October 30, 2025 • 46 mins
The Steelers look to end their losing streak and get a big win Sunday against the Colts, Matt, Mike, and Merril as always prepare you with everything you need to know ahead of the matchup.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Steelers Preview show on WDVE Pittsburgh, brought
to you by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one
fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers by
Brian Patton and Associates. It's all about the benefits and
by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the
team at shop dot Steelers dot com. And now here
are your hosts, Merril Hodge, Matt Williamson and Mike Persuda.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good evening and welcome to another edition of Steelers Preview
right here on your Steelers flagship one of two point
five DVE and Steelers Nation Radio. Mike Persuda and Matt
Williamson with you. Meryl Hodge will be a long force
segment number two, as he always is, as we get
you ready for the Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts on
(00:43):
Sunday at Akrosher Stadium. And Matt, I guess we'll start.
I'll start by playing Captain obvious. I thought Joe Flacco
to Jamar Chase looked unstoppable. Yeah, I thought Jordan Love
and his array of eligibles looked formidable. And then some
craft and I fear we haven't seen anything yet absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Because nobody runs a ball like this team too. And
I just don't see any weaknesses in this offense, and
those two are they have good players and Packers are
a really good team. This Colts offense is the best
in the league.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You know, I have found one weakness with Indianapolis in
my detailed study.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
There's one that I think is out there. Not on
offense though.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
No, it's on defense.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
When they get a twenty one point lead and they
play all their subs in the fourth quarter, they give
up a lot of yardage.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, as it does skew some of their stats whatever.
They're sitting back playing pre event against the Titans. Yeah,
when they're up to buy a million.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
You had a serious one.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
ADVI.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
I think their.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Corners are below average, but everything else is pretty tharn
strong on this team.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Could be and I might have something to do with
the fact that they really haven't had the three corners.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
That not what they they weren't counting on.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
We'll start with the Colts since you went there and
their participation report. But you know, back in week one
it was Xavian Howard now retired and Scharvarius Ward as
the outside guys and Kenny Moore. The second is the nickel,
and those guys have hardly played together. As you mentioned,
Howard retired after four games. Ward is on IR and
(02:13):
More is still in the process of working his way back.
He's played the last couple of games, but he missed
three prior to that, and they're going with Jonathan Edwards,
an undrafted guy out of Indiana State in Tulane and
McKay Blackman, who is a third year player.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Didn't play last year.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
So he's on his second team. The Vikings drafted him.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, Vikings drafted him in twenty three, didn't play in
twenty four. Now he's with indian twenty five and Moore
is working his way back in the slot. They also
play Cameron Mitchell, a cornerback. A lot a lot of
five and six d B looks with this team.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
A lot of them, oh a lot. Yeah. Ward. They
gave good money to you know, like that was their
big offseason acquisition. Didn't get much out of it because
of injury. People are probably aware of Kenny Moore, Like
if you roam around Indianapolis long time, and he's a
crowd favored He's one of the best slots over the
last ten years. But he also can play outside, and
I assume he would if healthy. And the practice support
(03:15):
I saw today that sounds like he might be trending
the right direction, but he's not an ideal outside guy,
So I think that's a spot you can exploit. And
I don't think their pass rush is dominant. Frankly, I
don't think their defense is dominant. I think the defense
is quite good as well.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Pretty good with a fourteen point league.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And it sure helps ebilide a thousand.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I mean, yeah, they just they play comfortable. Yeah, they
play from ahead and the touch the ball. The other
team's one dimensional and that's a nice way to live.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
You know. There you go that.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Speaking of that practice support for the Colts, Kenny Moore,
the second did not practice Wednesday. He was jacked up
to full participation today. He's got an achilles. One of
the best defensive lineman, Grover Stewart, has not practiced this week.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
That's I don't know if that's a veteran tak it
easy on them types move or what.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Yeah, Usually they designate that.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, yeah, and he's a good player.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Well, you know, as we've seen recently, some teams are
a little loose with the practice participation report a little
looser than others. Anthony Gould return guy punts and kickoffs knee.
He hasn't practiced yet this week, but mostly everything else
looking positive for the Colts in terms of their key guys.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, and that whole corner situation which we laid out aside,
it's been maybe the healthiest team in the league. I
mean Josh Ballens, who's we'll get to, is really good
player too. He's been in that lineup a little. But
their great offense has been healthy.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Imagine that they'll listen to your top three corners and
you're seven to one, and.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
You're seven and one, right, and teams aren't to be
able to even keep up by throwing all over you.
They have not played the hardest late of games, but
we're eight games in and they're for real.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Steeler side Scotty Miller with the finger, still hasn't practiced
this week. Cole Holcombe was out today with an illness.
A couple of interesting guys that are trying to work
their way back through the twenty one day return from
the IR window. Corey Trice junior cornerback. He was limited
today hamstring and knee and the linebacker for the Steelers.
(05:19):
Malik Harrison inside linebacker. He's been full both days. He's
trying to come back from a knee no Isaac say
molol for the second consecutive day, So number seventy four.
Spencer Anderson may be eligible to do a little more
this week than he's done previously. But I think they
plug him in there as they did the other night.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Oh, he'd be the left guard.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, and ben' Skernic went from limited to full. He's
got a little bit of a neck issue. Everything else
pretty much as you thought. You know, Deshaun Elliott's not
going to play, Daniel Qualley's not going to play.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
A couple of things that would to address there is
if see them all as seems like the one that's
most important in most lingering. As we record this, you know,
you don't know if he's a player or not. And
I think it's clear when you have five offensive linemen
on the field, Anderson's going to be your left guard
if ciamal who can't go? But I think the obvious
(06:13):
question is does that mean the jumbo package falls apart?
I have not been in practice. I'm not gonna report anything.
I don't know this, but the people I've talked to
seem to think that they still could use the jumbo
package in one of two ways. Either Pete would come
in at left guard and Spencer Anderson would go be
(06:34):
his sixth guy as he was up until this point,
or Calvin Anderson has done some of it in the past.
Who's a tackle? Usually that six guys a tackle, So
I'd be curious what the six to zero line situation
is if ciamal who's not out there?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Arthur Smith today, the offensive coordinator was coordinator Thursday, he spoke,
he was asked about that. He said, you know, stay tuned.
