May 8, 2023 • 20 mins
Dale and Matt start off the show conversating about the soon-to-be-released 2023-2024 Steelers game schedule.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
show on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and Gold SNR Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale LOLLI he is Man Williamson.
It is a beautiful new week here in Pittsburgh, and
it's an important week here in Pittsburgh, Matt, for a
couple of different reasons. First of all, rookie Minnie Camp
will be this weekend. The Steelers will be walking them
in their new draft class and guys coming in to
try out and things of that nature starting Friday, and
(00:38):
well by Friday, we will also know the Steelers schedule
for the twenty twenty three season.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, so these next couple days probably won't be riproaring
your news things a little bit of a calm. But
then what Thursday night, It's revealed the schedule, which is
huge for all you folks that travel.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
A lot of our.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Listeners, including you, Dale, that you know your travel schedule
all needs to get set up. And schedule analysis is
fun too. I mean I love looking at things like
are you playing cold weather teams late in the year,
You're playing hot weather teams early in the year.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
When's the bye all that.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Kind of yeah. And for the Steelers it matters this
year because they get some West Coast trips sprinkled in there.
You know, when do those fall? Are they on a
short week? Things that that, you know, all kinds of
different little variables in there. And you've got the added thing.
We talked about this when we were at the owners meetings,
that you can have two Thursday night games this year.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Oh right, right, I forgot about that.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
And I was I was reading some stuff about that
that said that that, you know, you can expect the
teams that the NFL thinks are going to be good
teams to get double Thursday night games, and maybe some
other teams not to get any interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
So let's stick with that for a second because it
always bothers me. The thing I hate most about the
NFL scheduling is a short Thursday night Thursday night week.
And I'm sure those won't go away, but it wouldn't
shock me if there's a handful of teams at least
some instances that play Thursday Thursday.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
You know, like the Cowboys always do that Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, And if you can tie that up without having
a super short week, I think that's a nice advantage,
you know, I mean being on the same clock and
those type of things. So I also wonder, Joe blow
Thursday Night game, Week seven.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
We've seen a lot of Jags Texans, a lot of
you know, I mean what bad games. Yeah, a little bit.
I wonder you know, Amazon bought the rice to that
last year and dumped it, put a lot of money
into it. Obviously. I wonder if Amazon went to went
to the NFL and said, hey, look, we're playing a lot,
We're paying a lot of money for this. We don't
(02:50):
want to see the Rams play the Texans card. Yeah,
I mean, these are these are not good football games.
Can we you know, can we put those once in
a while?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah? Right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, in the other part of the equation with that
scheduling things this year, and I didn't mean to go
down this path, but we're here with the with the
way that the league now schedules the TV stuff. Like
it used to be, if you were an AFC team
and you were on the road, you were automatically a
CBS that was a CBS game unless it was a
primetime game. Oka say, if if it was an NFC game,
(03:25):
you were a Fox game. Or an NFC team on
the road, you're a Fox game. Well that's changed now,
the two different. The network's now bid on these games basically,
so you know.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
So there's not steadfast rules.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Right, I mean, there there are rules that the networks
have to comply to it, but they you know, they
can protect games and do things of that nature, but
there's only so many they can protect. And you know,
things are that things that I don't underplan, you know,
pretend to understand all of the stuff involved with the
way that the league does the scheduling stuff and divvy's
(04:01):
up the games. But you know, you can bet that
you know, for example, Kansas City's going to play a
lot of prime time or not primetime, but the national
game of the week at four o'clock or four thirty
makes sense, right, you know, things of that nature that
you know, and the networks are going to protect those
games and not allow them to get shipped off to
(04:22):
other you know, times and things of that nature. So
it's gonna be interesting, and I believe that's been one
of the hold ups. If you remember, in previous years,
the league would announce some of the schedule, the primetime
games in particular ahead of time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay,
tease you a little bit. Yeah, So there was a
(04:43):
there were meetings today with Roger Goodell and the schedulers
to go over that prime time schedule because they couldn't
nail some of that stuff down because it's much more.
There are more networks now trying to take a bite
of the pie here, and the league is of course
beholden to all of them.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Interesting, So Amazon is now you know, obviously skews things
as well, and it all lends itself to the NFL
is more popular than ever and more people were seeing it.
