't have
any firsthand experience with any of this stuff. But I
just got to believe that this guy, you know, kind
of like the pied piper. I mean, he's playing the
tune and everybody's listening and following and they're in line.
(12:32):
And you know, he's a guy who I think his
performance even gives his words more impact and credibility. Uh.
You know, last week, would he completed eighty three percent
or some ridiculous I mean seriously, you know.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
His career, Yeah, and.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
But and hey, you know, Ben roff Burger is a
franchise all time player, at the position. He's a Hall
of Famer two and all that kind of stuff. But
they are different guys. You know, the way Ben won
games is not the way Aaron Rodgers does it. And
I'm not saying one is better than the other, but
(13:17):
they're different. And you know, watching it, maybe it's because
you know, we're used to Ben, or we grew up
with Ben, or however you want to And that's fine.
Like I said, a lot of great statistics, a lot
of comeback wins, playoff games, championships, all that good stuff,
but Rogers is just different. You know, I don't Ben
(13:41):
would make big plays and have big games and go
down the field deep and all that kind of stuff.
But I don't remember a whole lot of eighty percent
completion games either. So, as I said, it's different, I
think that Rogers has a I don't know an aura
(14:01):
about him. That's again Ben had that too, But they're different,
And especially when you're comparing Rogers now with with Russell
Wilson last year. And again I'm not running him down either,
but I mean there's to be there. There's those guys
are on two different levels, and you know it's I'm
(14:24):
just like I see it. I'm not trying to run
down Russell Wilson or any of that stuff. I mean,
it's just if you can't watch Aaron Rodgers and Russell
Wilson play and see that there's a significant difference in
the way they play, the way they handle themselves, the
way they comport themselves, the way they interact with teammates,
(14:47):
and how their teammates interact with them as as a
result of that, well, then you know, I don't know
what you're watching live.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Last thing I got for you is Wes mentioned, you know,
the end of last year, and I understand that Pierre
might not play this week again, and Elliott is on
injured reserve. So it's killerbrew. That's an another thing people
want to talk about. But boy, the Steelers have churned
through defensive backs since the end of last year at
a remarkable rate. And you could say, hey, maybe they
(15:16):
don't evaluate defensive backs well, or you know, we're about
to make a Ramsey trade blah blah blah blah. But
I think they may have gotten it right. I mean,
I'm pretty I'm very happy with where this secondary is.
I mean, there was a lot of puzzle pieces that
didn't quite go together, and now I think they're starting
to snap together where they're supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Yeah, and I do think that, you know, And there
were some misses, yeah, in terms of accumulation of right right,
thorn hill sligh. But let's love forget Beanie Bishop was
a big part of this secondary last year. Right, Yeah,
Beanie Bishop. Again, nothing against Beanie Bishop. He's got good
(15:59):
enough to play with this group this year, right. Uh. So,
you know, And and Ramsey, Jalen Ramsey is he's kind
of the Aaron Rodgers of the defense. I think he
is a guy who he is just a presence. He
(16:20):
is a force as a personality, and I think a
lot of times you need that kind of stuff coming down, Uh,
this the stretch of a season like this, big game
after big game after big game. You know, Mike Toman
always says, don't blink. Ramsey won't let you. You know,
(16:41):
he's the first, he's he'll stick his face in anything.
He will talk to anybody. Uh, there's no intimidation of him.
He doesn't back down from anybody or anything. Uh. And
you know that's a good addition, right, A good addition
(17:01):
in terms of both his skill set and the demeanor
that he brings to that unit, and to that the
unit of the defense and the defense as a whole
part of the team. I you know, the thing with
chemistry with me has always been, you know, the question
is does good chemistry on the team lead to winning
(17:26):
or does winning lead to good chemistry on the team,
because you know, I don't know that chemistry is going
to get you through many losing streaks.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
If you're talented.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Right. Yeah, So again, like you said, yeah, I think
I agree with you, Matt. I think they did a
lot of good things. They hit on a lot of
these moves that they made guys that they brought in.
They didn't hit on.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Them all, but they didn't sit on their hands either.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
Well right, Yeah, And a lot of this kind of
roster turnover might have might seem drastic when you look
at it in the rear view mirror, but as you mentioned,
compared the team December twenty twenty four to December twenty
twenty five, I think pretty much all of it was necessary.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Great stuff is always with the Great Bob Labriola, the
Dina Doom, the Lord of living in his fears labs.
Thank you, and we'll be listening on Sunday for you
part of the pregame show with Mike Persuda and Jerry Dulac.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Thank you for the time as always, Hey.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
No problem, have a nice weekend, sools you as well.
Speaker 6 (18:38):
There he goes Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Oh and we should have told him because next Thursday's
Christmas spoiler alert, We're we're not gonna have a show Thursday,
so we should have given Labs the old Happy Holidays,
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 6 (18:50):
But that's all right. We'll talk to him.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
We'll talk to him between now and then when we
come back on the other side, Matt, we do have
the Steelers injury report. There's less some encouraging news there. Yeah,
want to get into that with you, as well as
the Steelers and these AFC playoff scenarios that we've gotten
a few tweets about in the last forty eight hours
or so. Here, we'll do all that and more as
we roll along. U'ler Williamson, It's the Drive on Steelers
(19:12):
Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network, your tunes.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
About Drive on your twenty four to seven home of
the Black and Goal. Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Back on the drive here and we have the Steelers
Thursday practice participation Injury Report Week sixteen edition.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
We also have it for the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
I haven't seen the Lions, Matt, how about.
Speaker 6 (19:44):
The I know what's the.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
That's the joke I was trying to make you when
you said I haven't seen the Lions. I was going
to say, well, how about the Tigers and Bears? Oh my,
but I just totally brain farted and completely completely stepped
in it. Instead, you want the good news with the
bad news bringing on TV good news or bad news
thumbs up, thumbs down. Oh, he does his best walking
Phoenix and Gladiator.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
I think there's more bad than good.
Speaker 6 (20:11):
There's more bad than good.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Zach Fraser did not practice today with a triceps injury.
Speaker 6 (20:16):
That's new, right, that's new.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
I don't know if we went over yesterday's I don't
think we didn't think we did.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
We had so much, We had so much going on. Yeah,
we usually do that towards the end of the show.
And we had Jalen Warren call in yesterday's was was
smart like Derek Harmon was a full participant. Herbig didn't practice?
Uh Sayamal who didn't practice? Not a lot of surprising
in there yesterday.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
The reason I asked is Fraser was not on it yesterday.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
He was not.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
That's important. That's important to note, as was christ Alignment maybe.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
As was Christian Koontz who was not on it yesterday,
who was today with a knee issue.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Now, these things could both be minor.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
It could be a it's this point in the season,
we're gonna be extra cautious. Give him a day. Yeah,
but on a Thursday.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Warren is an illness before the game because he has
an illness, but he's playing, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
But not great with with Fraser when you already have
the other injuries on the offensive line and Isaac Sayamalu
still has not practiced yet this week.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
He was d NP again today. So no Sayamalu Wednesday
or today Thursday.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
So here's what that Fraser today talk about real quick.
I mean, like worst case scenario, Seamalu doesn't play, Pete
doesn't play, Fraser doesn't play. I'm just saying that.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
He was limited today. Okay, But the other two d n.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
P because Calvin would be your no. Spencer would be
your left guard. Yeah, I did it every time.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
McCollum would be yourself.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Would be your center. But then your six to zero
line stuff goes out.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
The door, completely out the work, right, and you better
start praying you don't pick up another.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
Knock Ford Field five fifteen.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
On Sunday, exactly because if Fraser plays, there was talk
or I at least asked McCollum would play left guard
and Erson would do his sixth guy stuff whenever, you'd
still have that possibility, which I don't love either. I
think McCollum's really only a center. I'm with you anyways,
I'm just trying to put but yeah, no, it's it's
(22:10):
a messy.
Speaker 6 (22:11):
It's messy.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
There's a lot more questions than there are answers. Yes
at this point, certainly so Fraser d n P triceps,
say Malo d n P triceps. Pete limited with that concussion.
He was limited yesterday on Wednesday, So not necessarily a
step forward, but not a step back either. Yeah, maybe
a wait and see.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Right now, do the concussion arithmetic here.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
Like not our strong sat.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Is he still on schedule or is that a setback.
Speaker 6 (22:40):
To be limited and then limited?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know that he had pool.
Speaker 6 (22:46):
You'd like to see him, but yes.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
So limited can be a wide variety of things too,
all right.
Speaker 6 (22:52):
Yes it can.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Keanu Benton was not on the practice report yesterday, Matt
he popped up limited today with an ankle injury. Yeah,
so again some some more not so great news there
as you're looking a little thin and some of your
offensive and defensive lines and the trenches there. And then
finally as I'm feeling like the Dina doom now and
the bearer of bad news, Nick herbigs still d NP
(23:16):
with that hamstring. Doesn't sound great for Sunday for him,
especially when you consider even more so, it sounds like they.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
Brought in Jeremiah Moon.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yes, they made He.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Practiced yesterday with the Panthers. Apparently got in at one
A according to I think it was Kabali who reported this.