I'm sure he's gonna tell he's not gonna reveal competitive balanced.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Stuff, and a speculating would work, you know.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Aaron Rodgers kind of talked about after the game against
Green Bay how in the event, say Malo was unavailable,
they still can do it. My guess would be they'll
figure out a way to keep doing it because it's
just so effective.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Highly effective, right, and like you said, they want to
play with defensive backs on the field. You want to
get you want to get them in their base and
make them as uncomfortable as possible.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Right. One other note.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
The Steelers made a late addition to their practice report
today Darius Slay, cornerback, did not practice personal matter. And
I'd bring that up because Darius Slay had his snaps
reduced significantly in the last game against Green Bay. He
only played thirty two defensive snaps fifty percent. He played
one hundred percent of defensive snaps the first two weeks,
(07:46):
eighty five percent after that, ninety six, and in the
last three weeks it's been sixty two, sixty eight and
fifty percent. And he appears from my seat in the
press box to be struggling. Yeah, I question the effort
on the swing pass to save you on Williams when
you know Cam Hayward didn't call out Sleigh by name,
but when he's talking about lack of fight or not
(08:08):
enough fight.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It shows up.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
You got to defend every blade of grass, and I
think he did so there. So we'll see that.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
He's never exactly been mel Blind or Rod Woodson as
attackler throughout his career, and now he doesn't move like
he did either.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
That's that's kind of where we are.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I think it's interesting that Trice is looming.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
And Trice trying to get off of that through that
hour window. You mentioned a moment ago the Colts loved
to play nickel and and some dime. And if the
Steelers do have their jumbo package available, do you try.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
To attack these guys, you know, passing the.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Ball and scoring a ton of points, or do you
try to run it down their throat and hold on
to it and keep it away from them. I found
it interesting that Arthur Smith today on Coordinated Thursday, brought
up Super Bowl twenty five and the New York Football
Giants and forty minutes in thirty three seconds of time
of possession.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Again, it's Jim Kelly and the k gun.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Okay, I didn't know he did that.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Oh he did that.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Okay, so I'm on the fence.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
He said it was under the context of, well, you're
not going to come out and goal line formation run
twelve straight times.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
But you know this happened.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
This happen.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And he talked about offense.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
He talks about Bill Parcells, to Smith's knowledge, calling that
one of the greatest game plans of all time.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
I love it. I have mixed feelings, and I think
in a way, you're gonna have to walk this tight
rope to beat this Colts team. It's one of the
best in the league, with the best offense in the league.
We mentioned the weakness at corner. I think you're crazy
if you don't throw at those corners, especially with metcalf.
And I also think this quarterback, Rogers is never bashful
(09:40):
of attacking the weakest link, especially if you're getting singled up. Yeah,
so that I think will happen. I also think you
have to view this game that it's not the first
one to twenty wins. I mean, there's gonna be points.
They score thirty on everyone. Steelers are letting up points.
So you may have to go for it more on
(10:02):
fourth down, not settle for field goals. Maybe take a
few more shots. But this is the thing that every
you know how I do my stats, and this is
stats from time to time.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
A lot of stats are just like a stat or two.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
It's like a couple to keep it close and concise,
you know, so you guys can all.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Hang with us and hang along six to seven pages.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
But this is what's stuck with me most this week.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
People out there listening are unfamiliar with Matt's stats, and
then you can find it on coming. It pretty much
the Hong Kong phone Book of Statistical.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
Annals not in there. It pays a picture volume many many,
many stats.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
So this is the thing that's harping with me the
most about this Steeler defense, who we know is not
playing well at all, But forty seven percent of the
points they've allowed are in the fourth quarter. If you
just go quarter by quarter, they're like eighth best, tenth best,
twelfth best, and then a distant thirty second in the
fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
And yeah, they've saved games.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
And yet they've saved games, saved the.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Jets game, saved the Patriots game, saved the Vikings game
with last possession stops exactly.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
And they're capable of doing that, I mean, but we
haven't seen it lately. Now that's when the alarm bells
are going off my head like crazy, because I didn't
hear the Ed Arthur Smith quote until you mentioned it.
Because I think the best way complimentary football to play
a team game, to not give up a bazillion points
in the fourth quarter is to play less defense. This
(11:30):
is an old defense. That's a time of possession thing
to me. So if you can get forty minutes a
time of possession and keep the k gun off there,
Cam and TJ and Sleigh and Ramsey might be very appreciative.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
One monkey in that wrench last week against last Sunday
against the Titans in Indianapolis said the ball for twenty
five minutes and thirty nine seconds, went three for nine
on third downs and still had four hundred and twenty
total minit yards and thirty eight points. And that's with
Riley Leonard from Notre Dame making his NFL's debut, mopping
(12:06):
up at the end of the fourth.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
John Taylor with a baseball cap on the fourth quarter.
So yeah, he's so pitch it to that guy and
he takes it eighty And.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
It's a theory, but it's not necessarily an absolute.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
A lot more coming, including Meryl Hodge.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
We'll see what he thinks about all this stuff when
we come back with Matt Williamson on Mike Pursuda Steelers
Preview presented by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one
fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers, comes
to you on Steelers Nation Radio and your Steelers Flagship.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
One of two point five dve Back to the Steelers
Preview show on DV.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Welcome Back to Steelers Preview right here on the Steels
Flagship one of two point five DV and Steelers Nation Radio,
Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson getting you ready for the
Steelers on and the Colt Sunday at Actorsher Time. Now
to welcome our factor back to the show, Merril Hodge
and Merrill, we got a lot to talk about relative
to the Steelers, but you, being the former running back
(13:03):
that you are, I wanted to talk about Jonathan Taylor
and I wanted to get your thoughts on Taylor in
this context.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
I know he's very good.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
I think he's reached that level of good and I
reference specifically the eighty yard touchdown run against the Tennessee Titans.
I saw three unblocked guys managed to just not quite
get there, and.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Yeah, wrong angles.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I think they just didn't want to get joked or
posterized or run over whatever you're calling. I mean, is
he this intimidating that the defenders would rather.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
Just not well, Listen, after you watch tape, you know, listen,
that happens with every opponent. You know, you watch somebody
on tape and it's one game, two games, you watch
four games, you get ready for him, and you know,
you get a sense of the truth. You know, there
could be a game you're like I was ball down
and like next three games just not the same. And
that's just not the same with him, and you know
(13:59):
his since he came from Wisconsin, you know, you know,
And that's the thing about the draft, you know, drafting
kids that have somewhat of a skill set that will
transition to the NFL. What does that mean? Like, because
in the NFL, because the hash marks are more narrow
than they are in college, the game is played in
the middle, and so your ability to run is really
(14:21):
mine like start, stop, redirect, power of explosiveness, and then
if you do have the lead speed, which he does,
then you have a rare runner. That doesn't mean that
that's going to always manifest itself. You know, the kid
has really worked hard. I've watched it in the studied
him since he came came out. What I what I
think he's done a better job of to this point
(14:44):
of his career is now he it all good runners
understand fronts, coverages and who supports And the reason for
that is because you know who might be the undefended,
who unblocked defender. You also know how the defense is
playing leverage. The more you know about the defense and
how they're playing, just the better it helps you as
(15:05):
a runner. You know, the more information that you take
him before you get the ball, it's not listen. And
then that enhances your instincts that you have. He has
tremendous instincts. I can't even say that there was one
thing that is better than the other because his feet,
his good to start and stop is elite, His explosiveness
(15:26):
is elite, and then his top end speeds elite. You know,
to your point, that eight yard run put out everything
on display there. Power. Yeah, you know, they tried to
get into his legs and he blew through that. He
started with the first the first one actually was you know,
behind his shoulder pads. You know he wore he wore
that one off, and he wore the leg one off,
(15:47):
and then where he had to make a move and
then outrun somebody. All of that took him too place
and and then stayed in balance. So having you know,
great balance and sense of awareness, you know he's he's uh,
he's a problem. I mean, here's saying.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Can I just put that?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
And that's why he's a problem.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Can I just point out the University of Wisconsin reluctantly
took Jonathan Taylor, Oh right, and reluctantly I didn't know
that reluctantly.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
Took JJ Watt out of Central America.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, okay, Sometimes you gotta be lucky in the talent evaluation.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
Yeah, yeah, well it's not perfect science. Listen, nobody's ever
bad at a perfect score, you know, no matter what,
I'm Bill pulling Sidebarer say, if you're going to be
a Hall of Fame GM, you gotta be fifty four percent, right,
And I said fifty four. He said fifty four. I'm like,
that's like five out of ten. It's like that's failure
(16:44):
in high school. I mean, failure in school. That's unbelievable.