I mean, is my big takeaway on that? You know,
spit it back to the Steelers and I'm sure most
of our listeners know this, but more opportunities than ever
to see the Steelers because they got nine home games
(05:22):
instead of eight this year. So I know, we have
a lot of people that are listening that don't live
in Pittsburgh that probably travel in once or twice a
year and check out a game. And trust me, I
have a lot of acquaintances that are on the edge
of their seat to Steelers at Vegas.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
When is that one gonna be? That's the big one,
that's the one that everybody's going to be looking at.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I believe in what I'm jealous.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I'm not a fan, you know, like I'd like to
do that once a year, just take my job and
put it away for a week and go party with
my buds for three days and do that.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
That's the funny thing about being at the games each
week is, you know everybody thinks game days are you know,
fun time for game days. Game days sixteen you know,
sixteen hours of work. I'm not at the game having fun.
I'm at the game working. Now. That doesn't mean I
don't go out and have some fun the night before
the game. That's a little different. But you know, the
(06:16):
day of the game is the day of the game,
and I enjoy the game.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean they're still fanning me. And I wouldn't do
this for a living if I didn't enjoy the game.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Oh yeah, you watch the game and you enjoy the
great the great plays. I don't care who makes them,
you know, but I enjoy the great plays. I like
watching the you know, great players do things. But you know,
game days work. Game Day's not terrible towels and grilling
in iron cities all day long. No I'm not in
the parking lot, you know, down in a bunch of
beers before I go to work. That's not how this
(06:45):
whole thing goes like.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I mean, that was the first twenty five years of
my life, and I do miss that a little. Well,
probably the beers didn't come till about fifteen.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
But but my buddy's going to Vegas.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I know, a plenty of will and plenty of our listeners. Well,
that'll be one to be like, hmm, I bet that
would be fun.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, So that's gonna be, you know, certainly one of
the games that that people look at on the Steelers schedule.
Let me call the schedule up here real quick, just
to remind people of what they've got this.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Year, especially considering how hard the division is, how difficult
the conference is.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
They get off easy though, at least the way it
looks right now. Yeah, it's again a lot of that's
going to depend on when some of these games are played,
where they fall, you know, do you have back to
back or three in a row with road games and
things of that nature. So the home schedules Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Arizona,
(07:43):
San Francisco, that's your home schedule for this season. So
I mean when you look at that game, Okay, the
Ravens the Bengals, we'll give that. We'll say the Browns
are going to be at at least, you know, a
tougher game.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I think a.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Division games a gonna be tough this year for the Star. Yeah,
you know, Jacksonville's a returning playoff team. The Titans are
gonna stink. The Cardinals are going to stink. When do
they play San Francisco. That's a big part of.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
This, big part of it. And who's their quarterback?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Right, So if you get San Francisco and say the
first six weeks of the of the season, and it's
Sam Donald, let's say that's a bit that's a much
different animal. I'm sorry, it just is. Steelers just played
Sam Donald last year late last year, So you know
that makes a big difference. If you look at the
(08:34):
road schedule real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
On the Niners, I don't know that any of their
three quarterbacks are good, right, that's the other point.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
They're all different.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I don't know if any of them are good, but
I do know that's talking be an easy game.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
No, it won't be, but you'd much rather play them here.
I mean, the Steelers have just not traditionally played well
in San Francisco.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
To me in that game is it's here.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
But you should be a you know, if you can
get through your home schedule, what do they got nine
home games this year? If you can get through that
six and three right right?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Right?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
I mean, okay, two and four in a division, you
could probably still get the you know, six wins at home.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Right if you look at the road schedule at Cincinnati,
at Baltimore, at Cleveland, at Houston, at Indianapolis, at the Rams,
now that's yeah. At Seattle will be a tougher game.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
That's a brutal one.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Right at the Raiders, I don't think there's gonna be
anything great. We talked about that one. And then they
got the Patriots and Packers at home as well.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I bet there's a fair amount of Steeler fans at Indy.
