HR2: Live from OTAs

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Our number two on day number six of OTA's it's
a special edition of the Drive here West Ruler in
for Dale Lolly with the unjust you know Encyclopedia of
knowledge that is Matt Williamson that you all of course know.
Here you loyal Drive listeners on Steelers Nation Radio on
the Steelers Audio Network. We are rocking and rolling here

(00:39):
on the final day of OTA practice from the upmc
rooney Sports Complex. A little over an hour from now,
we will have a player join us.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
I do not see the King in the Castle down
here soon?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Is uh maybe you know what now that I think
about it, I do think they have a day game
today against the Astros.

Speaker 4 (00:54):
Home Wondering if in the week that he was not
going to I think he did.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
I think he did, so that makes sense.

Speaker 4 (00:59):
Here by now the chances are well.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
That's a night game tonight. But that still doesn't mean
that he doesn't have potential potential buckos things going going
on here.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
But we were.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Talking some divisional worst of first candidates there at the
end of the first hour ending with the Cleveland Browns.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
I don't like their chances.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
I don't like their chances either.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
And you know what, Okay, so you asked You asked
me this question about how many quarterbacks get the start
for the Browns or how many throw passes in a
regular season game? Three and a half fired Ohio football
head coaches this season over over under.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
One and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
I think since he sticks with their guy, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
Exact, Taylor safe yea if they missed the playoffs.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
Again, it's just the nature of the organization.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Marvin Lewis was there forever.

Speaker 5 (01:50):
Yeah, they stick with guys. They don't want to pay
two coaches at the same time. I'm not saying this
just because we're Steeler people, but I've kind of thought
that's an a rated coaching staff really from the start.
And I like their defensive coordinator who they blamed for
all their troubles and he's gone too. It's an odd
organization because I Burrow is such the driving force, and

(02:14):
that's a great thing to have.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
But I wonder how long he's.

Speaker 5 (02:18):
Going to be happy with that situation, you know, like
if their defense is always going to be bottom five
and he has to score thirty five points a game
just to be in the game. I mean, I think
they lost three games where they scored thirty five or yeah,
a lot of that kind of stuff, which is bonkers.
But they did give give him Higgins back, and he's

(02:38):
got Chase long term now too, So that's a great
thing to start with. But I can't talk about the
Bengals big picture without this. You know, like when they
were doing real well, they built their defense a lot
through free agency, the Mike Hilton's of the world. You know,
they didn't draft a lot of their defensive players when they.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Were Hendrickson right exactly.

Speaker 5 (03:00):
You know, he was a free agent, a great deal
they got from the Saints, and they drafted on offense,
you know, Burrough Chase, you know, we know the names,
and that were great. So you're cheap on offense, you
were kind of expensive on defense. And I give the
team credit that is considered to be one more frugal
out there. They spent in free agency and they build
a defense, but they wisely realized, well, we're gonna have

(03:20):
to start playing Burrough Chase. All those guys contracts are up,
so we can't be expensive on defense. So they've been
drafting defense like crazy for the last three years or so.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
And none of them are hitting. No, not that problem,
that's the killer.

Speaker 5 (03:34):
So they blame the defensive coordinator for it, not the
front office. Maybe they're true, Maybe that's true. You know,
like we're giving you good players, you're not doing anything
with them. But if you bring up their draft history,
it's defense player, defense player, defensive player. It's not great,
it's and none of them are getting They're not even
quality starters at this point. And there's been injuries, and

(03:57):
there's been some extenuating factors, but it's Hendricks ten other
guys out there because none of these young guys are
stepping up. So I mentioned I like their defensive coordinator,
but they did sign a college defensive coordinator from Notre
Dame that maybe he's better with young people.

Speaker 4 (04:11):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (04:12):
I mean, everyone has a different personality, you know. Maybe
he's just going to be a better bring along young player,
you know leader. I can buy that, But the fact
is none of their defensive investments are hitting at all.
And then they kind of doubled down that philosophy and
took maybe the highest upside but rawest player in the

(04:35):
draft in the first round Stewart from Texas A and
M who's a ridiculous tester but has no production. They're
just betting on themselves to develop him. But they haven't
developed any right, so are they learning from their mistakes?
You know what's going to be happening with Hendrickson.

Speaker 4 (04:53):
He's not happy at all, But.

Speaker 5 (04:55):
Boy they have Burrow, you know, and that's as good
as hard as he can out.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Want to have to battle.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
They'll be competitive.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Because I mean they don't only have a franchise quarterback.
They have one of the unicorn franchise quarterbacks.

Speaker 5 (05:08):
As long as he stays healthy, they're going to be
hard to play against for sure. And health has been
a problem with them too, it has.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
He actually has a.

Speaker 5 (05:14):
Real off season this year, and there's been a lot
of these off seasons where he's had an organ transplant
or an injury or everything, like a lot.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
Of different.

Speaker 5 (05:24):
Transplant but he had an injury, yeah, you know, so
you know, legit stuff. So I think they'll be hard
to play against. They're always going to score points, but
their ow line still is a little suspect. Even their draft,
they only drafted I think three positions. I mean they
drafted two linebackers, two guards, a defensive end, and a
running back. You know, like you're not addressing a lot

(05:45):
of different stuff, And I don't know that you're gonna
be a lot better at garterer linebacker even using four
picks on those two spots.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
You know, it's not like you felt like you got
a lot of instant impact guys in this draft too.
Like even if a Shimer Stewart ends up working out,
it might take a year or two before he really
takes off.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
Oh yeah, I mean I doubt he's gonna come.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
Have a rookie type thing.

Speaker 4 (06:06):
I mean, he didn't look that way at all at
eight a m.

Speaker 5 (06:09):
And they're really set in their ways in that it's
widely known that they're like the hardest team to league
the trade with. So how's the Hendrickson thing going to
work out?

Speaker 4 (06:18):
Right? And even like if you.

Speaker 5 (06:19):
Look at their draft every year, if they have the
eighteenth pick in the draft, they picked eighteenth in round
one two.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Yeah, you know, they they're very static.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
They don't manipulate the compick game.

Speaker 5 (06:31):
You know, they just kind of this is our pick,
We're gonna pick a guy here, you know, like that's
kind of an antiquated way.