I was surprised. I was actually surprised. I was shocked, actually,
But you know that's mistakes are made, you know, and
you know, you ever heard of beauty is either a
whole older talent is too you know, and and that
so it creates other layers of complication and difficulty when
(17:07):
you're evaluating a guy to come in and play. But
you know, and I'm sure you're gonna probably get to
this at the end. You know, they do a great
job up front for him too. You know, they have
a beautiful relationship. Those guys up front move people, and
they give him a chance. And that's a really that's
a really big, a rare combination when you get an
(17:28):
elite runner like that and a really good group up
front to help you.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Well, that leads me to Daniel Jones, who was considered,
you know, a buster failure in New York and a
much different environment. And I think it's easy to look
at his career as the Colts and be like, well, yeah,
he's got a ton around him. That line you mentioned,
great pass catchers, phenomenal running game. I watched his All
twenty two last night, and he's playing very well when
(17:53):
you just isolate the quarterback too.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
Yeah, No, from from a processing perspective, act your seat perspective.
You know, his mobility, you know, getting him out of
trouble when he needs to, and maybe some tough throws.
You know, it isn't like they're always you know, in
favorable situation, and there's times where they've got to lean
on Daniel Jones and and listen at some point if
(18:16):
they're going to get to the super Bowl, wins super Bowl, like,
he's going to have to make some critical plays, so
he's he's eventually going to have to really play anyway.
And that's just that's gonna happen. To this point, he
has shown when he's had to he's done that. That's
all I can tell you. There's from an evidence aspect,
(18:38):
he's done that. He's shown it. If you got it,
if I got to be in, if we're in a jam,
I gotta make a play force, I can make a
play for us, because he has done that to this point.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Okay, we got the Colts covered. They're really good. Yeah,
let's talk about the Steelers. Merrill and uh, maybe I'm overreacting,
maybe not. But when I heard Cam Hayward say there's
not enough fight, uh boy, I didn't expect to hear that,
you know, attached attached to this team at this time.
(19:10):
I saw it. You know, I didn't expect to hear it,
and I understand why he said it. My question to
you is, if there's not enough fight, as Heyward assessed
seven games into a season, do they start fighting now
or is that just who they are?
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Where you're gonna find out who you are? I will
tell you this, you're gonna find out who you are.
So a little bit of that has probably been given
away just by that. You got the captain there. The
guy been around a long time. He watches tape just
like we do. He's more he's more in tune with
that that huddle than anybody is. And you know the
(19:49):
one you guys mentioned, Uh, well, what's his name? Twenty three? Uh?
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Godstang it, Darius Slay, Darius Slay.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
You know the play that he he lacked, the commitment
that he lacked there on. There's a great example.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Williams. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
Yeah, somebody decided not to play and that you know,
it goes goes back. And you know, I didn't know
you're going to tell me this that Cam Hayward had said,
but it does remind me. I remember probably one of
the only times I ever listened to a Chuck millcom
conference after a game, which was on a Monday, after
the final game of the year. It was nineteen eighty seven,
(20:29):
when we had been on stride, had been an awful
just a tumultuous year. I might say, I want to
think we were seven and nine.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
No, you just you just missed the playoffs? Was it?
Speaker 5 (20:39):
Eight eighty seven maybe eight seven and one.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
It was real close, got a poor start, and then
you came back. Woodson came in late, and uh it
got better.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Yeah, yeah, anyway.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
But he was just like, you know, how do you
evaluate a team like this? He said, because I know
who already quit? And I'm like, I remember I strive
my car. Oh man, I didn't quit. I remember I
didn't quit. I hope he knows I didn't quit. Doesn't
How does he know who quit? How does I know this? Right?
Kind of like, okay, that's how you know somebody quit
(21:12):
that that you quit there? You could create any excuse there,
could make any excuse he wants to make you quit
on that play you quit. Now listen, you could say
he's in his thirteenth year. Okay, I don't care. He's
on the football field, he's warning an NFL jury, and
he's lined up as a starter, and you have a
commitment period. Choose to quit there, then get somebody else
(21:35):
on the field for you. But that just it just
echoes now that Cam has said that, you know, because.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
Yeah, that was right after the Green Bay game, the
postgame locker room.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Yeah, well I can tell you this that there is
not the Bengal game. In the Green Bay game, there
has been a lack uh you don't I tell you this.
Let's the two teams are going to play the two defenses.
In fact, I just got to watch him. The Colts
their energy. First of all, they control the line of
scrimmage a majority of the time, a mass majority of
the time, big time percentage eighty ninety. They control the
(22:09):
line of scrimmage in every down in distance they all
get to the ball. You can just feel their energies
like they're all playing together and not the Steers. You
don't feel that same energy and that same commitment to
get to the ball all together and play together. Listen
that that can be resurrected immediately, you know, just from.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Minnesota and Cleveland though these past it's happened this year,
particularly against Yeah, yeah, I would completely agree with that.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
You know. That's That's what I'm saying. You know, no,
it's not gone, but you know you better resurrect it
now because there's it's it's you're getting You're getting to
the time now where you're gonna get in trouble.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
You know.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
That's what I love about the NFL, Like every game
is so important, you know, everything and every game Johns
I used to call we call it the update League
every week, Like how you view the league right now?
If we just went through every game, every team, blah
blah blah, and then we let the games play go
next week, about eighty percent of those views are going
to change and how you see a team, how you
(23:17):
view a team, and how you you look at the honestly,
every like we were like, dang, this league changes week
the week the week. There's only like a twenty to
thirty percent group that's consistent. And those are really, really,
really good teams. So you know they have they got
to do it now. You know, you can't wait around
this and talk. You know, words has never changed anything.