That's an easy trip.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
At Houston, need to get to, right, you know, I mean, yeah,
Houston's Houston is another one. It wouldn't surprise me to
see them fill up the Rams Stadium.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
And then you said green Bay and who is the
other green Bay? And Green Bay and New England are
the other two home games. Those are the two once
a match up with with how you know where you
finished last year?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I gotcha?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Okay, so again you get the Packers at home. Packers
Jordan love the Patriots.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, Patriots always hard to play against. But they're not
a very talented team, you know what I mean Again,
especially being in this division, in this conference and not
being the last place team. You know, they they got
pretty fortunate the way it looks, and one or two
of those teams we be better than we think, Like
the Colts come to mind. Like I think the Colts
could compete for that division. I don't think they're good good,
(10:34):
but that's a bad division. They could be a five
hundred type team and they run all over teams. But
maybe Seattle's decent. But we're already making that in you know,
Like I can't imagine Cardinals, Houston Rams even being near
five hundred.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Yeah, I mean you're talking about you know, we did
power rankings last week. Those are there's a bunch of
teams on that list that were in the twenties lower.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So real quick, off the top of your head, if
you are you still looking at the schedule, Yeah. If
if we were to power rank just the teams on
the schedule, including the Steelers, who's behind.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
The Steelers on their schedule? Yeah, okay, Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
I'm gonna say the Browns is the only one in
the division that I'm gonna say. I'll stand on the
table that the Steelers are better than them right now.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Jacksonville's debatable.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Okay, let's not even do debatables.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Then.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
I think Baltimore is debatable.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, it is, You're right. Tennessee for sure, Tennessee for sure.
Arizona Arizona, yes, Houston yeah, Indianapolis agreed, the Rams, yes,
I think the Seahawks.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Debatable.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I'm not gonna give I'll say, since the game is
up there, I'll give the Seahawks the edge. Yeah. But yeah,
if the Raiders bet the Steelers are a dog, Yeah,
the Raiders for sure.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Raiders for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
The Patriots, I'm gonna say, yes, so I'll give you
that one. Yeah, and the Packers. I think the Packers
clearly are. I think the Patriots Packers.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
So if you look at the toss up games here, Seattle.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
And maybe Cleveland should be in the toss up category.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
But even if they, let's say they split with the Browns,
you play them twice.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Let's say, so, yeah, real quick, I counted ten games
that were under the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Let's move that to eight and put the Browns in
the debatable category. Okay, but again, you play them twice.
So if you split those games right, right, and then
you you split your games, you got at Seattle at
the Raiders.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I think the recount of the Raiders is below.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
They're okay, they're bad, yeah, but it is, it is
out there. Yeah, So let's look, Jacksonville at home is
a toss up game.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Toss up game.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Beat the Ravens in one of those two games.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I'm gonna say both Ravens games are toss up games, right,
and then it is a toss up game.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, So where does that put you?
Speaker 3 (13:13):
So there's eight teams that we think, right the second
are clearly below the Steelers. Right, seven games are toss
up games. Cleveland twice, Baltimore, Seattle, Jacksonville. There was one
other in there. So that's fifteen of your games you're
at least on par with or better.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I think San Francisco at home is a game that
you should win.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
So I must have been counting wrong. So I think
San fran and Cincy twice are the only two games.
You say, if we're power ranking of the day, they're
ahead of the Steelers. But San Fran is a wild card.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
San Fran is in Pittsburgh. Yeah, and we don't know
who the quarterback is going to be, right.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Right, right, that's favorable. I mean it's in place, you know,
and since he's good. It's not like they've never beat
the Bengals.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah, you split with them last year. Yeah, yeah, you know,
so it's not like you can't beat that team.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
No, it sets up well.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Again to your point, I mean, even if you let's
say you go to and four in the division. Let's
say you get swept by the Bengals, but you split
with the Ravens, you split with the Browns. If you
Tennessee at home, you should win, Cardinals at home, you
should win. That's that's four wins, four wins. At Houston,
(14:39):
should win. That's five. At Indianapolis you should win. That's
six at the Rams, that's seven. You should win. Seattle.
We won't count at the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Yeah, I mean, they're not gonna win everyone that you
should win. It works, but.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
That would get you to eight, beat the Patriots at home,
beat the Packers at home. That's ten.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
I bet they split those, you know, just how the
league works.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
But yeah, I mean, and you'll beat a team you
should in San fran or Sincy or you know, right,
I mean, it looks like ten wins is extremely attainable.
And then thinking about off the top of my head,
there aren't many weather games I care about where they
fall in the schedule for the Steelers because like, Green
Bay's here, it's not like.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
It's gonna be Week eighteen. Right, there's so Denver. I
would hate going to Denver the first couple of weeks.
