May 20, 2025 • 40 mins
Matt and Dale talk about different styles of fantasy football before digging into an article about the three best players on each NFL team.
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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 (00:15):
And we are back.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
This is Dale Lolly here with Matt Williamson and the
start of our number two and Matt a lot of
times we we talk a lot about fantasy football. But
I just did a Google search here during the break.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I can't even imagine what you came up with.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Of the different styles of fantasy football.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Right right, And so we talked about dynasty versus re draft.
There's a lot of.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Different things that you can do out there with fantasy
football beyond just a straight redraft.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Let oh yeah there, we're dynasty for creative ones. So
I've been on the air with a lot of people
that I came up with this idea for a league
and it worked pretty well or you know, it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
The first thing I'd like to talk about here is
the difference between a dynasty league and a keeper league.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
A lot of difference. Yeah, dynasty is like dynasty to
me is the closest to the NFL, you know where.
Right now, I'm doing a lot of rookie drafts where
Genti's the first pick McMillan or Hunter or Hampton's the
next pick, and I have that guy on my roster
as long as I want, right.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
You know, whereas a keeper league, you're redrafting every year
and you get to protect yes, five players, there's only
three players or two players.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
In a dynasty there's only one startup, which is a
blast by the way, where like Josh Allen comes off
the board, you know, he never gets drafted again. You know,
there's just a rookie draft of dudes coming in.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
This kind of sucks if you don't. If you jump
into a dynasty league.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Oh, if you get an orphan, you're in troge. It
takes a while.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
You're gonna have to rebuild because that whoever had that
team before probably didn't really care all that.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Much about it. That often happens.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
That's a huge They dumped everybody the year before. I'm
gonna go for it this year and then I'm out.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah. So the reason you do this too is everybody
plays for money. I don't think that's a big shocker.
If you trade your future first, you have to get
money from this. I play for pride man ride, right,
But if you trade your future first, in most leagues,
you have to pay that year's dues, so you don't
just trade all your assets going forward, get every old guy.
(02:07):
You can win it and be like I'm out, you know.
But a lot of almost all my dynasty leagues, I
don't really know the people I'm in with, Like I
could pass them in the hall and I would know
they are. I mean, we've been in leagues together a bunch.
But there's also like these safe league systems where they
hold all them the commission doesn't run away for it.
My Dynasty League is the best software for it all,
(02:29):
but I urge everyone to try it.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
There's some other variations here of things that you can do.
You've got a Guillotine league.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, they're getting really popular, and I don't know a
ton about them. I think it's kind of like, so.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
You don't get to use the waiver wire. I'm just
reading a definition. H yeah. Yeah. But if you whatever
team loses each week, I believe is out, That's what
I say, and their players all become all become free agents.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yes, So it's a lot like I should know what this.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Is, but like so here, so here, it's a here's
the definition. These are the difference between you've got Guillotine League,
you get a pirate League, Vampire League, Kitchen Synk League, unbiased.
There's all kinds of different stuff there.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
They both thought up. So the Guillotine League is these
are more popular than you think.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah. Instead of head to head matchups between managers, the
league is a free for all.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yes, you don't play the head to head match up.
Only one team gets eliminated every but the team.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
That has the lowest score each week.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Done.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
You're done.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You're done, and all those dudes become.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Those guys become free agents and then you get the
either bid on them or Yeah, I don't know if
it's a based on the order of finish or however,
maybe just.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Get x amount of you know, dollars to spend over
the court. Maybe I wan't to spend it now because
if I get eliminated, I can't take them heaven with me,
you know, after I get guillotined. The Pirate League, this,
this one's crazy too.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Has nothing to do with the baseball team that plays
down the show.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I say, this league everybody turns into Yankees, Dodgers and
Red Sox after they get good.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Pirate leagues allow you to steal one active player from
any team you beat head to head in a matchup.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Which is crazy if you think if you win like
your first four games of the can be loaded. You'll
be loaded. You might not lose again. Yeah, but I
might steal Barkley off you and then lose them to
CJ next week. You know what I mean, Like just.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
What I thought, you know, vice versa. If I lose
my first couple of games, and I honestly, in my
re draft leagues, I never care about losing the first
couple of weeks of the season because I'm still trying
to figure out, like I'll because I'll take some flyers
on some guys, and.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
You often start the wrong guys, right, you think these
are solid dudes, but they're not yet.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, and then you end up, oh, yeah, I'm owing two.
But I got the first waiver pick.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Up a couple of weeks, right, someone big got hurt,
and yeah, we'll get hurt.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And this guy's got a much bigger role than anybody imagined. Ye,
and he's emerged. So that doesn't bother me, But in
this league it will bother me a lot because probably
getting wiped.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
You know, right, I took McCaffrey first overall, and now
he's gone because I lost in round one. Now I'm
in trouble, especially if you'd like the first pick in
the draft. Everyone's always gonna take that, and your next
pick was until like twenty four, and that's your best player.
Now you know after a Week one loss.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
You also have a vampire league. Okay, The vampire leagues
implement stealing players in an asymmetrical symmetrical fashion. Choose one
manager to be the vampire however you see fit. They
will not take part in the draft.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
So if a twelve team league, eleven people draft, yes.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
So everybody knows who the vampires.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, you're just kind of sitting in the room with
your teeth out.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
They then build their squad through waiver wire and free
agent pickups, and normal teams are not allowed to use waivers.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
At all, so the whole year they don't have any waivers.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And if you lose, you lose to the vampire team.
He can take a player out of your lineup, so.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
You'd love to play him in Week one. This seems
gonna be bad. You could still lose, but it's.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Gonna be oh yeah bad.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I assume the draft isn't super deep. At least he
must be somebody, like give him a quarterback.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Like if it's a twelve team league, maybe only draft
twelve player.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I say that would be somewhat fair, because otherwise that vampire.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Then he would still have some recent I got.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
A quarterback that plays, I have a chance, right, but
then your first win. Now the vampire is getting stronger
and stronger. Kitchen sync is one I my buddy Ryan MC.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
That's the next one on here.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
He might have even created it. I forget exactly what
it was, but it's really interesting.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Your team positions are as follows. Two to three super flexes,
eight to twelve flex players, two kickers to defenses, and quarterbacks.
You just basically start everybody.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
You start the kitchen saying yeah, yeah, yeah, you throw. Okay,
that's different than I thought. Okay, that one's interesting. You
might get some zeros. You might yeah, right right. I
mean that's like best ball too, if.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
You're carrying guys that you just have on are as
A hope this guy plays at some point.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I have two kickers if I canna start them both
and one of them was off that week or whatever too.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, that's kind of similar. To the no sitting league
where you don't have any bench spots. You start eight
to ten players every week and everybody plays. Sometimes that
takes strategy out of the equation.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
That's why best Ball is so happy or so popular
this time of year is you can go to like
Underdog Fantasy and you take a Best Ball team, which
I think is it's a deep roster. It's like, yeah,
eighteen guys, twenty guys, but you're done when the draft
is over. The software grabs whoever your best two running
(07:50):
backs were in week twelve in the lineup, Yeah, you
might have zero and zero and zero if you everybody
gets hurted.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I did those. I did a couple of those when
I was doing some stuff for four for four dots
and we just had some in house Best Ball drafts.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, and they're fun.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
They're fun, but I forget about them. The draft. The
draft takes a week basically, Oh, everybody's a long time
and you're drafting like twenty five players, but then you
don't do anything.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Then you don't do anything. Like again, Underdog is a
really good site for it, and they seem like that's
the most popular. Like two summers ago, I'm like I
think we had a promotion through one of my podcasts
where you get a hundred dollars free on Underdog. I'm like,
all right, I'll use it. And I did a bunch
of drafts, then I forgot all about them, and then
after the season, I'm like, I make money or lose money,
and I'm like, oh, I got forty bucks in my account.
(08:38):
I guess I didn't do great, you know, but a
one hundred was three year, you know. Yeah, And it's
not like boy week twelve, you're rooting for your best
ball guy. But it's fun this time of year.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah, I just to me, I like to I enjoy
the week to week strategizing of yeah, yeah, yeah, the
movement of it all. Looking at schedules. Okay, this guy's
got that there that you know, I'm going to start
my studs no matter what. But that second or third receiver?
Who am I starting this week? What's the quarterback situation?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Look like there's no strategy to beast ball, I mean
not just set and forget it.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yeah. The difference between an auction league and it's like
a straight snake draft.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I've never done an auction and I think it'd be fun.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I mean, we did it when when I first started
at the Observer Reporter in Washington, I had done fantasy
baseball to that point, and we did it was kind
of an auction, but it really wasn't. There used to
be some magazines that were put out that auction prices
on everything.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Oh okay this guy.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, So to save time on our draft, because straight auction,
you're bidding on the players, I said, why don't we
do this. We'll take the auction prices that are in there. Yeah,
you got to fill you got twenty one roster spots
that you have to raise.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
A salary cap.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Everybody is a salary cap, but like three hundred dollars
or whatever, it was right, and you got to keep
you get a budget for what that is.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Could we both own the same twenty dollars player? No
draft Like it was the first pick in the draft.