Speaker 4 (06:36):
I look at that.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
I was just gonna say, they strike me as you know,
you hear this a lot, and I might butcher it
a little bit, but like, the seven most dangerous words
in business are, that's the way we've always done things.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
Whatever that might be.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
I might have missed a word, or it might be
eight words or whatever, but that's a dress like the
seven the seven most dangerous words in business are, that's
the way we've always done things.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
And they kind of personify that.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah, Like you reference some of these newer, younger ownership
groups in the NFL and in all of professional sports
in this country, that can be a little more nee jerk,
can be a little shy object as opposed to an
ownership group like the Bengals that feels like that, this
is the way we've always done things.

Speaker 5 (07:15):
And to be fair, many people criticize the Steelers for
being on that side of things in a big way too.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
But they've had the success that the Bengals haven't had.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
Yes, and I mean Youers have a new GM. I
mean like that they've had.

Speaker 5 (07:27):
They've had more changes than people give them credit for too,
and have not had Joe Burrow, you know, like, and
we could talk about the last five years have not
ended how you want in Pittsburgh. I bet they've been
a lot better with Burrow. Oh yeah, I mean post Ben,
you know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Like, I bet you won a playoff game in the
last post Ben era.

Speaker 5 (07:44):
I mean, the Bengals were very fortunate to have the
first pick in the draft, a year that worked out
really well for them. It's not the Bryce Young year,
you know, Like if they were developing Bryce Young right now,
would it be as pretty as the way Burrow walked
in as a total face on the billboard most of
port guy in the organization stud quarterback.

Speaker 4 (08:02):
I don't know, you know.

Speaker 5 (08:04):
So they're dangerous And I saw the Super Bowl odds
acrown the league, and I think they're like fifth from
the top. Really and I would not make that bet
in a thousand years Like that one did not add
up to me at all. They're They're higher than I
would have ever put them. I give them maybe a
fifty to fifty chance of making the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Probably under that looks like they have the seventh best
sentence right now.

Speaker 5 (08:26):
Still, I mean, I mean the Lions and Eagles and Bills.
I mean there's so many quality.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Eagles and Chiefs. Eagles and Chiefs are tied for first.
I don't think surprises anybody. Now, Ravens and Bills just
below them, I mean a very very small gap.

Speaker 4 (08:39):
Who are noticeably better teams than the Bengals.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Correct. Then there's a tiny little gap than the Lions. Okay, okay,
and then that's really kind of the less than ten
to one.

Speaker 4 (08:50):
Okay, Oh, they're kind of a distance set.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Like Eagles and Chiefs are six to one, Lions are
nine to one type.

Speaker 4 (08:56):
You're not making a ton of money on those guys.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
But then San Francis, is that to win it or
that's to win the Super Bowl?

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Okay, yep, yep, and then San Francisco would be number six.

Speaker 3 (09:08):
Bengals tied with the Commanders for number seven. That seems
too hot.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
It does seem too high, but.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
Way above the Vikings and I get there starting a
rookie quarterback, A way above the Texans, way above the
Bucks the Packers. Like these are teams that have been
in the postseason in one postseason games in the last years, Bucks.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
Whereas you should be higher.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Since the Bengals have been in the postseason, even with
back to back years of nine and eight records. What
do you think they're about that same type of win
total this season?

Speaker 5 (09:38):
Do you see a dr I don't see a defensive improvement,
especially if Henderson's not.

Speaker 3 (09:42):
Their offense is gonna still be good.

Speaker 5 (09:43):
It's still gonna be really good. But it's a fragile
build too. I mean, you're you're too dependent on one thing,
the passing game.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah, I mean you can score thirty five, thirty eight
points and still lose multiple times, which that might happen
a lot in collegiate football, but not at a not
at this level. And uh and certainly I don't think
in the AFC North in particular.

Speaker 5 (10:03):
One other note on them, and they got They did
get better as the season went on. I mean Steelers
played in the last year week of the season. They
were harder to play against them than early. But back
to their coaching staff, I hope for their sake they
changed their tune a little. But they never play anyone
in the preseason, and the first month always goes poorly
for the Bengals, you know.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
They always start poorly.

Speaker 4 (10:21):
Yeah, and you're just repeating the same stuff over and over.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
And it's like, I feel like the Patriots used to
do that in the Brady Belichick era.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
Yeah, but they had Brady and Belichick. They're better prepared
the Steelers. In the Ravens winning double digit games in
their division.

Speaker 5 (10:36):
They probably looked at it like, Okay, if we stumble
a little bit and still go six and oer the divisions.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
It feels it feels like every year.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
It feels like every year the Patriots would start like
one and two or two and three, and everyone would be.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
Like, is this it is? This?

Speaker 4 (10:47):
It right?

Speaker 3 (10:48):
And then they'd rattle off nine wins in their next
ten games.

Speaker 5 (10:50):
And then they're the most physical team in the league
in December and the playoffs and right right.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
I think the Bengals have tried but failed to the
same as the Belichick No, it's certainly so there.

Speaker 5 (11:00):
The Patriots were a really deep team too, you know,
they weren't dependent on one thing to win, where the
Bengals really have one super strength.

Speaker 3 (11:08):
Yeah, they got one.

Speaker 4 (11:08):
It's a super strength.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
It is absolutely It's it's a position that in a
way you would like to be in.

Speaker 5 (11:14):
Oh yeah, just mean, if the Steelers shrewed the ball
as well as Bengals, they'd be the best team in
the league. I mean like that, that's not I'm not
reaching it all there in my opinion. I mean, that's phenomenal.
It's one of the best passing games in the league.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah, And I remember last year, like the quarterback wide
receiver tandems that put up the numbers at Burrow and
Chase did last year.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
In the history of the league, it was like Peyton
Manning and Marvin Harrison.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, and you know the fifteen to one Colts, Brady
and Moss on the the.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
On the undefeated Patriots. Yeah, a lot of these like
that level of teams.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yes, right right, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers and Devonte Adams
in twenty and eighteen and the Packers went fourteen.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
And two, you know, and then the Bengals who went eight.

Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, had to win their last game of the season
just to just to get above five hundred over.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
Across the way. Something changes that much, I don't. I
think they're about the same.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
They're dangerous enough to beat anybody on again Sunday, but
there they've got enough issues that they could lose to anybody.

