December 4, 2024 • 39 mins
The guys react to the first episode of HBO's Hard Knocks and discuss the AFC North. We hear Dale's conversation with Nick Herbig earlier today.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
At least, is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt
Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly, he is the Matt
Williamson and this is the Drive on the Steelers Audio Network.
And of course you can hear the Drive every Monday
through Friday from four to six pm right here on
these very airwaves where you can download the Steelers Mobile
app and listen to the show on there. You can
also watch it on Steelers YouTube channel and you can
(00:35):
then leave us remarks or comments or tell us how
dumb we are, Yes, smart we are, how handsome we are?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You get that's not going to happen.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
That happens.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
But anyways, Matt, it's time now to get to the
fantasy football focus. This being Wednesday, let's take a look
at who is in who is out this week thus
far in practices. Trent Williams with an ankle injury, sidelined
on Wednesday, and they're a mess right now. Off the field,
he deal with some stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Yeah, that team in general just feels curts this year a.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Little bit, Yeah, a little bit. Both Darnell Mooney and
Drake London this week. Mooney has an achilles and slash
rest did not participate in practice today. Drake London was
limited in practice today for Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
And again, folks, just like we opened the first hour,
this is Wednesday and people are getting rested even more
than earlier in the season. Don't go crazy, but be
aware of this stuff. I think her cousin is.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Going to get bad eventually they fall out of this.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, I mean, I think he's a game war too
from getting the act.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
We're not that long ago from when people were saying
the Steelers should have signed Kirk Cousins instead of Russell Wilson.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, I'm not certain he's even gonna be an NFL
starter next year.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
It's been pretty bad. He does not want to get
hit at all.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
No, he doesn't protect himself. Well, I mean, he makes
really bad decisions. I think he could end up being
like a Flacco was a number two or something along
those lines. Like if I'm the Giants Raiders, I'm like,
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah. Uh. Baker Mayfield dealing with an achilles and a knee.
He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, but
that you never like to hear that achilles thing.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
No, I was shocked when Mooney had an achilles. I mean,
Achilles is usually out, you know what I mean, Like, yeah,
how do you soreness?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I used to have to deal with that when I
was still playing basketball into my thirties, even late thirties,
like three or four times a week, my achilles would
just be killing me. And I kept waiting for that
day when it just went and rolled up and I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Does that mean there's like a tiny partial tear there?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Just I don't know. It was just general soreness and
then in that achilles, and you know, I'd take a
week off and it would feel better, and then I'd
go back and play, and you know, two weeks later,
it's it's hurting again. It's just not good.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
People can't see this at home, but Justin, you know,
an achilles is it'll snap and all the way up
in the back of your leg.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Justin doesn't like that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
He's gonna pass out. He was saying this going up, Yeah, Achilles,
give him the willies. Yeah he's over there and wincing
thinking about Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Bucky Irving hip and back issues mispractice on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
He's a superstar for fantasy, right, Yeah. I mean he's
getting all the touches. He's even taken Rashard White's stuff.
I mean that's great signs.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
If he doesn't play a lot.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Of touches last week, yeah, he'll probably just rest.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
But if he doesn't play White, they're both.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
You know, useful at that point. I don't think they
want to give White a ton of carries between the
tackle stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Tristian Wurf's with the foot and knee on any big practice, right,
I mean, so they're they're a little banged up.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Like Trent Williams. I mean, it's a difference. He's one
of the tackles you got to mention in the FANI.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, that's a big game for them this week, or
Tampa's they have. I forget who they have this week,
but was somebody they should beat. They have a very
easy rested Atlanta's at Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yes, and Atlanta beat them twice head to head, so
they have to get one game up and just kind
of looking ahead at the schedule, I think they got
a pretty decent chance to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Mike Evans hamstring and calf didn't practice on Wednesday, who
did practice for them.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I no one practice for the Steelers either.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
But these are all injuries though, these are right. Yeah,
Alexander Madison with an ankle limited on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Okay, is Abdullah the one? Do we know that at
this point? Hmmm?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Uh, Sincere they're gonna get a bomb. They signed Sincere
McCormick to their active roster. He was on their practice
squad and they elevated and they said, we can't do
that because somebody's going to probably try to sign him
off of that, So they signed him to the active roster.
Zamir White with a quad also didn't practice today.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
He had He's had a really bad year. Yeah. I
don't know if he'd even get back in the mix.
So it might be McCormick. It might be McCormick.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, that's a dart throw if you go to Blank's
mode THEFS Uh yeah, yeah, but maybe we should look
in the raided running back stuff.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, we picked the squad.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Uh Jyr Alexander. They play Thursday night. He was ruled
out for that Week fourteen game against Detroit.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Okay, their defense has been okay, I mean the pass
rush hasn't been great. Alexander's obviously a difference maker, huge game.
You know.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Romeo Dobbs also rolled out for that game with a concussion.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Okay, I mean, I'm not wishing a concussion on anyone,
but it does help clarify the receiver situation a little
bit when one of them is out of the mix.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
On the plus side of that, for Green Bay, Josh
Jacobs with the calf injury off the injury report.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Okay, And folks, just so you know, I mean the
Lions and Packers, this is not a short week for them.
This is a full week.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, they played basically, Yeah, they both played Thanksgiving, so
it's not social.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Makers did some good stuff there.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Uh. Foster Moreau with a shoulder injury limited on Wednesday.
The only reason I mentioned is that Taysom Hill is out. Yeah, okay,
so maybe Foster gets a couple of catches. I doubt it.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Maybe. I mean, I'm sure he'll be out there in
twelve personnel. Yeah, I wouldn't get too excited about it.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Kendrey Miller.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
The other tight end there though, is Yeah there's a chance.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Juwan Johnson, but he was limited today.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Yeah, I know there's something with him too.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Kendrey Miller practiced in full on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I think he's on IR or they just pulled him
off for.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
About They just recently designated him to return, so this
was a full practice and he's been designated in return,
so he could I could see them wanting to get
a look at him.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
And he had something you need to know, you know,
like he might be a good guy for like your
your super Bowl, Like you really need to run Kamar
into the ground in week seventeen and eighteen of the
season if you're the same, that's right, I mean, so,
I mean you get a good look at Miller. See
if you need a draft one or not.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Bob means officially limited on Wednesday with an ankle. He's
also been out for several weeks. He was also designated
to return, so it doesn't look as positive for him,
but they need another receiver and.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Say their skill position stuff is a messy.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Prior to getting hurt, he was actually starting.
Speaker 6 (07:00):
To do it well.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
He looked pretty good. Yeah, did some stuff. Yeah, as
you mentioned earlier in the show, Trevor Lawrence with a
concussion officially placed on injury reserve. That will shut him
down from this.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Yeah, that's a wrap. I mean in line gets the
first overall pick. Does do you a hard time starting
like Thomas or Ingram or the backs or I mean
their skill guys are all pretty fantasy relevant. Yeah, I
mean it doesn't help.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's not great. It's not what they were with Laurence. Yeah,
it's okay, it's okay. I don't think I mean the receivers,
especially because they're gonna be in catch up mode constantly.
Their defense is awful.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Mac Jones has been okay. I mean he's put up
some numbers.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, mostly in ketchup model like portals like exact forman say,
very Jaguar esque Treylon Burks with an A C L
will miss the remainder of the season.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It's pretty close to saying he's in bust to neighborhood here. Yeah,
the field too much either.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Jalen Cocher with the quad injury. He practiced him full
on Wednesday. Okay, somebody did not forget about no. I.
Actually he has traded for him yesterday in a dynasty league.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I'm rebuilding. I think he's got a bright future, but
now all of a sudden, the receiver position is a
little crowded. I talked about theland yesterday. I'm surely Get's
gonna get plenty of time. Former Panther wide receiver just
got suspended former.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Stealers for a game by the Ravens for contract detrimental
to the team. Apparently on the release and they talked
about They said he refused to go into the game.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
La right, and then you mentioned this off the air.
They got to buy this week and then he suspended
and seasons almost.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Like they're gonna stay away from the organization here for
a week.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I mean, you cut him.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I don't know. Uh. Jatavian Sanders with that neck injury
officially limited on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Okay, it looks like they're really pushing these young guys
to fish out of season.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
He gets if he gets back into it. They were
throwing him the ball.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
No, no, I think that offense is relevant.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Amari Cooper with a wrist, logged a full practice on Wednesday.
Curtis Samuel with a foot was limited.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Okay, So is a Mary Cooper fantasy starter every week,
no doubt.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I can't look at what happened in the last week's
game and say one way or the other.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I know, I know it's tough, and it's a perfect
example for late Mike Williams. I mean, these receivers have
change teams that late. It's hard to get on board,
it really is. Yeah, and Cooper had some injuries.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
You know, Davonte Smith with a hamstring practiced on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Okay, they could use them. He's been out a little bit.
Goddard's probably I don't know what godd situation is, but doesn't
sound good.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
The Bengals signed Kadi York to their practice squad because
Evan McPherson expected to miss a few weeks with a
groin injury. That's significant because Evan McPherson gets to kick
a lot. And they play the Cowboys this week. But
the worst not the worst pick. He's not great, but
he's gonna get opportunities.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, say the offense is really good.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so it's not the worst pivot he's been the
league too. I mean, expect not to go over three.