I don't think there's any in Florida, right, They're not Houston.
If you play in Houston in Week one, I've done that.
They've been down there before for that one and they
leave the roof open. It can get hot, it can
make it, I'm sure. And Arizona's here, right, Arizona is
(15:47):
in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Yes, And if you play Seattle late in the year,
so what is that really any different than playing here
late in the.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Year, right, No, you're right, I mean there's it's it
sets up well in that regardless too. So you know
when people look at this team, and you know the
if you look at the over under, it's eight and
a half. M Sorry, I'd be all over that I
would do.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
And I actually did a podcast about that the other day.
I'm like, this is a crazy number. I mean, especially
who the teams are playing, you expect the offense to
be better. I think the defense will be similar. So
even if you play Houston in Week one, I mean
that's a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
A rookie quarterback. Well, let's just look, let's just look
at it from that respect.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
So, okay, Ravens, the Bengals, the Browns, the Jaguars, the Titans.
Are they going to be do they come out of
the gate with Tanny Hill? Do you see do you
see Will Levis somehow winning that job?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I think that one depends when you play them, because
there's season is going to go to hell and there'll
be one and five and right.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
So you could get Will Levis in that game. That's
one potential rookie quarterback. Arizona, when do you play them? Right,
that's another.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Looking for rookies.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Okay, but if you're playing Arizona in the first few
weeks of the season, you're not seeing Kyler Murray. Oh,
I think you're gonna get Clayton Tune right, right, forty
nine Ers, we talked about that forty nine Ers quarterback situation.
I don't know who the hell is going to be
quarterbacking for them.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
I mean, who's to predict what's going to happen and
during the season. But it wouldn't shock me if the
Cardinals are one and nine and Kyler's.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Could come back. But why right?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I mean you may not see him no matter when
you play the Cardinals. Houston rookie quarterback, yeah, Indianapolis very
potentially a rookie quarterback? Yeah? Or Minshew Yeah. What's going
on with the Rams? I don't know. Oh, I think
Stetsan Bennett's going to play football this year? Yeah? So
when do you play them Seattle for Week one? Right? Yeah,
(17:53):
we don't know. And who are you looking at it?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Go ahead?
Speaker 2 (17:59):
As I said, the Raid, you're gonna see Jimmy g
The Patriots you're gonna see probably gonna see Mac Jones, right,
and then the Packers you're getting Jordan Love when you
play them. That's another one that like, you play the
Packers early in the season, Jordan Love has one career start. Yeah,
I don't even know that matters.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I mean, because I was gonna take the other angle.
What star quarterbacks do you play besides Lamar twice, Burrowed twice,
and maybe Watson twice.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Lawrence Lawrence, Yeah, that was the other one, Ikne, there
was one I didn't. Yeah, that's really it. And unless
you know, unless Stafford bounces back, boy, that seems like
a long shot. If he does, he doesn't block him
for him, right, Yeah, I mean, if this defense bounces back,
it becomes what you know he typically has been, could
(18:52):
be pretty good.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Absolutely, So I'm just pulling this side of my butt
to be honest with you. But if you rank the
visions by just the quarterback play, I bet the AFC
North is first second.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I mean it's yeah, it's in the conversation.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
And outside the division, the only high end quarterback you're
playing is Lawrence.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I mean, you gotta play the division teams no matter what.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Yeah, and you're very familiar with those teams, yeah, absolutely,
Like nobody, nobody knows how to defend Lamar Jackson like
the Steelers.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Do right, right, right, And I don't know if Watson's any.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Good Son it sets up very favorably for the Steelers.
You know, I know I've heard people and what why
are Steeler fans so excited this year? That's a big
part of it. Well, yeah, and we'll find out that.
We'll find out later this week, you know, exactly how
that schedule falls, and that's going to be a huge
factor in this season for them.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Huge because, to be frank, they've had got this time
of the year the last three, four or five years.
You knew their schedule was not going to be.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
On the easy side, right what metric it's been the
opposite of late they finally caught a break and it
wasn't because they were a terrible team. It just broke
their way this year, you know, I mean, so it's
the way the schedule falls. Yeah, yeah, Hey, you can
now listen to Steelers Nation Radio anytime anywhere through your
smart speaker. Just say Alexa, play Steelers Nation Radio from
(20:18):
my heart and Alexa will take care of the rest.