Speaker 5 (12:08):
They need Burrow to be an MVP, and that's he's capable.

Speaker 4 (12:12):
But that's a hard thing to bank off.

Speaker 3 (12:14):
He had an MVP caliber season last.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
Year, yeah right, right, right, and he was as good
as anyone they were.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
They were nine to eight, you know.

Speaker 5 (12:21):
And and yeah, and we say this a lot in
the drive too, like the Deshaun Watson trade, just to
go backwards a second on the Browns for that trade
to pay off for what they not even including the
off the field stuff, but just draft picks and salary
cap compensation for him. If he wasn't a top three
or four quarterback, if he wasn't a Burrow level quarterback,

(12:42):
it was a bad trade. Not like he's the tenth
best quarter like Aield right right, Yeah, he's got there's
the Pro Bowl here and there. He's good player. You'd
love to have him. He's better than what Steelers played
with lately. Okay, but you gave up too much.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Right, You don't give up that for a you know,
the the tenth or twelfth best quarterback.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
In the league.

Speaker 5 (12:59):
I mean, and years about draft picks and all the
cap stuff they still have ahead of them.

Speaker 4 (13:03):
You know, he had to be an elite.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
Better if you get Matthew Stafford like the Rams.

Speaker 5 (13:07):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, and they give up much less
than you know. He was an older player.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
But those Ohio teams, I tell you, let's get to
a Let's get to another break here. Maybe we'll discuss
those Baltimore Ravens continue around the AFC North when we
return on the other side. Another reminder, we will get
to some tweets today. A little Twitter Thursday edition of
the Drive here still so you could twet us at
Wesley Yuler at Williamson NFL if you want to get

(13:32):
involved with the program. It is a special edition of
the Drive here at day number six of the OTA's
We're at the upmc rooney Sports Complex with you for
about another hour and a half.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Here we will have a Steelers player.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
In the next hour plenty more moving and shaking in
conversation to bring you on Steelers Nation Radio on the
Steelers Audio Network.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
show on your twenty four seven home of the Black
and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

Speaker 3 (14:12):
Rolling along here on the Drive, Cruising.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
Along here on the Drive on the final day of
OTAs for your Pittsburgh Steelers. It's another hot June day
down here. We are in the low eighty degrees and
it's not even noon yet.

Speaker 5 (14:24):
He didn't bother me at all yesterday and today I
was hot as soon as I walked out here.

Speaker 4 (14:28):
Yeah, I don't know why. It's just like, man, it's
like a just a heavier humid heat.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
Yeah, it got me.

Speaker 2 (14:33):
I was struggling a little bit yesterday, but to little transparency.
The night before, neither of my girls slept and I
was up doing the DV morning show for Mike Persuda
from six to at six afore this, so I was
on like two or three hours of sleep and I
was up super early, and I think, you know, I
was just kind of a little tired and drained, and
that's why the heat was getting to me.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
But yeah, today it is thick out here.

Speaker 4 (14:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (14:56):
I just went in to use the restroom at the
break here and I happened to be walking in with
like twenty five pit players that have been working out
on the far ones. They were a sweaty drip.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
Drink any any cool type of beverage, certainly, And it
is the one nice thing, like, you know, we look
out there and we see a lot of our buddies
who cover the team, right you know, Yeah, the Jim
Wexels of the world's the bows of the world, and
they are like out there in the heat, whereas out.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
There, got a little shade here, shade just sitting here
too bad.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
Although to be fair, if we were out there with
our equipment, I think these broadcast boxes would probably blow
up in about twenty minutes. So it is good we've
got some shade for our equipment here.

Speaker 5 (15:35):
But as everyone knows, like if this carbon Coffee Day
was the eighth practice.

Speaker 4 (15:41):
Of training camp, you're like, that's kind of cool out today.

Speaker 3 (15:43):
It's a relative absolutely.

Speaker 4 (15:45):
First you hard, Oh.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
It's that acclamation thing.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
It's the same thing in November around here, like those
first week of winter cold you're like.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
All bundled up. Yeah, like old man, winter is just
cutting right through your bar.

Speaker 4 (16:00):
Especially at the radio station with the walk through the
wind up on the.

Speaker 3 (16:03):
Hill of our radio station, the wind gets holing. It's
those first week or two it's brutal.

Speaker 2 (16:07):
But then by February you're like walking in in like
a long sleeve T shirt and you're like, yeah, I
sain it's so bad.

Speaker 4 (16:12):
Right, right, right, it's fifty and I'm wearing short.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
Yes, exactly right, Because just that that's why they have
the acclamation periods and yeah, another hot one here today
as there's some drills going on on the far side.

Speaker 4 (16:24):
We're as bad for us because anything on field two,
I can't.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
Any field on field two. Anything on field two or
three is tough for us to see. But we will
still try and do our best to give you some
observations as we roll along. Been a lot of work
on catching punts here. It feels like uh Matt throughout
throughout this week as well too, so a lot of
special teams work in the year special those teachable moments
that we've talked about through the course of these two

(16:48):
weeks so far. H AFC North conversation that we are
continuing here.

Speaker 5 (16:53):
Touch on one thing you said, yeah too, is I
very much believe in it. It's more apparent to training
camp and you can really see period after Peero from
where we're sitting, the Steelers do dedicate more practice time
to special teams than most teams. I'm not at every camp,
trust me, but I do know that that is a
Tomlin thing that we're going to dedicate X amount of

(17:14):
periods and that's when you leave the league in block
kicks and things like that. I mean that kind of
stuff pays off. You know, now you have to detract
from something else. You know, it doesn't mean you get
more minutes than everybody else out there, but you know
they do put a lot of time into special teams
and not to reveal any secrets.

Speaker 4 (17:31):
You kind of touch on this too.

Speaker 5 (17:33):
A lot of different Steeler players have fielded punts from
the drug machine here, and I think it's just an
opportunity to say, hey, Danny, look I've done it or
I'm gonna try it.

Speaker 4 (17:43):
You know that doesn't mean he's your top punt returner, right.

Speaker 2 (17:45):
Yeah, because by the time you get to camp in July,
you better not think, well, we've got six different guys
who could return punts.

Speaker 3 (17:50):
It better be two or three.