(23:38):
Action does everything for you, and so you know, hopefully
that's what you see on Sunday. You know what I
did not know, You know, I was reading Math's notes
and on the morning, for some reason, I thought they
were playing in Indianapolis. I don't know why I thought
they're playing there. I was like, thank the Lord, they're
not playing there.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
Now.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
That gives them a little bit I got. You know,
they got a they got some hometown energy. That listen
is a is a massive help. You know, it's better
than having to be on the road with this team.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
So effort on defense is wonderful and necessary and all
those things, but so much this game is played from
the neck up. Does the alignment and assignments mistakes on
defense alarm you?
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Yeah, well, because it happened all year. Yeah, you know
they've really challenged our linebackers. Our secondary at times had
confusion too, you know, that's right. You know the Green
Bay game, you know they knew that. You know, they
put our inside linebackers, they attack Queen. You know, they
make him play. People make him play. And when it
comes to identifying people in bunch formations, you know, and
(24:44):
they the Packers do a unique job too. They do
that and then they almost have like a screen set
up from it. You know, they they've designed one guy
is going to get the ball.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
But if you talked about that Packers screen game just
a week ago and you were one hundred percent, yeah.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
They're just they're just Johnny, It's crazy. It's like I
don't think I've seen I've probably seen about and make
notes at some point in my career. I just kind
of forgot about it. But they are a screen heavy
in a very creative way. You know, Like I try
to explain this morning. It's it's not like the office
line leaks out, the back leaks out and they screen.
(25:19):
Of course they'll do that one, but they do one
man screens. They get the two man screens. They do,
you know, just wide receiver, tight end screens, just back screens.
I mean, they just have a litany of them. Well,
I'm gonna just gonna tell you this, Like when you
see a team has that problem with the Steers, I've
had you see it every week. We've seen it every week.
Every team just adds something to their arsenal to challenge
(25:43):
that because people don't want to see let's see if
they're let's just see if they've fixed it, because we
have not seen it for you know, the entire year.
And in the only way the Steers get that to
go away a little bit, you got to show up
for a month. You know, we're the next team, you know,
you know it's five weeks from now, looks the last
four games, and they don't see that air they keep
(26:05):
seeing it. The Steelers are gonna keep seeing it. But
the Packers really took a big time advantage of that,
you know, with gardenside players and even our dvs.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Merrill.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Looking at the Steelers offense, I felt this way after
the Bengals game. Very strongly and not as strong, but
I still thought against Green Bay the points were left
on the field. And I think they're doing well. I
think they're getting better. I am so impressed with Rogers.
Is it crazy to think that while they're in this
(26:39):
defense in Blaze, maybe this offense which is averaging twenty
five points a game, do they have another gear? Can
they start scoring in the thirties and beating people thirty
five thirty three something like that, Because I kind of
feel like that's how they're gonna have to win if
they're gonna win this week this Sunday.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
Yeah, well because of a very and now they have
that possibility clearly, the way they're going to have to
have to do is, you know, other people are going
to have to start, you know, winning and and producing,
you know, rather than a tight end grow you know,
and and wide receives. Because what a lot of teams
are doing now is they're they're prior to priority, prioritizing DK.
(27:19):
You know, they's trying to double him as much as
possible and eliminate him best you can. And you know
that that's just given access to everybody else.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
And now for.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Somebody, you know, to really you know, not just somebody,
I think you know, you need almost to at least
two guys to elevate their game and really start making
plays that can could help that offense evolve. You know,
I have another weapons and uh layers of different phases
to the passing attack. That that's there's growth in there,
(27:54):
to your point, and that's guests to that. As long
as that growth comes up comes a lot, you know,
and it needs to come to the live this week.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
So along those lines, if we've gotten the point, especially
against a team like this upcoming opponent, where you kind
of know that it's not a race to twenty anymore
like it used to be. It's a race to thirty
and maybe more. Do they have to be more aggressive
with going forward on fourth downs, not settling for field goals,
you know, coaching accordingly in all phases of the game.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Yeah, you know, Now when you say that, I'm like,
you know, it all depends on the situation. Yeah, yeah,
you know, I you know, you know, you know, the
analytic thing I'm not an analytics fan at all, you know,
you know, I look at like player evaluations. The three
most important evaluations for a player feet hips and hands,
(28:48):
instincts and toughness. If you want to add two more
in it, which are vital lest five, there's no analytics
for that. That's the five most important evaluators of a player,
and you have no analytics for that. That is more
on to think that I'm gonna let an analytic tell
me what to do from an evaluation tax that does
that mean there's not value there. I'm not disclaiming it.
They're disgusting saying no way nothing.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
You're in a safe space here. If you want to
go ahead and torch analytics Maryland, I'm not a fan
of either.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
I'm not a fan of saying that that's when you
should go for it on fourth down.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
If I can't, Donald, I'm not going for it on
fourth down.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Yeah. Who's to say that? You know you didn't You're right,
you didn't lose your just two best off its blindmen,
you know you're.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Right.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
No, Yeah, none of that it comes into play. So,
but I do think that maybe you take the sense
of we might have I might based on the scenario
that we're sitting in that when those fifty to fifty
chances coming, I'm gonna lean more towards puntinent or kicking
a field goal. Maybe I'll need more towards going forward.
(29:55):
But before I do that, I'm talking to my team
knows that first. I trust that. That's who knows his point,
and that's who I'm addressing. Number one of this is
so they understand that, and that's how we practice it.
So we start practicing those things.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
You know, play caller needs to know it because your
third down call could be a lot different.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
You know, right, very very true, you know, and all
that stuff. You know, but yeah, you got to start
doing you know, I think all those things you know,
and I'm sure they do that, you know, I'm sure
that you know, self evaluation, you're you're looking at those
type of things and you know, trying to help yourself too,
so that you can change things up and help your
team be better too. So you know that your opponents
(30:35):
not not over there, you know, having all of these
great tendencies on you. You break your own tendencies, change
your own tendencies so that people don't have ways to
easily gain plan.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
You'll I'm not an analytics guy either, Merrill, but my
feeling remember the Steelers Packers shoot out a few years
back at U ben Hinzfield now after Sure Stadium, and
Mike Tomlins to take the lead in the fourth quarter
and on side kicked, and I'm gonna paraphrase him here,
but his reasoning was, well, if we get it, great,
(31:08):
If we don't, at least Sty'll score quicker and I'll
have time to score the last score.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Like that's that's kind of my thought. I know you
can't surprise on side kick anymore, but yeah, i'd i'd
be putting a pedal down on this one.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
If I'm gonna lose this game, I'm gonna lose it
with Aaron Rodgers in his hand, not with somebody throwing
the ball fifty yards down the field in three dbs
not making a play on it and some guy coming.
Speaker 5 (31:32):
Down with it. Touche. You all forgot about all about that.
And actually that's I love that thinking. That's the time
to thinking you got to come up with now. Yeah,
you know, think you gotta be thinking like that, thinking
on the edge, thinking outside the box. Think you're strategically
like that versus the same norm.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Last thing I got for you, Marrow is it's not
all doom and gloom. The offensive side of the ball
is clearly progressed, and I think the offensive line might
be the most improved unit on the team.