I'm gonna take this guy even though he's a dollar.
It's the best value I've ever seen. Yeah, okay, I'm
gonna use that.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I remember the one year we did Carlos Delgado was
a rookie for some reason.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
On he was a catcher that could hit right well.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
At that point, he caught in the miners. Okay, when
he came to the majors, he never caught. I don't
think he ever caught in the majors.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I think he played first for a while.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Right first, he was an outfielder, but he was on
our list. He was listed as a catcher. So the
guy who drafted him took him as a catcher for
really like a dollar, and he's like Gary Carter and
he's just like, I'm gonna take this Sea deal. Even
though his first name, yeah, it was a dollar catcher.
I'm gonna take the Sea. Del Gatto guy.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I remember, like Mike Piazza was like gold because he
was a catcher hitting.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Well, that was our other rule. So if a guy
got called up from the mine during the season, wasn't
on the auction list.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
You got him for a buck. So there's some studs
you get you I got, I mean Schemes was in
the mind.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I got his rookie year for a buck.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Was he rookie the year? I assumed he was awesome
from the start, right, yeah, so you would have got
Schemes for a buck. Well, he would have been on
the list probably, Okay, I thought his rookie year he
had not see.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Well he came up, but they I think they knew
they might have put him on the list because.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Overalls where you gotta drafted him even though he's a my.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Pool host in Delgado, kind of came out of nowhere.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Gotcha, And there was always a lot to do, I'm sure. Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
I mean Mike Trout was probably on the list before.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
He gotcha, gotcha something everybody knew. Okay, but you could.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
I mean so even like when you did trades, you
had to even the money out unless.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You capa the cap. The cap didn't go any cap compliant.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
So yeah, so if I had I'm at two hundred
and eighty dollars, but I want to trade for a
thirty dollars player I got, I get, I gotta dump
some salary, so it is more like real.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah yeah, yeah, okay, So there's some strategy to keeping
cap space after the draft. You don't want to be
all the way up against no.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah, you better say some cap yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Okay, because you have to sign a kicker in week
five like the real world, right, yeah okay.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
And then if if the guy went on, if a
guy went on this, I'm remembering all this now. If
a guy went on the disabled list, you got half
of his cap space.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, he shouldn't count as much.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, you didn't like so if he was a twenty
dollars player, you got Well, he was on the disabled list,
you got ten. You've got ten dollars in cap space
to replace him.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Okay, but you can't leave him on the d L
the second if he gets.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
It when he was activated, you got to bring him back.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Okay, that's a good way of doing it.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Thought of all that myself.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
No, little, have you ever done a pure auction?
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I have not.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I bet they get bonkers.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
It would take all day.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
It would take all day, it would take all day.
But a bunch of dudes pounding beers fighting for McCaffrey
sixty sixty one dude. Yeah right, But from what I
understand with auctions, the end is awesome. You're the one sitting.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
There with if you haven't spend all your money.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Yeah right, I'm like, I'll take him for a buck.
I'll take him for a buck. Like you can really
strategize things. Yeah, just some different When you heard of
DEVI leagues, No, I forget what dev y stands for,
but it's a form of dynasty. But you can draft
kids when they're coming out of high school. I mean,
(13:17):
these dudes are intense. I mean, you've owned Trevor Lawrence
since he was eighteen, and they're huge rosters and you
can't play him until you can't play him until he
gets the league, right, But you have all these college
dudes eating up space. But when you get there and
Saquon shows up or gent shows up, it's like.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I don't think I like that.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
It didn't interest me one bit, to be honest, because
I just I don't know recruiting, and you know you
really have to. You're drafting nineteen year olds. Half of
them bust, you know. I mean, it didn't interest me
at all. Have you ever done IDP? Yeah I did
a little when I didn't love it.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I don't love it because tackles aren't a real statistic
in right.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
And I also think interceptions are for bad players a lot.
You take corners that get picked on. Yeah, I want
to get that sacks afye, you know, like that type
of thing, But it wasn't really for me.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
You're really good corners, nobody throws at them, so no stats,
they don't.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Really help you. Or a deep free safety like Menka
doesn't make many tackles because he's not in the line
of scrimmage, but doesn't mean he's not good, you know,
like that kind of thing. You know, and you some
scorers are better for tackles than others, and they're better.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
You better know that the stats. Yeah, the Broncos do this.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
So that the league I was thinking about that I
thought was the kitchen Sink League was my buddy Ryan
created it where it's a dynasty startup. But if one owner,
I think they don't get a pick in the first
five rounds. So you start picking like late in the
(14:52):
dynasty startup, so all the good guys are gone, but
they're still you still build a respectable roster. But your
reward for doing that is you get every rookie pick
in the first round the next year, so you get
twelve of the best rookies after year one. So you're young.
But it's just do you want to be that guy
(15:12):
or do you want to be I can't exactly how
that goes, but there's a lot of these weird roles
like that.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Yeah, there's there's a lot of different ways you can
do it, and you know, a lot of it's fun. Yeah, yeah,
you know different ways. The guy that finishes last has
to buy the food, or he has to do this
or you know where silly had to work.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, dress whatever.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
So fun. I don't when people get angry at us
for talking fantasy football. And there are some like you
probably haven't tried it.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're not into you're not into it.
That's cool, I get it.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
But it's fun.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Anyways, let's get to a break.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Bazillion different leagues out there though.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
He is the Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're
listening to the Driver here on the Steelers Audio Network.
We will be back with more right after.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williams
show on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and GOLDNR Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
We are back. I am Dale Lolly. He is the
Matt Williamson and this is the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. Of course, you can hear the Drive every
Monday through Friday from four to six pm right here
on these very airwaves. You can also download the Steelers
mobile app and get it there, or you can watch
along on YouTube at least for another week or so
(16:39):
here then we'll be going on a little summer hiatus
with the YouTube. We'll pick it back up once we
get the training camp and then all season long. And
of course here we're going to take a week once
we get into June. Here, we're probably going to cut
the show back to three days a week. At that point,
there's just not as much to talk.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
About huge happens. We can always come running, you know.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
So, Matt Pro Football Focus has put together a list
of the three best players, yeah, on each team, something
they do every year.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
It's kind of interesting.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And for the Steelers, the three best players listed are
t J. Watt, Sure, Cameron Hayward, I think they're the
easy two, and DK Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah. Again, it's kind of like the quarterback conversation. I
only clicked on the Steelers. Would they be your three?
I have a top to would he be your third?
I mean everyone's gonna have Watton, Hayward, Minka has a
strong case. I don't think Zach Frasier's too far off
at this point, Like I think he's a top five
center already.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
And I was kind of actually surprised that it wasn't high.
Smith grades really really well on Pro Football folks actually.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Her big those two. No, I'm not suggesting he should
be on there, but they have like four of the
top ten pass Rush grades. Yeah, you know, include and
cam I supposed to be a good one. I think
Minco would be my pick still of just who's the
best three.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
My only problem with putting Metcalf on that list is
that you're greeting him on what he did in Seattle.
So by that metric, would that have been George Pickens.
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
I don't think so. I don't care about their grades
so much. I mean, I don't that's what they're using.
We actually the three best dealers are Wa, Hayward and
Bosworth or boz Well what I call Bosworth the boz Yeah,
Boswell is better. I mean, if you think about it,
(18:39):
I mean they should not put Kickers on there, yeah,
I mean, if you're talking about who's the best at
what they do, he's the top of the list. But
I think Minco would be my third, just on the
eyeball test.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I don't think Fraser's far off though, No, I don't
think he is either.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And it's easier to be a top five center than
is a top five wide receiver, and but I don't
think Metcalf's the top five wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
But I think Fraser is the top five center. Let's
look at some of these other ones. Yeah, for the
Arizona Cardinals, it's Trey McBride, Kyler, Murray, Buddha Baker.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Okay, I'm glad Baker absolutely should be on there. Paris
Johnson could be knocking on the door. A lot to
pick from, sort of stars.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
For the Falcons, Jesse Bates, Chris Lindstrom, b Jon Robinson.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Yeah, I'm fine with that. Lyndstrom's a certain type of guard.
He's a polar Space guy. Wouldn't fit every system but
that they asked him to do. It's Arthur Smith's own
stuff mostly still For.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
The ravens Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Kyle, Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yep, Linderbaum or Metabuke. I think i'd take Hamilton and.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
A Bookie wasn't all that greatly two years ago.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
He was much better. Yeah, Rokwan is the same thing.