Well run the subject of kickers. Matthew Wright signed to
the Chiefs fifty three man roster. He'll be their third kicker. Well,
he already kicked last week. He was four or five
on his field goal attempts last week. That's good. Yeah,
it's going five attempts in one game. Spencer Schrader was
(10:16):
placed on IR with a hamstring injury. He was the
guy who was replacing Okay, And so it looks like
Matthew Wright's going to be the Chiefs kicker until Harrison
Bucker returns from.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
That's another one. Like, I know their offense isn't as
good as people think it is, but that's not a
bad kicker to owned for fantasy.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
They do get I mean they do kick field goals.
They don't score touchdowns all the time. Well yeah, Keyon
Coleman with a wrist injury, limited and practice on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Tight end receiver situation in Buffalo is kind of a
stay away for me, considering what you have to pay
for them and all these things, But it'd be nice
if it shook itself out a little bit better.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Dalton kin Cave was limited on Wednesday. He hasn't played
since Week ten, so we'll see where that goes for him. Him.
Drew Locke going to get to start for the Giants
this week.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I guess it's better than de Vito, but I.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Mean he runs a little bit.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah, I'm just thinking like for like Wandell Robinson and neighbors.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
I mean, he actually throws the ball to neighbors. He
doesn't ignore him for a half. So, yeah, is Wandelle
Robinson even useful anymore? It sure seems like, well you
gotta be high completion percentage guys. Yeah, Alan Lazard but
the chest injury had his practice window opened on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Okay, I'm not real excited about him for fantasy.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Rogers does like him. He does got a lot of
touchdowns right in the year. Brees Hall with the knee
injury not practicing Wednesday. He did the same thing last
week and he went and played. He did lose two
fumbles or fumbled twice in that game. So the Browns
have signed quarterback Bailey Zappi.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Real quick on haul Like, it's a little early for
this conversation. But some of these awful teams running backs
that have bumps and bruises, might they not be around
for fantas see super bowls or you know, sometimes you'll
see these guys get shut down late in the scenes.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Well that's why when you have guys like that, you
that's when Allen is, That's when you handcuff.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, you want to see the younger guy, Allen is
a great example for.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
That, especially teams that have already had their bye week, Like, yeah,
there's no reason not the handcuff if that's your one
of your top backs or your top and the top
back on your team. Josh Reynolds was waived by the
Broncos and claimed by the Jaguars.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Yeah, he's not a bad player. I don't think he's
relevant for Mac Jones phone to Josh Reynolds, doesn't.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
That doesn't ye, Yeah, that doesn't fill me.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Playoff wins in the in the my Fantasy League.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
No, Keishawn Vaughan added to the forty nine ers practice squad.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Okay, I see the small, undersize.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Former Tampa Bay buck back.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Oh, I was thinking Douce Vaughn. I guess is the
one I was thinking of?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
The cowboy Okay, yeah's had some moments.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Yeah, there was a lot of buzz with him when
he came out, but never quite put the other.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
They also signed Patrick Taylor Junior to their practice squad,
so they added two running backs to the practice. Somebody's
getting elevated.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, somebody's getting elevated. I mean they lost to so
you got to add too.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, how about this one? Finally, Marshawn Lattimore on track
to return in week fifteen.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Wow, make a trade for him to the trade deadline.
Still doesn't play the snap for you.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
It's been five or six weeks now they've had him
on the roster.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
I mean, what's different about him than some of these
other trades. He's a contract. Yeah, that's a that's a
big long term move. But if you get them breved
up for the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, DJ reader considered day to day.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Okay, I need to look into the Lion injuries more.
There's a couple of them out there.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Doesn't look like they're gonna have Taylor Decker this week, Okay.
Looks like Carlton Davis could return for them in week fourteen.
Of course that's a Thursday night game. So yeah, they're
starting to get a little yeah, a little bit better news.
It sounds like some of it. Yeah, that's about Reynolds.
(14:00):
That's pretty much it for the fantasy news of the day.
This Deontay Johnson stuff. You know, the people who ran
out and picked him up hoping that he was gonna
suddenly become fantasy or still be if you had him
on your roster with from Carolina, you were happy because
he was getting the football and he was happy. And
(14:21):
then when he goes to Baltimore and he's not getting
the football and he's not even getting on the field,
he's not happy.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Well, it's not like you an opportunity to get on
the field, and he refused it. What's up with that?
Like it'd be if you're I mean, you're getting paid
to pay foot play football, and if you're asked to
go in the field, to go in the field, I
mean unless you have a knee or something. You know
that you think they misdiagnosed. But how does that conversation
happen on it on the sideline? I don't know, you know,
not pretty. And Raven's a bigger fish to fry than
(14:48):
worry about the new guy, you know what I mean,
Like I wonder if he plays it all for them.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
That's why when you when you make some trades like that, especially,
I mean when when you have fifty three guys in
the locker room, your head coach has to be able
to handle things well within the scheme of everything. No, yeah,
you know, people are asking why isn't Mike Williams playing?
He's playing. They're not throwing them the ball a whole lot.
Yet doesn't mean that they won't or that's not going
(15:15):
to happen. But he is playing. But that's not been
in you know, there's been none of this kind of stuff. No, no, right, right,
you know, I'm sure you know Preston Smith wasn't happy
with his role in Green Bay and asked for a trade.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I don't think he was rocking the boat there anything,
you know, but Johnson seems to be rocking the boat.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And yeah, I mean that's the thing that you know,
kind of one of the dangers when you when you
trade for somebody. Teams don't want to get rid of
guys for no reason.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Of course, a lot in a lot of cases. I mean,
obviously there's some instances where probably not going to sign him,
his contracts up, we're not doing anything. Dump them a date,
trade deadline, let's get young. Sometimes just I want to
get this guy out of here because he's a pain
in the butt, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, So I wonder if Deonta is quickly going down
that might be the way it's headed there for him.
But Matt, that's going to do it for the fantasy
football focus.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Let's whatever his interest will be in the off season,
might be his stock has gone down, dramatic, dramatic contract
and all that stuff. Who's gonna be calling?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yeah, yeah, for sure, let's get through a break. He
is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to
the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. Matt now
will be back right after this.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on
your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and
Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And we are back here on the Drive. I am
Dale LOLLI he is the Matt Williamson and Matt We
got to see the debut of Hard Knox last night
looking at the AFC North and of course the Steelers
were featured prominently on that one because they played a
fellow AFC North opponent. Yeah, and a lot of interesting
(17:01):
stuff coming out of that, including you get to see
how Mike Tomlin likes to is capable of pushing players
buttons him standing in front of the room, commanding the room,
and just kind of that the lesson that he gives
each week. And he was asked earlier in the week,
(17:22):
you know, do you worry about your message getting old
or stale? He's like, look, this is a short term
business for these players. Yeah, if you look at it's
pretty you know, we talked about this in the preseason
before the season started. Well, I think it was like
twenty six new guys on the roster or something like that.
I mean, that's almost half your roster turns over from
the previous year.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
So a lot to take away there too. I thought
Tomlin was the star of the show, and frankly, if
this was Raven's Nation Radio, I would said the same thing.
I thought him and Joe Burrow were the most impressive
two people featured in this whole thing.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
It was one hour and that's on a knock on
the other three head coaches. See how the other episodes go.
But I'm sure Tom will do just fine. But it
made me a couple of things. I know Tomlin has
his critics, you know, and if you want to criticize
his clock management, go right ahead. I mean that's valid.
I get it. He's not perfect, but I think if
you watch that, you have a better understanding for why
(18:18):
he wins games, you know. I mean his message to
the team was great. One on one with Cam Hayward
walking into the locker room one on one with Pickens.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
I just thought I thought it was interesting when the
coaches are all sitting around watching takes.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
That's where it's going next.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Like his knowledge of the game is so extreme, attention
to detail.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Right, like we know this is going to happen. This
is going to happen. Like if you talk to Wolf
for a tonch of those guys, you know, Chuck Noll
could have coached the defensive backs or the tight ends
or the running backs. And I think Tomlin's exactly the
same way, you know, or you know, I know he's
praising Jamar Chase. Look at Jamar Chase come out of
his break here on this in cutting route. That's an
(18:55):
amazing angle. And you know, boy, you know Burrow is
going to be you know, great respect for the opponent
and how they can beat You give.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Me a problem if we allow him to step up
into the pocket, yah know? And behold it became a
problem allowing him to step up in the pocket. And
then they like, guys, we talked about this, Yeah, let's
not let this guy do this to us.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
And I'm probably gonna watch it again, but I think
when he was walking off the field with Hayward. As
I referenced, he said something like, as long as we
contain Chase Brown, who isn't their best player, and don't
let Burrow step up in the pocket, the offensives have
to can score zero points and we're gonna be okay,
you know what I mean, Like, these are the things
we have to take away. It's not just Chase is awesome.
(19:37):
We can't. You know, everyone knows that, you know, so
his knowledge of the game is really really came through
in that episode.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yeah, absolutely, And you know again with the stuff with
Herbig and we'll get to hear from my Nick Herbig
here a little bit. In the final segment of the show.