Speaker 5 (32:01):
And listen from they were week one. Yes, yeah, you know,
seventy seven's come a long way. You know, we we
haven't talked a lot about him lately. You know, he
still has his moments, but I think he has accepted
you know, where he changed was or where he's I
think his growth really came about was when we played Cleveland.
(32:21):
I think he knew that everybody thought he was just
going to get absolutely demolished and playing like he was
he was going to and he did not play like
he was he had been, so to his credit, he is.
I think he has played so much better seventy six
much improved. And I felt that there'd be greater growth
there and put the growth there just because of the
(32:42):
over all fundamentals that exist from feet, hips to hands,
and just how how much more stable he is and
more structurally sound he is versus seventy seven. Seventy seventy
is you know, he's he's got dynamic fee he's keecht
of an athlete, but he's feet hips to hands or
a mass a lot. And that's why he gets bullrus.
That's why he gets he gets they swim movie and
(33:04):
you know they get him out of position and get him.
He has no leverage. You can't hold people. And there
are times where you got to you had to question,
like like he didn't touch anybody, Like you don't even
know what you're doing, Like that's not a good team.
That's not easy to sit in the in the classroom afterwards,
your meeting room, and that I'm telling you, yes, and
(33:28):
he's really as a group. So as a group, yes
they have. They have manifested themselves as one and come together.
And I think the coaches have got a really good
job of creating some creativity in the running game because
you know, we've talked about this before, but they just
more are a man blocking type of guys.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
They like that.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
You just get a sense of they're man blocking schemes
and man, they're getting them going. Man, there's a different
there's a different energy about him when they they snap
the ball. But it's there's so when they've been has
to do his own stuff because it's not as much
as it feels like they do it better. You know,
it's not like this the same old thing, same old
zone run. So coaches have done a great job. The
(34:11):
Backs have done it in all the Backs have played
have done a really sucher job of compliment things, breaking
tackles and get in the yards that they needed to
get after they have done the boys up front have
done their jobs.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Meryl appreciate it is always just a reminder for your
scheduling purposes. The game is here in Pittsburgh on Sunday,
and then we will talk to you next week before
the Steelers play in LA against the Chargers.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Well, listen, I appreciate that because I would have hated
to have driven to Indianapolis and everybody where are you whereat?
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Yeah, we already had that unfortunate getting to Ireland three
weeks early thing. We don't want to go down that
road again.
Speaker 5 (34:52):
And man, love you go Steelers.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Meryl honts here on the preview.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Gear up with the latest game day necessities at the
official Steelers pro shops. Get the latest Sideline apparel, Jersey's
Terrible towels, authentic memorabilia. Well, the only thing I like
better than memorabilia is authentic radio uh and custom exclusives
you can only find directly from the team. Visit one
of the official Steelers Pro shops. Those are located at
Akracher Stadium, the Grove City Premium Outlets, and the Tanger Outlets.
(35:19):
Can also gear up online at shop dot Steelers dot com.
Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro
Shop at shop dot Steelers dot com. One more segment
to come, so keep it here with Matt Williamson on
Mike Persuda and this is Steelers Preview prevented by presented
by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one fifty is
the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers, right here on
(35:40):
Steelers Nation Radio and your Steelers Flagship one A two
point five DVE.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
Back to the Steelers preview show on DVE.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Welcome back to the preview, Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson
with you. Another full court press from Merrill. Yes, great
fucking mix my sports metaphors.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Good STUFFO.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I mean, he's spot on Steel's getting ready to take
on the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
And it's funny, Matt. You know we've talked. I think
everybody's leaning into you got to win this one with offense.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
The defense could make plays though, Well yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
That's the thing. You get those eraser plays, right. The
Bengals game last year in Cincinnati's a good example. When
they played Joe Burrow at the height of his powers.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
And Bengals team was a race to thirty five every week.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
And they got a defensive score.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Now, they gave up an offensive score, but they were
able to make the plays ahead to make.
Speaker 4 (36:37):
I don't care about yards allowed anymore.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
I think the way the league is officiated, just the
way it's played, you're not gonna have what you had
twenty five thirty years ago. The steel curtain's gone, the
eighty five Bears are gone, the two thousand Ravens are gone.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Even like those great Belichick teams, which is pretty long
ago now, they were never the top of the league
in yards allowed, but they were the bottle league. Points allowed,
red zone was tough, takeaways, sacks, you know, putting your backwards,
but they allowed yardage.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
So okay, you get the sack when you need it
or the turnover when you need it. That that's that's
how you win.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
It is, and unfortunately this team's a little too dependent
that way. You know that when they get defensive splash,
they well, but put the other way, when they don't
get defensive slash, they don't win.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
And you know, you look at the Green Bay game,
just the longer it went, the more out of hand
it got. But I still can't wrap my head around
that fifty nine yard catch and run from Tyler Kraft
the third and five from the fifteen yard line, and
it's a six man pressure and they get there and
eye blink late.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
That's the thing is they're so close to it and
it just heaves it.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
Down the middle of the field like that could have
been a sack. That could have been a strip sack,
That could have been a tip pick. Yeah, it could
have been a lot of things. It ended up being
a fifty nine yard game.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
You and I and Rob King do a show every
Monday recap in the game the point after, Yeah, the
point after. And you said that very very early in
that hour that you thought the game changed right there
right there, and oh, by the way, injury to insult
Elliott gets hurt on the play.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
And that I think really changed was an emotional letdown.
Then the Steelers able to come back and get a
field goal. But then you had another one of those plays,
the long throw down the middle to Christian Watson, who
is a great receiver, and he could go up and
get the ball. But there's two three guys there. I mean,
somebody's got to make a play on that ball.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
And like that five minutes of play, there seemed like
there was a bunch of things that could have gone
either way, you know, like goofy things like not calling
the off sides when the guy's clearly offsides, and Rogers
would never even tried to throw if he wasn't getting
the off sides, and none of them went to Steelers way.
It was just like you the title wave hit and
(38:53):
it hit hard.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Yeah, And now there's been a lot of talk.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
You know, Cam Heyward made the headlines with the not
enough fight address, but you know a lot of guys
have talked about subsequent spinoff teams of that, uh, you know,
handling adversity. Mike Tomlin says, you got to be able
to respond. Somebody's got to make a play to stop
that avalanche and momentum right right.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Why we're paying all this money, that's why we're putting
you on the field, even.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
A game that looked as one sided as that one
did by the end.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
And you know, the Steelers last score was you know,
if they make that two point conversion, they're an onside
kick away from maybe scoring and making another two point chance.
Speaker 5 (39:30):
Yeah, yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
It wasn't really competitive at that I mean they were, yeah,
but these games can change a couple three plays, even
the ones that get out of hand.
Speaker 4 (39:38):
And I can't why the league, I think is so unpredictable.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
And I can't stress this enough, and it's it's hard.
It's a hard limb to walk out on, just because
of the last two weeks. But I still very much
believe this defense creates big plays. I mean, the pass rush.