I think I'd go with Hamilton as the third.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
For the Bills. This one might surprise some people. Josh Allen,
Dion Dawkins, Christian Benford.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Benford is a corner no one ever talks about that
really is a good player that just doesn't have the
pedigree or the household name. I got no problem with that.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yeah, I don't look at Dion Dawkins though.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
As a The thing is they don't really star laden team.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
They really aren't.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I mean, it's a solid roster, but it's not superstars
for as many games as they win.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah. For the Panthers, it's Derek Brown they missed all year.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
J C.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Horn, Taylor Moten, Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Moten's a lot like Dawkins to me, like quality player
that is a B level tackle, you know.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
For the Bears, Jalen Johnson, DJ Moore, Kyler Gordon.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Gordon's a great slot all around type dude. Yeah, Like,
I'm not fighting any of these so far.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
I don't know that I want my slot though, to
be one of my three best players.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You'd rather you left tackle?
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Right? Yeah, two cornerbacks and a wide receivers.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Like cayleb Williams on that list last year. Right.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
For the Bengals, Borrow Chase and Bricks Burrow Chase Henderson.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
For the Browns, Garrett question Mark, question Mark.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Denzel Ward. Okay, they love Denzel Ward.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Is he easyff favorite, easy, good player, But there are
some corners they fall in love with.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Yeah, and David and Joku.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Not great.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
I don't know how they get over the David and
Joku drops.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
They doesn't have a lot of candidates, true, yeah, I
mean other than Garrett's words are fine number two, but
then you're stretching.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
For the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
That needs to be Mason Graham next year. Yeah, Judkins
or you.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Know, Micah Parsons, Ceedee Lamb, Dak Prescott. Well, you're not
going to see a lot of running backs necessarily on
this list because some positions, by their grades, get judged
differently than others.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
I'm sure i'd love them sometime to really know their formula.
Maybe I don't whatever. Tyler Smith could be in the conversation.
Parsons and Lamb are easy for.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
The Broncos, Patrick Certain, Quinn, Miners, Courtland Sutton.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Okay, I thought it might be like Benito instead of Sutton.
Certain and Miners are strong.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
For the Lions a Mon Ross, Saint Brown, Aiden Hutchinson,
Pinasol Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
And the fact that Seul was third on that list.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Oh these are an order too. Oh yeah, Okay, I mean,
like a branch doesn't make it, you know, there's yeah,
Gibbs doesn't make it. Golf.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
For the Packers, Xavier McKinney, Josh Jacobs, in offensive tackles,
Zach Tom.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
They're not a real star powered team either. It's not
a bad it's probably the picks. Tom's a solid right tackle.
They could use another stud.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
For the Texans, Nico Collins, will Anderson, Derek.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Stingley pretty good, pretty young too.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
For the Colts, Quentin Nelson, Bernard Raymond, DeForest Buckner.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
I said they're not gonna have a great group. It's
not really Jonathan Taylor at this point. Yeah, all these
edge rushers, they keep drafting.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Left side of your offensive line in a thirty defensive
tackle who really hasn't had the last couple of years
have not been great.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
And I don't think Nelson's quite what he used to be,
Like he's not on a Hall of Fame pace like
everyone thought he'd be after three years. And Raymond's been
really good for a short arm tackle.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yeah it was twenty five when he came in.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah, exactly, exactly. That's a suspect or after.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Kind of Jacksonville. Josh Heinz Allen, Brian Thomas, Trevor Lawrence,
Lawrence is on the line. The fact that Trevor Lawrence
is on that list is damning for the Jaguars because
he maybe not good to be there, you would hope. Yeah,
there's the number one overall picking the draft, much like Lawrence.
(24:00):
We saw and that we know Lawrence had a bad
year last ye.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yeah, and there's a lot many candidates. It's got to
be Hunter next year. You know, you need Lawrence to
be on it. For the Chiefs, Mahomes, Mahomes, Chris Jones, Humphrey,
Trent McDuffie, Okay, I wouldn't think it's Kelsey anymore.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
But for the Chargers justin Herbert Khalil Mack Rashaun Slater,
Fair Max.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Is still really good.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
For the Rams, pookin the Kua, Matthew Stafford, Jared.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Vers, it's probably one of the d linemen. Solid.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
For the Raiders, I may put Adams on there, Max Crosby,
Christian Wilkins, Bruck Bauers.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Nice to get Wilkins back. Those are the names for.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
The Dolphins, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Jayleen Waddle. Yeah, hence
some of their problems right right, because you're not getting
a ton out of Ramsey and Hill lately, and they
both might be elsewhere soon.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
For the Vikings, justin Jefferson easily, Christian darrisaw Brian O'Neil.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
That you like receiver and two tackles. Good start for
a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
For the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
That's gonna be tough.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Christian Gonzalez. Yeah, Milton Williams, Okay, Robert Splaine, what do
you want?
Speaker 2 (25:34):
I'm sure he grades better for them than we would
have them ranked.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
And as I said yesterday, the Patriots somehow are favored
in eleven of their games right now. And your third
best player is Robert flipping Spallaine.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, they need like digs to rebound or bar more
to show he's healthy. Robert Splaine, Right, he should not
be in your top three. He shouldn't be anywhere on
this list. He wouldn't be an all of Bama's top three.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
No, would he make any other team's top three list.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I don't think he wouldn't even.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Been on the Raiders list.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
No, we just did the Raiders better than Christian Wilkins, right.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
The Raiders was Max Crosby. Christian Wilkins, brock Bowers right right.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Now, I'm maybe we'll come to one and be like maybe,
I don't think and the rosters a lot better now
it was last year, but not seven games better, no,
six games better whatever.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
For the Saints, the Mario Davis, Eric McCoy, Chrys Olave's.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
I'd still have a lave in there. Yeah, McCoy is
a good center.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Splain wouldn't crack that now, He's not better than those three.
For the Giants, Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Malik Neighbors.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
They don't lack stars.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
For the Jets, Quinn Williams, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yeah. Their their question is like who's four?
Speaker 3 (26:57):
For the Eagles A J. Brown, my lot of Lane Johnson.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Jalen Carter, se Kwon Barkley. I mean it's tough running back. Yeah,
I mean I can't argue with those three, but yeah,
there's a lot of ones that Patriots could use. Some
of those guys. For the Seahawks, Blaine would not crack
the evenings list.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Seahawks have Devin Witherspoon, Jackson Smith and jay By Charles Cross.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
And need to get a little better. Yeah, it's okay.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
You know, San Francisco is Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kettle.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Yeah, Trent Williams doesn't make a list anymore.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
I mean coming off kind of a down injured year
for the Buccaneers. Mike Evans, Tristan Wurfs, Antoine Winfield pretty good.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah, Yeah, Godwin's coming off a really good year.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
The Titans.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Moose Blaine might be in this conversation.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Jeffrey Simmons, Yes, Calvin Ridley to Vandre Sweat.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
He would not crack that one. But Sweat's coming off
a really good year. Yeah, it'd be nice if it
was Latham or Scronsky, Well, war it would be great.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Were the Commanders, they're the second worst group. Yeah, the
last one here. Jane Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Bobby Wagner.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Wagner still.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Says a little bit about the roster.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Yeah, who else would you pick? That's what I'm hearing thinking,
is Tunsel's coming off a bad year or two? The
one guards Cosmy is good, but he got hurt. Yeah,
pains not as good as he was when they signed him.
Saints Truel. That roster's not as goods people think, especially
on defense. I can't argue with the picks. I don't
(28:38):
think it's debo.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Not that you want to see a fall off from
Cam Hayward or t J.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Watt.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
No, of course not KF not be on this list.
But if we do this list a year from now
and one of the Steelers two offensive tackles is on that.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
List, you'd be pretty happy, really happy. Yeah, Porter could
be on that list. I mean it was a premium position.
That's why Joe March drafting premium position.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Right, who Frasier, I actutely think is knocking on the
door already.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Yeah, there were only one center on there, though.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
I wasn't Cooy was the only one. Coy. Yeah, they
weren't real kind No rag Now Linderbaum didn't make it, Okay,
I mean I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
I don't know if you want your best player to
be a center.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
No, I don't think you do.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
But I do think like at one point for the Steelers,
you know DERMANI was you know, Rod Woodson, Dermany, Dawson,
Greg Lloyd.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yeah, I'm sure Pouncey made that list a lot in
PFF history. Well, they were always mean.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
To him already, they hated.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
The bouncy for whatever reason. They love some corners and
they're some centers they don't like.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Oh yeah, he's pouncy, does more than any other center
in the league. But we're not going to grate him
as high as Bene Jones and Tennessee who blocks in
a phone booth.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yeah, I remember us doing the drive and that was
like the exact right up. We were talking about like
the top thirty two centers they did back then, and
he was like twenty five first line. She guys ask
him to do more in any center in the league, but.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Well, yeah, yeah, he does more combo blocks and polls.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
And single blocks against Dexter Lawrence types or Chris Jones.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
Yeah, we're gonna grade him worse than some slappy and
yeah Jacksonville. I don't think they grade on a curve.