Speaker 5 (17:52):
Like even Minka was out there. And I've seen them
do that in camp and stuff too, like in an
emergency in week twelve, two guys get hurt, who's going
to return of punt?

Speaker 3 (17:59):
Chris Boswa had a punt last year in Atlanta.

Speaker 4 (18:01):
Yeah, yeah, was that Atlanta should do whatever?

Speaker 3 (18:04):
It was early it was early on in the season.

Speaker 4 (18:06):
Last year, James Harrison had a long snap.

Speaker 3 (18:09):
Had a long snap at one point the.

Speaker 4 (18:11):
Way, that's right, which backup party.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Cool, we have a backup long snapper now. I do
think it was that Atlanta game because that was the
first game of the year and Chris Boswell hit like
the five field goals that were the Steelers' only points
and then had that very crucial punt at the end
of the game as well too. It should have been
AFC Player of the Week.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
Just Peero in Special Teams.

Speaker 2 (18:33):
Matthew rolling along here in our AFC North conversation, and
some breaking ish news here too as it relates to
the team we're about to talk about. The Baltimore Ravens
just about an hour or two ago announcing they have
signed with Sean Bateman to a three year, thirty six
point seventy five million dollar contract extension that includes twenty
million dollars guaranteed.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
Okay, I'm a fan.

Speaker 5 (18:56):
It was an interesting move because they were kind of
at a the dilemma we're talking about fifth year off
his was they make that decision this past year and
picking up fifth year options now is way harder than
it used to be. It used to be kind of
just rubber stamp it. It's not that big a deal.
But with this new CBA, especially if you've been to
Pro Bowl or multiple Pro Bowls.

Speaker 4 (19:16):
Which Bateman wasn't that case.

Speaker 5 (19:17):
Price goes up real fast, and I think they were
on the fence should we do it or not? And
so they kind of split the difference and put a
half a year or they put They altered the very
end of his contract, gave him a little more money.

Speaker 4 (19:30):
He kept him happy.

Speaker 5 (19:32):
So this makes sense because we still want to keep
you and we didn't want to fifth year option you
or give you this massive deal, but definitely don't want
you to hit free agency.

Speaker 4 (19:41):
Quality number two guy.

Speaker 5 (19:43):
And like again, he'd be a perfect guy to line
up opposite Metcals so they could find a receiver of
that ilk, you'd be in pretty good shape.

Speaker 4 (19:50):
He's a good player.

Speaker 3 (19:51):
Yeah, he is a good player.

Speaker 4 (19:52):
About so young.

Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yeah, yeah, averages.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
Out to about twelve million a year, not a you
know that's bad, not to break the bank type numb
or yeah, and you know what to start our Ravens conversation,
they've got some tough decisions to make in that fifth
round pick tag option realm coming up here. There's a
really center Tyler Lindabaum and Kyle Hamilton, who would both
like with the Pro Bowls that they've made and the

(20:17):
things that they have done that escalate that number very quickly.

Speaker 3 (20:20):
That they both of them have hit like all of those.

Speaker 4 (20:22):
All the escalators.

Speaker 3 (20:23):
Yeah, they would.

Speaker 2 (20:24):
They would quickly go from their rookie contract to a
fifth year tag that would make them, if not the
highest paid player at their position, very very close.

Speaker 4 (20:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (20:33):
And again, the economics of football interests me more and
more the older I get. And it's one of the
arguments for not taking a safety or interior offensive lineman
in the first round because the fifth year option is
really rough on those guys, especially the interior O lineman.

Speaker 2 (20:50):
So you went Tyler Linnabaums for example, Yeah, sure, his tag.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Number would be twenty three point four million dollars.

Speaker 4 (20:56):
See, the CBA screwed up because the.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Way they think is a great player.

Speaker 2 (21:02):
But like we talk about the value of a left
tackle exactly, you'd be paying your center more than that exactly.

Speaker 5 (21:07):
And that's why this CBA screwed up. Is they for
the fifty year option and the franchise tag. It's for
all olignment. It should be tackles and interior line. There
should be two different categories. So the Ravens did a
wonderful thing and drafted Linderbaum and Hamilton, both who hit.

(21:27):
But now they're going to have to kind of pay
a tax for drafting good players. And you can't pick
up Linderbombs. I mean you can't.

Speaker 4 (21:38):
Yeah, but you can't let him hit the free agent market.

Speaker 3 (21:40):
Right.

Speaker 5 (21:41):
So now Linderbaum, depending how much he wants to keep
like their foot feet to the fire, can say, well,
let's start a twenty three a year.

Speaker 4 (21:49):
And they're like, well, you're no centers make twenty three years.
We'll do that, right.

Speaker 5 (21:54):
Like, here's a great example of the franchise tag. Like
when Aaron Donald was at the absolute peak of his powers,
the franchise tag was structured as it still is. If
you franchise a defensive tackle or any position for that matter,
the top five players at that position, you take the
average of their salary and that's your franchise tag number. Yes, okay,

(22:16):
but if Aaron Donald is thirty percent better than the
second best defensive tackle, the average of the top five
is a vast underpay for him, you know, Like if
he hits the open market, it would be.

Speaker 4 (22:29):
A thousand times more.

Speaker 5 (22:30):
So It's not Apple's apples, but it's kind of the
same deal is, how do you negotiate this deal with
Linderbaum when he's kind of holding the cards but you
can't fit your option and you definitely.

Speaker 4 (22:41):
Don't want to leave.

Speaker 5 (22:42):
And Hamilton's sort of the same too. I mean, He's
gonna be no matter what happens with him.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
He's his number is eighteen point six, which is high
for a safety, it is, but he's.

Speaker 3 (22:52):
Worth it numbers.

Speaker 5 (22:55):
It's he probably should be the highest paid safety considering
his age and accomplishments and importance to their team. He's
a superstar. So that one hurts, but it's not as prohibitive.

Speaker 2 (23:09):
So here's a great example for you in talking about
how the like for drafting a good center in the
first round with the way it is now with the
CBA and the tag options, how that is you know,
all lumped in together, which is, as we said, as like.

Speaker 4 (23:22):
Frazier as a first round picked on a second round
it a lot different.

Speaker 3 (23:25):
It'd be a lot different.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
So Tyler Linderbaum, I told you that number because the
way they lump offensive lineman together is twenty three point
four million dollars per year. Sauce Gardner at cornerback a
premier position in the NFL.