Landed at one am practice with the Steelers today.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
So did they sign Moon off the practice squad? Yes,
so he went straight to the fifty.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Three, I believe.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
So he's playing. I believe that tells you everything.
Speaker 6 (23:41):
That tells bring the tea leaves there, Okay.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I thought that I wasn't certain if they had Moon
off the street to their practice squad or I didn't.
Speaker 6 (23:50):
Yeah, he was with the Panthers now, he has to.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Be on a team for three weeks.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
I believe, yes, that is that.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
That's the that's the practice squad on the fifty three
for three weeks. A special teamer though too.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Yeah, And he's familiar with the organization, and he's about
for needing somebody desperately at this point.
Speaker 6 (24:05):
He's about as good as you.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Can get, right, But it sounds like you need someone desperately.
Speaker 6 (24:08):
It just sounds like you need something desperately at this point.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
And obviously Wat didn't do any today, right.
Speaker 6 (24:12):
No, he did not? He did not. Good.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Wait, also, still no James Pierre yet this week? He
DNP on Wednesday and today.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
I don't like that at all.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
Don't like that one bit.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
No, I don't hate the trio of Porter Echels Samuel same.
But again, what if someone gets hurt at Ford Field
at five pm or whatever? Right, like, oh no, what
are you doing there?
Speaker 6 (24:33):
Your depth is almost completely wiped out.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
At this Ramsey a corner again or you know.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Right, jabro Pepper's d MP with an illness, Ben Scronick
limited with an illness.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Matt. You know what they say TV, you know what
they say.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
There's something going around around, something going around this time
of year, so that's kind of the bear of bad
news stuff. Zach Fraser pops up with a tricep injury,
Keanu Benton pops up with an ankle. Not good news
on Pierre Pierre Herbig or say Amalou. Yeah, the good
news is Derek Harmon both Wednesday and today full practice participations.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
Looks like he's back in a green light for him.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
So that's that's very good.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I wanted to end with some good news there, and
that's about all that I can deliver. Where the rest
of it is, it's.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Cops a lot more half empty than half full.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
That cup is maybe thirty five, right, and at a
time where hey, listen, as we've laid out, Detroit's got
some injury concerns too.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Oh yeah, but they've been hit hard, especially their secondary
last I mean, they lost Branch and Arnold.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
And right, you were hoping that your health was moving
in the right direction this time of year, whereas today
it's moving in the wrong direction. And these things can
change change quickly, and we'll keep an eye on on
everything tomorrow. But I would say I'm I'm certainly more pessimistic,
definitely less optimistic about some of this Steeler's injury stuff.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
We just went over then.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Yeah, then when you and I sat down together a
couple hours ago. We have gotten a few tweets in
the last forty eight hours ish, you know, since the
aftermath of that win on Monday Night football against the Dolphins.
RJ tweeted us about it. JC tweeted us about it.
Must be something with having a two letter RJ.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
JC.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Frankie Z tweeted us about this, and there was one
more I think here, Rob I think was the other
one maybe who tweeted us about this, But asking about
it seems really confusing. Now in the playoff scenario scenario
for the Steelers, can you break that down?
Speaker 6 (26:32):
Can you lend some clarity? It is really confusing.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yes, I'm not the one to do it. I hope
you're taking the ball and run with it. Here.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I will tell you this, there is no way for
the Steelers to clinch this weekend, right, So even if
the Steelers win and the Ravens lose, it's still not
a done deal for the Steelers to win the division.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Obviously, they control their own fate, not destiny. If they
win out they win.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Absolutely, no, absolutely, and I think basically at the same time,
if you beat the Ravens in week eighteen, nothing else matters.
You could lose to the Lions, lose to the Browns,
but as long as you beat the Ravens, yeah, you're in.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
I don't know if you know any more about this
than me, but I've been asked several times. I know
there's a pretty sure there's a scenario where the Browns
game means nothing like that might not. I can't remember
if this if it means the Steelers win this week
and the Ravens win this week, or vice versa, or
one or the other. But there is something out there
(27:29):
mathematically that the Browns game might mean zero.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
May interesting.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
And if I'm right about that, would you react.
Speaker 6 (27:37):
Everybody that would? I get what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
If yes, because the Browns game it would be im
possible to clinch.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
So it would all come down to Week eighteen anyways.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Right like Week eighteen basically playoff start Week eighteen, right
that and eight Week seventeen could basically be a meaningless game,
could be maybe. I don't know how you get there, though.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
The way that you get to who there, I think
is the Ravens beat the Patriots. I want to say, See,
I don't even think that factors in because it's an
NFC game.
Speaker 6 (28:12):
Head to head is the number one tie breaker.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
The misnomer, I think is a lot of people think
your division record is kind of the end all be
all after that, but your common opponents record is a
big deal too. I think that means more than your
AFC records. Your common opponents record means more than your
AFC record. So if the Steelers and Ravens split and
they have the same divisional record, it would come down
to your common opponents record, which currently actually is the
(28:37):
only tiebreaker that Baltimore has over Pittsburgh.
Speaker 6 (28:40):
Gotcha, Okay, now.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
But the Browns are a common opponent.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
The Browns are a common opponent. Yes, the Lions are
also common opponents. So I think the only way really
that the proverbial Cleveland doesn't matter is if you both
take care of business before then and then it all
comes down to.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Week eighteen regardless.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Ok.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
You get what I'm saying, But I think it's still
difficult for that to be a scenario where the Cleveland
game would mean nothing but beat the Ravens Week eighteen
and nothing else matters. We know that as of now,
there's two ways to clinch a spot before then. Okay, okay,
for the Steelers, the first is beat Detroit and Cleveland
and have the Ravens.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
Lose once, only once, only once.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Because then with the common opponents thing, you would have
the division upper hand and the common opponent's upper hand, gotcha,
So if you split the.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
Head to down pay the Packers. They played Patriots this week.
They play pack.
Speaker 6 (29:33):
Patriots at home, Packers on the road.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
So I just don't love chance of winning Detroit.
Speaker 6 (29:40):
Neither do I. But I don't love I don't.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
I do like Baltimore's chances of losing at least one
of those games.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Me too. A lot of people think that they have
an easy game in its Patriots. I think the total opposite.
I think it's an awful game for the oh.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I think the Patriots now they're sitting up straight in
their chair and they've recaptured their attention, and yeah, Buffalo's
hot on our heels and we want to keep this
home old advantage and all that.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
So the Packer games a week or two.
Speaker 6 (30:05):
Agree, but it's still on the Lambeau. Whether it could
be crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
How much is Lamar going to be able to move
if it's seven degrees and snowing and.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
He's already compromised. Packers are good.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
So you beat the Ravens in week eighteen and nothing
else matters. The two ways to clutch a spot before
then you beat Detroit and Cleveland, and the Ravens lose
to either Green Bay or New England common opponents, right,
or you beat you win one of your next two games,
and Baltimore loses to both New England and then Green Bay.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
To me, that's the most.
Speaker 6 (30:33):
Likely, I would think. So you beat, you win.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
That's what you're truly rooting for.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
I mean, if you ask me of other than just
straight up beating the Ravens week eighteen, the next most
realistic scenario is you losing Detroit this weekend, you beat
the Browns, Ravens lose both at home to New England
and then on the road in Lambeau, and then it's
you've built yourself a cushion in week eighteen.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
Doesn't matter, of.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Course, the world doesn't work this way, the league doesn't
work this way. But just based on Vegas spreads, Vegas
is telling you you're a dog in Detroit. I bet
you're going to be a favorite in Cleveland. Yeah, yes, so,
I mean one in one is what they are predicting.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
So there's a lot of other stuff that can happen
again related to Baltimore, related to the Steelers. But what
we know here today December eighteenth, Year of Our Lord
twenty twenty five Matt Williamson, is you beat the Ravens
in week eighteen and nothing else would matter. But if
you want to clinch before then beat Detroit and Cleveland
and have the Ravens lose once over these next two weeks,
(31:34):
or split with Detroit and Cleveland and have the Ravens
lose twice to New England and Green Bay. It's also possible,
but insanely unlikely, that the Steelers could finish ten and
seven and get a wild card spot, but a lot
of stuff because they don't have that they have they
don't have the tie breaker over the Chargers. They don't
have the tie breaker over the Bills. So it would
have to come down to it. It would have to
(31:55):
come down to, like a weird they end up with
a better AFC record than Houston or something like that.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Good teams would have to lose the Houston's and Jacksonville
or the.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Colts somehow find a way to factor in and you've
got the head to head against Indianapolis.