I talked to him about the episode last night, just
driving home the point that hey, you got you got
one of the big matchups this week. Yeah, yeah, you know,
you got you got Orlando Brown this week, and if
(20:06):
you win that matchup, we're gonna win this game. This game,
and then not only saying it to him every single
time he saw him during the week, saying it on
the sideline during the game, saying it in the team meeting. Yeah, yeah,
you know, call it a second year guy, Like, hey, dude,
you got to win this. We expect you to win this,
and he's hoping you win this. We expect you to win.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
This, and he's not saying it to every player in
every matchup. I mean, he knew that was a critical
one that there's'll be a lot of one on one.
Of course, DJ is gonna get a ton of attention. And
you know, with a young Ray tackle in particular, if
we can win that matchup one v one high percent
of the time, we're gonna be really tough to beat.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, lo and behold right right, And it was the
key to the game. Yeah, you get the stripsack and
touchdown off of that, and it's like you see Tomlin's
reaction on the sideline to that, just like.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
It was right, that's what we're talking about.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
It we're talking about And then he pulls herbig aside
and said, hey, that's what we you know that, that's
who you are right now.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I got a kick out of the episode, and part
of it was I put I spent a year in
the Browns facility two and I like the Ravens facility.
It's all brick and you know, kind of old right, right.
I kind of like how they do things too. But
I'm Bengals not as much, but no, I think it's
gonna be a good series too.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
When you see something like that, it does kind of
point out the differences between the other three teams and
the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Yeah, I mean, I have never been in the Bengals facility,
but I spent a ton of time in the Browns.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
One their facility is the stadium. Yeah, there's They're one
of the few teams that are still working out at
their stadium, the practice fields. When you're driving into into
Cincinnati from the airport in Kentucky, you come across the
bridge and their practice fields are right there on the right,
next to the stadium. They now have an indoor bubble.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
It's kind of like how three Rivers used to be
right like in their cleats.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Walking they had to walk across the street and Lambert
those guys, right and and but they're they're practiced or
quote unquote indoor practice facility is basically just a.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Bubble over that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, and it's it's it's about three blocks away down
the street from the stadium, so the players have to
walk all the way over there. Not that I mean, but.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
It's these are billion dollar, multi billion dollar organization.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Walking in your spikes on the you know, like.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
Yeah, I mean one of the Steelers used to practice
way back when I was referring to is now a
parking lot because it should be a parking lot because
it was to the stadium, right.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
I can remember, like when the Steelers used to when
they wanted to practice on grass when they were still
headquartered at three of their stadium. They had to go
past there was the warehouse, I think it was Kaufman's
warehouse or whatever. Walk across that walk across the freeway
to get to this fifty yard grass practice facility yard made,
(22:58):
you know, and so it wasn't even a full field.
And it's kind of the same thing that the Bengals
are doing now. The Steelers graduated away from that thirty years.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Ago before I was in this business, right, And say
what you want about the Browns, but that facility we
didn't want for anything. I mean, they spent a lot
of money.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
They showed them. They had the facility, they had the
into the room set up for uh elevation room, oh yeah,
at a lower oxygen level and you can go in
there and work out before that, you know, that kind
of stuff like.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Yeah, they spend a buck in like little things like
if I went into WVU with a scuff on my shoes,
I heard about it, like come get a new pair
of shoes, you know, like anything you wanted all the time.
I mean it's a multi billion dollar organization, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yeah, Bengals don't.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
They don't run it that way.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
They do more offer them, Yeah, which is in some
ways is good, but other ways sure bad.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
I mean it's probably less attractive to several athletes that
if you're picking between three teams, they might be last. Yeah,
you know, yeah, I don't know. We talked about after
the Bengals game. I could see rocky roads ahead for
both Ohio organizations for different reasons.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Yeah, and you know, just some of the ways that
the coaches kind of handled the room as well. And
not even just the head coaches.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Though there was the episode Brownsow Line coach.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Brownsow Line coach yelling and screaming at his offensive line
about you know, and and just nonsensical stuff.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah. I didn't quite get that that was not painted
in a great light there, Yeah, in that one. But no,
I was very impressed with Tomlin. I liked when he
was sitting there watching film with the you know, the
coaches too, and if that's what they're showing, you think
of the insights that they're not right.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Yeah, they were willing to give you that part.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
I also thought it was interesting to see some of
the sideline stuff with Russell Wilson and the way he
reacted to different things, like the interception and he's right
back and like, you know, guys, we're fine, yea, And
then they score the touchdown. He's going to the easter
offensive lineman. He's shaking her hands. Hey, good job, guys.
Way to do that. That's you know, and you know.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
It's better than I do. But it sounds like a
lot of quotes right after that Cincinnati game where man
Russ was more enthusiastic and more positive than ever, you
know what I mean. And he's getting really comfortable here too.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yeah. I think that's a big part of it, right,
And he's comfortable in his own skin with who.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
He is, he is works.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
It just leads me back to the whole Denver situation
and some of the character assassination it went on with him.
Oh he's a phony, he's this, he's it's fake. I'm
like don't. I don't think you can fake that.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
I don't think anything he's done here.
Speaker 6 (25:40):
To me.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
I mean I kind of thought first day of camp
or whatever, I'm like, of course everyone all eyes are
on the might as well. I'm like, is this guy
really diva? Just you know, I'm happy to be here,
blah blah. I'm like, that does not That's not the
impression I get. I mean, I'm not best friends with him,
don't get me wrong, but just the way he's who
he's hanging with, how he's hanging with him, do you
know all that stuff? Yeah, mannerisms, they respect them, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
They do. Yeah, And I think it goes a lot
of it goes back to it's kind of the similar
respect that we saw in the Steelers' locker room when
they signed Michael Vick. Okay, Michael Vick was clearly at
the end of his career, he was done, but they
he was a legend. He's a legend, and he's a legend.
He's a guy, you know, he was one of the
first of his kind. You know, this is the guy
who was on the cover of Madden. Then there's the
(26:26):
guy who was you know, these guys when they were
growing up that that's who they played with. You wanted
to be Michael Vick because you could.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Just do anything right and he was a superhuman. Yeah,
that's a good point. I mean a lot of those
guys grew up with loving that guy. You know, had
posters of him on the wall type of guy.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
But you see that with like just different guys in
that locker room and how they how they kind of
deferred him, and they did with Ben Roethlisberger as well.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
I mean it was just you know, that's but Ben
never had to come to a new team, right, you
know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:54):
This was this was coming in from the outside and
being Okay, how do you how do you handle this?
And I just think he's handled it really well.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
It makes me wonder and I know it's not what
we're talking about, but Kirk Cousins has really struggled in Atlanta.
And I'm not saying they underminded him by drafting Pennix,
but you had enough. Imagine if it was Wilson and
you had a first round quarterback there too.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
You know, it's a different dynamic.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
It's a much different dynamic, Like that's the guy who's
going to replace you and you're new, you haven't You've
had a great career, but you've been put ating Pelts
on the wall here yet you don't have that respect. Yeah,
I mean if Wilson was sitting there with Pennix in
the room.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
It was kind of similar though with Fields a little
bit in that, you know, you have a guy with
the Again, Fields is a high pedigree guy. He's a
former first round draft pick and has done a lot
of good things in the league. And you know, we
we we've dealt with it on this show, and people,
you know, wanted Fields to continue to be the starter.
But those two had a relationship because of Wilson. You
(27:53):
know Wilson, Yeah, had you know, they'd reached out to
him when he was at Ohio State in Georgia and
they had formed a relationship there that you know, And
I talked to Fields about it. He goes, you know this,
he was a guy that I you know, I admired,
you know, the way he played the game because it
was a similar style to the way I played.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
No, I think there's a lot to be said for
that as opposed to just fantasy football. We're gonna put
both you guys in the same locker. You know, that's
not how it works, especially with quarterbacks, of course, you know,
it's it's the highlander. There can be only one if
there's one leader of the team, if there's one defensive
lineman and the other one is his best buddy in
the room. Okay, we'll be fine, we'll figure it out.
But the quarterbacks need to they can have a rivalry,
(28:32):
they can compete. Of course, if they don't, there's something
wrong with them, you know, I mean, you still want
to start. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, but I think
that they handled that dynamic really really well.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
And I think part of it is because of those
two guys in that relationship that they had.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
So I wonder how like Atlanta's how that feels, you know,
with a new guy, especially coming up with injury, you
can't improve yourself, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
The other cool thing was was that Tomlin telling the players, Hey,
if you got don't have a place to go for Thanksgiving?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yeah, that was cool. Yeah, you know, and they hate
were brothers too. I happened to be Thanksgiving week, which
was cool too. And I feel like Cam's gonna be
pretty impressive in this thing too.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah, I mean Cam's Cam's Cam. Yeah, I kind of
joke with him today because Tomlin said yesterday it is
a press conference. Cam's been here for twenty five years.
I'm like, I walked over to Cam today, I'm like,
you're gonna let Mike hang twenty five years now on you.
He just likes to say that stuff because he knows
it ticks me off, and like whatever motivates you right again,
(29:31):
pushing the right bush.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
And the buttons. Yeah, yeah, And I'm sure that they
probably heard about it going into Cincinnati on a ten
day rest, and they're probably still hearing about it, especially
that d line. Remember how you played against the Brownies. Yeah,
they'll watch that Brown's tape. You're happy with that? Yeah,
but I bet it's still fresh on their mind a.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Little bit, yeah, a little bit. Yeah. As Carl Dunbar said,
when when Daddy's not happy, nobody's happy and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
they were not happy about that one.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
That was good stuff. I urge everyone to check it out.