I mean, it's different if your blocking Chris Jones one
on one as opposed to you know, Isaiah louder Milk,
it's not the same level, you know, same assignment. No, right, no,
(30:34):
especially with help. Yeah, it's one of the problems that
I have with their grading.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Yeah, one of the many problems I have with the
grading system.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Cover guys in o' linement tend to Okay, I'll use
it as a guideline, but definitely not a rule.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Yeah, absolutely, but interesting list. I just disagree with too
many of their choices.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
No, I mean there's good players left off.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Yeah, the better the team, the more good players as
you have.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Eagles have a ton, Yeah, Eagles have a ton. You
Chiefs have a fair amount of good ones that didn't
make it. Of course playoff teams, but yeah, it's kind
of an interesting You get a feel for the team.
Like the Bills stood out to me like they've been
a ton of games. Who's their second best player?
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Yeah, Robert Splain still isn't cracking that list.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
No, only one team he makes it, and I would
hope that he's not on their list next year, even
if he has a really good year.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
They got nothing against because he's a former steel that's
not the intent. He is a he's a he is
what he is. He's a He's a solid football player,
but he shouldn't be one of your stars.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
No, No, I mean they were happy to sign him,
The Raiders are really happy with them. Great and he's
having going on to have a good career. But as
much as the Patriots have invested in that roster in
the last three and sixty five days. He needs to
be eighth or twelfth, twelfth, Yeah, right, right right. I
mean Milton Williams is a good one on there, at
least they invested in them. But Drake may needs to
(31:56):
be on there. Dravan Henderson, Yeah, Campbell.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Right, let's get to a break. He is Matt Williamson.
I am Dale Lollie. You're listening to the Driver and
the Steelers Audio Network. We'll be back with more right
after this.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
He 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 3 (32:29):
And we are back. I am Dale Lolli. He is
the Matt Williamson and Matt by this time tomorrow when
we get together, let me have some ideas about any
potential rule changes that.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
He comes up with. They're chatting about it as we
speak right now. I would imagine, and I would think Wednesday,
all that stuff comes out.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Push push schedule or not schedule, playoff.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
The playoff formatting. We talked about that the other day.
That's big. I mean, tush push has been talked to death.
But that playoff and all that kind of stuff could
be a monster change. I'm not sure it'll happen, but
I wonder.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
I guess it would go into effect right away.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
No reason not to. It doesn't change how anyone plays.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
No, I mean, you're still going to try to make
the playoffs. That's the right idea.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
It's not like, hey, I built my team to win
this division, only you still could win the division and
get in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Yeah, it's just one of those like that's one of
the things that I don't like about changing the way
the playoffs are formatted. There should be some kind of
reward beyond just making the playoffs for winning your division.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
That's my biggest problem with it, you know, because it
helps build rivalries. The AFC nor is one of the
best examples. These coaches all know each other. There's not
a ton of change that. Again, I've told the story
a million times, but the Ears with the Browns, Phil
Savage would start every draft meeting with a prayer. He's
(33:56):
a religious guy. And then how do we beat the Steelers?
You know, it was the best team in the division.
We're the worst even in the division. So to get
to where we're at but we need someone to cover
hins Ward or block this guy, you know, right right, yeah,
I mean there's I mean, I don't think why you're
black as an accident after the Raven situation, you know,
(34:17):
like it's it's there's something to be said for that,
and that's the path to get in the playoffs. I
do think you should at least host a game.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Yeah, I think that's your reward for winning your division,
being the best of your four team group.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
I don't know if it's a good idea or a
bad idea, but what if all the division winners hosted
a game? But even if you're the seven seed, you
might play a tougher game, but at least you get
it in your building.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
That's your rules and what's kind of what's happening now though,
if you were the if I'm the if I was
the four seed, I'm playing the toughest wildcard team. That's
probably which is where everybody well that wildcard team was
thirteen and three and that division winner was nine and eight.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah yeah, yeah, okay, but they wont when your division
right right right? Yeah? I can't it as is I
do too.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
I mean, I think there's again it matters, you know,
whether you win your division if you if you do this.
And here's the thing, it's not like everybody plays the
same schedule.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Right, So the fact you have six of your seventeen
games in the division, is that more than like Major
League Baseball percentage wise? Yeah, or hockey or basketball or
I have no idea, but it has to be near
the top of the league in terms of what percentage
of your schedule is division games amongst all sports. It
has to be super high.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Yeah, because those games matter more.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Yeah, so even the conference matters a little more.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Right.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
There's not that many NFC games for a reason, right,
you know, Like AFC is like we got all these
damn quarterbacks we got to deal with. How are we
going to do that? I mean, that has to be
one of the even if you're not in the North
against If we're going.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
To do it this way, then how about you just
whatever fourteen teams finish with the highest I was going
to say the best record, and then we'll just pull
them out of a hat and decide who goes where.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
It's the NCAA Tournament. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, Okay,
well Bama has two losses, but they're one of the
best teams are going doesn't but.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
They're going to be in this bracket, and that team's
going to be in that bracket.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
It's the NCAA tournament. Yeah, you know, it's March madness.
It really doesn't matter. Why kind of what it would be?
Why stop?
Speaker 3 (36:20):
Why stop with this? Let's just okay, open it up.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Yeah. What if the best four teams in the AFC
are all in one division? They all go, Yeah, because
they deserve it. Yeah. I like it the way it is.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
I just don't see a reason to reinvent the wheel here.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Hmm.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
I don't know what we're real Because last year the
Vikings went fourteen and three and were a wild card.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
They should have lost their last two games, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
They had an opportunity to win the division and they failed.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
And then they didn't have a brutal game. They were
on the road, but they played the four seed, right,
I mean, he played the worst division leader. It's like
you had to play the Lions again. Yeah. Yeah, I
would just leave it as it is.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Yeah. I still think division games matter. And if you
take away that home if and now all of a sudden,
your division winner can end up again the reason they
wanted they want to do well. That one year Seattle
went eight and nine, and they would have been this
or eight and or seven and eight, seven and nine, Yeah,
there's seven, eight and one, whatever it was, whatever it was, right,
and they hosted a game.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Okay, okay, so that happened once once in the right, right,
right right. And I know the playoffs formats have sort
of changed over the years or how many teams go
and all that, but is that the only I think
it's the only time in NFL history that a team
of the losing record hosted a playoff.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
But that's the one that everybody always well that one
time Seattle once once, right, right, right, yeah, I mean
there's by the way, they won the damn game.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
And they won, right yeah, that was the Lynch beastquake game.
I think I beat the Saints.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Which again goes there, well that shouldn't happen. Well then,
right right, maybe you maybe you weren't quite as good
as what you thought you were. I think rivalries are
I mean, hey, i've seen the Steelers, you know, in
in two thous an eleven had to go to an
eight and eight Denver team. I think the Steelers won
eleven games that year. Yeah, you know, it is, it
(38:10):
is what it is. They lost that game. Part of
it was because they Bryan Clark couldn't play there because
of yeah, right, situation. But it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
You know. I lean that way too, and we did
break this down earlier in the week, but it should
be noted. I think what they are trying to accomplish
is no one resting players, right, you know, I mean.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
Come up with a different penalty to the teams start
finding them.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Yeah, okay, you can winning your division deserves more than
a wild card. You can remember it is.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
You can rest your players, but we're going to find you.
You know, they're not on the injury report. You're getting
find a million dollars.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
I don't know, Yeah, I know, I mean, I just
it doesn't even have to be a negative penalty. It's
just give them some incentive to play. But I don't
think that's it. Yeah, someone smarter than us configure out,
you know. But I do think if you win your
play win your division, you should host a playoff camp.
Those fans are like, we helped get you there. We
get to go to the playoff camp. You know, we
(39:09):
won the division were the best team against the Ravens,
Bengals and Browns.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
You know, I think the blind draw, do the blind
draw for the playoffs, but.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
They just totally pick out why not?
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Why not? Then everybody's in the same boat.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
I think it's fine now it is, word's not broke.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
Don't fix it, give up, give out four top seeds
and you know, make those two. I don't know, I
don't know it. Just don't mess with what's.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
Not a lot of change and it doesn't have to happen.
I don't know. In the end, I just think if
you win your division shows a game, I do too.
You know, however that works.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Out anyways, Matt, that's going to do it for today's show.
So for my partner Matt Williamson, for CJ Wolfy here
on site running the CJ Wolfy hotline in the soundboard today,
and for Tyler Vittmeyer making sure our video gets out
there on the YouTube gives a thumbs up on that.
We appreciate that. I am Dale Lolly. We thank you
(40:05):
for listening to this edition of the Drive on the
Steelers Audio Network.