Speaker 4 (23:37):
Premier position a premier player.

Speaker 3 (23:39):
Twenty point one million.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
He's also done gunder Pro Bowl.

Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yes, no, that's the highest level that he can get to.
A well too, has maxed out his his fifty year
option value like Linderbaum, Like Kyle Hamilton, Linderbaum's number is.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
Three point three million dollars than a corner.

Speaker 4 (23:56):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (23:57):
A centers center's tag.

Speaker 2 (23:58):
Number is three point three million dollars more than corner,
which is crazy when you think.

Speaker 4 (24:02):
Of which have been really crazy just a couple of
years ago.

Speaker 5 (24:05):
But now you're seeing guards and centers hit the market
two and they're getting big money. Goes back to our
conversation yesterday. There's just an O line shortage in the
league period, but nobody would have thought centers and corners
are worth relatively the same amount and times are changing.
You mentioned the Jets, and this is this kind of
side note, but it reflects on the Ravens from that

(24:25):
class too, because they had two first round picks.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
The Jets had three.

Speaker 5 (24:29):
They Garret Wilson, and they had Johnson, the defensive end
from Florida State. He missed all last year with injury,
but he's a good young player too. But it's really
hard to pick up five three to fifty year options
the same year or two, you know. I mean they're
big numbers because if you're picking them up, they're good players.
They're not going to be the cheapies, you know. So

(24:50):
the whole fifth year option things goofy to me too, Like,
I know, the Steelers got a lot of heat, like
they didn't pick up Nause's fifth year option.

Speaker 4 (24:57):
I'm like, the timing is, the timing is going into
last year, you had to pick it up. So if
he blows out his knee in week one two.

Speaker 3 (25:06):
Four years of guaranteed money.

Speaker 4 (25:08):
More years of guaranteed money.

Speaker 5 (25:09):
I mean, if he's Jim Brown, yeah, but if he's
a good not great player at the most injury prone
position in the sport, I can't be guaranteeing that kind
of money, you know, Like it makes no sense. Like
I think they need to re examine the fifth year
option parameters.

Speaker 3 (25:25):
I'm with you on that one, certainly.

Speaker 6 (25:28):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (25:29):
Staying with the Ravens here, you know, you and I, Yeah,
they're good.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
You and I discussed they when we went through the
Super Bowl. Odds have the third best odds in the league.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
Yeah, that about right to you, Like, yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
You think they are one of those legit not just
a super Bowl contender, but a super Bowl favorite.

Speaker 4 (25:43):
Yeah, at the top of the list.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
And I know that's hard in the AFC because it
feels like there's three Super Bowl favorites if you include
the Chiefs and the Bills as well too.

Speaker 5 (25:50):
But you think the Dale and I've been talking a
lot about the Bills real quick, because they would be
my bet of the ones Buffalo because I think they're
easiest path to winning their division, their schedules easier than
Baltimore and Kansas City's that if I were to bet
who the number one seed in the AFC is, I
would bet on Buffalo. So I think when if I'm right,

(26:12):
which is a slim chance because so much will happens
to me now, and then that their path might be
a little easier because they're hosting games and that type
of thing.

Speaker 4 (26:19):
Maybe they get a bye.

Speaker 5 (26:20):
But I think Baltimore's maybe the better team of the
two if the quarterbacks cancel each other out, which I
think they do, and which is an amazing statement for
both of them, because they're incredible. I am by no
means in the camp of Lamar can't win the big one.
He doesn't have a playoff you know, come on.

Speaker 4 (26:35):
Man, I mean, you gotta watch this guy.

Speaker 5 (26:38):
I mean, he's one of the best passers in the
league now and wet Mitchett mix out with his running.
Like even rudimentary back of football card stats, he had.
His touchdown interception ratio was.

Speaker 3 (26:51):
Insane fast to one or something like that.

Speaker 5 (26:53):
It was insane. It was like forty one to four
or something crazy like that. I mean, it's even better
than that, to be honest with. And that doesn't even
mix in the rushing. I I just pull back, I mean,
just to be frank, if we were to rank the
thirty two organizations in the league, you know, who do
you have the most faith in? Who would you most
want to work for? Who do you you know, who

(27:14):
do you have the best faith? Is the best organizations
out there? Those two Ohio ones would be pretty low. Yes,
The Ravens would be pretty high, really really high.

Speaker 4 (27:23):
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (27:23):
I have the ultimate respect for how they do their
football stuff, you know, and they do take a character
risk here and there, you know, but the the Ray
Rice stuff, the Justin Tucker stuff they draft, they get
in the second round Mirk Green right right, right, that aside.
I mean they know how to win football games. They
understand the modern day NFL really really well. They're super

(27:45):
analytically inclined. They always lead the league in comp picks.
You know, they play the game really really well. I
always like their drafts.

Speaker 4 (27:53):
And they got a superstar quarterback and a Hall of
Fame head coach. They're not going away.

Speaker 5 (27:57):
Anytime soon for us, right, And they extended Henry like
he's not going in y anytime soon, although you think
he would.

Speaker 2 (28:03):
You know, Yeah, he seems like the type that could
hang on a little bit longer, certainly than the average
running back.

Speaker 5 (28:09):
So another layer of the Ravens that the average fan
probably wouldn't recognize. But this time last year McDonald, their
former defense coordinator, became the head coaches of Seattle, which hurt.
But worse than that, or as bad as that was,
their next two or three two best off at defensive
assistants took defensive coordinator jobs, like Anthony Weaver became a

(28:32):
defensive coordinator in Miami. Another guy became Tennessee's defensive coordinator.
So their defensive mind.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
Trust got wrecked last year.

Speaker 3 (28:42):
A big deal.

Speaker 5 (28:43):
It's a big deal, and the Steelers saw the two
different versions of their defense.

Speaker 4 (28:48):
It was right around like.

Speaker 5 (28:48):
Week twelve or so, where those first twelve weeks they're
blowing coverages left and right. They're not living up to expectations.
They have all kinds of defensive breakdowns and problems. Communication
was bad, and then they I think they went into
a buy and they fixed a lot of stuff. You know,
like Kyle Hamilton, you're just gonna play deep middle. I know,

(29:09):
we want to do a lot of stuff with you,
you know, but we don't.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
We don't have the personnel to do it.