And I thought Tomlin was kind of the start of
the show. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
And you know, if you have this theory and it's
still out there because I get it. Terry Bradshaw said, However,
many years ago, Mike Tomlin's a cheerleader, and I still
see that thrown about, Oh he's just a cheerleader, coach,
You have no clue that watch these shows, right and
tell me that all he does is cheerlead.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
He has a pulse of everything that goes on the organization. Yeah,
I mean, big time in Belichick kind of way. You know,
knows every little bit that's happening, right.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I mean you see a difference sitting down with Danny
Smith and talking about protections and things of that nature,
Like sure, yeah, he's got he's got his finger on
the pulse of every room in that building.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Big time, as much as any head coach going right now,
I think, to be very honest with you, I mean,
he's a I forget Mike Lombardi calls it. He's the
chief fixer upper guy, you know, like what's up fires?
You know, like there's so many fires we never see
because that they don't get raging out of control because
(31:02):
he puts them out immediately, you know what I mean.
That's that's a big job of a head coach.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
It really is, and it's I think it's a big
reason why the guys who still want to be play
callers on one side of the ball. I think that's
why it doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
I think it's brutal. I mean, if you're Andy Reid,
I mean, okay, you're a special guy, but you're out,
you're biting off more and you can chew. I mean,
you don't see it anymore. But he used to be
some of these coaches would also be GM. So I'm like,
what do you You're asking too much? Man?
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Yeah, you can't. You don't have time to scout during
the season.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
No, right, I mean you got the fer and I
mean it's not even the same skill set necessarily, you know.
I mean, like just be the head coach.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yeah, be a CEO type and the thing you know,
when Tomlin was asked about his potential to burn out
in this business on Tuesday, and he said, look, I'm
not going to burn out on this, he said, I
this is my hobby. This is what I love, and
this is my hobby. This is football is what I do.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Yeah. Yeah, I mean my life's way different than Mike Tomlins.
But people ask me all the time, like when you are
gonna retire? I guess when people stop wanting to listen
to me, because this is what I would you know,
like right, I mean, if I was an accountant, my
free time would be doing NFL stuff, you know, Yeah,
yeah right, I mean it's kind of the same deal.
If that's what you love, great.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yeah, and he certainly does love it. Yeah, if you
watch this show and you got to get HBO to
to do that, but yeah, if you watch the show,
I think you'll come away with a different just I think,
a better understaneling and general understanding of hows and.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Why he's been so successful. It's not an accident and
another non losing season, win playoff game. Like you know
how hard it is to go season after season without
having a down year. I mean it's in this game
with injuries and picking late in the first round, you
don't pick up top five ever, you know, I mean
it's brutal.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah, Cleveland's going to have another top five pick this year,
Cincinnati's gonna probably have another top ten pick this year.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Jacksonville's probably going to have the first pick overall three
out of five years.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
And you still stink, and you still stink.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Yeah, what if he gave that to Tom One? Yeah,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Yeah, when he talks about, you know, on the sideline
with you know, he's been miked up in the past,
and he's joking with Chase Young. I never planned on
being high enough to draft somebody.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Like you, yeah, which is a compliment, yeah, you know,
and it's also a little pat of my own back
that we don't pick the top. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And yet somehow you still get kitting the Cam Haywards
of the word, you still get the T. J.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Watson all these guys, right. Absolutely, Yeah, it's not bad,
not bad at all.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yeah, out good. Absolutely.
Speaker 6 (33:36):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
One of the guys that again was featured and during
the show was was Herbig and uh, there was a
lot out there to pick through with him, and so
I wanted to talk to him about that today and
found him in the locker room, so we'll hear what
he had to say about some of the stuff that
happened in the show. Uh, And some of the stuff
that was picked up in the show anyways didn't really
happen in the show. The show just happens. The football
(34:00):
is what's taking place. The show is just they're kind
of taking apart seeing all. Yeah while they're at that,
but they're just capturing the moments. So I did talk
to her Big about that today. We'll hear that when
when we come back. He is Matt Williamson. I am
Dale Lolly. You're listening to the Drive here on the
Steelers Audio Network. We'll be back to finish up the
show right after.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
This at least.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on
your twenty four to seven home of the Black and
Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly. He is the Matt
Williamson and Matt one of the guys. We just kind
of touched on a little bit there in the previous
segment talking about the Hard Knocks episode last night. Was
Nick Krbig and the way Mike Tomlin handled him a
little bit in that show I thought was interesting. And
(35:00):
so I saw her Big in the locker room today
and I said, I'm gonna go ask him some questions
about that. Actually I went looking for him in the
locker room and good found him there.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Scope out for sure, absolutely, and he's been phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
He's been on he's been on a bit of a
tear since.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
He joined the league. I mean just pastoral. I mean
efficiency per pass rush snap is really really high and
no knocking anybody else, but he's gonna be hard to
take off the field.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Yeah, you have to figure out ways to do that.
And yeah, I expect that they'll find some ways to.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Do I would lighten TJ's load a little bit. You know,
That's we've got a big picture to think about here.
Maybe ten snaps less of game and put over over
there or something. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
So, and he's capable of doing those kind of things.
And I'm gonna pat myself on the head here, but uh,
I'm gonna do it. He was. He was my dude
going into that draft two years. Oh yeah, remember I
was a big Herbig fan. I mean, the motor just
is runs constantly and he is a nightmare to block.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
He really is. I mean he really got the better
of Orlando Brown too.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Yeah, just to him up a little bit. But let's
hear what Nick Herbig had to say.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Obviously, watching Hard Knocks last night, and it seemed like
all week long like you're still you were gonna beat
Orlando Brown for a big play.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
Was that the case or did they kind of played
it up a little bit too much?
Speaker 7 (36:16):
No, it was, Yeah, that was literally every day emphasized that.
He made sure he told me that that's gonna be
me versus him, And here he told me that every
time he saw him.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
It seemed like right before he went out and and
got the stripsack, he had said it again.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
Was that happening throughout the game or was it?
Speaker 6 (36:34):
Yeah, it was every I guess every time I saw
him that there was the same thing.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
Did that put I mean, is that kind of reinforce
kind of what you're I mean, you know, you gotta
beat the guy you're gonna get Yeah, going up again,
but continued to say it just it.
Speaker 6 (36:51):
Definitely emphasizes it.
Speaker 7 (36:52):
And like I'm I say, you're thinking about like see
him come out and tell you that, ye up, Like
it's gonna be me versus him all day and we're
gonna find Now.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Does that help you kind of conceptualize and visualize it
a little bit more?
Speaker 6 (37:05):
For sure?
Speaker 7 (37:05):
You know, especially when like coach Toman is saying that
to you, Like it's not like it's you know, respect
like any of the other coaches, but like it's coach
Tomlan saying that, so.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
He knows your your matchups are cute.
Speaker 7 (37:16):
Yeah, man, him pointing that out to you in front
of the team is like, oh, we're gonna find out,
like I'm putting you on this pedestal.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
And we're gonna see if you're really about that action.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
That's how I feel it.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
I mean, just him, he seems to push the right
buttons with everybody.
Speaker 6 (37:33):
Yeah, yeah, he definitely does. He knows how to push those.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
With Alec coming back now, you expect to still get
those kind of reps. I mean, I mean, I'm not
the usual three guys at the same time.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
Yeah, yeah, I'm not. I'm not too sure. I just
know that whenever my number is called, I got to
uphold that standard.
Speaker 5 (37:57):
You've obviously you got three fumbles in three straight games
something like that.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
Yeah, have you ever had a streak like this?
Speaker 6 (38:05):
I don't know. I just I just like to win
football games. As long as we went, I'm happy.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
But obviously you're You've been a big part of that.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
You know, you get you get there Henry to fumble,
you got fumble a lot, and you know you get
to get your burrow.
Speaker 7 (38:19):
I just think that's just the culture here, and like
my coach is emphasizing that, and like I have a
great position coach in Denzel and Dunbar and you know
they closed me well, they're hard on me, and you
know it's that's what that's what it is expected here
in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
That was Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig go with me
earlier today and uh as you heard he Uh yeah,
Tomlin knew what buttons to push with him and uh
it worked.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
Yeah. I think it also helps to have a big
brother figure around. And I'm not even talking about his brother.
I forgot to talking about DJ. But yeah, I mean,
pretty nice dynamic and I'm pretty psyched to see hoping
it happens. But all four of those outside linebackers all
in the same on the same field together once. It's
pretty good group.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah, you could do a little uh, I don't even
know what package you would call you gonna take you
gonna take Cam Heyward off the field. I'm not real
psyched about that, but I mean it's a nice problem
to have that you've got too many good edge rushers. Yeah, yeah,
you can just come at the waves. But Matt, that's
going to do it for the show today?
Speaker 3 (39:21):
Yeah, good stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Absolutely guess today. Absolutely. We thank Jimmy Rooney for stopping
by and joining us here in the in the studio.
We want to thank Bob Labriola for stopping by as
well as usual, and uh well for my partner Matt Williamson,
for Justin Miller here on site running the Justin Miller Hotline,
and for Tyler viitt Meyer here through him a little
curve ball today with the in studio guest. Can check
(39:45):
that out on YouTube. I am Dale, Lolly. We thank
you for listening to this edition of the Drive on
the Steelers Audio Network.