They're always in the top of the league at batting passes,
at the line of scrimmage, take away. They're the best
forced fumble team I've ever seen, you know, I mean,
(40:03):
like those things aren't accidents. It just hasn't happened lately.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Three games in a row no turnovers.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
It's I mean, that's rare, staggering, especially for a team
built this way.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Tonight's Injurie Report is presented by your neighborhood Ford store,
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and I wanted to go back to our
practice participation report. We talked a little bit about Corey
Trice Junior, who's trying to.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
Get back to that window.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
I'm exciting, you know.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
I was down there today. I took some video and
my god, does this guy look the part? And he's
looked the part since he got here. Yeah, and he's
had some brief moments on the field when he has
played well. He can't stay on the field. If they
could get this guy on the field, particularly with the
way the secondary seems to be reinventing itself again, and
it is Yeah, this.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Guy's created for safety, loss of safety. Could Ramsey be
playing safety, his slave's getting role being reduced. I think
all those things are very much play.
Speaker 5 (40:59):
So what.
Speaker 4 (41:01):
This guy is not this Sunday beyond absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
West and I have talked about him a lot this
week on the drive in that he would have been
a Day two pick coming out of Purdue if he
was clean injury wise, they take him in the seventh.
That seems like a long time ago. And that's my point.
It was a long time ago that if they didn't
have super high hopes for him, they wouldn't suck with
(41:25):
him as long. Yeah, I mean, it's it's injury after injury.
But maybe your team doctors are saying he just has
had some bad luck. I mean, when he recovers from
this one, there's no reason to think he won't be
out there. And part of me thinks he could either
be out of the league this time next year, or
he might be the starter opposite Porter this time next
year and be really good.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
Yeah, and I think there's reason to expect out of
one of us.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
Yeah, I mean either it's very real possible, probably fifty fifty. Right,
Flip a coin and you hope you get heads.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
You know, we've talked about your stats a couple of times.
You got a favorite one this week.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
From the one I keep harping on is just all
the points allowed in the fourth quarter and all the
title wave that follows it. One thing that's good along
those lines, though, is it's hard to find weaknesses in
the Colts team, but their defense does allow long sustained drives.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
I mean, so they have a history and it's not
just AP, but still teams have moved the ball on
this defense, and I think the Steelers. I could write
a story where the Steelers finally have thirty five minutes
a time of possession and control the game and just
limit the snaps.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I feel like this is the point of the show
where I should bring up the Colts defensive coordinator lou
and Roumo, because there's a lot of talk about coaching. Sure,
and this guy was smart enough to get fired by
the Bengals who had a horrible defense, and when he left,
and now he's in Indianapolis and he's being hailed as
the next big thing.
Speaker 5 (42:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
I mean the Colts had the helps to players, and
it helps to be playing with a fourteen point lead.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
Well, I just think it's also a reflection on the
Bengals making the wrong decision. You know, they basically told
him it's not the player's fault, it's your fault. You're
not coaching him. Well, well, two years before, when he
had decent players, they had a great defense, they went
to Super Bowl. Now and the Colts had leading the
last several years have been the most generic Cover three
legion of Boom old school, you know, boring static defense
(43:22):
in the league. Well, now he's almost like to a
Flores level. Of unpredictability, and he's a challenge in himself.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
A lot of show blitz. Oh yeah, and like not
to will I mean they will, Yeah, the edge.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Guys will drop, different guys will come, or different guys
in the four.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
Yeah, even if they don't know who it is, right,
you know, pseudo pressures, things like that. But I also
think we saw how Rogers handled Flores, waited him out,
saw it all. It didn't chock him one bit. And
Arthur Smith is coach against this guy on several occasions
when he was a Bengal.
Speaker 4 (43:54):
No, it's a great point.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
I would be worried if the quarterback was not Rogers, right,
worried about oh my god, they're not going to know
what they're doing or how to attack it, or there's
going to be a mistake made or.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Something unorthodox defenses. Don't worry me, right, Yeah, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (44:08):
Got a stat for you.
Speaker 2 (44:09):
See what you think of this one red zone Colts
have points on sixty eight consecutive red zone drives, not touchdown.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
Yeah, yeah, points.
Speaker 5 (44:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
And they reach there a lot.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Dating back to week seven of two thousand and twenty four.
And you said they reached it a lot. They they've
been there thirty eight times this year. They've also scored
overall in forty seven of seventy six possessions.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
It's crazy. Yeah, I mean, just like when you break
it down for yards or points per drive or per snap.
They're the best in the league in assigning clothes and
even when they don't get the red zone, sometimes they
have an eighty yarder from Taylor.
Speaker 2 (44:52):
So how do you hit We talked about maybe try
to run it down their throat and then play off
of that on the way to scoring touchdowns. When the
Steelers have the ball, it's a bit of a tight
back though. When the Colts, Oh yeah, yeah, it's a
great Wilenda trying to cross the World Trade Center town.
I don't think that was Carl Lenda, but you get
my plumbd it over Niagara or whatever.
Speaker 4 (45:12):
Challenging.
Speaker 2 (45:13):
Yeah, when the Colts have the ball. The Steelers have
been struggling with covering people, right, but you got the
greatest running back in the world. Do you just play
it straight? Do you still take away the run and
take your chances with the past? Put your Tarah Austin
had On and yeah, I have knocked him up with.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
That armer and I do not envy Austin and Company
at all this week because I just don't see weaknesses
in it. I don't even see a guard or a
center that you can beat up on. Or we even
mentioned Tyler Warren's name. I mean, he might be Rookie
of the Year and he's all over the field, and
the receivers are exceptional, and I like how Jones is playing.
I guess it has to be priority number one though,
(45:51):
just to take Taylor away. But you're not gonna take
him away.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
But you gotta you gotta slow that down, right. You
just can't.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
You can't get you can't give up ady R touchdown runs.
You can't give up a forty on the ground. You
can't let him dictate.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
It's the stuff we hear every week. I mean, gap
sound tackling, know your assignments, your.
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Stop him, yeah, and give up, give up a bunch
of passes and hope you get a stripsack when you
need it.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
That's the thing is I want him dropping back because TJ.
Watt might ruin his day.
Speaker 4 (46:16):
You know, I'm not saying that'll work, but that's the
way I'd played.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
I would do.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
That's gonna do it for us thanks to Justin Miller
for working the board in expert fashion as he always does.
Thanks for thanks to Brian la Martine for orchestrating Steelers
Nation Radio the way that he does. We'll be doing
this again next week before the Steelers Chargers game. Until then,
for Merrow Hodge and Matt Williamson on Mike Persuda, you
(46:40):
have been listening to Steelers Preview presented by your.
Speaker 4 (46:43):
Neighborhood Ford Store.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Steelers right here on Steelers Nation Radio and
your Steelers.