Speaker 5 (29:13):
Yeah, we just need to figure out a remedy to
not screwing things up, let alone winning execution battles. And
one of the things they did actually was put Malie
Harrison in more of a regular role instead of the
young linebacker Simpson who's way more talented but doesn't see
it and doesn't Yeah, yeah, I mean, so they stabilize
things and their coaching staff got it right. And that's

(29:35):
why I was bringing up with the coaching staff was
I think the defensive coaching staff was in over their
head and then they realized either Harbaugh put his foot
down or I forget they have some kind of senior
defensive assistance like Dnp's or somebody's been around.

Speaker 4 (29:47):
It's a block for the lifer.

Speaker 5 (29:50):
And they figured out the defense, and that's when they
got real scary.

Speaker 4 (29:53):
Yeah, you know, you knew they're gonna run the ball,
and you know Lamars would be awesome, you know, yep.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
And they figure out the defense, that's when they're problem
and they certainly were last year and expect that to
continue yeah again this year.

Speaker 5 (30:04):
And even like their first round pick Wiggins from a
year ago, got really good as the season went on.

Speaker 4 (30:08):
He's gonna be a really good corner. You know. It's
like they get it right.

Speaker 3 (30:11):
They do. There's a reason why there's.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
Such a rivalry between these two organizations. Certainly some animosity
in there, without a doubt, but I think a lot
of respect as well too.

Speaker 4 (30:21):
Absolutely, let's get.

Speaker 3 (30:22):
To a break.

Speaker 2 (30:23):
We got Rob King hanging out here. Maybe we'll rope
him in for a segment or two. We will also
about a half an hour or so from now, have
a Steelers player when practice concludes. It is Day six,
final day of Otacre at the upmc rooney Sports Complex.
On the SAD Special edition of the drive Wes Shuoler
Matt Williamson right here on Steelers Nation Radio and the
Steelers Audio Network.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
At least 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 (31:02):
Driving along here on day six of OTA's at the
up mc rooney Sports Complex, West Ruler, Matt Williamson, and
we have got the King in the Castle, Rob King
with us here now on location.

Speaker 3 (31:14):
What's up, Kinger? How we doing? How we feel in
final day of OTAs? Yeah, uh, good, good, you know,
it's good to see that.

Speaker 6 (31:21):
It's good. The weather is just incredible, and all of
a sudden we just went to hot heat, you know,
a quick Yeah, it's not probably not quite so awesome
to be running around it, but uh, but it's good
for us. You know, these guys are such great shape.
They immediately leave here and go into the weight room.
It's start working out right.

Speaker 5 (31:40):
You're right, all right, King, Let's put sure Coach Salmon's
happy about the heat.

Speaker 3 (31:44):
Yeah, absolutely, for sure, absolutely. Uh.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
King, Let's put you on the spot here a little
bit with some of the things that we've kicked around.

Speaker 3 (31:50):
Okay, we're having some division conversation.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
Okay, a couple over unders for you over under three
and a half. Brown's quarterback that that throw passes in
the regular season.

Speaker 5 (32:03):
Wow, I can't think there'll be any stability between Flacco
two draft picks and Kenny Pickett.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
Yeah, it's interesting. I would probably go under and state
it's gonna be three. It's gonna be three. But it's
a it's a you know.

Speaker 4 (32:22):
I don't know how they I don't want to be.

Speaker 6 (32:23):
Too critical of a team in the division, but I
just don't. That's one of those where I'm like, I
don't quite can't quite figure out what they're trying to accomplish.

Speaker 4 (32:32):
Right, And and Watson's still on the roster.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
All of a sudden, he's like, hey, I'm back right now.
You got five.

Speaker 5 (32:38):
Quarterbacks and everyone on the planet thinks are gonna take
one the first round next year.

Speaker 4 (32:41):
Right, two first round picks, and it's.

Speaker 6 (32:42):
Five five quarterbacks that you feel fit into the NFL
somewhere right right the team it's not like, well, they'll
just cut three of those guys, right, It's uh, they.

Speaker 5 (32:53):
Traded something substantial for Picket, right. Both those picks are
pedigree guys and flat goes by the open day starter.

Speaker 4 (32:59):
Yep, it's it's a situation. To me, I don't get
it at all.

Speaker 3 (33:02):
It is a very weird situation.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
We were we were kind of talking about teams in
their history, the history of you know about one team
on average per year going from worse to first in
their division and a team or two that we thought
had a little bit of a shot as opposed to
you know, somebody like the Browns who might be at
the bottom of the barrel. And then you know Kinger.
I wonder too, like what's your what's your temperature gauge,

(33:26):
what's your heat check on the Bengals current situation, because
like it feels like the floor is so high with
what they have on offense, but the ceiling might not
be much higher with what they don't have and what
they are on defense. Like they are a curious case
of what feels like a team that isn't really going
to get over the hump, but has enough to not

(33:46):
be terrible, like maybe you know a perpetual eight to
nine win type season.

Speaker 4 (33:51):
And well, I said something good about when we were
talking about too, like.

Speaker 5 (33:54):
They could think burrows amazing and they could beat anybody
right now, but it's gonna have to be forty to
thirty eight.

Speaker 3 (34:00):
Right.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
That's a tough way to live.

Speaker 3 (34:01):
Yeah, it is.

Speaker 6 (34:02):
It's like the old puncher's chance in boxing. Right, I
might knock you in the next week, but you.

Speaker 3 (34:08):
Know I might not, might not.

Speaker 6 (34:12):
So I think that, you know, I was scared to
death as a draft as all of a sudden the
defensive tackles came off to.

Speaker 3 (34:23):
Right.

Speaker 6 (34:23):
Yeah, I thought, Okay, the Steelers might be shut out
of the sort of perceived top four defensive tackles, right,
they might not get one. And if I were Cincinnati,
and I'm not, of course, that's why I would have
taken I would have taken Derek Harmon because they had
a need for defensive tackle and.

Speaker 3 (34:43):
They had a need for edge.