At least, is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt
Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly, he is the Matt
Williamson and this is the Drive on the Steelers Audio Network.
And of course you can hear the Drive every Monday
through Friday from four to six pm right here on
these very airwaves where you can download the Steelers Mobile
app and listen to the show on there. You can
also watch it on Steelers YouTube channel and you can
(00:35):
then leave us remarks or comments or tell us how
dumb we are, Yes, smart we are, how handsome we are?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You get that's not going to happen.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
That happens.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
But anyways, Matt, it's time now to get to the
fantasy football focus. This being Wednesday, let's take a look
at who is in who is out this week thus
far in practices. Trent Williams with an ankle injury, sidelined
on Wednesday, and they're a mess right now. Off the field,
he deal with some stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Yeah, that team in general just feels curts this year a.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Little bit, Yeah, a little bit. Both Darnell Mooney and
Drake London this week. Mooney has an achilles and slash
rest did not participate in practice today. Drake London was
limited in practice today for Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
And again, folks, just like we opened the first hour,
this is Wednesday and people are getting rested even more
than earlier in the season. Don't go crazy, but be
aware of this stuff. I think her cousin is.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Going to get bad eventually they fall out of this.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, I mean, I think he's a game war too
from getting the act.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
We're not that long ago from when people were saying
the Steelers should have signed Kirk Cousins instead of Russell Wilson.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, I'm not certain he's even gonna be an NFL
starter next year.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
It's been pretty bad. He does not want to get
hit at all.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
No, he doesn't protect himself. Well, I mean, he makes
really bad decisions. I think he could end up being
like a Flacco was a number two or something along
those lines. Like if I'm the Giants Raiders, I'm like,
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah. Uh. Baker Mayfield dealing with an achilles and a knee.
He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, but
that you never like to hear that achilles thing.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
No, I was shocked when Mooney had an achilles. I mean,
Achilles is usually out, you know what I mean, Like, yeah,
how do you soreness?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I used to have to deal with that when I
was still playing basketball into my thirties, even late thirties,
like three or four times a week, my achilles would
just be killing me. And I kept waiting for that
day when it just went and rolled up and I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Does that mean there's like a tiny partial tear there?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Just I don't know. It was just general soreness and
then in that achilles, and you know, I'd take a
week off and it would feel better, and then I'd
go back and play, and you know, two weeks later,
it's it's hurting again. It's just not good.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
People can't see this at home, but Justin, you know,
an achilles is it'll snap and all the way up
in the back of your leg.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Justin doesn't like that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
He's gonna pass out. He was saying this going up, Yeah, Achilles,
give him the willies. Yeah he's over there and wincing
thinking about Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Bucky Irving hip and back issues mispractice on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
He's a superstar for fantasy, right, Yeah. I mean he's
getting all the touches. He's even taken Rashard White's stuff.
I mean that's great signs.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
If he doesn't play a lot.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Of touches last week, yeah, he'll probably just rest.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
But if he doesn't play White, they're both.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
You know, useful at that point. I don't think they
want to give White a ton of carries between the
tackle stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Tristian Wurf's with the foot and knee on any big practice, right,
I mean, so they're they're a little banged up.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Like Trent Williams. I mean, it's a difference. He's one
of the tackles you got to mention in the FANI.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, that's a big game for them this week, or
Tampa's they have. I forget who they have this week,
but was somebody they should beat. They have a very
easy rested Atlanta's at Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yes, and Atlanta beat them twice head to head, so
they have to get one game up and just kind
of looking ahead at the schedule, I think they got
a pretty decent chance to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Mike Evans hamstring and calf didn't practice on Wednesday, who
did practice for them.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I no one practice for the Steelers either.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
But these are all injuries though, these are right. Yeah,
Alexander Madison with an ankle limited on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Okay, is Abdullah the one? Do we know that at
this point? Hmmm?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Uh, Sincere they're gonna get a bomb. They signed Sincere
McCormick to their active roster. He was on their practice
squad and they elevated and they said, we can't do
that because somebody's going to probably try to sign him
off of that, So they signed him to the active roster.
Zamir White with a quad also didn't practice today.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
He had He's had a really bad year. Yeah. I
don't know if he'd even get back in the mix.
So it might be McCormick. It might be McCormick.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, that's a dart throw if you go to Blank's
mode THEFS Uh yeah, yeah, but maybe we should look
in the raided running back stuff.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, we picked the squad.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Uh Jyr Alexander. They play Thursday night. He was ruled
out for that Week fourteen game against Detroit.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Okay, their defense has been okay, I mean the pass
rush hasn't been great. Alexander's obviously a difference maker, huge game.
You know.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Romeo Dobbs also rolled out for that game with a concussion.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Okay, I mean, I'm not wishing a concussion on anyone,
but it does help clarify the receiver situation a little
bit when one of them is out of the mix.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
On the plus side of that, for Green Bay, Josh
Jacobs with the calf injury off the injury report.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Okay, And folks, just so you know, I mean the
Lions and Packers, this is not a short week for them.
This is a full week.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, they played basically, Yeah, they both played Thanksgiving, so
it's not social.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Makers did some good stuff there.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Uh. Foster Moreau with a shoulder injury limited on Wednesday.
The only reason I mentioned is that Taysom Hill is out. Yeah, okay,
so maybe Foster gets a couple of catches. I doubt it.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Maybe. I mean, I'm sure he'll be out there in
twelve personnel. Yeah, I wouldn't get too excited about it.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Kendrey Miller.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
The other tight end there though, is Yeah there's a chance.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Juwan Johnson, but he was limited today.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Yeah, I know there's something with him too.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Kendrey Miller practiced in full on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I think he's on IR or they just pulled him
off for.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
About They just recently designated him to return, so this
was a full practice and he's been designated in return,
so he could I could see them wanting to get
a look at him.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
And he had something you need to know, you know,
like he might be a good guy for like your
your super Bowl, Like you really need to run Kamar
into the ground in week seventeen and eighteen of the
season if you're the same, that's right, I mean, so,
I mean you get a good look at Miller. See
if you need a draft one or not.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Bob means officially limited on Wednesday with an ankle. He's
also been out for several weeks. He was also designated
to return, so it doesn't look as positive for him,
but they need another receiver and.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Say their skill position stuff is a messy.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Prior to getting hurt, he was actually starting.
Speaker 6 (07:00):
To do it well.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
He looked pretty good. Yeah, did some stuff. Yeah, as
you mentioned earlier in the show, Trevor Lawrence with a
concussion officially placed on injury reserve. That will shut him
down from this.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Yeah, that's a wrap. I mean in line gets the
first overall pick. Does do you a hard time starting
like Thomas or Ingram or the backs or I mean
their skill guys are all pretty fantasy relevant. Yeah, I
mean it doesn't help.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's not great. It's not what they were with Laurence. Yeah,
it's okay, it's okay. I don't think I mean the receivers,
especially because they're gonna be in catch up mode constantly.
Their defense is awful.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Mac Jones has been okay. I mean he's put up
some numbers.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, mostly in ketchup model like portals like exact forman say,
very Jaguar esque Treylon Burks with an A C L
will miss the remainder of the season.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It's pretty close to saying he's in bust to neighborhood here. Yeah,
the field too much either.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Jalen Cocher with the quad injury. He practiced him full
on Wednesday. Okay, somebody did not forget about no. I.
Actually he has traded for him yesterday in a dynasty league.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I'm rebuilding. I think he's got a bright future, but
now all of a sudden, the receiver position is a
little crowded. I talked about theland yesterday. I'm surely Get's
gonna get plenty of time. Former Panther wide receiver just
got suspended former.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Stealers for a game by the Ravens for contract detrimental
to the team. Apparently on the release and they talked
about They said he refused to go into the game.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
La right, and then you mentioned this off the air.
They got to buy this week and then he suspended
and seasons almost.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Like they're gonna stay away from the organization here for
a week.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I mean, you cut him.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I don't know. Uh. Jatavian Sanders with that neck injury
officially limited on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Okay, it looks like they're really pushing these young guys
to fish out of season.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
He gets if he gets back into it. They were
throwing him the ball.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
No, no, I think that offense is relevant.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Amari Cooper with a wrist, logged a full practice on Wednesday.
Curtis Samuel with a foot was limited.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Okay, So is a Mary Cooper fantasy starter every week,
no doubt.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I can't look at what happened in the last week's
game and say one way or the other.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I know, I know it's tough, and it's a perfect
example for late Mike Williams. I mean, these receivers have
change teams that late. It's hard to get on board,
it really is. Yeah, and Cooper had some injuries.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
You know, Davonte Smith with a hamstring practiced on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Okay, they could use them. He's been out a little bit.
Goddard's probably I don't know what godd situation is, but doesn't
sound good.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
The Bengals signed Kadi York to their practice squad because
Evan McPherson expected to miss a few weeks with a
groin injury. That's significant because Evan McPherson gets to kick
a lot. And they play the Cowboys this week. But
the worst not the worst pick. He's not great, but
he's gonna get opportunities.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, say the offense is really good.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so it's not the worst pivot he's been the
league too. I mean, expect not to go over three.