Speaker 6 (32:07):
But that's very unlike. Yeah, yeah, those are kind of
the three.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Again, a lot can move, a lot can change, but
the three things right now that are ironclad. You beat
the Ravens week eighteen, nothing else matters, but before then,
beat Detroit and Cleveland and the Ravens lose once to
New England or green Bay. Or you beat one of
Detroit and Cleveland and the Ravens lose twice in these
next two weeks at New England or sorry hosting New
England and then at Green Bay.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
And I know, I assume that this will get a
lot clearer and a lot easier to understand on Monday. Yeah,
Like when we get in here on Monday, it'll be like, well,
as long as you win one of these two games,
you'll win. Or I mean, I think it'd be pretty
simple on Monday.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
It's a little bit of a Hodge dodge right now.
Matt Williams, Matt Willimson, But I think you're right. I
think that it will be much that this will be
much clearer on Sunday. I think particularly because of what
happens with Baltimore and New England and what that means
for common opponent record and all those.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Thea the common opponent stuff I.
Speaker 6 (33:01):
Know is very important and all those tie breakers that
makes it convoluted too. Yes, another tweeter or two to
close us down.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
On the other side, we also have to give some
thoughts about this big Thursday night football game in Seattle
tonight between the Seahawks and the Rams. We'll do that
to close down the show.
Speaker 6 (33:17):
When we return. It is the Drive on Steelers Nation
Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Down the home stretch here on the Drive, as we
will cross our final tees and dot our final eyes
before we get up.
Speaker 6 (33:56):
Out of here.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
We got a tweet here from Mojo Matt along the
you know the topic lines of like our around campus
and NFL draft and quarterback discussions. Do you think that
there's a chance if they you know, if they don't
land one of these big guys Mendoza and more and
no one else emerges as a viable option. Does it
(34:21):
feel like it could be Mason and Will Howard as
the plan in twenty twenty six, and then you go
back to the quarterback draft well in twenty seven.
Speaker 6 (34:29):
No, I think the second.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Part of that's true. Part two is yes, I think
there is a great chance now that they decide to
go back to the quarterback well in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 6 (34:40):
Right, because listen.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
We've been we've been mining a man, there's not much WoT.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Look at how much the around campus segment changed from
when we started it in September to Club Nick Seeya
Allor se Ya nuss Meyer, Seeya Sellers is coming back
to school, Arch is coming back to school.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Let me shop you real quick. Those first three you mentioned,
could any of them.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yes, get back in So you know what's funny is
if we and maybe we should do this before we
get to Indianapolis in the car, if we can have
one of these draft.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Nicks on, Oh, we'll find somebody.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Yeah, I would like to ask them that question, right right,
of all the guy of the big names, and obviously
Arch and Sellers are out of the equation because they're
returning to school. But of the club Nick Nussmeyer Allers,
the three of the five big names going into this
year that are going to be in the draft, right
that all had different injuries and performance issues. Could any
of them which one would be the most likely to
(35:35):
work their way into the first round or even Tyler
shuck range.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
High seconds and say or potential starters, because definitely one
of them can settle for a nobody. I don't want
to say settle for anybody.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
I want.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
I want a difference, man, You and I.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You and I have talked about when the time is when,
whenever the time is. If it's in twenty six, if
it's in twenty seven, I want to go shopping at Mercedes,
Benz and Porsche, and like I want to go I
want to go to the lux card a lot when
I'm looking for my next quarterback.
Speaker 6 (36:02):
I don't want to keep going to Uncle Bob's used
car sales around the corner. I'm going to the port.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
I'm going to the Porsche dealership, baby, and I'm taking
my swing on a on a sports car.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Like, this is a great Honda Cord and it's thirty
percent cheaper than it should be. It's the best deal
in town. Like that's done.
Speaker 6 (36:21):
I'm gonna look at Ferraris and Lamborghinis. And Porsche and Mercedes,
Benz and right.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
And if you miss, you miss, and I'm gonna do
the same thing.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
If it's a lemon grat and I'm gonna step back
up to the plate in two years again.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
I want home run hitters.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
I want home run hitters. And a lot can change
between now in April, but I'm I'll be the first one.
Speaker 6 (36:38):
Like hand up.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
I thought this was going to be an all time
quarterback class, and a lot of people did. And it
feels like that canon. This could still, I think, surprise
people and be a good one, but it feels like
that can has been kicked down the road, especially when
let's be honest, the two biggest names were Arch and Sellers,
and they're.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
Both going out, Yeah yeah, yeah right. The other big
three all had issues.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
Three were pretty well saw there.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
They were very well sat but they weren't Arch and Sellers,
who were the top two. And I like to pat
ourselves on the back. We mentioned Mendoza along with those
five back starting in August, because you and I had
some conversation with some some football people who were like, hey,
everyone's talking about these big five, but keep an eye
on Fernando Mendoza as well.
Speaker 6 (37:21):
I mean, Matt, you know, is so impressed. He's coughing
a lung out here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
I'll be the first one to say this twenty sixth
class is not panning out to be the historic one
that we all thought it was gonna be.
Speaker 6 (37:32):
There's definitely some interesting names. Oh boy, hey, did you
just hit an allergy or something? I say a name
that you're a larger actor.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
DJ Lagway could factor into this conversation. The Florida quarterback
who was injured all year. He's in the portal two.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Should have probably should have probably mentioned him last year.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
I am very, very interested. We talked about yesterday in
Baylor in Arkansas.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Robert Robert, Taylan Reed, and Sawyer Robinson same. They're my risers.
They're they're might there, might have.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
A very sharp eye on those two one.
Speaker 6 (38:01):
Hundred per I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
They're the ones that could potentially tip this class back
into being. Okay, maybe it's not as great as we
thought it was going to be, but it's still pretty
stinking good.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
And I think we can't forget people we trusted in
the draft world, the Danes and mcshay's, et cetera. There
was something they liked about nuts Aller and club Nick.
Not all of that went away just because they that
was three months ago, no doubt, you know.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Seem like an eternity again. Three months ago, those guys
were first round, second round.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Right now, they all could be terrible. But let's not
throw the baby out with the bathwater type of thing.
Speaker 6 (38:38):
You know, exactly right. There's a middle ground there, yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Yeah, yeah, And let's explain why things went the way they.
Speaker 6 (38:43):
Did, you know, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Rob tweets us and says, hey, guys love the show,
Thank you Rob. Quick question, Have we heard the last
of Roman Wilson? I really wanted him to succeed this year.
I don't think we've heard the last of them, the
last in total, but maybe for these final few weeks.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
I mean to be in camp next year.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
I don't think the book is completely closed on him
for his Steelers career, but it might be for the
rest of twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
I think the plan is to have him on the
outside looking in the rest of the way, assuming these
guys keep playing the way they are, and I get
the impression Miller's more valuable than him right now. I mean,
he plays on teams and Miller's Miller's a little bit
underrated and Scornic is more valuable for him on a
Sunday afternoon in terms of who gets a helmet, yes
(39:31):
or yes?
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Might?
Speaker 3 (39:35):
I mean, this front office makes a lot of trades.
Could Wilson end up on another team as opposed to
coming back to camp next year? Maybe? I don't think
that's crazy. You know, if you're moving guys around, you
just swap them out, especially if you draft one high
or I think they're going to add some receiver of
pedigree to this team in the offseason, So I think
(39:57):
it's possible. I mean, I hate to say it this bluntly,
but Wilson's been in Pittsburgh Steiler for two years, and
I know there's more at play here than just this,
but it's been one of the worst wide receiver rooms
in the league for two years and he hasn't cracked it. No,
it's a fair I mean, it was just fast.
Speaker 6 (40:16):
It's not the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver room or the Cincinnati.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
Bengals LSU with Jefferson and the Rams Chase Yeah, you're right, right, yeah, neighbors.
I mean, he couldn't good on and he couldn't prove
to be on the field over not so great people
ahead of him for two years. And I know there's
injuries and all this.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Stuff too, but right, there's a reason that they have
turned over a ton of stones in that wide receiver room,
and guys like MVS and guys like Adam Feeling and let.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Alone the Ayuk rumors and stuff, you know, like that
kind of thing too, right.
Speaker 6 (40:44):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Darrell tweets us and says it's the Steel City Shove. No,
it's the Pittsburgh plunch.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Okay, I heard a lot of people talking about different
stuff here.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
I don't care what Rob King says. I don't care
what anybody down there on the south side says. It's
a Pittsburg plunch, all right, Steel City shop. Too many words,
Pittsburgh plunge, nice and easy, like push push, two words.
Speaker 6 (41:05):
Nice and easy. I like that Pittsburgh plunge.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
I'm looking at a different angle. I wanted to be
something along lines of Aaron Rodgers' viewing party or something
Rogers express. Yeah, Rogers, just Rogers on a lazy boy,
you know, Like I don't quite understand why he's out
there for this.
Speaker 6 (41:27):
No, we talked about that the other day, Right, I mean.