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 (00:15):
And we are back.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
This is Dale Lolly here with Matt Williamson and the
start of our number two and Matt a lot of
times we we talk a lot about fantasy football. But
I just did a Google search here during the break.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I can't even imagine what you came up with.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Of the different styles of fantasy football.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Right right, And so we talked about dynasty versus re draft.
There's a lot of.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Different things that you can do out there with fantasy
football beyond just a straight redraft.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Let oh yeah there, we're dynasty for creative ones. So
I've been on the air with a lot of people
that I came up with this idea for a league
and it worked pretty well or you know, it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
The first thing I'd like to talk about here is
the difference between a dynasty league and a keeper league.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
A lot of difference. Yeah, dynasty is like dynasty to
me is the closest to the NFL, you know where.
Right now, I'm doing a lot of rookie drafts where
Genti's the first pick McMillan or Hunter or Hampton's the
next pick, and I have that guy on my roster
as long as I want, right.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
You know, whereas a keeper league, you're redrafting every year
and you get to protect yes, five players, there's only
three players or two players.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
In a dynasty there's only one startup, which is a
blast by the way, where like Josh Allen comes off
the board, you know, he never gets drafted again. You know,
there's just a rookie draft of dudes coming in.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
This kind of sucks if you don't. If you jump
into a dynasty league.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Oh, if you get an orphan, you're in troge. It
takes a while.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
You're gonna have to rebuild because that whoever had that
team before probably didn't really care all that.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Much about it. That often happens.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
That's a huge They dumped everybody the year before. I'm
gonna go for it this year and then I'm out.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah. So the reason you do this too is everybody
plays for money. I don't think that's a big shocker.
If you trade your future first, you have to get
money from this. I play for pride man ride, right,
But if you trade your future first, in most leagues,
you have to pay that year's dues, so you don't
just trade all your assets going forward, get every old guy.
(02:07):
You can win it and be like I'm out, you know.
But a lot of almost all my dynasty leagues, I
don't really know the people I'm in with, Like I
could pass them in the hall and I would know
they are. I mean, we've been in leagues together a bunch.
But there's also like these safe league systems where they
hold all them the commission doesn't run away for it.
My Dynasty League is the best software for it all,
(02:29):
but I urge everyone to try it.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
There's some other variations here of things that you can do.
You've got a Guillotine league.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, they're getting really popular, and I don't know a
ton about them. I think it's kind of like, so.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
You don't get to use the waiver wire. I'm just
reading a definition. H yeah. Yeah. But if you whatever
team loses each week, I believe is out, That's what
I say, and their players all become all become free agents.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yes, So it's a lot like I should know what this.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Is, but like so here, so here, it's a here's
the definition. These are the difference between you've got Guillotine League,
you get a pirate League, Vampire League, Kitchen Synk League, unbiased.
There's all kinds of different stuff there.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
They both thought up. So the Guillotine League is these
are more popular than you think.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah. Instead of head to head matchups between managers, the
league is a free for all.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yes, you don't play the head to head match up.
Only one team gets eliminated every but the team.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
That has the lowest score each week.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Done.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
You're done.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You're done, and all those dudes become.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Those guys become free agents and then you get the
either bid on them or Yeah, I don't know if
it's a based on the order of finish or however,
maybe just.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Get x amount of you know, dollars to spend over
the court. Maybe I wan't to spend it now because
if I get eliminated, I can't take them heaven with me,
you know, after I get guillotined. The Pirate League, this,
this one's crazy too.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Has nothing to do with the baseball team that plays
down the show.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I say, this league everybody turns into Yankees, Dodgers and
Red Sox after they get good.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Pirate leagues allow you to steal one active player from
any team you beat head to head in a matchup.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Which is crazy if you think if you win like
your first four games of the can be loaded. You'll
be loaded. You might not lose again. Yeah, but I
might steal Barkley off you and then lose them to
CJ next week. You know what I mean, Like just.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
What I thought, you know, vice versa. If I lose
my first couple of games, and I honestly, in my
re draft leagues, I never care about losing the first
couple of weeks of the season because I'm still trying
to figure out, like I'll because I'll take some flyers
on some guys, and.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
You often start the wrong guys, right, you think these
are solid dudes, but they're not yet.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, and then you end up, oh, yeah, I'm owing two.
But I got the first waiver pick.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Up a couple of weeks, right, someone big got hurt,
and yeah, we'll get hurt.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And this guy's got a much bigger role than anybody imagined. Ye,
and he's emerged. So that doesn't bother me, But in
this league it will bother me a lot because probably
getting wiped.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
You know, right, I took McCaffrey first overall, and now
he's gone because I lost in round one. Now I'm
in trouble, especially if you'd like the first pick in
the draft. Everyone's always gonna take that, and your next
pick was until like twenty four, and that's your best player.
Now you know after a Week one loss.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
You also have a vampire league. Okay, The vampire leagues
implement stealing players in an asymmetrical symmetrical fashion. Choose one
manager to be the vampire however you see fit. They
will not take part in the draft.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
So if a twelve team league, eleven people draft, yes.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
So everybody knows who the vampires.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, you're just kind of sitting in the room with
your teeth out.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
They then build their squad through waiver wire and free
agent pickups, and normal teams are not allowed to use waivers.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
At all, so the whole year they don't have any waivers.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And if you lose, you lose to the vampire team.
He can take a player out of your lineup, so.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
You'd love to play him in Week one. This seems
gonna be bad. You could still lose, but it's.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Gonna be oh yeah bad.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I assume the draft isn't super deep. At least he
must be somebody, like give him a quarterback.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Like if it's a twelve team league, maybe only draft
twelve player.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I say that would be somewhat fair, because otherwise that vampire.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Then he would still have some recent I got.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
A quarterback that plays, I have a chance, right, but
then your first win. Now the vampire is getting stronger
and stronger. Kitchen sync is one I my buddy Ryan MC.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
That's the next one on here.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
He might have even created it. I forget exactly what
it was, but it's really interesting.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Your team positions are as follows. Two to three super flexes,
eight to twelve flex players, two kickers to defenses, and quarterbacks.
You just basically start everybody.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
You start the kitchen saying yeah, yeah, yeah, you throw. Okay,
that's different than I thought. Okay, that one's interesting. You
might get some zeros. You might yeah, right right. I
mean that's like best ball too, if.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
You're carrying guys that you just have on are as
A hope this guy plays at some point.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I have two kickers if I canna start them both
and one of them was off that week or whatever too.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, that's kind of similar. To the no sitting league
where you don't have any bench spots. You start eight
to ten players every week and everybody plays. Sometimes that
takes strategy out of the equation.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
That's why best Ball is so happy or so popular
this time of year is you can go to like
Underdog Fantasy and you take a Best Ball team, which
I think is it's a deep roster. It's like, yeah,
eighteen guys, twenty guys, but you're done when the draft
is over. The software grabs whoever your best two running
(07:50):
backs were in week twelve in the lineup, Yeah, you
might have zero and zero and zero if you everybody
gets hurted.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I did those. I did a couple of those when
I was doing some stuff for four for four dots
and we just had some in house Best Ball drafts.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, and they're fun.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
They're fun, but I forget about them. The draft. The
draft takes a week basically, Oh, everybody's a long time
and you're drafting like twenty five players, but then you
don't do anything.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Then you don't do anything. Like again, Underdog is a
really good site for it, and they seem like that's
the most popular. Like two summers ago, I'm like I
think we had a promotion through one of my podcasts
where you get a hundred dollars free on Underdog. I'm like,
all right, I'll use it. And I did a bunch
of drafts, then I forgot all about them, and then
after the season, I'm like, I make money or lose money,
and I'm like, oh, I got forty bucks in my account.
(08:38):
I guess I didn't do great, you know, but a
one hundred was three year, you know. Yeah, And it's
not like boy week twelve, you're rooting for your best
ball guy. But it's fun this time of year.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah, I just to me, I like to I enjoy
the week to week strategizing of yeah, yeah, yeah, the
movement of it all. Looking at schedules. Okay, this guy's
got that there that you know, I'm going to start
my studs no matter what. But that second or third receiver?
Who am I starting this week? What's the quarterback situation?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Look like there's no strategy to beast ball, I mean
not just set and forget it.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yeah. The difference between an auction league and it's like
a straight snake draft.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I've never done an auction and I think it'd be fun.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I mean, we did it when when I first started
at the Observer Reporter in Washington, I had done fantasy
baseball to that point, and we did it was kind
of an auction, but it really wasn't. There used to
be some magazines that were put out that auction prices
on everything.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Oh okay this guy.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, So to save time on our draft, because straight auction,
you're bidding on the players, I said, why don't we
do this. We'll take the auction prices that are in there. Yeah,
you got to fill you got twenty one roster spots
that you have to raise.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
A salary cap.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Everybody is a salary cap, but like three hundred dollars
or whatever, it was right, and you got to keep
you get a budget for what that is.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Could we both own the same twenty dollars player? No
draft Like it was the first pick in the draft.