Well run the subject of kickers. Matthew Wright signed to
the Chiefs fifty three man roster. He'll be their third kicker. Well,
he already kicked last week. He was four or five
on his field goal attempts last week. That's good. Yeah,
it's going five attempts in one game. Spencer Schrader was
(10:16):
placed on IR with a hamstring injury. He was the
guy who was replacing Okay, And so it looks like
Matthew Wright's going to be the Chiefs kicker until Harrison
Bucker returns from.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
That's another one. Like, I know their offense isn't as
good as people think it is, but that's not a
bad kicker to owned for fantasy.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
They do get I mean they do kick field goals.
They don't score touchdowns all the time. Well yeah, Keyon
Coleman with a wrist injury, limited and practice on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Tight end receiver situation in Buffalo is kind of a
stay away for me, considering what you have to pay
for them and all these things, But it'd be nice
if it shook itself out a little bit better.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Dalton kin Cave was limited on Wednesday. He hasn't played
since Week ten, so we'll see where that goes for him. Him.
Drew Locke going to get to start for the Giants
this week.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I guess it's better than de Vito, but I.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Mean he runs a little bit.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah, I'm just thinking like for like Wandell Robinson and neighbors.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
I mean, he actually throws the ball to neighbors. He
doesn't ignore him for a half. So, yeah, is Wandelle
Robinson even useful anymore? It sure seems like, well you
gotta be high completion percentage guys. Yeah, Alan Lazard but
the chest injury had his practice window opened on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Okay, I'm not real excited about him for fantasy.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Rogers does like him. He does got a lot of
touchdowns right in the year. Brees Hall with the knee
injury not practicing Wednesday. He did the same thing last
week and he went and played. He did lose two
fumbles or fumbled twice in that game. So the Browns
have signed quarterback Bailey Zappi.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Real quick on haul Like, it's a little early for
this conversation. But some of these awful teams running backs
that have bumps and bruises, might they not be around
for fantas see super bowls or you know, sometimes you'll
see these guys get shut down late in the scenes.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Well that's why when you have guys like that, you
that's when Allen is, That's when you handcuff.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, you want to see the younger guy, Allen is
a great example for.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
That, especially teams that have already had their bye week, Like, yeah,
there's no reason not the handcuff if that's your one
of your top backs or your top and the top
back on your team. Josh Reynolds was waived by the
Broncos and claimed by the Jaguars.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Yeah, he's not a bad player. I don't think he's
relevant for Mac Jones phone to Josh Reynolds, doesn't.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
That doesn't ye, Yeah, that doesn't fill me.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Playoff wins in the in the my Fantasy League.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
No, Keishawn Vaughan added to the forty nine ers practice squad.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Okay, I see the small, undersize.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Former Tampa Bay buck back.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Oh, I was thinking Douce Vaughn. I guess is the
one I was thinking of?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
The cowboy Okay, yeah's had some moments.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Yeah, there was a lot of buzz with him when
he came out, but never quite put the other.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
They also signed Patrick Taylor Junior to their practice squad,
so they added two running backs to the practice. Somebody's
getting elevated.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, somebody's getting elevated. I mean they lost to so
you got to add too.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, how about this one? Finally, Marshawn Lattimore on track
to return in week fifteen.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Wow, make a trade for him to the trade deadline.
Still doesn't play the snap for you.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
It's been five or six weeks now they've had him
on the roster.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
I mean, what's different about him than some of these
other trades. He's a contract. Yeah, that's a that's a
big long term move. But if you get them breved
up for the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, DJ reader considered day to day.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Okay, I need to look into the Lion injuries more.
There's a couple of them out there.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Doesn't look like they're gonna have Taylor Decker this week, Okay.
Looks like Carlton Davis could return for them in week fourteen.
Of course that's a Thursday night game. So yeah, they're
starting to get a little yeah, a little bit better news.
It sounds like some of it. Yeah, that's about Reynolds.
(14:00):
That's pretty much it for the fantasy news of the day.
This Deontay Johnson stuff. You know, the people who ran
out and picked him up hoping that he was gonna
suddenly become fantasy or still be if you had him
on your roster with from Carolina, you were happy because
he was getting the football and he was happy. And
(14:21):
then when he goes to Baltimore and he's not getting
the football and he's not even getting on the field,
he's not happy.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Well, it's not like you an opportunity to get on
the field, and he refused it. What's up with that?
Like it'd be if you're I mean, you're getting paid
to pay foot play football, and if you're asked to
go in the field, to go in the field, I
mean unless you have a knee or something. You know
that you think they misdiagnosed. But how does that conversation
happen on it on the sideline? I don't know, you know,
not pretty. And Raven's a bigger fish to fry than
(14:48):
worry about the new guy, you know what I mean,
Like I wonder if he plays it all for them.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
That's why when you when you make some trades like that, especially,
I mean when when you have fifty three guys in
the locker room, your head coach has to be able
to handle things well within the scheme of everything. No, yeah,
you know, people are asking why isn't Mike Williams playing?
He's playing. They're not throwing them the ball a whole lot.
Yet doesn't mean that they won't or that's not going
(15:15):
to happen. But he is playing. But that's not been
in you know, there's been none of this kind of stuff. No, no, right, right,
you know, I'm sure you know Preston Smith wasn't happy
with his role in Green Bay and asked for a trade.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I don't think he was rocking the boat there anything,
you know, but Johnson seems to be rocking the boat.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And yeah, I mean that's the thing that you know,
kind of one of the dangers when you when you
trade for somebody. Teams don't want to get rid of
guys for no reason.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Of course, a lot in a lot of cases. I mean,
obviously there's some instances where probably not going to sign him,
his contracts up, we're not doing anything. Dump them a date,
trade deadline, let's get young. Sometimes just I want to
get this guy out of here because he's a pain
in the butt, you know.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, So I wonder if Deonta is quickly going down
that might be the way it's headed there for him.
But Matt, that's going to do it for the fantasy
football focus.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Let's whatever his interest will be in the off season,
might be his stock has gone down, dramatic, dramatic contract
and all that stuff. Who's gonna be calling?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yeah, yeah, for sure, let's get through a break. He
is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to
the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. Matt now
will be back right after this.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on
your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and
Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And we are back here on the Drive. I am
Dale LOLLI he is the Matt Williamson and Matt We
got to see the debut of Hard Knox last night
looking at the AFC North and of course the Steelers
were featured prominently on that one because they played a
fellow AFC North opponent. Yeah, and a lot of interesting
(17:01):
stuff coming out of that, including you get to see
how Mike Tomlin likes to is capable of pushing players
buttons him standing in front of the room, commanding the room,
and just kind of that the lesson that he gives
each week. And he was asked earlier in the week,
(17:22):
you know, do you worry about your message getting old
or stale? He's like, look, this is a short term
business for these players. Yeah, if you look at it's
pretty you know, we talked about this in the preseason
before the season started. Well, I think it was like
twenty six new guys on the roster or something like that.
I mean, that's almost half your roster turns over from
the previous year.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
So a lot to take away there too. I thought
Tomlin was the star of the show, and frankly, if
this was Raven's Nation Radio, I would said the same thing.
I thought him and Joe Burrow were the most impressive
two people featured in this whole thing.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
It was one hour and that's on a knock on
the other three head coaches. See how the other episodes go.
But I'm sure Tom will do just fine. But it
made me a couple of things. I know Tomlin has
his critics, you know, and if you want to criticize
his clock management, go right ahead. I mean that's valid.
I get it. He's not perfect, but I think if
you watch that, you have a better understanding for why
(18:18):
he wins games, you know. I mean his message to
the team was great. One on one with Cam Hayward
walking into the locker room one on one with Pickens.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
I just thought I thought it was interesting when the
coaches are all sitting around watching takes.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
That's where it's going next.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Like his knowledge of the game is so extreme, attention
to detail.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Right, like we know this is going to happen. This
is going to happen. Like if you talk to Wolf
for a tonch of those guys, you know, Chuck Noll
could have coached the defensive backs or the tight ends
or the running backs. And I think Tomlin's exactly the
same way, you know, or you know, I know he's
praising Jamar Chase. Look at Jamar Chase come out of
his break here on this in cutting route. That's an
(18:55):
amazing angle. And you know, boy, you know Burrow is
going to be you know, great respect for the opponent
and how they can beat You give.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Me a problem if we allow him to step up
into the pocket, yah know? And behold it became a
problem allowing him to step up in the pocket. And
then they like, guys, we talked about this, Yeah, let's
not let this guy do this to us.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
And I'm probably gonna watch it again, but I think
when he was walking off the field with Hayward. As
I referenced, he said something like, as long as we
contain Chase Brown, who isn't their best player, and don't
let Burrow step up in the pocket, the offensives have
to can score zero points and we're gonna be okay,
you know what I mean, Like, these are the things
we have to take away. It's not just Chase is awesome.
(19:37):
We can't. You know, everyone knows that, you know, so
his knowledge of the game is really really came through
in that episode.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yeah, absolutely, And you know again with the stuff with
Herbig and we'll get to hear from my Nick Herbig
here a little bit. In the final segment of the show.
I talked to him about the episode last night, just
driving home the point that hey, you got you got
one of the big matchups this week. Yeah, yeah, you know,
you got you got Orlando Brown this week, and if
(20:06):
you win that matchup, we're gonna win this game. This game,
and then not only saying it to him every single
time he saw him during the week, saying it on
the sideline during the game, saying it in the team meeting. Yeah, yeah,
you know, call it a second year guy, Like, hey, dude,
you got to win this. We expect you to win this,
and he's hoping you win this. We expect you to win.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
This, and he's not saying it to every player in
every matchup. I mean, he knew that was a critical
one that there's'll be a lot of one on one.