Speaker 3 (41:30):
He just sits there with his hands in his.
Speaker 6 (41:32):
He's got the best view in the world, right, I.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Mean his hands aren't even they're they're warm in the
little cuddly thing.
Speaker 6 (41:37):
You know, is this You could sit lazy boy back
there for for for.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
There's something creative and funny about Yeah, something Rogers related here.
Speaker 6 (41:46):
There absolutely is that.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
That's a good matt as we've mentioned a few times.
But tonight kicking off an absolutely fantastic four or five
days in a row here of some really meaningful NFL actions,
some some college football playoff first round games that are
on campus and have a really cool atmosphere. It all
begins tonight with what could be the de facto NFC
(42:09):
number one seed. Play in game I guess playing would
be wrong, but to earn the number one year sea
as the game of the year so far. Now, whoever
wins could fumble their position of advantage over the last
couple of weeks and and end up, you know, surrendering
that number one seed. But whoever wins tonight will have
the inside track to win the NFC West, to be
(42:29):
the number one seed in the NFC and of course
to get that first round by while the other will
drop all the way down to five and have to
go on the road for the postseason playoffs eight to fifteen,
of course on Amazon Prime in Seattle, where the Seahawks
are one and a half point favorites.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Doesn't sound like that. Wantay Adams is playing cross a
very good left tackle for Seattle. He's also out. Those
are the big injuries. He's missed some.
Speaker 6 (42:57):
He's missed some time this year, hasn't he.
Speaker 3 (42:59):
He got her this past week been pretty good and
that's a really good pass for USh Jared Vers and company.
I don't like that part because their line's a little
thin to begin with. I have great respect for Seattle.
I just have a lot more respect for the Rams
in McVeigh and Stafford and you know me, I really
wish this was not on Thursday football because I think
Thursday football is a lesser product. It greades to be crazy.
(43:21):
But frankly, no matter the location, no matter the opponent,
if you're gonna give me points to the Rams, I'm
taking it. Give me points to the league.
Speaker 6 (43:35):
I think that's fair.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
Yeah, especially when Seattle is that weird anomaly of they
are a juggernaut on the road and pretty good at
home and.
Speaker 3 (43:42):
Good at home. Right. McVay has been there a million times,
and yes, and it's it's a Fay stafford.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
They still have a great home field advantage. We were
out there a couple of years ago and saw it.
Like I've told you this, it's loud. The Steelers, I
honestly think once twice, maybe three times a year truly
step into a hostile environment.
Speaker 5 (43:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:59):
Yeah, because so.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
Many of the times on the road it's thirty forty, fifty,
sixty percent Steelers fans.
Speaker 6 (44:05):
It's like a bowl game environment.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
It's a good environment, but half the time the home
team's on a silent Like that always cracks me up
is when the Steelers win a game in La or
Atlanta or Vegas and like the postgame press conference, they'll
talk about getting it done in a hostile environment, but
then TJ. Watt will give credit to like our fans
had them on a silent count at home.
Speaker 6 (44:27):
That's so demoral. Well, which one is it? Was it
a hostile environment and did your fans have them on it?
But I get it.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
That's that's that's just that's coach speak, player speak. That's
what they do. Seattle is one of those places. I
don't think it's as hostile as it was in the
Russ Wilson legion of boom days when they were, you know,
winning super Bowls and going to winning a super Bowl
and going to another. But it will be rocking for
a Thursday night game. But I think I'm with you,
like I if you're gonna give me the I know
(44:52):
it's only a point, it's only it's only a point
and a half. But I think the Rams have the
juice to get it done and what will be a
close one, But I you're gonna give me, you know,
the Rams plus one and a half. This could, I
think easily be one of those games that LA wins,
like twenty three to twenty two, you know, three to
twenty one over unders forty two and a half, so
(45:13):
like low twenties, is you know about.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
The range safe?
Speaker 6 (45:16):
Yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (45:17):
Though I wish that this was like the the Sunday
night game. Me too, you know, even Monday night instead
of the.
Speaker 3 (45:22):
Rams were in Philly, in Buffalo wherever getting points. I'm
taking the Rams. It's yeah, I don't Monday night.
Speaker 6 (45:28):
They don't hate it. Yeah, I don't hate it. Whatever, Matt.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
We will be back tomorrow to talk about what happens
in Thursday night football and obviously to deep dive into
a Lions Steelers preview and all the Week sixteen action
across the NFL.
Speaker 6 (45:43):
But that will do it for us today.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
A big thanks to Bob Labriola for joining us, shout
out to Nathan for producing, and to mister TV Tyler
V for keeping us handsome and crisp on the video
side of things. For Matt Williamson, I'm Wes Shueler. Take
care of everybody, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. As always,
you know where to find us on your twenty four
to seven home of the Black and Gold. It's Steelers
Nation Radio, on the Steelers Audio networ
Your tunes about drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good evening, Steeler Nation, how you doing well? That's good
us too. It is our number two of the Drive
here and we go to the phone lines to talk
to the Dean of Doom, the lord of living in
his fears, Steeler's historian and our friend Bob Labriola Labs.
Thank you for taking the time for us on a Thursday.
As always, Matt and I kind of kicked around a
(00:37):
Aaron Rodgers question to start the show, and I wanted
to get your opinion on it to this point, Aaron Rodgers,
has he met your expectations? Has he exceeded your expectations?
Or do you still need to wait and see how
these last three plus games play out?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Stole my question for.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I gotta say he's exceeded my expectations. I mean, the
you know, the physical part of it, the way he
plays the game is still at a high level. I mean,
and I didn't really have any you know, I wasn't
really paying close attention to him, you know, when he
(01:16):
was with the Jets, so you know, watching it from Afar,
hearing about it from afar, you know, forty two year
old man, you know, the whole thing. But he can
really still play. He can spin it, he sees it,
he can often anticipate it, and he's throwing the ball
(01:40):
in an anticipatory and on time way. But what has
really impressed me is, you know, the way he has
been a quarterback, a leader. He is available for his teammates.
He's an example. You know, the narrative that was you know,
(02:00):
following Aaron Rodgers around, you know, in terms of what
kind of guy he was teammate and all that kind
of stuff to me is nothing. There's nothing farther from
the what we have learned to be the truth. So
uh yeah, I'm really uh, I'm really high on what
the Steelers have gotten from Aaron Rodgers this season. And
(02:25):
you know, if he's interested and I was in charge,
which I am not, I would be interested in, uh
maybe making it more than a one year situation.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, that's where I was going to kind of piggyback,
is I. I know you're not deep into the draft
prep and all that stuff, but it doesn't look like
a lot of great options to go down that road.
And even if they were, who would be a better
mentor than Rogers to spend a year in the quarterback
room with. And again I have no clue if he
has any interest at all, but I don't see a
(02:56):
lot of other options, and I'm happy with this one. Hey, Aaron,
you to do it and try it again?
Speaker 4 (03:01):
You know? Yeah again, No, but I mean he's gotta
I don't know if he is interested. Yeah, yeah, And
I and I think that that is the you know,
his level of interest, his buy in, his wont to
all of that is what may is in my mind,
what is what has made him more than what I expected? Again,
(03:25):
I mean I had nothing to concrete in terms of
having seen any of that, So you know, I almost
kind of feel guilty saying that what he's doing now
is beyond my expectations because you know, maybe that's been
him all long and I just didn't know it. So
(03:46):
but you know, the answer the question, I would say,
he has exceeded my expectations. And what has really impressed
me is, you know, more than the above the next stuff. Yeah,
the presence and yeah he's not wearing a wristband, what
(04:08):
plays on it? Seriously, I mean, this isn't somebody who
you know, was in this system before he has no
he had no history with Arthur Smith, so you know,
there's no easy hook for him in terms of learning
this offense. And the guy never wore the wristband. I
(04:31):
mean he is capable of learning it and hearing it
and communicating it to his teammates, you know, within the
parameters of the play clock, and has been since this started.
So you know, I don't I don't think that that's
an I don't think that's an insignificant thing in terms
(04:52):
of his intelligence and awareness.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
If the Steelers were we haven't tug into the practice report,
but if Watt and her Big you're both out for
this game, how much does that concern you? Against this
passing attack they're going to visit.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
How about this running attack?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Well, all the above, I guess yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I mean, you know, if no Want and no Herbiic
that's two of your top three edge people, then that's significant. Uh.
But you know this is I don't know the Lions.
(05:35):
This is a very difficult opponent. I'm not really comfortable with,
you know, the the living in my fierce thing. You
look at the Steelers injury report, you know there there's
just seems to be a lot of areas where you
know the Steelers are going to be kind of dipping
down into the well of their depths, right, James Pierre
(06:00):
gonna play because those two receivers aren't bad either. Think
Brown and Jameson Williams. And you know, Golf he can
he can be very efficient if given the time. And
you know, I don't think you can necessarily blitz him
(06:25):
because you know that will leave you thinner in terms
of the people you can commit to the coverage. As
already said, the receivers I think are both pretty good.