He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lawley. You're listening
to the drive here on Steelers Nation Radio. We'll be
back with more right after this
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
show on your twenty four to seven home of the
Black and Gold SNR Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to the Drive. I'm Dale LOLLI he is Man Williamson.
It is a beautiful new week here in Pittsburgh, and
it's an important week here in Pittsburgh, Matt, for a
couple of different reasons. First of all, rookie Minnie Camp
will be this weekend. The Steelers will be walking them
in their new draft class and guys coming in to
try out and things of that nature starting Friday, and
(00:38):
well by Friday, we will also know the Steelers schedule
for the twenty twenty three season.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, so these next couple days probably won't be riproaring
your news things a little bit of a calm. But
then what Thursday night, It's revealed the schedule, which is
huge for all you folks that travel.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
A lot of our.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Listeners, including you, Dale, that you know your travel schedule
all needs to get set up. And schedule analysis is
fun too. I mean I love looking at things like
are you playing cold weather teams late in the year,
You're playing hot weather teams early in the year.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
When's the bye all that.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Kind of yeah. And for the Steelers it matters this
year because they get some West Coast trips sprinkled in there.
You know, when do those fall? Are they on a
short week? Things that that, you know, all kinds of
different little variables in there. And you've got the added thing.
We talked about this when we were at the owners meetings,
that you can have two Thursday night games this year.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Oh right, right, I forgot about that.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
And I was I was reading some stuff about that
that said that that, you know, you can expect the
teams that the NFL thinks are going to be good
teams to get double Thursday night games, and maybe some
other teams not to get any interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
So let's stick with that for a second because it
always bothers me. The thing I hate most about the
NFL scheduling is a short Thursday night Thursday night week.
And I'm sure those won't go away, but it wouldn't
shock me if there's a handful of teams at least
some instances that play Thursday Thursday.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
You know, like the Cowboys always do that Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, And if you can tie that up without having
a super short week, I think that's a nice advantage,
you know, I mean being on the same clock and
those type of things. So I also wonder, Joe blow
Thursday Night game, Week seven.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
We've seen a lot of Jags Texans, a lot of
you know, I mean what bad games. Yeah, a little bit.
I wonder you know, Amazon bought the rice to that
last year and dumped it, put a lot of money
into it. Obviously. I wonder if Amazon went to went
to the NFL and said, hey, look, we're playing a lot,
We're paying a lot of money for this. We don't
(02:50):
want to see the Rams play the Texans card. Yeah,
I mean, these are these are not good football games.
Can we you know, can we put those once in
a while?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah? Right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, in the other part of the equation with that
scheduling things this year, and I didn't mean to go
down this path, but we're here with the with the
way that the league now schedules the TV stuff. Like
it used to be, if you were an AFC team
and you were on the road, you were automatically a
CBS that was a CBS game unless it was a
primetime game. Oka say, if if it was an NFC game,
(03:25):
you were a Fox game. Or an NFC team on
the road, you're a Fox game. Well that's changed now,
the two different. The network's now bid on these games basically,
so you know.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
So there's not steadfast rules.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Right, I mean, there there are rules that the networks
have to comply to it, but they you know, they
can protect games and do things of that nature, but
there's only so many they can protect. And you know,
things are that things that I don't underplan, you know,
pretend to understand all of the stuff involved with the
way that the league does the scheduling stuff and divvy's
(04:01):
up the games. But you know, you can bet that
you know, for example, Kansas City's going to play a
lot of prime time or not primetime, but the national
game of the week at four o'clock or four thirty
makes sense, right, you know, things of that nature that
you know, and the networks are going to protect those
games and not allow them to get shipped off to
(04:22):
other you know, times and things of that nature. So
it's gonna be interesting, and I believe that's been one
of the hold ups. If you remember, in previous years,
the league would announce some of the schedule, the primetime
games in particular ahead of time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay,
tease you a little bit. Yeah, So there was a
(04:43):
there were meetings today with Roger Goodell and the schedulers
to go over that prime time schedule because they couldn't
nail some of that stuff down because it's much more.
There are more networks now trying to take a bite
of the pie here, and the league is of course
beholden to all of them.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Interesting, So Amazon is now you know, obviously skews things
as well, and it all lends itself to the NFL
is more popular than ever and more people were seeing it.