Of course, DJ is gonna get a ton of attention. And
you know, with a young Ray tackle in particular, if
we can win that matchup one v one high percent
of the time, we're gonna be really tough to beat.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, lo and behold right right, And it was the
key to the game. Yeah, you get the stripsack and
touchdown off of that, and it's like you see Tomlin's
reaction on the sideline to that, just like.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
It was right, that's what we're talking about.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
It we're talking about And then he pulls herbig aside
and said, hey, that's what we you know that, that's
who you are right now.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I got a kick out of the episode, and part
of it was I put I spent a year in
the Browns facility two and I like the Ravens facility.
It's all brick and you know, kind of old right, right.
I kind of like how they do things too. But
I'm Bengals not as much, but no, I think it's
gonna be a good series too.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
When you see something like that, it does kind of
point out the differences between the other three teams and
the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Yeah, I mean, I have never been in the Bengals facility,
but I spent a ton of time in the Browns.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
One their facility is the stadium. Yeah, there's They're one
of the few teams that are still working out at
their stadium, the practice fields. When you're driving into into
Cincinnati from the airport in Kentucky, you come across the
bridge and their practice fields are right there on the right,
next to the stadium. They now have an indoor bubble.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
It's kind of like how three Rivers used to be
right like in their cleats.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Walking they had to walk across the street and Lambert
those guys, right and and but they're they're practiced or
quote unquote indoor practice facility is basically just a.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Bubble over that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, and it's it's it's about three blocks away down
the street from the stadium, so the players have to
walk all the way over there. Not that I mean, but.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
It's these are billion dollar, multi billion dollar organization.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Walking in your spikes on the you know, like.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
Yeah, I mean one of the Steelers used to practice
way back when I was referring to is now a
parking lot because it should be a parking lot because
it was to the stadium, right.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
I can remember, like when the Steelers used to when
they wanted to practice on grass when they were still
headquartered at three of their stadium. They had to go
past there was the warehouse, I think it was Kaufman's
warehouse or whatever. Walk across that walk across the freeway
to get to this fifty yard grass practice facility yard made,
(22:58):
you know, and so it wasn't even a full field.
And it's kind of the same thing that the Bengals
are doing now. The Steelers graduated away from that thirty years.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Ago before I was in this business, right, And say
what you want about the Browns, but that facility we
didn't want for anything. I mean, they spent a lot
of money.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
They showed them. They had the facility, they had the
into the room set up for uh elevation room, oh yeah,
at a lower oxygen level and you can go in
there and work out before that, you know, that kind
of stuff like.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Yeah, they spend a buck in like little things like
if I went into WVU with a scuff on my shoes,
I heard about it, like come get a new pair
of shoes, you know, like anything you wanted all the time.
I mean it's a multi billion dollar organization, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yeah, Bengals don't.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
They don't run it that way.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
They do more offer them, Yeah, which is in some
ways is good, but other ways sure bad.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
I mean it's probably less attractive to several athletes that
if you're picking between three teams, they might be last. Yeah,
you know, yeah, I don't know. We talked about after
the Bengals game. I could see rocky roads ahead for
both Ohio organizations for different reasons.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Yeah, and you know, just some of the ways that
the coaches kind of handled the room as well. And
not even just the head coaches.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Though there was the episode Brownsow Line coach.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Brownsow Line coach yelling and screaming at his offensive line
about you know, and and just nonsensical stuff.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah. I didn't quite get that that was not painted
in a great light there, Yeah, in that one. But no,
I was very impressed with Tomlin. I liked when he
was sitting there watching film with the you know, the
coaches too, and if that's what they're showing, you think
of the insights that they're not right.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Yeah, they were willing to give you that part.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
I also thought it was interesting to see some of
the sideline stuff with Russell Wilson and the way he
reacted to different things, like the interception and he's right
back and like, you know, guys, we're fine, yea, And
then they score the touchdown. He's going to the easter
offensive lineman. He's shaking her hands. Hey, good job, guys.
Way to do that. That's you know, and you know.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
It's better than I do. But it sounds like a
lot of quotes right after that Cincinnati game where man
Russ was more enthusiastic and more positive than ever, you
know what I mean. And he's getting really comfortable here too.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yeah. I think that's a big part of it, right,
And he's comfortable in his own skin with who.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
He is, he is works.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
It just leads me back to the whole Denver situation
and some of the character assassination it went on with him.
Oh he's a phony, he's this, he's it's fake. I'm
like don't. I don't think you can fake that.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
I don't think anything he's done here.
Speaker 6 (25:40):
To me.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
I mean I kind of thought first day of camp
or whatever, I'm like, of course everyone all eyes are
on the might as well. I'm like, is this guy
really diva? Just you know, I'm happy to be here,
blah blah. I'm like, that does not That's not the
impression I get. I mean, I'm not best friends with him,
don't get me wrong, but just the way he's who
he's hanging with, how he's hanging with him, do you
know all that stuff? Yeah, mannerisms, they respect them, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
They do. Yeah, And I think it goes a lot
of it goes back to it's kind of the similar
respect that we saw in the Steelers' locker room when
they signed Michael Vick. Okay, Michael Vick was clearly at
the end of his career, he was done, but they
he was a legend. He's a legend, and he's a legend.
He's a guy, you know, he was one of the
first of his kind. You know, this is the guy
who was on the cover of Madden. Then there's the
(26:26):
guy who was you know, these guys when they were
growing up that that's who they played with. You wanted
to be Michael Vick because you could.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Just do anything right and he was a superhuman. Yeah,
that's a good point. I mean a lot of those
guys grew up with loving that guy. You know, had
posters of him on the wall type of guy.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
But you see that with like just different guys in
that locker room and how they how they kind of
deferred him, and they did with Ben Roethlisberger as well.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
I mean it was just you know, that's but Ben
never had to come to a new team, right, you
know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:54):
This was this was coming in from the outside and
being Okay, how do you how do you handle this?
And I just think he's handled it really well.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
It makes me wonder and I know it's not what
we're talking about, but Kirk Cousins has really struggled in Atlanta.
And I'm not saying they underminded him by drafting Pennix,
but you had enough. Imagine if it was Wilson and
you had a first round quarterback there too.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
You know, it's a different dynamic.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
It's a much different dynamic, Like that's the guy who's
going to replace you and you're new, you haven't You've
had a great career, but you've been put ating Pelts
on the wall here yet you don't have that respect. Yeah,
I mean if Wilson was sitting there with Pennix in
the room.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
It was kind of similar though with Fields a little
bit in that, you know, you have a guy with
the Again, Fields is a high pedigree guy. He's a
former first round draft pick and has done a lot
of good things in the league. And you know, we
we we've dealt with it on this show, and people,
you know, wanted Fields to continue to be the starter.
But those two had a relationship because of Wilson. You
(27:53):
know Wilson, Yeah, had you know, they'd reached out to
him when he was at Ohio State in Georgia and
they had formed a relationship there that you know, And
I talked to Fields about it. He goes, you know this,
he was a guy that I you know, I admired,
you know, the way he played the game because it
was a similar style to the way I played.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
No, I think there's a lot to be said for
that as opposed to just fantasy football. We're gonna put
both you guys in the same locker. You know, that's
not how it works, especially with quarterbacks, of course, you know,
it's it's the highlander. There can be only one if
there's one leader of the team, if there's one defensive
lineman and the other one is his best buddy in
the room. Okay, we'll be fine, we'll figure it out.
But the quarterbacks need to they can have a rivalry,
(28:32):
they can compete. Of course, if they don't, there's something
wrong with them, you know, I mean, you still want
to start. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, but I think
that they handled that dynamic really really well.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
And I think part of it is because of those
two guys in that relationship that they had.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
So I wonder how like Atlanta's how that feels, you know,
with a new guy, especially coming up with injury, you
can't improve yourself, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
The other cool thing was was that Tomlin telling the players, Hey,
if you got don't have a place to go for Thanksgiving?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yeah, that was cool. Yeah, you know, and they hate
were brothers too. I happened to be Thanksgiving week, which
was cool too. And I feel like Cam's gonna be
pretty impressive in this thing too.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah, I mean Cam's Cam's Cam. Yeah, I kind of
joke with him today because Tomlin said yesterday it is
a press conference. Cam's been here for twenty five years.
I'm like, I walked over to Cam today, I'm like,
you're gonna let Mike hang twenty five years now on you.
He just likes to say that stuff because he knows
it ticks me off, and like whatever motivates you right again,
(29:31):
pushing the right bush.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
And the buttons. Yeah, yeah, And I'm sure that they
probably heard about it going into Cincinnati on a ten
day rest, and they're probably still hearing about it, especially
that d line. Remember how you played against the Brownies. Yeah,
they'll watch that Brown's tape. You're happy with that? Yeah,
but I bet it's still fresh on their mind a.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Little bit, yeah, a little bit. Yeah. As Carl Dunbar said,
when when Daddy's not happy, nobody's happy and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
they were not happy about that one.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
That was good stuff. I urge everyone to check it out.