So you know, the Lions of the highest scoring team
in the league, you know, and we're in We're in
week what is this week sixteen? Yeah? Yeah, okay, So
(06:48):
this isn't one of those small sample sizes where you
can say, yeah, they they blew out a couple of
teams and they ranked number one in the NFL scoring
a This is a multi month deal for them, and
they're at home, and so I mean, I you know
they're gonna they're gonna score a lot of points.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
I believe the score in twenty four no, uh, because
you know, high twenties might get you by if you
had all.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Your defensive players, but you don't so uh. And and
some of the guys you're missing are your potentially dynamic playmakers.
And I know that's the way I think you've got
to play defense against this team too. You cannot expect
to shut them down. They're not going to go three
and out a bunch of times. You're gonna give up yards.
(07:44):
They're gonna move the ball, they're gonna possess the ball.
But hopefully, you know, you do enough in some situations
to create negative negativity for them. Maybe they have to
settle for some field goals and maybe you get a
few takeaways, and that's gonna be the way you play
good defense against them. But again, you know, no what,
(08:05):
no herbig, no James Pierre so far, and all due
respect to James Pierre, Uh, you know he's not in
any danger of getting voted to the Pro Bowl either.
And you know you don't even have him, so yes,
(08:29):
very much so. And then in terms of the your
your offense to try and you know, keep up with them.
Who's responsible for Aden Hutchinson? Well but yeah, right, I
mean because they list him. You know, I've seen various
(08:52):
depth charts, you know the line sometimes they list him
as an edge. Sometimes they list him as a left
defensive end. And I'm enough about the Lions too, you know,
do they keep it? Is he kind of anchored in
one spot? Okay? So I mean, uh, whose problem is that? Yeah,
(09:12):
you know Dylan Cook played well last week, but uh
that happened against a uh players who are lesser than
Aiden Hutchinson, and uh, you know he got some help,
which you know it was only fair and right. So
I mean, I don't you know, this is a.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Tough game in their building and.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Right, all of that stuff. So you know, I understand
there are you know, best case scenarios in terms of
what could happen to where that Week eighteen game against
the Ravens is meaningless in a good way for the Steelers.
But I don't. I only anticipate the Steelers path to
(10:04):
that being a simple one or an easy one. So
you know, I would sitting here right now if you
ask me what I think is going to be the
outcome Sunday, I wouldn't be real confident in a victory.
I'll tell you that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
I'm leaning that way too.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I think we all are, especially with some of the
injury stuff that has popped up. The one thing I
will say, though, LABS is certainly feels, you know, a
lot different amongst Steeler Nation in Western Pennsylvania and countrywide
and worldwide here on December eighteenth, twenty twenty five than
it did three hundred and sixty five days ago, when
(10:43):
this team felt like it was going in the opposite direction,
the wrong direction at the absolute worst time. Now it
feels like the quarterback is getting better, the offense is
getting better, the defense, despite some key injuries, is maintaining form.
I'm with you, guys, like it does seem like they're
kind of stepping into a hornet's nest on Sunday against
(11:03):
a desperate team and a tough environment, a physical team
too that can kind of match how the Steelers want
to play in that regard. But I also got to
think there's a lot more optimism, There's a lot more
you know, just kind of energy and juice down there
on the south side. Then again, you know three hundred
and sixty five days ago, where it felt like this
was heading in the opposite direction.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Yeah, and again I trace a lot of that back
to the quarterback totally. I just do I mean, I
just think that you know, Rogers Aaron Rodgers has it it.
You know, they refer to as it. I don't know
how I would necessarily define the word it in that context.
But you know, he's one of these guys who you know,
(11:49):
when you hear Deon Sanders talk about the Hall of Fame,
you know, and he says there's different wings and plateaus
and all that stuff. You know, Aaron Rodgers is at
the upper level of his position. Uh. And he is
a certain in my opinion, you know, sure sure thing,
first ballot inductee. So you know, a lot of I
(12:12):
don't know presence or again I don't I don't have
any firsthand experience with any of this stuff. But I
just got to believe that this guy, you know, kind
of like the pied piper. I mean, he's playing the
tune and everybody's listening and following and they're in line.
(12:32):
And you know, he's a guy who I think his
performance even gives his words more impact and credibility. Uh.
You know, last week, would he completed eighty three percent
or some ridiculous I mean seriously, you know.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
His career, Yeah, and.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
But and hey, you know, Ben roff Burger is a
franchise all time player, at the position. He's a Hall
of Famer two and all that kind of stuff. But
they are different guys. You know, the way Ben won
games is not the way Aaron Rodgers does it. And
I'm not saying one is better than the other, but
(13:17):
they're different. And you know, watching it, maybe it's because
you know, we're used to Ben, or we grew up
with Ben, or however you want to And that's fine.
Like I said, a lot of great statistics, a lot
of comeback wins, playoff games, championships, all that good stuff,
but Rogers is just different. You know, I don't Ben
(13:41):
would make big plays and have big games and go
down the field deep and all that kind of stuff.
But I don't remember a whole lot of eighty percent
completion games either. So, as I said, it's different, I
think that Rogers has a I don't know an aura
(14:01):
about him. That's again Ben had that too, But they're different,
And especially when you're comparing Rogers now with with Russell
Wilson last year. And again I'm not running him down either,
but I mean there's to be there. There's those guys
are on two different levels, and you know it's I'm
(14:24):
just like I see it. I'm not trying to run
down Russell Wilson or any of that stuff. I mean,
it's just if you can't watch Aaron Rodgers and Russell
Wilson play and see that there's a significant difference in
the way they play, the way they handle themselves, the
way they comport themselves, the way they interact with teammates,
(14:47):
and how their teammates interact with them as as a
result of that, well, then you know, I don't know
what you're watching live.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Last thing I got for you is Wes mentioned, you know,
the end of last year, and I understand that Pierre
might not play this week again, and Elliott is on
injured reserve. So it's killerbrew. That's an another thing people
want to talk about. But boy, the Steelers have churned
through defensive backs since the end of last year at
a remarkable rate. And you could say, hey, maybe they
(15:16):
don't evaluate defensive backs well, or you know, we're about
to make a Ramsey trade blah blah blah blah. But
I think they may have gotten it right. I mean,
I'm pretty I'm very happy with where this secondary is.
I mean, there was a lot of puzzle pieces that
didn't quite go together, and now I think they're starting
to snap together where they're supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
Yeah, and I do think that, you know, And there
were some misses, yeah, in terms of accumulation of right right,
thorn hill sligh. But let's love forget Beanie Bishop was
a big part of this secondary last year. Right, Yeah,
Beanie Bishop. Again, nothing against Beanie Bishop. He's got good
(15:59):
enough to play with this group this year, right. Uh. So,
you know, And and Ramsey, Jalen Ramsey is he's kind
of the Aaron Rodgers of the defense. I think he
is a guy who he is just a presence. He
(16:20):
is a force as a personality, and I think a
lot of times you need that kind of stuff coming down, Uh,
this the stretch of a season like this, big game
after big game after big game. You know, Mike Toman
always says, don't blink. Ramsey won't let you. You know,
(16:41):
he's the first, he's he'll stick his face in anything.
He will talk to anybody. Uh, there's no intimidation of him.
He doesn't back down from anybody or anything. Uh. And
you know that's a good addition, right, A good addition
(17:01):
in terms of both his skill set and the demeanor
that he brings to that unit, and to that the
unit of the defense and the defense as a whole
part of the team. I you know, the thing with
chemistry with me has always been, you know, the question
is does good chemistry on the team lead to winning
(17:26):
or does winning lead to good chemistry on the team,
because you know, I don't know that chemistry is going
to get you through many losing streaks.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
If you're talented.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Right. Yeah, So again, like you said, yeah, I think
I agree with you, Matt. I think they did a
lot of good things. They hit on a lot of
these moves that they made guys that they brought in.
They didn't hit on.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Them all, but they didn't sit on their hands either.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
Well right, Yeah, And a lot of this kind of
roster turnover might have might seem drastic when you look
at it in the rear view mirror, but as you mentioned,
compared the team December twenty twenty four to December twenty
twenty five, I think pretty much all of it was necessary.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Great stuff is always with the Great Bob Labriola, the
Dina Doom, the Lord of living in his fears labs.
Thank you, and we'll be listening on Sunday for you
part of the pregame show with Mike Persuda and Jerry Dulac.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Thank you for the time as always, Hey.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
No problem, have a nice weekend, sools you as well.