I'm gonna take this guy even though he's a dollar.
It's the best value I've ever seen. Yeah, okay, I'm
gonna use that.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I remember the one year we did Carlos Delgado was
a rookie for some reason.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
On he was a catcher that could hit right well.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
At that point, he caught in the miners. Okay, when
he came to the majors, he never caught. I don't
think he ever caught in the majors.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I think he played first for a while.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Right first, he was an outfielder, but he was on
our list. He was listed as a catcher. So the
guy who drafted him took him as a catcher for
really like a dollar, and he's like Gary Carter and
he's just like, I'm gonna take this Sea deal. Even
though his first name, yeah, it was a dollar catcher.
I'm gonna take the Sea. Del Gatto guy.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I remember, like Mike Piazza was like gold because he
was a catcher hitting.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Well, that was our other rule. So if a guy
got called up from the mine during the season, wasn't
on the auction list.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
You got him for a buck. So there's some studs
you get you I got, I mean Schemes was in
the mind.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I got his rookie year for a buck.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Was he rookie the year? I assumed he was awesome
from the start, right, yeah, so you would have got
Schemes for a buck. Well, he would have been on
the list probably, Okay, I thought his rookie year he
had not see.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Well he came up, but they I think they knew
they might have put him on the list because.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Overalls where you gotta drafted him even though he's a my.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Pool host in Delgado, kind of came out of nowhere.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Gotcha, And there was always a lot to do, I'm sure. Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
I mean Mike Trout was probably on the list before.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
He gotcha, gotcha something everybody knew. Okay, but you could.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
I mean so even like when you did trades, you
had to even the money out unless.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You capa the cap. The cap didn't go any cap compliant.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
So yeah, so if I had I'm at two hundred
and eighty dollars, but I want to trade for a
thirty dollars player I got, I get, I gotta dump
some salary, so it is more like real.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah yeah, yeah, okay, So there's some strategy to keeping
cap space after the draft. You don't want to be
all the way up against no.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah, you better say some cap yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Okay, because you have to sign a kicker in week
five like the real world, right, yeah okay.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
And then if if the guy went on, if a
guy went on this, I'm remembering all this now. If
a guy went on the disabled list, you got half
of his cap space.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, he shouldn't count as much.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, you didn't like so if he was a twenty
dollars player, you got Well, he was on the disabled list,
you got ten. You've got ten dollars in cap space
to replace him.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Okay, but you can't leave him on the d L
the second if he gets.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
It when he was activated, you got to bring him back.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Okay, that's a good way of doing it.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Thought of all that myself.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
No, little, have you ever done a pure auction?
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I have not.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I bet they get bonkers.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
It would take all day.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
It would take all day, it would take all day.
But a bunch of dudes pounding beers fighting for McCaffrey
sixty sixty one dude. Yeah right, But from what I
understand with auctions, the end is awesome. You're the one sitting.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
There with if you haven't spend all your money.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Yeah right, I'm like, I'll take him for a buck.
I'll take him for a buck. Like you can really
strategize things. Yeah, just some different When you heard of
DEVI leagues, No, I forget what dev y stands for,
but it's a form of dynasty. But you can draft
kids when they're coming out of high school. I mean,
(13:17):
these dudes are intense. I mean, you've owned Trevor Lawrence
since he was eighteen, and they're huge rosters and you
can't play him until you can't play him until he
gets the league, right, But you have all these college
dudes eating up space. But when you get there and
Saquon shows up or gent shows up, it's like.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I don't think I like that.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
It didn't interest me one bit, to be honest, because
I just I don't know recruiting, and you know you
really have to. You're drafting nineteen year olds. Half of
them bust, you know. I mean, it didn't interest me
at all. Have you ever done IDP? Yeah I did
a little when I didn't love it.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I don't love it because tackles aren't a real statistic
in right.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
And I also think interceptions are for bad players a lot.
You take corners that get picked on. Yeah, I want
to get that sacks afye, you know, like that type
of thing, But it wasn't really for me.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
You're really good corners, nobody throws at them, so no stats,
they don't.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Really help you. Or a deep free safety like Menka
doesn't make many tackles because he's not in the line
of scrimmage, but doesn't mean he's not good, you know,
like that kind of thing. You know, and you some
scorers are better for tackles than others, and they're better.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
You better know that the stats. Yeah, the Broncos do this.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
So that the league I was thinking about that I
thought was the kitchen Sink League was my buddy Ryan
created it where it's a dynasty startup. But if one owner,
I think they don't get a pick in the first
five rounds. So you start picking like late in the
(14:52):
dynasty startup, so all the good guys are gone, but
they're still you still build a respectable roster. But your
reward for doing that is you get every rookie pick
in the first round the next year, so you get
twelve of the best rookies after year one. So you're young.
But it's just do you want to be that guy
(15:12):
or do you want to be I can't exactly how
that goes, but there's a lot of these weird roles
like that.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Yeah, there's there's a lot of different ways you can
do it, and you know, a lot of it's fun. Yeah, yeah,
you know different ways. The guy that finishes last has
to buy the food, or he has to do this
or you know where silly had to work.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, dress whatever.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
So fun. I don't when people get angry at us
for talking fantasy football. And there are some like you
probably haven't tried it.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're not into you're not into it.
That's cool, I get it.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
But it's fun.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Anyways, let's get to a break.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Bazillion different leagues out there though.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
He is the Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're
listening to the Driver here on the Steelers Audio Network.
We will be back with more right after.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williams
show on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and GOLDNR Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
We are back. I am Dale Lolly. He is the
Matt Williamson and this is the Drive on the Steelers
Audio Network. Of course, you can hear the Drive every
Monday through Friday from four to six pm right here
on these very airwaves. You can also download the Steelers
mobile app and get it there, or you can watch
along on YouTube at least for another week or so
(16:39):
here then we'll be going on a little summer hiatus
with the YouTube. We'll pick it back up once we
get the training camp and then all season long. And
of course here we're going to take a week once
we get into June. Here, we're probably going to cut
the show back to three days a week. At that point,
there's just not as much to talk.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
About huge happens. We can always come running, you know.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
So, Matt Pro Football Focus has put together a list
of the three best players, yeah, on each team, something
they do every year.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
It's kind of interesting.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And for the Steelers, the three best players listed are
t J. Watt, Sure, Cameron Hayward, I think they're the
easy two, and DK Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah. Again, it's kind of like the quarterback conversation. I
only clicked on the Steelers. Would they be your three?
I have a top to would he be your third?
I mean everyone's gonna have Watton, Hayward, Minka has a
strong case. I don't think Zach Frasier's too far off
at this point, Like I think he's a top five
center already.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
And I was kind of actually surprised that it wasn't high.
Smith grades really really well on Pro Football folks actually.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Her big those two. No, I'm not suggesting he should
be on there, but they have like four of the
top ten pass Rush grades. Yeah, you know, include and
cam I supposed to be a good one. I think
Minco would be my pick still of just who's the
best three.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
My only problem with putting Metcalf on that list is
that you're greeting him on what he did in Seattle.
So by that metric, would that have been George Pickens.
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
I don't think so. I don't care about their grades
so much. I mean, I don't that's what they're using.
We actually the three best dealers are Wa, Hayward and
Bosworth or boz Well what I call Bosworth the boz Yeah,
Boswell is better. I mean, if you think about it,
(18:39):
I mean they should not put Kickers on there, yeah,
I mean, if you're talking about who's the best at
what they do, he's the top of the list. But
I think Minco would be my third, just on the
eyeball test.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I don't think Fraser's far off though, No, I don't
think he is either.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And it's easier to be a top five center than
is a top five wide receiver, and but I don't
think Metcalf's the top five wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
But I think Fraser is the top five center. Let's
look at some of these other ones. Yeah, for the
Arizona Cardinals, it's Trey McBride, Kyler, Murray, Buddha Baker.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Okay, I'm glad Baker absolutely should be on there. Paris
Johnson could be knocking on the door. A lot to
pick from, sort of stars.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
For the Falcons, Jesse Bates, Chris Lindstrom, b Jon Robinson.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Yeah, I'm fine with that. Lyndstrom's a certain type of guard.
He's a polar Space guy. Wouldn't fit every system but
that they asked him to do. It's Arthur Smith's own
stuff mostly still For.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
The ravens Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Kyle, Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yep, Linderbaum or Metabuke. I think i'd take Hamilton and.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
A Bookie wasn't all that greatly two years ago.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
He was much better. Yeah, Rokwan is the same thing.