Speaker 6 (34:45):
And it feels like, and look, we could be absolutely
wrong on this, and maybe Miles Murphy just needs a
you know, a big, bigger opportunity than he's had. But
it just feels like this is Miles Murphy all over again,
a guy that tested really well, didn't put up a
lot of productivity in college. It's it's a it's an
area of need, and it felt a little like a
reach to me. Now, we'll see, But I just thought

(35:09):
they could have been that could have been a more
productive pick if they'd taken Harmon.

Speaker 3 (35:12):
And I'm glad they didn't. Yeah, me too, glad.

Speaker 4 (35:14):
I would have put the Steelers in the buying too.

Speaker 3 (35:16):
It would have put the Steelers in the buying And
I think if they.

Speaker 5 (35:17):
Put the Bengals in a better situation than they are now,
I think, so they need instant help. They don't need
a project that's a super talented, non sack guy.

Speaker 3 (35:25):
Yep. And I do think that. You know they've got.

Speaker 5 (35:28):
Especially right, Yeah, yeah, so they've got unbelievable offensive talent.

Speaker 3 (35:35):
And it's funny didn't they change the coordinator? Was it
last year?

Speaker 4 (35:38):
Defensive coordinator? This year? They blamed him basically right exactly.
We went into this.

Speaker 5 (35:42):
Pretty heavy as they've really really drafted defense and miss
after miss after miss three years in a row now,
and I think they're taking it out on him. Hey,
we're giving you good players, you're not developing them, right,
Maybe it's true. I mean, I don't know. I mean
I'm not in the building, but none of them are
playing well. And I always thought he was a really
good defensive mind. He gets scooped up by the Colts

(36:03):
in a minute. So I think it's kind of subtraction
by subtraction, you know, like a yeah, worse at defensive coordinator.

Speaker 4 (36:09):
Right.

Speaker 6 (36:09):
I think it's interesting too when you look at like
another team, like the Packers. Right, So the Packers had
but seven first round picks on defense and towards the
end of the Aaron Rodgers era and it wasn't being
very productive for him and they change coordinators. Did you feel,
like Matt, that debt paid off for them a little
bit more or only just sort of really?

Speaker 3 (36:32):
Right?

Speaker 5 (36:32):
Yeah, They're a really interesting team to me from that
regard to because this year and last year they used
first round picks on offensive players and they use one
on Jordan Love. But before the two years before that,
I think it was eleven out of twelve years where
was a defensive player in the round. One defense player,
defensive play, unless it's Love, you know, we took Love.

(36:53):
But other than that, it was defense player, defense player,
defensive player. But none of them really turned into stars either,
like a pack another team. We were just talking about,
the Ravens like high on my list of organizations that
I have the most respect for.

Speaker 4 (37:06):
Of the thirty two. Green Bay is real high on
that list, and they.

Speaker 5 (37:09):
Have a really good roster, but they don't have any superstars,
you know, like who's their closer on defense? Their Miles Garrett,
their Watt? You know, like the guy you just claim
Matthews isn't there right right? And even on offense, like
Josh Jacobs is fine. Their receivers are all fine, but
who's the guy that defensive coordinators can't sleep at night?

Speaker 4 (37:31):
You know?

Speaker 5 (37:31):
Like and frankly, I think the Bills are the same way.
But they have Josh Allen, right, you know what I mean? Like,
who's this superstar that is a game changer? Good rosters,
but is that enough in Kansas City or the super
Bowl or in Detroit to put a team away that's
a high quality playoff team.

Speaker 6 (37:49):
Well, I think that if you draft seven guys or
whatever it was in the first round, Yeah, that robin
rosters of a year.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
Or two ago. They may have made some moves in cent.

Speaker 6 (38:00):
Expect a couple of those guys to hit and be
those guys I mean must but TJ.

Speaker 3 (38:06):
Watt and Camp Hayward went like drafts and they're they're
definitely your closers. Right, if you're starting.

Speaker 4 (38:10):
Eight first round picks on defense, you should have a
top ten team.

Speaker 6 (38:13):
I think I think you want more than what you've got,
you know. To to circle back to the Bengals, the
other guy that I really liked who came on for
them last year I thought made a big difference on
their offense was Chase Brown. You know, he's uh, he's
a fine and to go along with those receivers. Uh,
And listen, you know, you never know when a guy's

(38:36):
ready to develop. It doesn't look like Miles Murphy didn't
look like that kind of player to me. But hey,
you know, maybe they're right on this, on this edge pick,
and maybe Miles Murphy just needed.

Speaker 3 (38:45):
You know, one more year development or whatever. Maybe these
guys are ready to hit.

Speaker 6 (38:49):
But it just feels like there were there were too
many holes on defense for them to be able to
plug right away.

Speaker 3 (38:56):
And I don't and I don't.

Speaker 5 (38:57):
Even I don't think the defense is much better, right.
You know, it's a lot of running and a lot
of the same guys back.

Speaker 2 (39:04):
Oh you know what they say, the definition of insanity
doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
Yeah, it's it's an it's a very that's always.

Speaker 6 (39:12):
Seen the part of me for it seems like a
rather narrow definition of insanity to me.

Speaker 4 (39:16):
There's a lot of ways.

Speaker 3 (39:17):
Maybe it's one branch, Yeah, yeah, yeah, anyway, it's a
fair point.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
Like if you actually look up insanity in the dictionary,
there's probably a couple of different things, right.

Speaker 6 (39:26):
I don't know if that's the first. I don't know
if that's the first. Uh, I don't know. We'd have
to look that up.

Speaker 5 (39:30):
Like, I'm not sure Hannibal Lecter or the Joker does
the same thing over and over, but they're probably still insane.

Speaker 2 (39:37):
The definition of insanity is the state of being seriously
mentally ill with madness, extreme foolishness, or irrationality.

Speaker 4 (39:45):
Yeah, so that really is not the definition ofity.

Speaker 6 (39:48):
So it's it's a it's a it's sort of a
splinter off that anyway.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
Not to call you out a cliche, right, I mean,
that's kind of what it is. It is. It's a cliche.