I mean, is my big takeaway on that? You know,
spit it back to the Steelers and I'm sure most
of our listeners know this, but more opportunities than ever
to see the Steelers because they got nine home games
(05:22):
instead of eight this year. So I know, we have
a lot of people that are listening that don't live
in Pittsburgh that probably travel in once or twice a
year and check out a game. And trust me, I
have a lot of acquaintances that are on the edge
of their seat to Steelers at Vegas.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
When is that one gonna be? That's the big one,
that's the one that everybody's going to be looking at.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I believe in what I'm jealous.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I'm not a fan, you know, like I'd like to
do that once a year, just take my job and
put it away for a week and go party with
my buds for three days and do that.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
That's the funny thing about being at the games each
week is, you know everybody thinks game days are you know,
fun time for game days. Game days sixteen you know,
sixteen hours of work. I'm not at the game having fun.
I'm at the game working. Now. That doesn't mean I
don't go out and have some fun the night before
the game. That's a little different. But you know, the
(06:16):
day of the game is the day of the game,
and I enjoy the game.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean they're still fanning me. And I wouldn't do
this for a living if I didn't enjoy the game.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Oh yeah, you watch the game and you enjoy the
great the great plays. I don't care who makes them,
you know, but I enjoy the great plays. I like
watching the you know, great players do things. But you know,
game days work. Game Day's not terrible towels and grilling
in iron cities all day long. No I'm not in
the parking lot, you know, down in a bunch of
beers before I go to work. That's not how this
(06:45):
whole thing goes like.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I mean, that was the first twenty five years of
my life, and I do miss that a little. Well,
probably the beers didn't come till about fifteen.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
But but my buddy's going to Vegas.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I know, a plenty of will and plenty of our listeners. Well,
that'll be one to be like, hmm, I bet that
would be fun.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, So that's gonna be, you know, certainly one of
the games that that people look at on the Steelers schedule.
Let me call the schedule up here real quick, just
to remind people of what they've got this.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Year, especially considering how hard the division is, how difficult
the conference is.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
They get off easy though, at least the way it
looks right now. Yeah, it's again a lot of that's
going to depend on when some of these games are played,
where they fall, you know, do you have back to
back or three in a row with road games and
things of that nature. So the home schedules Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Arizona,
(07:43):
San Francisco, that's your home schedule for this season. So
I mean when you look at that game, Okay, the
Ravens the Bengals, we'll give that. We'll say the Browns
are going to be at at least, you know, a
tougher game.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I think a.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Division games a gonna be tough this year for the Star. Yeah,
you know, Jacksonville's a returning playoff team. The Titans are
gonna stink. The Cardinals are going to stink. When do
they play San Francisco. That's a big part of.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
This, big part of it. And who's their quarterback?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Right, So if you get San Francisco and say the
first six weeks of the of the season, and it's
Sam Donald, let's say that's a bit that's a much
different animal. I'm sorry, it just is. Steelers just played
Sam Donald last year late last year, So you know
that makes a big difference. If you look at the
(08:34):
road schedule real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
On the Niners, I don't know that any of their
three quarterbacks are good, right, that's the other point.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
They're all different.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I don't know if any of them are good, but
I do know that's talking be an easy game.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
No, it won't be, but you'd much rather play them here.
I mean, the Steelers have just not traditionally played well
in San Francisco.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
To me in that game is it's here.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
But you should be a you know, if you can
get through your home schedule, what do they got nine
home games this year? If you can get through that
six and three right right?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Right?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
I mean, okay, two and four in a division, you
could probably still get the you know, six wins at home.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Right if you look at the road schedule at Cincinnati,
at Baltimore, at Cleveland, at Houston, at Indianapolis, at the Rams,
now that's yeah. At Seattle will be a tougher game.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
That's a brutal one.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Right at the Raiders, I don't think there's gonna be
anything great. We talked about that one. And then they
got the Patriots and Packers at home as well.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I bet there's a fair amount of Steeler fans at Indy.