I think I'd go with Hamilton as the third.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
For the Bills. This one might surprise some people. Josh Allen,
Dion Dawkins, Christian Benford.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Benford is a corner no one ever talks about that
really is a good player that just doesn't have the
pedigree or the household name. I got no problem with that.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yeah, I don't look at Dion Dawkins though.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
As a The thing is they don't really star laden team.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
They really aren't.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I mean, it's a solid roster, but it's not superstars
for as many games as they win.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah. For the Panthers, it's Derek Brown they missed all year.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
J C.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Horn, Taylor Moten, Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Moten's a lot like Dawkins to me, like quality player
that is a B level tackle, you know.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
For the Bears, Jalen Johnson, DJ Moore, Kyler Gordon.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Gordon's a great slot all around type dude. Yeah, Like,
I'm not fighting any of these so far.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
I don't know that I want my slot though, to
be one of my three best players.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You'd rather you left tackle?
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Right? Yeah, two cornerbacks and a wide receivers.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Like cayleb Williams on that list last year. Right.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
For the Bengals, Borrow Chase and Bricks Burrow Chase Henderson.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
For the Browns, Garrett question Mark, question Mark.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Denzel Ward. Okay, they love Denzel Ward.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Is he easyff favorite, easy, good player, But there are
some corners they fall in love with.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Yeah, and David and Joku.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Not great.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
I don't know how they get over the David and
Joku drops.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
They doesn't have a lot of candidates, true, yeah, I
mean other than Garrett's words are fine number two, but
then you're stretching.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
For the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
That needs to be Mason Graham next year. Yeah, Judkins
or you.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Know, Micah Parsons, Ceedee Lamb, Dak Prescott. Well, you're not
going to see a lot of running backs necessarily on
this list because some positions, by their grades, get judged
differently than others.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
I'm sure i'd love them sometime to really know their formula.
Maybe I don't whatever. Tyler Smith could be in the conversation.
Parsons and Lamb are easy for.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
The Broncos, Patrick Certain, Quinn, Miners, Courtland Sutton.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Okay, I thought it might be like Benito instead of Sutton.
Certain and Miners are strong.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
For the Lions a Mon Ross, Saint Brown, Aiden Hutchinson,
Pinasol Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
And the fact that Seul was third on that list.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Oh these are an order too. Oh yeah, Okay, I mean,
like a branch doesn't make it, you know, there's yeah,
Gibbs doesn't make it. Golf.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
For the Packers, Xavier McKinney, Josh Jacobs, in offensive tackles,
Zach Tom.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
They're not a real star powered team either. It's not
a bad it's probably the picks. Tom's a solid right tackle.
They could use another stud.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
For the Texans, Nico Collins, will Anderson, Derek.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Stingley pretty good, pretty young too.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
For the Colts, Quentin Nelson, Bernard Raymond, DeForest Buckner.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
I said they're not gonna have a great group. It's
not really Jonathan Taylor at this point. Yeah, all these
edge rushers, they keep drafting.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Left side of your offensive line in a thirty defensive
tackle who really hasn't had the last couple of years
have not been great.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
And I don't think Nelson's quite what he used to be,
Like he's not on a Hall of Fame pace like
everyone thought he'd be after three years. And Raymond's been
really good for a short arm tackle.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yeah it was twenty five when he came in.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah, exactly, exactly. That's a suspect or after.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Kind of Jacksonville. Josh Heinz Allen, Brian Thomas, Trevor Lawrence,
Lawrence is on the line. The fact that Trevor Lawrence
is on that list is damning for the Jaguars because
he maybe not good to be there, you would hope. Yeah,
there's the number one overall picking the draft, much like Lawrence.
(24:00):
We saw and that we know Lawrence had a bad
year last ye.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yeah, and there's a lot many candidates. It's got to
be Hunter next year. You know, you need Lawrence to
be on it. For the Chiefs, Mahomes, Mahomes, Chris Jones, Humphrey,
Trent McDuffie, Okay, I wouldn't think it's Kelsey anymore.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
But for the Chargers justin Herbert Khalil Mack Rashaun Slater,
Fair Max.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Is still really good.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
For the Rams, pookin the Kua, Matthew Stafford, Jared.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Vers, it's probably one of the d linemen. Solid.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
For the Raiders, I may put Adams on there, Max Crosby,
Christian Wilkins, Bruck Bauers.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Nice to get Wilkins back. Those are the names for.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
The Dolphins, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Jayleen Waddle. Yeah, hence
some of their problems right right, because you're not getting
a ton out of Ramsey and Hill lately, and they
both might be elsewhere soon.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
For the Vikings, justin Jefferson easily, Christian darrisaw Brian O'Neil.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
That you like receiver and two tackles. Good start for
a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
For the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
That's gonna be tough.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Christian Gonzalez. Yeah, Milton Williams, Okay, Robert Splaine, what do
you want?
Speaker 2 (25:34):
I'm sure he grades better for them than we would
have them ranked.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
And as I said yesterday, the Patriots somehow are favored
in eleven of their games right now. And your third
best player is Robert flipping Spallaine.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, they need like digs to rebound or bar more
to show he's healthy. Robert Splaine, Right, he should not
be in your top three. He shouldn't be anywhere on
this list. He wouldn't be an all of Bama's top three.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
No, would he make any other team's top three list.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I don't think he wouldn't even.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Been on the Raiders list.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
No, we just did the Raiders better than Christian Wilkins, right.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
The Raiders was Max Crosby. Christian Wilkins, brock Bowers right right.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Now, I'm maybe we'll come to one and be like maybe,
I don't think and the rosters a lot better now
it was last year, but not seven games better, no,
six games better whatever.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
For the Saints, the Mario Davis, Eric McCoy, Chrys Olave's.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
I'd still have a lave in there. Yeah, McCoy is
a good center.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Splain wouldn't crack that now, He's not better than those three.
For the Giants, Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Malik Neighbors.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
They don't lack stars.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
For the Jets, Quinn Williams, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yeah. Their their question is like who's four?
Speaker 3 (26:57):
For the Eagles A J. Brown, my lot of Lane Johnson.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Jalen Carter, se Kwon Barkley. I mean it's tough running back. Yeah,
I mean I can't argue with those three, but yeah,
there's a lot of ones that Patriots could use. Some
of those guys. For the Seahawks, Blaine would not crack
the evenings list.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Seahawks have Devin Witherspoon, Jackson Smith and jay By Charles Cross.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
And need to get a little better. Yeah, it's okay.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
You know, San Francisco is Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kettle.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Yeah, Trent Williams doesn't make a list anymore.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
I mean coming off kind of a down injured year
for the Buccaneers. Mike Evans, Tristan Wurfs, Antoine Winfield pretty good.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah, Yeah, Godwin's coming off a really good year.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
The Titans.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Moose Blaine might be in this conversation.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Jeffrey Simmons, Yes, Calvin Ridley to Vandre Sweat.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
He would not crack that one. But Sweat's coming off
a really good year. Yeah, it'd be nice if it
was Latham or Scronsky, Well, war it would be great.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Were the Commanders, they're the second worst group. Yeah, the
last one here. Jane Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Bobby Wagner.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Wagner still.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Says a little bit about the roster.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Yeah, who else would you pick? That's what I'm hearing thinking,
is Tunsel's coming off a bad year or two? The
one guards Cosmy is good, but he got hurt. Yeah,
pains not as good as he was when they signed him.
Saints Truel. That roster's not as goods people think, especially
on defense. I can't argue with the picks. I don't
(28:38):
think it's debo.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Not that you want to see a fall off from
Cam Hayward or t J.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Watt.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
No, of course not KF not be on this list.
But if we do this list a year from now
and one of the Steelers two offensive tackles is on that.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
List, you'd be pretty happy, really happy. Yeah, Porter could
be on that list. I mean it was a premium position.
That's why Joe March drafting premium position.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Right, who Frasier, I actutely think is knocking on the
door already.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Yeah, there were only one center on there, though.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
I wasn't Cooy was the only one. Coy. Yeah, they
weren't real kind No rag Now Linderbaum didn't make it, Okay,
I mean I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
I don't know if you want your best player to
be a center.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
No, I don't think you do.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
But I do think like at one point for the Steelers,
you know DERMANI was you know, Rod Woodson, Dermany, Dawson,
Greg Lloyd.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yeah, I'm sure Pouncey made that list a lot in
PFF history. Well, they were always mean.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
To him already, they hated.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
The bouncy for whatever reason. They love some corners and
they're some centers they don't like.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Oh yeah, he's pouncy, does more than any other center
in the league. But we're not going to grate him
as high as Bene Jones and Tennessee who blocks in
a phone booth.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yeah, I remember us doing the drive and that was
like the exact right up. We were talking about like
the top thirty two centers they did back then, and
he was like twenty five first line. She guys ask
him to do more in any center in the league, but.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Well, yeah, yeah, he does more combo blocks and polls.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
And single blocks against Dexter Lawrence types or Chris Jones.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
Yeah, we're gonna grade him worse than some slappy and
yeah Jacksonville. I don't think they grade on a curve.