Speaker 6 (18:38):
There he goes Bob Labriola.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Oh and we should have told him because next Thursday's
Christmas spoiler alert, We're we're not gonna have a show Thursday,
so we should have given Labs the old Happy Holidays,
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 6 (18:50):
But that's all right. We'll talk to him.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
We'll talk to him between now and then when we
come back on the other side, Matt, we do have
the Steelers injury report. There's less some encouraging news there. Yeah,
want to get into that with you, as well as
the Steelers and these AFC playoff scenarios that we've gotten
a few tweets about in the last forty eight hours
or so. Here, we'll do all that and more as
we roll along. U'ler Williamson, It's the Drive on Steelers
(19:12):
Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network, your tunes.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
About Drive on your twenty four to seven home of
the Black and Goal. Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Back on the drive here and we have the Steelers
Thursday practice participation Injury Report Week sixteen edition.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
We also have it for the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
I haven't seen the Lions, Matt, how about.
Speaker 6 (19:44):
The I know what's the.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
That's the joke I was trying to make you when
you said I haven't seen the Lions. I was going
to say, well, how about the Tigers and Bears? Oh my,
but I just totally brain farted and completely completely stepped
in it. Instead, you want the good news with the
bad news bringing on TV good news or bad news
thumbs up, thumbs down. Oh, he does his best walking
Phoenix and Gladiator.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
I think there's more bad than good.
Speaker 6 (20:11):
There's more bad than good.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Zach Fraser did not practice today with a triceps injury.
Speaker 6 (20:16):
That's new, right, that's new.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
I don't know if we went over yesterday's I don't
think we didn't think we did.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
We had so much, We had so much going on. Yeah,
we usually do that towards the end of the show.
And we had Jalen Warren call in yesterday's was was
smart like Derek Harmon was a full participant. Herbig didn't practice?
Uh Sayamal who didn't practice? Not a lot of surprising
in there yesterday.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
The reason I asked is Fraser was not on it yesterday.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
He was not.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
That's important. That's important to note, as was christ Alignment maybe.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
As was Christian Koontz who was not on it yesterday,
who was today with a knee issue.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Now, these things could both be minor.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
It could be a it's this point in the season,
we're gonna be extra cautious. Give him a day. Yeah,
but on a Thursday.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Warren is an illness before the game because he has
an illness, but he's playing, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
But not great with with Fraser when you already have
the other injuries on the offensive line and Isaac Sayamalu
still has not practiced yet this week.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
He was d NP again today. So no Sayamalu Wednesday
or today Thursday.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
So here's what that Fraser today talk about real quick.
I mean, like worst case scenario, Seamalu doesn't play, Pete
doesn't play, Fraser doesn't play. I'm just saying that.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
He was limited today. Okay, But the other two d n.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
P because Calvin would be your no. Spencer would be
your left guard. Yeah, I did it every time.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
McCollum would be yourself.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Would be your center. But then your six to zero
line stuff goes out.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
The door, completely out the work, right, and you better
start praying you don't pick up another.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
Knock Ford Field five fifteen.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
On Sunday, exactly because if Fraser plays, there was talk
or I at least asked McCollum would play left guard
and Erson would do his sixth guy stuff whenever, you'd
still have that possibility, which I don't love either. I
think McCollum's really only a center. I'm with you anyways,
I'm just trying to put but yeah, no, it's it's
(22:10):
a messy.
Speaker 6 (22:11):
It's messy.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
There's a lot more questions than there are answers. Yes
at this point, certainly so Fraser d n P triceps,
say Malo d n P triceps. Pete limited with that concussion.
He was limited yesterday on Wednesday, So not necessarily a
step forward, but not a step back either. Yeah, maybe
a wait and see.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Right now, do the concussion arithmetic here.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
Like not our strong sat.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Is he still on schedule or is that a setback.
Speaker 6 (22:40):
To be limited and then limited?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know that he had pool.
Speaker 6 (22:46):
You'd like to see him, but yes.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
So limited can be a wide variety of things too,
all right.
Speaker 6 (22:52):
Yes it can.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Keanu Benton was not on the practice report yesterday, Matt
he popped up limited today with an ankle injury. Yeah,
so again some some more not so great news there
as you're looking a little thin and some of your
offensive and defensive lines and the trenches there. And then
finally as I'm feeling like the Dina doom now and
the bearer of bad news, Nick herbigs still d NP
(23:16):
with that hamstring. Doesn't sound great for Sunday for him,
especially when you consider even more so, it sounds like they.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
Brought in Jeremiah Moon.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yes, they made He.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Practiced yesterday with the Panthers. Apparently got in at one
A according to I think it was Kabali who reported this.
Landed at one am practice with the Steelers today.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
So did they sign Moon off the practice squad? Yes,
so he went straight to the fifty.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Three, I believe.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
So he's playing. I believe that tells you everything.
Speaker 6 (23:41):
That tells bring the tea leaves there, Okay.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I thought that I wasn't certain if they had Moon
off the street to their practice squad or I didn't.
Speaker 6 (23:50):
Yeah, he was with the Panthers now, he has to.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Be on a team for three weeks.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
I believe, yes, that is that.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
That's the that's the practice squad on the fifty three
for three weeks. A special teamer though too.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Yeah, And he's familiar with the organization, and he's about
for needing somebody desperately at this point.
Speaker 6 (24:05):
He's about as good as you.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Can get, right, But it sounds like you need someone desperately.
Speaker 6 (24:08):
It just sounds like you need something desperately at this point.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
And obviously Wat didn't do any today, right.
Speaker 6 (24:12):
No, he did not? He did not. Good.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Wait, also, still no James Pierre yet this week? He
DNP on Wednesday and today.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
I don't like that at all.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
Don't like that one bit.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
No, I don't hate the trio of Porter Echels Samuel same.
But again, what if someone gets hurt at Ford Field
at five pm or whatever? Right, like, oh no, what
are you doing there?
Speaker 6 (24:33):
Your depth is almost completely wiped out.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
At this Ramsey a corner again or you know.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Right, jabro Pepper's d MP with an illness, Ben Scronick
limited with an illness.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Matt. You know what they say TV, you know what
they say.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
There's something going around around, something going around this time
of year, so that's kind of the bear of bad
news stuff. Zach Fraser pops up with a tricep injury,
Keanu Benton pops up with an ankle. Not good news
on Pierre Pierre Herbig or say Amalou. Yeah, the good
news is Derek Harmon both Wednesday and today full practice participations.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
Looks like he's back in a green light for him.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
So that's that's very good.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I wanted to end with some good news there, and
that's about all that I can deliver. Where the rest
of it is, it's.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Cops a lot more half empty than half full.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
That cup is maybe thirty five, right, and at a
time where hey, listen, as we've laid out, Detroit's got
some injury concerns too.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Oh yeah, but they've been hit hard, especially their secondary
last I mean, they lost Branch and Arnold.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
And right, you were hoping that your health was moving
in the right direction this time of year, whereas today
it's moving in the wrong direction. And these things can
change change quickly, and we'll keep an eye on on
everything tomorrow. But I would say I'm I'm certainly more pessimistic,
definitely less optimistic about some of this Steeler's injury stuff.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
We just went over then.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Yeah, then when you and I sat down together a
couple hours ago. We have gotten a few tweets in
the last forty eight hours ish, you know, since the
aftermath of that win on Monday Night football against the Dolphins.
RJ tweeted us about it. JC tweeted us about it.
Must be something with having a two letter RJ.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
JC.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Frankie Z tweeted us about this, and there was one
more I think here, Rob I think was the other
one maybe who tweeted us about this, But asking about
it seems really confusing. Now in the playoff scenario scenario
for the Steelers, can you break that down?
Speaker 6 (26:32):
Can you lend some clarity? It is really confusing.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yes, I'm not the one to do it. I hope
you're taking the ball and run with it. Here.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I will tell you this, there is no way for
the Steelers to clinch this weekend, right, So even if
the Steelers win and the Ravens lose, it's still not
a done deal for the Steelers to win the division.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Obviously, they control their own fate, not destiny. If they
win out they win.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Absolutely, no, absolutely, and I think basically at the same time,
if you beat the Ravens in week eighteen, nothing else matters.
You could lose to the Lions, lose to the Browns,
but as long as you beat the Ravens, yeah, you're in.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
I don't know if you know any more about this
than me, but I've been asked several times. I know
there's a pretty sure there's a scenario where the Browns
game means nothing like that might not. I can't remember
if this if it means the Steelers win this week
and the Ravens win this week, or vice versa, or
one or the other. But there is something out there
(27:29):
mathematically that the Browns game might mean zero.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
May interesting.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
And if I'm right about that, would you react.
Speaker 6 (27:37):
Everybody that would? I get what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
If yes, because the Browns game it would be im
possible to clinch.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
So it would all come down to Week eighteen anyways.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Right like Week eighteen basically playoff start Week eighteen, right
that and eight Week seventeen could basically be a meaningless game,
could be maybe. I don't know how you get there, though.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
The way that you get to who there, I think
is the Ravens beat the Patriots. I want to say, See,
I don't even think that factors in because it's an
NFC game.