That's an easy trip.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
At Houston, need to get to, right, you know, I mean, yeah,
Houston's Houston is another one. It wouldn't surprise me to
see them fill up the Rams Stadium.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
And then you said green Bay and who is the
other green Bay? And Green Bay and New England are
the other two home games. Those are the two once
a match up with with how you know where you
finished last year?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I gotcha?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Okay, so again you get the Packers at home. Packers
Jordan love the Patriots.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, Patriots always hard to play against. But they're not
a very talented team, you know what I mean Again,
especially being in this division, in this conference and not
being the last place team. You know, they they got
pretty fortunate the way it looks, and one or two
of those teams we be better than we think, Like
the Colts come to mind. Like I think the Colts
could compete for that division. I don't think they're good good,
(10:34):
but that's a bad division. They could be a five
hundred type team and they run all over teams. But
maybe Seattle's decent. But we're already making that in you know,
Like I can't imagine Cardinals, Houston Rams even being near
five hundred.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Yeah, I mean you're talking about you know, we did
power rankings last week. Those are there's a bunch of
teams on that list that were in the twenties lower.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So real quick, off the top of your head, if
you are you still looking at the schedule, Yeah. If
if we were to power rank just the teams on
the schedule, including the Steelers, who's behind.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
The Steelers on their schedule? Yeah, okay, Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
I'm gonna say the Browns is the only one in
the division that I'm gonna say. I'll stand on the
table that the Steelers are better than them right now.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Jacksonville's debatable.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Okay, let's not even do debatables.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Then.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
I think Baltimore is debatable.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, it is, You're right. Tennessee for sure, Tennessee for sure.
Arizona Arizona, yes, Houston yeah, Indianapolis agreed, the Rams, yes,
I think the Seahawks.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Debatable.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I'm not gonna give I'll say, since the game is
up there, I'll give the Seahawks the edge. Yeah. But yeah,
if the Raiders bet the Steelers are a dog, Yeah,
the Raiders for sure.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Raiders for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
The Patriots, I'm gonna say, yes, so I'll give you
that one. Yeah, and the Packers. I think the Packers
clearly are. I think the Patriots Packers.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
So if you look at the toss up games here, Seattle.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
And maybe Cleveland should be in the toss up category.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
But even if they, let's say they split with the Browns,
you play them twice.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Let's say, so, yeah, real quick, I counted ten games
that were under the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Let's move that to eight and put the Browns in
the debatable category. Okay, but again, you play them twice.
So if you split those games right, right, and then
you you split your games, you got at Seattle at
the Raiders.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I think the recount of the Raiders is below.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
They're okay, they're bad, yeah, but it is, it is
out there. Yeah, So let's look, Jacksonville at home is
a toss up game.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Toss up game.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Beat the Ravens in one of those two games.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I'm gonna say both Ravens games are toss up games, right,
and then it is a toss up game.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, So where does that put you?
Speaker 3 (13:13):
So there's eight teams that we think, right the second
are clearly below the Steelers. Right, seven games are toss
up games. Cleveland twice, Baltimore, Seattle, Jacksonville. There was one
other in there. So that's fifteen of your games you're
at least on par with or better.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I think San Francisco at home is a game that
you should win.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
So I must have been counting wrong. So I think
San fran and Cincy twice are the only two games.
You say, if we're power ranking of the day, they're
ahead of the Steelers. But San Fran is a wild card.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
San Fran is in Pittsburgh. Yeah, and we don't know
who the quarterback is going to be, right.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Right, right, that's favorable. I mean it's in place, you know,
and since he's good. It's not like they've never beat
the Bengals.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah, you split with them last year. Yeah, yeah, you know,
so it's not like you can't beat that team.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
No, it sets up well.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Again to your point, I mean, even if you let's
say you go to and four in the division. Let's
say you get swept by the Bengals, but you split
with the Ravens, you split with the Browns. If you
Tennessee at home, you should win, Cardinals at home, you
should win. That's that's four wins, four wins. At Houston,
(14:39):
should win. That's five. At Indianapolis you should win. That's
six at the Rams, that's seven. You should win. Seattle.
We won't count at the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Yeah, I mean, they're not gonna win everyone that you
should win. It works, but.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
That would get you to eight, beat the Patriots at home,
beat the Packers at home. That's ten.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
I bet they split those, you know, just how the
league works.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
But yeah, I mean, and you'll beat a team you
should in San fran or Sincy or you know, right,
I mean, it looks like ten wins is extremely attainable.
And then thinking about off the top of my head,
there aren't many weather games I care about where they
fall in the schedule for the Steelers because like, Green
Bay's here, it's not like.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
It's gonna be Week eighteen. Right, there's so Denver. I
would hate going to Denver the first couple of weeks.