I mean, it's different if your blocking Chris Jones one
on one as opposed to you know, Isaiah louder Milk,
it's not the same level, you know, same assignment. No, right, no,
(30:34):
especially with help. Yeah, it's one of the problems that
I have with their grading.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Yeah, one of the many problems I have with the
grading system.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Cover guys in o' linement tend to Okay, I'll use
it as a guideline, but definitely not a rule.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Yeah, absolutely, but interesting list. I just disagree with too
many of their choices.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
No, I mean there's good players left off.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Yeah, the better the team, the more good players as
you have.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Eagles have a ton, Yeah, Eagles have a ton. You
Chiefs have a fair amount of good ones that didn't
make it. Of course playoff teams, but yeah, it's kind
of an interesting You get a feel for the team.
Like the Bills stood out to me like they've been
a ton of games. Who's their second best player?
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Yeah, Robert Splain still isn't cracking that list.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
No, only one team he makes it, and I would
hope that he's not on their list next year, even
if he has a really good year.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
They got nothing against because he's a former steel that's
not the intent. He is a he's a he is
what he is. He's a He's a solid football player,
but he shouldn't be one of your stars.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
No, No, I mean they were happy to sign him,
The Raiders are really happy with them. Great and he's
having going on to have a good career. But as
much as the Patriots have invested in that roster in
the last three and sixty five days. He needs to
be eighth or twelfth, twelfth, Yeah, right, right right. I
mean Milton Williams is a good one on there, at
least they invested in them. But Drake may needs to
(31:56):
be on there. Dravan Henderson, Yeah, Campbell.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Right, let's get to a break. He is Matt Williamson.
I am Dale Lollie. You're listening to the Driver and
the Steelers Audio Network. We'll be back with more right
after this.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
He 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 3 (32:29):
And we are back. I am Dale Lolli. He is
the Matt Williamson and Matt by this time tomorrow when
we get together, let me have some ideas about any
potential rule changes that.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
He comes up with. They're chatting about it as we
speak right now. I would imagine, and I would think Wednesday,
all that stuff comes out.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Push push schedule or not schedule, playoff.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
The playoff formatting. We talked about that the other day.
That's big. I mean, tush push has been talked to death.
But that playoff and all that kind of stuff could
be a monster change. I'm not sure it'll happen, but
I wonder.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
I guess it would go into effect right away.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
No reason not to. It doesn't change how anyone plays.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
No, I mean, you're still going to try to make
the playoffs. That's the right idea.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
It's not like, hey, I built my team to win
this division, only you still could win the division and
get in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Yeah, it's just one of those like that's one of
the things that I don't like about changing the way
the playoffs are formatted. There should be some kind of
reward beyond just making the playoffs for winning your division.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
That's my biggest problem with it, you know, because it
helps build rivalries. The AFC nor is one of the
best examples. These coaches all know each other. There's not
a ton of change that. Again, I've told the story
a million times, but the Ears with the Browns, Phil
Savage would start every draft meeting with a prayer. He's
(33:56):
a religious guy. And then how do we beat the Steelers?
You know, it was the best team in the division.
We're the worst even in the division. So to get
to where we're at but we need someone to cover
hins Ward or block this guy, you know, right right, yeah,
I mean there's I mean, I don't think why you're
black as an accident after the Raven situation, you know,
(34:17):
like it's it's there's something to be said for that,
and that's the path to get in the playoffs. I
do think you should at least host a game.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Yeah, I think that's your reward for winning your division,
being the best of your four team group.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
I don't know if it's a good idea or a
bad idea, but what if all the division winners hosted
a game? But even if you're the seven seed, you
might play a tougher game, but at least you get
it in your building.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
That's your rules and what's kind of what's happening now though,
if you were the if I'm the if I was
the four seed, I'm playing the toughest wildcard team. That's
probably which is where everybody well that wildcard team was
thirteen and three and that division winner was nine and eight.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah yeah, yeah, okay, but they wont when your division
right right right? Yeah? I can't it as is I
do too.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
I mean, I think there's again it matters, you know,
whether you win your division if you if you do this.
And here's the thing, it's not like everybody plays the
same schedule.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Right, So the fact you have six of your seventeen
games in the division, is that more than like Major
League Baseball percentage wise? Yeah, or hockey or basketball or
I have no idea, but it has to be near
the top of the league in terms of what percentage
of your schedule is division games amongst all sports. It
has to be super high.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Yeah, because those games matter more.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Yeah, so even the conference matters a little more.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Right.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
There's not that many NFC games for a reason, right,
you know, Like AFC is like we got all these
damn quarterbacks we got to deal with. How are we
going to do that? I mean, that has to be
one of the even if you're not in the North
against If we're going.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
To do it this way, then how about you just
whatever fourteen teams finish with the highest I was going
to say the best record, and then we'll just pull
them out of a hat and decide who goes where.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
It's the NCAA Tournament. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, Okay,
well Bama has two losses, but they're one of the
best teams are going doesn't but.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
They're going to be in this bracket, and that team's
going to be in that bracket.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
It's the NCAA tournament. Yeah, you know, it's March madness.
It really doesn't matter. Why kind of what it would be?
Why stop?
Speaker 3 (36:20):
Why stop with this? Let's just okay, open it up.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Yeah. What if the best four teams in the AFC
are all in one division? They all go, Yeah, because
they deserve it. Yeah. I like it the way it is.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
I just don't see a reason to reinvent the wheel here.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Hmm.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
I don't know what we're real Because last year the
Vikings went fourteen and three and were a wild card.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
They should have lost their last two games, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
They had an opportunity to win the division and they failed.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
And then they didn't have a brutal game. They were
on the road, but they played the four seed, right,
I mean, he played the worst division leader. It's like
you had to play the Lions again. Yeah. Yeah, I
would just leave it as it is.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Yeah. I still think division games matter. And if you
take away that home if and now all of a sudden,
your division winner can end up again the reason they
wanted they want to do well. That one year Seattle
went eight and nine, and they would have been this
or eight and or seven and eight, seven and nine, Yeah,
there's seven, eight and one, whatever it was, whatever it was, right,
and they hosted a game.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Okay, okay, so that happened once once in the right, right,
right right. And I know the playoffs formats have sort
of changed over the years or how many teams go
and all that, but is that the only I think
it's the only time in NFL history that a team
of the losing record hosted a playoff.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
But that's the one that everybody always well that one
time Seattle once once, right, right, right, yeah, I mean
there's by the way, they won the damn game.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
And they won, right yeah, that was the Lynch beastquake game.
I think I beat the Saints.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Which again goes there, well that shouldn't happen. Well then,
right right, maybe you maybe you weren't quite as good
as what you thought you were. I think rivalries are
I mean, hey, i've seen the Steelers, you know, in
in two thous an eleven had to go to an
eight and eight Denver team. I think the Steelers won
eleven games that year. Yeah, you know, it is, it
(38:10):
is what it is. They lost that game. Part of
it was because they Bryan Clark couldn't play there because
of yeah, right, situation. But it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
You know. I lean that way too, and we did
break this down earlier in the week, but it should
be noted. I think what they are trying to accomplish
is no one resting players, right, you know, I mean.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
Come up with a different penalty to the teams start
finding them.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Yeah, okay, you can winning your division deserves more than
a wild card. You can remember it is.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
You can rest your players, but we're going to find you.
You know, they're not on the injury report. You're getting
find a million dollars.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
I don't know, Yeah, I know, I mean, I just
it doesn't even have to be a negative penalty. It's
just give them some incentive to play. But I don't
think that's it. Yeah, someone smarter than us configure out,
you know. But I do think if you win your
play win your division, you should host a playoff camp.
Those fans are like, we helped get you there. We
get to go to the playoff camp. You know, we
(39:09):
won the division were the best team against the Ravens,
Bengals and Browns.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
You know, I think the blind draw, do the blind
draw for the playoffs, but.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
They just totally pick out why not?
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Why not? Then everybody's in the same boat.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
I think it's fine now it is, word's not broke.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
Don't fix it, give up, give out four top seeds
and you know, make those two. I don't know, I
don't know it. Just don't mess with what's.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
Not a lot of change and it doesn't have to happen.
I don't know. In the end, I just think if
you win your division shows a game, I do too.
You know, however that works.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Out anyways, Matt, that's going to do it for today's show.
So for my partner Matt Williamson, for CJ Wolfy here
on site running the CJ Wolfy hotline in the soundboard today,
and for Tyler Vittmeyer making sure our video gets out
there on the YouTube gives a thumbs up on that.
We appreciate that. I am Dale Lolly. We thank you
(40:05):
for listening to this edition of the Drive on the
Steelers Audio Network.
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