And I thought Tomlin was kind of the start of
the show. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
And you know, if you have this theory and it's
still out there because I get it. Terry Bradshaw said, However,
many years ago, Mike Tomlin's a cheerleader, and I still
see that thrown about, Oh he's just a cheerleader, coach,
You have no clue that watch these shows, right and
tell me that all he does is cheerlead.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
He has a pulse of everything that goes on the organization. Yeah,
I mean, big time in Belichick kind of way. You know,
knows every little bit that's happening, right.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I mean you see a difference sitting down with Danny
Smith and talking about protections and things of that nature,
Like sure, yeah, he's got he's got his finger on
the pulse of every room in that building.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Big time, as much as any head coach going right now,
I think, to be very honest with you, I mean,
he's a I forget Mike Lombardi calls it. He's the
chief fixer upper guy, you know, like what's up fires?
You know, like there's so many fires we never see
because that they don't get raging out of control because
(31:02):
he puts them out immediately, you know what I mean.
That's that's a big job of a head coach.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
It really is, and it's I think it's a big
reason why the guys who still want to be play
callers on one side of the ball. I think that's
why it doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
I think it's brutal. I mean, if you're Andy Reid,
I mean, okay, you're a special guy, but you're out,
you're biting off more and you can chew. I mean,
you don't see it anymore. But he used to be
some of these coaches would also be GM. So I'm like,
what do you You're asking too much? Man?
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Yeah, you can't. You don't have time to scout during
the season.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
No, right, I mean you got the fer and I
mean it's not even the same skill set necessarily, you know.
I mean, like just be the head coach.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yeah, be a CEO type and the thing you know,
when Tomlin was asked about his potential to burn out
in this business on Tuesday, and he said, look, I'm
not going to burn out on this, he said, I
this is my hobby. This is what I love, and
this is my hobby. This is football is what I do.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Yeah. Yeah, I mean my life's way different than Mike Tomlins.
But people ask me all the time, like when you are
gonna retire? I guess when people stop wanting to listen
to me, because this is what I would you know,
like right, I mean, if I was an accountant, my
free time would be doing NFL stuff, you know, Yeah,
yeah right, I mean it's kind of the same deal.
If that's what you love, great.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yeah, and he certainly does love it. Yeah, if you
watch this show and you got to get HBO to
to do that, but yeah, if you watch the show,
I think you'll come away with a different just I think,
a better understaneling and general understanding of hows and.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Why he's been so successful. It's not an accident and
another non losing season, win playoff game. Like you know
how hard it is to go season after season without
having a down year. I mean it's in this game
with injuries and picking late in the first round, you
don't pick up top five ever, you know, I mean
it's brutal.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah, Cleveland's going to have another top five pick this year,
Cincinnati's gonna probably have another top ten pick this year.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Jacksonville's probably going to have the first pick overall three
out of five years.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
And you still stink, and you still stink.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Yeah, what if he gave that to Tom One? Yeah,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Yeah, when he talks about, you know, on the sideline
with you know, he's been miked up in the past,
and he's joking with Chase Young. I never planned on
being high enough to draft somebody.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Like you, yeah, which is a compliment, yeah, you know,
and it's also a little pat of my own back
that we don't pick the top. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And yet somehow you still get kitting the Cam Haywards
of the word, you still get the T. J.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Watson all these guys, right. Absolutely, Yeah, it's not bad,
not bad at all.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yeah, out good. Absolutely.
Speaker 6 (33:36):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
One of the guys that again was featured and during
the show was was Herbig and uh, there was a
lot out there to pick through with him, and so
I wanted to talk to him about that today and
found him in the locker room, so we'll hear what
he had to say about some of the stuff that
happened in the show. Uh, And some of the stuff
that was picked up in the show anyways didn't really
happen in the show. The show just happens. The football
(34:00):
is what's taking place. The show is just they're kind
of taking apart seeing all. Yeah while they're at that,
but they're just capturing the moments. So I did talk
to her Big about that today. We'll hear that when
when we come back. He is Matt Williamson. I am
Dale Lolly. You're listening to the Drive here on the
Steelers Audio Network. We'll be back to finish up the
show right after.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
This at least.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on
your twenty four to seven home of the Black and
Gold Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly. He is the Matt
Williamson and Matt one of the guys. We just kind
of touched on a little bit there in the previous
segment talking about the Hard Knocks episode last night. Was
Nick Krbig and the way Mike Tomlin handled him a
little bit in that show I thought was interesting. And
(35:00):
so I saw her Big in the locker room today
and I said, I'm gonna go ask him some questions
about that. Actually I went looking for him in the
locker room and good found him there.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Scope out for sure, absolutely, and he's been phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
He's been on he's been on a bit of a
tear since.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
He joined the league. I mean just pastoral. I mean
efficiency per pass rush snap is really really high and
no knocking anybody else, but he's gonna be hard to
take off the field.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Yeah, you have to figure out ways to do that.
And yeah, I expect that they'll find some ways to.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Do I would lighten TJ's load a little bit. You know,
That's we've got a big picture to think about here.
Maybe ten snaps less of game and put over over
there or something. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
So, and he's capable of doing those kind of things.
And I'm gonna pat myself on the head here, but uh,
I'm gonna do it. He was. He was my dude
going into that draft two years. Oh yeah, remember I
was a big Herbig fan. I mean, the motor just
is runs constantly and he is a nightmare to block.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
He really is. I mean he really got the better
of Orlando Brown too.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Yeah, just to him up a little bit. But let's
hear what Nick Herbig had to say.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Obviously, watching Hard Knocks last night, and it seemed like
all week long like you're still you were gonna beat
Orlando Brown for a big play.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
Was that the case or did they kind of played
it up a little bit too much?
Speaker 7 (36:16):
No, it was, Yeah, that was literally every day emphasized that.
He made sure he told me that that's gonna be
me versus him, And here he told me that every
time he saw him.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
It seemed like right before he went out and and
got the stripsack, he had said it again.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
Was that happening throughout the game or was it?
Speaker 6 (36:34):
Yeah, it was every I guess every time I saw
him that there was the same thing.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
Did that put I mean, is that kind of reinforce
kind of what you're I mean, you know, you gotta
beat the guy you're gonna get Yeah, going up again,
but continued to say it just it.
Speaker 6 (36:51):
Definitely emphasizes it.
Speaker 7 (36:52):
And like I'm I say, you're thinking about like see
him come out and tell you that, ye up, Like
it's gonna be me versus him all day and we're
gonna find Now.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Does that help you kind of conceptualize and visualize it
a little bit more?
Speaker 6 (37:05):
For sure?
Speaker 7 (37:05):
You know, especially when like coach Toman is saying that
to you, Like it's not like it's you know, respect
like any of the other coaches, but like it's coach
Tomlan saying that, so.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
He knows your your matchups are cute.
Speaker 7 (37:16):
Yeah, man, him pointing that out to you in front
of the team is like, oh, we're gonna find out,
like I'm putting you on this pedestal.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
And we're gonna see if you're really about that action.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
That's how I feel it.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
I mean, just him, he seems to push the right
buttons with everybody.
Speaker 6 (37:33):
Yeah, yeah, he definitely does. He knows how to push those.
Speaker 4 (37:39):
With Alec coming back now, you expect to still get
those kind of reps. I mean, I mean, I'm not
the usual three guys at the same time.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
Yeah, yeah, I'm not. I'm not too sure. I just
know that whenever my number is called, I got to
uphold that standard.
Speaker 5 (37:57):
You've obviously you got three fumbles in three straight games
something like that.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
Yeah, have you ever had a streak like this?
Speaker 6 (38:05):
I don't know. I just I just like to win
football games. As long as we went, I'm happy.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
But obviously you're You've been a big part of that.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
You know, you get you get there Henry to fumble,
you got fumble a lot, and you know you get
to get your burrow.
Speaker 7 (38:19):
I just think that's just the culture here, and like
my coach is emphasizing that, and like I have a
great position coach in Denzel and Dunbar and you know
they closed me well, they're hard on me, and you
know it's that's what that's what it is expected here
in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
That was Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig go with me
earlier today and uh as you heard he Uh yeah,
Tomlin knew what buttons to push with him and uh
it worked.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
Yeah. I think it also helps to have a big
brother figure around. And I'm not even talking about his brother.
I forgot to talking about DJ. But yeah, I mean,
pretty nice dynamic and I'm pretty psyched to see hoping
it happens. But all four of those outside linebackers all
in the same on the same field together once. It's
pretty good group.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah, you could do a little uh, I don't even
know what package you would call you gonna take you
gonna take Cam Heyward off the field. I'm not real
psyched about that, but I mean it's a nice problem
to have that you've got too many good edge rushers. Yeah, yeah,
you can just come at the waves. But Matt, that's
going to do it for the show today?
Speaker 3 (39:21):
Yeah, good stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Absolutely guess today. Absolutely. We thank Jimmy Rooney for stopping
by and joining us here in the in the studio.
We want to thank Bob Labriola for stopping by as
well as usual, and uh well for my partner Matt Williamson,
for Justin Miller here on site running the Justin Miller Hotline,
and for Tyler viitt Meyer here through him a little
curve ball today with the in studio guest. Can check
(39:45):
that out on YouTube. I am Dale, Lolly. We thank
you for listening to this edition of the Drive on
the Steelers Audio Network.
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