I don't think there's any in Florida, right, They're not Houston.
If you play in Houston in Week one, I've done that.
They've been down there before for that one and they
leave the roof open. It can get hot, it can
make it, I'm sure. And Arizona's here, right, Arizona is
(15:47):
in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Yes, And if you play Seattle late in the year,
so what is that really any different than playing here
late in the.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Year, right, No, you're right, I mean there's it's it
sets up well in that regardless too. So you know
when people look at this team, and you know the
if you look at the over under, it's eight and
a half. M Sorry, I'd be all over that I
would do.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
And I actually did a podcast about that the other day.
I'm like, this is a crazy number. I mean, especially
who the teams are playing, you expect the offense to
be better. I think the defense will be similar. So
even if you play Houston in Week one, I mean
that's a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
A rookie quarterback. Well, let's just look, let's just look
at it from that respect.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
So, okay, Ravens, the Bengals, the Browns, the Jaguars, the Titans.
Are they going to be do they come out of
the gate with Tanny Hill? Do you see do you
see Will Levis somehow winning that job?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I think that one depends when you play them, because
there's season is going to go to hell and there'll
be one and five and right.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
So you could get Will Levis in that game. That's
one potential rookie quarterback. Arizona, when do you play them? Right,
that's another.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Looking for rookies.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Okay, but if you're playing Arizona in the first few
weeks of the season, you're not seeing Kyler Murray. Oh,
I think you're gonna get Clayton Tune right, right, forty
nine Ers, we talked about that forty nine Ers quarterback situation.
I don't know who the hell is going to be
quarterbacking for them.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
I mean, who's to predict what's going to happen and
during the season. But it wouldn't shock me if the
Cardinals are one and nine and Kyler's.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Could come back. But why right?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I mean you may not see him no matter when
you play the Cardinals. Houston rookie quarterback, yeah, Indianapolis very
potentially a rookie quarterback? Yeah? Or Minshew Yeah. What's going
on with the Rams? I don't know. Oh, I think
Stetsan Bennett's going to play football this year? Yeah? So
when do you play them Seattle for Week one? Right? Yeah,
(17:53):
we don't know. And who are you looking at it?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Go ahead?
Speaker 2 (17:59):
As I said, the Raid, you're gonna see Jimmy g
The Patriots you're gonna see probably gonna see Mac Jones, right,
and then the Packers you're getting Jordan Love when you
play them. That's another one that like, you play the
Packers early in the season, Jordan Love has one career start. Yeah,
I don't even know that matters.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I mean, because I was gonna take the other angle.
What star quarterbacks do you play besides Lamar twice, Burrowed twice,
and maybe Watson twice.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Lawrence Lawrence, Yeah, that was the other one, Ikne, there
was one I didn't. Yeah, that's really it. And unless
you know, unless Stafford bounces back, boy, that seems like
a long shot. If he does, he doesn't block him
for him, right, Yeah, I mean, if this defense bounces back,
it becomes what you know he typically has been, could
(18:52):
be pretty good.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Absolutely, So I'm just pulling this side of my butt
to be honest with you. But if you rank the
visions by just the quarterback play, I bet the AFC
North is first second.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I mean it's yeah, it's in the conversation.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
And outside the division, the only high end quarterback you're
playing is Lawrence.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I mean, you gotta play the division teams no matter what.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Yeah, and you're very familiar with those teams, yeah, absolutely,
Like nobody, nobody knows how to defend Lamar Jackson like
the Steelers.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Do right, right, right, And I don't know if Watson's any.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Good Son it sets up very favorably for the Steelers.
You know, I know I've heard people and what why
are Steeler fans so excited this year? That's a big
part of it. Well, yeah, and we'll find out that.
We'll find out later this week, you know, exactly how
that schedule falls, and that's going to be a huge
factor in this season for them.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Huge because, to be frank, they've had got this time
of the year the last three, four or five years.
You knew their schedule was not going to be.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
On the easy side, right what metric it's been the
opposite of late they finally caught a break and it
wasn't because they were a terrible team. It just broke
their way this year, you know, I mean, so it's
the way the schedule falls. Yeah, yeah, Hey, you can
now listen to Steelers Nation Radio anytime anywhere through your
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(20:18):
my heart and Alexa will take care of the rest.
He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lawley. You're listening
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back with more right after this
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