Speaker 4 (46:51):
Flagship one of two point five dv E. Good night, everybody,
Welcome to the Steelers Preview show on WDVE Pittsburgh, brought
to you by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one
fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers by
Brian Patton and Associates. It's all about the benefits and
by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the
team at shop dot Steelers dot com. And now here
are your hosts, Merril Hodge, Matt Williamson and Mike Persuda.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good evening and welcome to another edition of Steelers Preview
right here on your Steelers flagship one of two point
five DVE and Steelers Nation Radio. Mike Persuda and Matt
Williamson with you. Meryl Hodge will be a long force
segment number two, as he always is, as we get
you ready for the Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts on
(00:43):
Sunday at Akrosher Stadium. And Matt, I guess we'll start.
I'll start by playing Captain obvious. I thought Joe Flacco
to Jamar Chase looked unstoppable. Yeah, I thought Jordan Love
and his array of eligibles looked formidable. And then some
craft and I fear we haven't seen anything yet absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Because nobody runs a ball like this team too. And
I just don't see any weaknesses in this offense, and
those two are they have good players and Packers are
a really good team. This Colts offense is the best
in the league.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You know, I have found one weakness with Indianapolis in
my detailed study.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
There's one that I think is out there. Not on
offense though.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
No, it's on defense.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
When they get a twenty one point lead and they
play all their subs in the fourth quarter, they give
up a lot of yardage.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, as it does skew some of their stats whatever.
They're sitting back playing pre event against the Titans. Yeah,
when they're up to buy a million.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
You had a serious one.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
ADVI.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
I think their.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Corners are below average, but everything else is pretty tharn
strong on this team.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Could be and I might have something to do with
the fact that they really haven't had the three corners.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
That not what they they weren't counting on.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
We'll start with the Colts since you went there and
their participation report. But you know, back in week one
it was Xavian Howard now retired and Scharvarius Ward as
the outside guys and Kenny Moore. The second is the nickel,
and those guys have hardly played together. As you mentioned,
Howard retired after four games. Ward is on IR and
(02:13):
More is still in the process of working his way back.
He's played the last couple of games, but he missed
three prior to that, and they're going with Jonathan Edwards,
an undrafted guy out of Indiana State in Tulane and
McKay Blackman, who is a third year player.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Didn't play last year.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
So he's on his second team. The Vikings drafted him.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, Vikings drafted him in twenty three, didn't play in
twenty four. Now he's with indian twenty five and Moore
is working his way back in the slot. They also
play Cameron Mitchell, a cornerback. A lot a lot of
five and six d B looks with this team.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
A lot of them, oh a lot. Yeah. Ward. They
gave good money to you know, like that was their
big offseason acquisition. Didn't get much out of it because
of injury. People are probably aware of Kenny Moore, Like
if you roam around Indianapolis long time, and he's a
crowd favored He's one of the best slots over the
last ten years. But he also can play outside, and
I assume he would if healthy. And the practice support
(03:15):
I saw today that sounds like he might be trending
the right direction, but he's not an ideal outside guy,
So I think that's a spot you can exploit. And
I don't think their pass rush is dominant. Frankly, I
don't think their defense is dominant. I think the defense
is quite good as well.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Pretty good with a fourteen point league.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And it sure helps ebilide a thousand.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I mean, yeah, they just they play comfortable. Yeah, they
play from ahead and the touch the ball. The other
team's one dimensional and that's a nice way to live.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
You know. There you go that.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Speaking of that practice support for the Colts, Kenny Moore,
the second did not practice Wednesday. He was jacked up
to full participation today. He's got an achilles. One of
the best defensive lineman, Grover Stewart, has not practiced this week.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
That's I don't know if that's a veteran tak it
easy on them types move or what.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Yeah, Usually they designate that.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, yeah, and he's a good player.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Well, you know, as we've seen recently, some teams are
a little loose with the practice participation report a little
looser than others. Anthony Gould return guy punts and kickoffs knee.
He hasn't practiced yet this week, but mostly everything else
looking positive for the Colts in terms of their key guys.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, and that whole corner situation which we laid out aside,
it's been maybe the healthiest team in the league. I
mean Josh Ballens, who's we'll get to, is really good
player too. He's been in that lineup a little. But
their great offense has been healthy.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Imagine that they'll listen to your top three corners and
you're seven to one, and.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
You're seven and one, right, and teams aren't to be
able to even keep up by throwing all over you.
They have not played the hardest late of games, but
we're eight games in and they're for real.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Steeler side Scotty Miller with the finger, still hasn't practiced
this week. Cole Holcombe was out today with an illness.
A couple of interesting guys that are trying to work
their way back through the twenty one day return from
the IR window. Corey Trice junior cornerback. He was limited
today hamstring and knee and the linebacker for the Steelers.
(05:19):
Malik Harrison inside linebacker. He's been full both days. He's
trying to come back from a knee no Isaac say
molol for the second consecutive day, So number seventy four.
Spencer Anderson may be eligible to do a little more
this week than he's done previously. But I think they
plug him in there as they did the other night.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Oh, he'd be the left guard.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, and ben' Skernic went from limited to full. He's
got a little bit of a neck issue. Everything else
pretty much as you thought. You know, Deshaun Elliott's not
going to play, Daniel Qualley's not going to play.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
A couple of things that would to address there is
if see them all as seems like the one that's
most important in most lingering. As we record this, you know,
you don't know if he's a player or not. And
I think it's clear when you have five offensive linemen
on the field, Anderson's going to be your left guard
if ciamal who can't go? But I think the obvious
(06:13):
question is does that mean the jumbo package falls apart?
I have not been in practice. I'm not gonna report anything.
I don't know this, but the people I've talked to
seem to think that they still could use the jumbo
package in one of two ways. Either Pete would come
in at left guard and Spencer Anderson would go be
(06:34):
his sixth guy as he was up until this point,
or Calvin Anderson has done some of it in the past.
Who's a tackle? Usually that six guys a tackle, So
I'd be curious what the six to zero line situation
is if ciamal who's not out there?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Arthur Smith today, the offensive coordinator was coordinator Thursday, he spoke,
he was asked about that. He said, you know, stay tuned.