Speaker 6 (28:12):
Head to head is the number one tie breaker.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
The misnomer, I think is a lot of people think
your division record is kind of the end all be
all after that, but your common opponents record is a
big deal too. I think that means more than your
AFC records. Your common opponents record means more than your
AFC record. So if the Steelers and Ravens split and
they have the same divisional record, it would come down
to your common opponents record, which currently actually is the
(28:37):
only tiebreaker that Baltimore has over Pittsburgh.
Speaker 6 (28:40):
Gotcha, Okay, now.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
But the Browns are a common opponent.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
The Browns are a common opponent. Yes, the Lions are
also common opponents. So I think the only way really
that the proverbial Cleveland doesn't matter is if you both
take care of business before then and then it all
comes down to.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Week eighteen regardless.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Ok.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
You get what I'm saying, But I think it's still
difficult for that to be a scenario where the Cleveland
game would mean nothing but beat the Ravens Week eighteen
and nothing else matters. We know that as of now,
there's two ways to clinch a spot before then. Okay, okay,
for the Steelers, the first is beat Detroit and Cleveland
and have the Ravens.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
Lose once, only once, only once.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Because then with the common opponents thing, you would have
the division upper hand and the common opponent's upper hand, gotcha,
So if you split the.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
Head to down pay the Packers. They played Patriots this week.
They play pack.
Speaker 6 (29:33):
Patriots at home, Packers on the road.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
So I just don't love chance of winning Detroit.
Speaker 6 (29:40):
Neither do I. But I don't love I don't.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
I do like Baltimore's chances of losing at least one
of those games.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Me too. A lot of people think that they have
an easy game in its Patriots. I think the total opposite.
I think it's an awful game for the oh.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I think the Patriots now they're sitting up straight in
their chair and they've recaptured their attention, and yeah, Buffalo's
hot on our heels and we want to keep this
home old advantage and all that.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
So the Packer games a week or two.
Speaker 6 (30:05):
Agree, but it's still on the Lambeau. Whether it could
be crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
How much is Lamar going to be able to move
if it's seven degrees and snowing and.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
He's already compromised. Packers are good.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
So you beat the Ravens in week eighteen and nothing
else matters. The two ways to clutch a spot before
then you beat Detroit and Cleveland, and the Ravens lose
to either Green Bay or New England common opponents, right,
or you beat you win one of your next two games,
and Baltimore loses to both New England and then Green Bay.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
To me, that's the most.
Speaker 6 (30:33):
Likely, I would think. So you beat, you win.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
That's what you're truly rooting for.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
I mean, if you ask me of other than just
straight up beating the Ravens week eighteen, the next most
realistic scenario is you losing Detroit this weekend, you beat
the Browns, Ravens lose both at home to New England
and then on the road in Lambeau, and then it's
you've built yourself a cushion in week eighteen.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
Doesn't matter, of.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Course, the world doesn't work this way, the league doesn't
work this way. But just based on Vegas spreads, Vegas
is telling you you're a dog in Detroit. I bet
you're going to be a favorite in Cleveland. Yeah, yes, so,
I mean one in one is what they are predicting.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
So there's a lot of other stuff that can happen
again related to Baltimore, related to the Steelers. But what
we know here today December eighteenth, Year of Our Lord
twenty twenty five Matt Williamson, is you beat the Ravens
in week eighteen and nothing else would matter. But if
you want to clinch before then beat Detroit and Cleveland
and have the Ravens lose once over these next two weeks,
(31:34):
or split with Detroit and Cleveland and have the Ravens
lose twice to New England and Green Bay. It's also possible,
but insanely unlikely, that the Steelers could finish ten and
seven and get a wild card spot, but a lot
of stuff because they don't have that they have they
don't have the tie breaker over the Chargers. They don't
have the tie breaker over the Bills. So it would
have to come down to it. It would have to
(31:55):
come down to, like a weird they end up with
a better AFC record than Houston or something like that.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Good teams would have to lose the Houston's and Jacksonville
or the.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Colts somehow find a way to factor in and you've
got the head to head against Indianapolis.
Speaker 6 (32:07):
But that's very unlike. Yeah, yeah, those are kind of
the three.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Again, a lot can move, a lot can change, but
the three things right now that are ironclad. You beat
the Ravens week eighteen, nothing else matters, but before then,
beat Detroit and Cleveland and the Ravens lose once to
New England or green Bay. Or you beat one of
Detroit and Cleveland and the Ravens lose twice in these
next two weeks at New England or sorry hosting New
England and then at Green Bay.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
And I know, I assume that this will get a
lot clearer and a lot easier to understand on Monday. Yeah,
Like when we get in here on Monday, it'll be like, well,
as long as you win one of these two games,
you'll win. Or I mean, I think it'd be pretty
simple on Monday.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
It's a little bit of a Hodge dodge right now.
Matt Williams, Matt Willimson, But I think you're right. I
think that it will be much that this will be
much clearer on Sunday. I think particularly because of what
happens with Baltimore and New England and what that means
for common opponent record and all those.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Thea the common opponent stuff I.
Speaker 6 (33:01):
Know is very important and all those tie breakers that
makes it convoluted too. Yes, another tweeter or two to
close us down.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
On the other side, we also have to give some
thoughts about this big Thursday night football game in Seattle
tonight between the Seahawks and the Rams. We'll do that
to close down the show.
Speaker 6 (33:17):
When we return. It is the Drive on Steelers Nation
Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Your tunes about Drive on your twenty four to seven
home of the Black and Goal Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Down the home stretch here on the Drive, as we
will cross our final tees and dot our final eyes
before we get up.
Speaker 6 (33:56):
Out of here.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
We got a tweet here from Mojo Matt along the
you know the topic lines of like our around campus
and NFL draft and quarterback discussions. Do you think that
there's a chance if they you know, if they don't
land one of these big guys Mendoza and more and
no one else emerges as a viable option. Does it
(34:21):
feel like it could be Mason and Will Howard as
the plan in twenty twenty six, and then you go
back to the quarterback draft well in twenty seven.
Speaker 6 (34:29):
No, I think the second.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Part of that's true. Part two is yes, I think
there is a great chance now that they decide to
go back to the quarterback well in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 6 (34:40):
Right, because listen.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
We've been we've been mining a man, there's not much WoT.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Look at how much the around campus segment changed from
when we started it in September to Club Nick Seeya
Allor se Ya nuss Meyer, Seeya Sellers is coming back
to school, Arch is coming back to school.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Let me shop you real quick. Those first three you mentioned,
could any of them.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yes, get back in So you know what's funny is
if we and maybe we should do this before we
get to Indianapolis in the car, if we can have
one of these draft.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Nicks on, Oh, we'll find somebody.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Yeah, I would like to ask them that question, right right,
of all the guy of the big names, and obviously
Arch and Sellers are out of the equation because they're
returning to school. But of the club Nick Nussmeyer Allers,
the three of the five big names going into this
year that are going to be in the draft, right
that all had different injuries and performance issues. Could any
of them which one would be the most likely to
(35:35):
work their way into the first round or even Tyler
shuck range.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
High seconds and say or potential starters, because definitely one
of them can settle for a nobody. I don't want
to say settle for anybody.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
I want.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
I want a difference, man, You and I.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You and I have talked about when the time is when,
whenever the time is. If it's in twenty six, if
it's in twenty seven, I want to go shopping at Mercedes,
Benz and Porsche, and like I want to go I
want to go to the lux card a lot when
I'm looking for my next quarterback.
Speaker 6 (36:02):
I don't want to keep going to Uncle Bob's used
car sales around the corner. I'm going to the port.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
I'm going to the Porsche dealership, baby, and I'm taking
my swing on a on a sports car.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Like, this is a great Honda Cord and it's thirty
percent cheaper than it should be. It's the best deal
in town. Like that's done.
Speaker 6 (36:21):
I'm gonna look at Ferraris and Lamborghinis. And Porsche and Mercedes,
Benz and right.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
And if you miss, you miss, and I'm gonna do
the same thing.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
If it's a lemon grat and I'm gonna step back
up to the plate in two years again.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
I want home run hitters.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
I want home run hitters. And a lot can change
between now in April, but I'm I'll be the first one.
Speaker 6 (36:38):
Like hand up.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
I thought this was going to be an all time
quarterback class, and a lot of people did. And it
feels like that canon. This could still, I think, surprise
people and be a good one, but it feels like
that can has been kicked down the road, especially when
let's be honest, the two biggest names were Arch and Sellers,
and they're.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
Both going out, Yeah yeah, yeah right. The other big
three all had issues.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
Three were pretty well saw there.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
They were very well sat but they weren't Arch and Sellers,
who were the top two. And I like to pat
ourselves on the back. We mentioned Mendoza along with those
five back starting in August, because you and I had
some conversation with some some football people who were like, hey,
everyone's talking about these big five, but keep an eye
on Fernando Mendoza as well.