Speaker 4 (39:58):
Don't do the same thing over and over again. It's
different results.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Don't do the same thing over and over again and
expect different results. Feels like the teams in Ohio have
been doing some of that, but we'll, we'll, we'll certainly
let them continue. The Ravens we discussed a little bit
about the Ravens is as well too. Kinger fantastic roster,
fantastic quarterback. But you know, the Chiefs juggernaut in the

(40:21):
AFC obviously still looming and not going anywhere. I think
we're saying a lot of these same things about the
Buffalo Bills, who are still trying to get over the
top and you know, win the AFC for the first
time since young Wesley was in diapers.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
Do you view Baltimore.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
Obviously they are a Super Bowl contender, but do they
belong in the same Super Bowl favorite breath as teams
like the Eagles and the Chiefs.

Speaker 6 (40:44):
So I have to say that I was. I was
mightily oppressed by the Bills and what they did last year.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
They they have everyone thought they were a big step. Oh.

Speaker 6 (40:56):
I was among that group that thought they were gonna,
you know, get into the player, but not be a
legitimate contender.

Speaker 4 (41:02):
Perhaps it seems like that was a reset year.

Speaker 6 (41:05):
They have been hemorrhaging Pro bowlers. Yeah right, you know
every year they're losing two or three Pro bowlers. Uh.
It speaks to the greatness of Josh Allen. I think
the excellence of Sean McDermott and the excellence of that
staff to keep putting together, you know, really good teams.
It's been a while, I think McDermott and you know,

(41:25):
the front office has.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
Been a game changer for them.

Speaker 6 (41:28):
They look like they're gonna be one of those teams
is gonna perpetually figure it out, you know. Yeah, so
I think you have to put Kansas City and Buffalo
kind of in that category.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
Ravens aren't quite there for you.

Speaker 3 (41:41):
I don't know, man, They're They're awfully close. They're really good.

Speaker 6 (41:45):
I think the biggest thing for them is going to
constantly be whether it's a mental hurdle or the pressure
of just well, you haven't gotten there yet. You know,
who cares about the regular season? That's gonna be the
next conversation.

Speaker 2 (41:58):
You might win thirteen games in the regular season, cool,
but are you gonna be able to.

Speaker 4 (42:01):
Get no trophies in the building?

Speaker 3 (42:03):
I think that I.

Speaker 6 (42:04):
Think that I would put you know, if you know,
if if there's a if you've got a bullseye like
a target, right, you know, they're they're they're in there,
They're in the circle somewhere right, they're they're part of it.
I don't know how close they are to the center.
I think that personnel wise they're right there. I think
personnel wise they're as good as anybody. It's a deep,

(42:25):
really good roster in all phases. It's just they're just
a strong team. What's fascinating to me as well, is
who's the next team that's going to be able to
join them? Is it going to be the Steelers? Is
it going to be the Chargers? Are the Broncos a
team on the rise. Tamiko Ryans I thought, you know, no,

(42:49):
no offense to Kevin Stefans. Get thought a couple of
years ago. I was actually kind of shocked when the
Coach of the Year thing came out. I was like, oh, Demiko,
Ryan's gonna win that. I'm like, wait, he didn't.

Speaker 4 (43:00):
It, do you?

Speaker 6 (43:01):
How do you go from last to what he did
and not and not win Coach of the year.

Speaker 3 (43:05):
Stavancy's won it twice, I think, right, he has a
coach for sure, I get it.

Speaker 4 (43:10):
And he's on the hot seats right.

Speaker 6 (43:11):
Yeah, it is a tough I think that I think
that those are the you know, we're we're trying to
figure out. Now, you know, how do you manage those things?
And and you know, some of it is do you
have the quarterback? Some of it is, you know, I
think there's when you're building a team and you know
you're you're bad and you're trying to rise up. There's
sort of an accumulation of talent that happens, right, Like,

(43:33):
we have a lot of talent, and then you know,
how do you how do you take the talent and
find the last pieces or whatever to turn you into
a championship team? You know, So I see that all
the time in baseball too, right, Okay, so you get
high draft picks. You know, let's say you're on you're
a rebuilding team. I think it's more prevalent in baseball.
You're a building teams. What are you gonna do. You're

(43:54):
gonna trade your superstar players, right, Uh, You're gonna stink
for a while. That's why your rebuildings, you're gonna have
high draft picks. When you trade your players are gonna
get even worse. You're gonna get more high draft picks.
And now you're gonna try to build all that together. Well,
it's not just about accumulating talent. It's about building a team.
And and so I think that the best teams accumulate
talent and build a team. And it'll be interesting to

(44:14):
see again which of those teams that are kind of
maybe outside that target area are gonna are gonna creep
into it. I felt like the Steelers made a significant
stride toward that last year. And this is my explanation
that I tell people, guys, is that two years ago
when they went up to Buffalo, I felt like they
really didn't have any chance of winning that game, first

(44:34):
round playoff game, yea, and they got They they got
to beat pretty bad last year. When you think about
that five game stretch, even Kansas City, which was a
team that beat him worst. Even that you know, Jalen
Warren has a touchdown run that's called back on a
bad holding penalty, or the Steelers might have the league
going into halftime at that night, you know what I mean.
So it wasn't like they didn't win those games. But

(44:57):
they weren't. They weren't.

Speaker 3 (45:00):
They weren't.

Speaker 6 (45:01):
What you saw was we still have some more work
to do, but we've maybe gotten halfway there. We've gotten
We've gotten some of that deficit a race. And I
think they've had another good offseason. And I think you
know you have four their of their draft picks last year,
well we again we have to excuse Ryan Wats, so
three of them essentially didn't play. So you're adding that
into your depth as well. This is gonna be a

(45:23):
fascinating year for the Steelers. Of course, we're still waiting
around to see if there's gonna be an additions to
the quarterback position. That's going to be the telltale maybe
as to whether they can take another step forward. But
and then I think every other team is thinking the
same thing. Can we get up there and be able
to knock off, you know, some of the big boys,
And it makes it it makes it fascinating to me.
I think Baltimore to circle back to your question, I

(45:46):
think Baltimore is. I think they are in that group.
They are, you know, maybe the group of three in
the AFC. I think they're there with those teams quarterbacks.

Speaker 2 (45:57):
Yeah, certainly, Hell Rob King here with us, and that
makes a trio that is two hours in the books,
one more hour to go, as we will have the
conclusion of practice and the conclusion of OTAs here this
week in practice number six West Yeuler, Matt Williams and
Rob King. It's a special edition of The Drive Here
at the upmc roney Sports Complex on Steelers Nation Radio

(46:20):
on the Steelers Audio Network.