Speaker 6 (37:21):
I mean, Matt, you know, is so impressed. He's coughing
a lung out here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
I'll be the first one to say this twenty sixth
class is not panning out to be the historic one
that we all thought it was gonna be.
Speaker 6 (37:32):
There's definitely some interesting names. Oh boy, hey, did you
just hit an allergy or something? I say a name
that you're a larger actor.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
DJ Lagway could factor into this conversation. The Florida quarterback
who was injured all year. He's in the portal two.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Should have probably should have probably mentioned him last year.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
I am very, very interested. We talked about yesterday in
Baylor in Arkansas.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Robert Robert, Taylan Reed, and Sawyer Robinson same. They're my risers.
They're they're might there, might have.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
A very sharp eye on those two one.
Speaker 6 (38:01):
Hundred per I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
They're the ones that could potentially tip this class back
into being. Okay, maybe it's not as great as we
thought it was going to be, but it's still pretty
stinking good.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
And I think we can't forget people we trusted in
the draft world, the Danes and mcshay's, et cetera. There
was something they liked about nuts Aller and club Nick.
Not all of that went away just because they that
was three months ago, no doubt, you know.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Seem like an eternity again. Three months ago, those guys
were first round, second round.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Right now, they all could be terrible. But let's not
throw the baby out with the bathwater type of thing.
Speaker 6 (38:38):
You know, exactly right. There's a middle ground there, yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Yeah, yeah, And let's explain why things went the way they.
Speaker 6 (38:43):
Did, you know, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Rob tweets us and says, hey, guys love the show,
Thank you Rob. Quick question, Have we heard the last
of Roman Wilson? I really wanted him to succeed this year.
I don't think we've heard the last of them, the
last in total, but maybe for these final few weeks.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
I mean to be in camp next year.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
I don't think the book is completely closed on him
for his Steelers career, but it might be for the
rest of twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
I think the plan is to have him on the
outside looking in the rest of the way, assuming these
guys keep playing the way they are, and I get
the impression Miller's more valuable than him right now. I mean,
he plays on teams and Miller's Miller's a little bit
underrated and Scornic is more valuable for him on a
Sunday afternoon in terms of who gets a helmet, yes
(39:31):
or yes?
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Might?
Speaker 3 (39:35):
I mean, this front office makes a lot of trades.
Could Wilson end up on another team as opposed to
coming back to camp next year? Maybe? I don't think
that's crazy. You know, if you're moving guys around, you
just swap them out, especially if you draft one high
or I think they're going to add some receiver of
pedigree to this team in the offseason, So I think
(39:57):
it's possible. I mean, I hate to say it this bluntly,
but Wilson's been in Pittsburgh Steiler for two years, and
I know there's more at play here than just this,
but it's been one of the worst wide receiver rooms
in the league for two years and he hasn't cracked it. No,
it's a fair I mean, it was just fast.
Speaker 6 (40:16):
It's not the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver room or the Cincinnati.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
Bengals LSU with Jefferson and the Rams Chase Yeah, you're right, right, yeah, neighbors.
I mean, he couldn't good on and he couldn't prove
to be on the field over not so great people
ahead of him for two years. And I know there's
injuries and all this.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Stuff too, but right, there's a reason that they have
turned over a ton of stones in that wide receiver room,
and guys like MVS and guys like Adam Feeling and let.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Alone the Ayuk rumors and stuff, you know, like that
kind of thing too, right.
Speaker 6 (40:44):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Darrell tweets us and says it's the Steel City Shove. No,
it's the Pittsburgh plunch.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Okay, I heard a lot of people talking about different
stuff here.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
I don't care what Rob King says. I don't care
what anybody down there on the south side says. It's
a Pittsburg plunch, all right, Steel City shop. Too many words,
Pittsburgh plunge, nice and easy, like push push, two words.
Speaker 6 (41:05):
Nice and easy. I like that Pittsburgh plunge.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
I'm looking at a different angle. I wanted to be
something along lines of Aaron Rodgers' viewing party or something
Rogers express. Yeah, Rogers, just Rogers on a lazy boy,
you know, Like I don't quite understand why he's out
there for this.
Speaker 6 (41:27):
No, we talked about that the other day, Right, I mean.
Speaker 3 (41:30):
He just sits there with his hands in his.
Speaker 6 (41:32):
He's got the best view in the world, right, I.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Mean his hands aren't even they're they're warm in the
little cuddly thing.
Speaker 6 (41:37):
You know, is this You could sit lazy boy back
there for for for.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
There's something creative and funny about Yeah, something Rogers related here.
Speaker 6 (41:46):
There absolutely is that.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
That's a good matt as we've mentioned a few times.
But tonight kicking off an absolutely fantastic four or five
days in a row here of some really meaningful NFL actions,
some some college football playoff first round games that are
on campus and have a really cool atmosphere. It all
begins tonight with what could be the de facto NFC
(42:09):
number one seed. Play in game I guess playing would
be wrong, but to earn the number one year sea
as the game of the year so far. Now, whoever
wins could fumble their position of advantage over the last
couple of weeks and and end up, you know, surrendering
that number one seed. But whoever wins tonight will have
the inside track to win the NFC West, to be
(42:29):
the number one seed in the NFC and of course
to get that first round by while the other will
drop all the way down to five and have to
go on the road for the postseason playoffs eight to fifteen,
of course on Amazon Prime in Seattle, where the Seahawks
are one and a half point favorites.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Doesn't sound like that. Wantay Adams is playing cross a
very good left tackle for Seattle. He's also out. Those
are the big injuries. He's missed some.
Speaker 6 (42:57):
He's missed some time this year, hasn't he.
Speaker 3 (42:59):
He got her this past week been pretty good and
that's a really good pass for USh Jared Vers and company.
I don't like that part because their line's a little
thin to begin with. I have great respect for Seattle.
I just have a lot more respect for the Rams
in McVeigh and Stafford and you know me, I really
wish this was not on Thursday football because I think
Thursday football is a lesser product. It greades to be crazy.
(43:21):
But frankly, no matter the location, no matter the opponent,
if you're gonna give me points to the Rams, I'm
taking it. Give me points to the league.
Speaker 6 (43:35):
I think that's fair.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
Yeah, especially when Seattle is that weird anomaly of they
are a juggernaut on the road and pretty good at
home and.
Speaker 3 (43:42):
Good at home. Right. McVay has been there a million times,
and yes, and it's it's a Fay stafford.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
They still have a great home field advantage. We were
out there a couple of years ago and saw it.
Like I've told you this, it's loud. The Steelers, I
honestly think once twice, maybe three times a year truly
step into a hostile environment.
Speaker 5 (43:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:59):
Yeah, because so.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
Many of the times on the road it's thirty forty, fifty,
sixty percent Steelers fans.
Speaker 6 (44:05):
It's like a bowl game environment.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
It's a good environment, but half the time the home
team's on a silent Like that always cracks me up
is when the Steelers win a game in La or
Atlanta or Vegas and like the postgame press conference, they'll
talk about getting it done in a hostile environment, but
then TJ. Watt will give credit to like our fans
had them on a silent count at home.
Speaker 6 (44:27):
That's so demoral. Well, which one is it? Was it
a hostile environment and did your fans have them on it?
But I get it.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
That's that's that's just that's coach speak, player speak. That's
what they do. Seattle is one of those places. I
don't think it's as hostile as it was in the
Russ Wilson legion of boom days when they were, you know,
winning super Bowls and going to winning a super Bowl
and going to another. But it will be rocking for
a Thursday night game. But I think I'm with you,
like I if you're gonna give me the I know
(44:52):
it's only a point, it's only it's only a point
and a half. But I think the Rams have the
juice to get it done and what will be a
close one, But I you're gonna give me, you know,
the Rams plus one and a half. This could, I
think easily be one of those games that LA wins,
like twenty three to twenty two, you know, three to
twenty one over unders forty two and a half, so
(45:13):
like low twenties, is you know about.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
The range safe?
Speaker 6 (45:16):
Yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (45:17):
Though I wish that this was like the the Sunday
night game. Me too, you know, even Monday night instead
of the.
Speaker 3 (45:22):
Rams were in Philly, in Buffalo wherever getting points. I'm
taking the Rams. It's yeah, I don't Monday night.
Speaker 6 (45:28):
They don't hate it. Yeah, I don't hate it. Whatever, Matt.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
We will be back tomorrow to talk about what happens
in Thursday night football and obviously to deep dive into
a Lions Steelers preview and all the Week sixteen action
across the NFL.
Speaker 6 (45:43):
But that will do it for us today.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
A big thanks to Bob Labriola for joining us, shout
out to Nathan for producing, and to mister TV Tyler
V for keeping us handsome and crisp on the video
side of things. For Matt Williamson, I'm Wes Shueler. Take
care of everybody, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. As always,
you know where to find us on your twenty four
to seven home of the Black and Gold. It's Steelers
Nation Radio, on the Steelers Audio networ
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