I'm sure he's gonna tell he's not gonna reveal competitive balanced.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Stuff, and a speculating would work, you know.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Aaron Rodgers kind of talked about after the game against
Green Bay how in the event, say Malo was unavailable,
they still can do it. My guess would be they'll
figure out a way to keep doing it because it's
just so effective.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Highly effective, right, and like you said, they want to
play with defensive backs on the field. You want to
get you want to get them in their base and
make them as uncomfortable as possible.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Right. One other note.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
The Steelers made a late addition to their practice report
today Darius Slay, cornerback, did not practice personal matter. And
I'd bring that up because Darius Slay had his snaps
reduced significantly in the last game against Green Bay. He
only played thirty two defensive snaps fifty percent. He played
one hundred percent of defensive snaps the first two weeks,
(07:46):
eighty five percent after that, ninety six, and in the
last three weeks it's been sixty two, sixty eight and
fifty percent. And he appears from my seat in the
press box to be struggling. Yeah, I question the effort
on the swing pass to save you on Williams when
you know Cam Hayward didn't call out Sleigh by name,
but when he's talking about lack of fight or not
(08:08):
enough fight.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It shows up.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
You got to defend every blade of grass, and I
think he did so there. So we'll see that.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
He's never exactly been mel Blind or Rod Woodson as
attackler throughout his career, and now he doesn't move like
he did either.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
That's that's kind of where we are.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I think it's interesting that Trice is looming.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
And Trice trying to get off of that through that
hour window. You mentioned a moment ago the Colts loved
to play nickel and and some dime. And if the
Steelers do have their jumbo package available, do you try.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
To attack these guys, you know, passing the.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Ball and scoring a ton of points, or do you
try to run it down their throat and hold on
to it and keep it away from them. I found
it interesting that Arthur Smith today on Coordinated Thursday, brought
up Super Bowl twenty five and the New York Football
Giants and forty minutes in thirty three seconds of time
of possession.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Again, it's Jim Kelly and the k gun.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Okay, I didn't know he did that.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Oh he did that.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Okay, so I'm on the fence.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
He said it was under the context of, well, you're
not going to come out and goal line formation run
twelve straight times.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
But you know this happened.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
This happen.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And he talked about offense.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
He talks about Bill Parcells, to Smith's knowledge, calling that
one of the greatest game plans of all time.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
I love it. I have mixed feelings, and I think
in a way, you're gonna have to walk this tight
rope to beat this Colts team. It's one of the
best in the league, with the best offense in the league.
We mentioned the weakness at corner. I think you're crazy
if you don't throw at those corners, especially with metcalf.
And I also think this quarterback, Rogers is never bashful
(09:40):
of attacking the weakest link, especially if you're getting singled up. Yeah,
so that I think will happen. I also think you
have to view this game that it's not the first
one to twenty wins. I mean, there's gonna be points.
They score thirty on everyone. Steelers are letting up points.
So you may have to go for it more on
(10:02):
fourth down, not settle for field goals. Maybe take a
few more shots. But this is the thing that every
you know how I do my stats, and this is
stats from time to time.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
A lot of stats are just like a stat or two.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
It's like a couple to keep it close and concise,
you know, so you guys can all.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Hang with us and hang along six to seven pages.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
But this is what's stuck with me most this week.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
People out there listening are unfamiliar with Matt's stats, and
then you can find it on coming. It pretty much
the Hong Kong phone Book of Statistical.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
Annals not in there. It pays a picture volume many many,
many stats.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
So this is the thing that's harping with me the
most about this Steeler defense, who we know is not
playing well at all, But forty seven percent of the
points they've allowed are in the fourth quarter. If you
just go quarter by quarter, they're like eighth best, tenth best,
twelfth best, and then a distant thirty second in the
fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
And yeah, they've saved games.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
And yet they've saved games, saved the.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Jets game, saved the Patriots game, saved the Vikings game
with last possession stops exactly.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
And they're capable of doing that, I mean, but we
haven't seen it lately. Now that's when the alarm bells
are going off my head like crazy, because I didn't
hear the Ed Arthur Smith quote until you mentioned it.
Because I think the best way complimentary football to play
a team game, to not give up a bazillion points
in the fourth quarter is to play less defense. This
(11:30):
is an old defense. That's a time of possession thing
to me. So if you can get forty minutes a
time of possession and keep the k gun off there,
Cam and TJ and Sleigh and Ramsey might be very appreciative.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
One monkey in that wrench last week against last Sunday
against the Titans in Indianapolis said the ball for twenty
five minutes and thirty nine seconds, went three for nine
on third downs and still had four hundred and twenty
total minit yards and thirty eight points. And that's with
Riley Leonard from Notre Dame making his NFL's debut, mopping
(12:06):
up at the end of the fourth.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
John Taylor with a baseball cap on the fourth quarter.
So yeah, he's so pitch it to that guy and
he takes it eighty And.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
It's a theory, but it's not necessarily an absolute.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
A lot more coming, including Meryl Hodge.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
We'll see what he thinks about all this stuff when
we come back with Matt Williamson on Mike Pursuda Steelers
Preview presented by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one
fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers, comes
to you on Steelers Nation Radio and your Steelers Flagship.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
One of two point five dve Back to the Steelers
Preview show on DV.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Welcome Back to Steelers Preview right here on the Steels
Flagship one of two point five DV and Steelers Nation Radio,
Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson getting you ready for the
Steelers on and the Colt Sunday at Actorsher Time. Now
to welcome our factor back to the show, Merril Hodge
and Merrill, we got a lot to talk about relative
to the Steelers, but you, being the former running back
(13:03):
that you are, I wanted to talk about Jonathan Taylor
and I wanted to get your thoughts on Taylor in
this context.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
I know he's very good.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
I think he's reached that level of good and I
reference specifically the eighty yard touchdown run against the Tennessee Titans.
I saw three unblocked guys managed to just not quite
get there, and.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Yeah, wrong angles.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I think they just didn't want to get joked or
posterized or run over whatever you're calling. I mean, is
he this intimidating that the defenders would rather.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
Just not well, Listen, after you watch tape, you know, listen,
that happens with every opponent. You know, you watch somebody
on tape and it's one game, two games, you watch
four games, you get ready for him, and you know,
you get a sense of the truth. You know, there
could be a game you're like I was ball down
and like next three games just not the same. And
that's just not the same with him, and you know
(13:59):
his since he came from Wisconsin, you know, you know,
And that's the thing about the draft, you know, drafting
kids that have somewhat of a skill set that will
transition to the NFL. What does that mean? Like, because
in the NFL, because the hash marks are more narrow
than they are in college, the game is played in
the middle, and so your ability to run is really
(14:21):
mine like start, stop, redirect, power of explosiveness, and then
if you do have the lead speed, which he does,
then you have a rare runner. That doesn't mean that
that's going to always manifest itself. You know, the kid
has really worked hard. I've watched it in the studied
him since he came came out. What I what I
think he's done a better job of to this point
(14:44):
of his career is now he it all good runners
understand fronts, coverages and who supports And the reason for
that is because you know who might be the undefended,
who unblocked defender. You also know how the defense is
playing leverage. The more you know about the defense and
how they're playing, just the better it helps you as
(15:05):
a runner. You know, the more information that you take
him before you get the ball, it's not listen. And
then that enhances your instincts that you have. He has
tremendous instincts. I can't even say that there was one
thing that is better than the other because his feet,
his good to start and stop is elite, His explosiveness
(15:26):
is elite, and then his top end speeds elite. You know,
to your point, that eight yard run put out everything
on display there. Power. Yeah, you know, they tried to
get into his legs and he blew through that. He
started with the first the first one actually was you know,
behind his shoulder pads. You know he wore he wore
that one off, and he wore the leg one off,
(15:47):
and then where he had to make a move and
then outrun somebody. All of that took him too place
and and then stayed in balance. So having you know,
great balance and sense of awareness, you know he's he's uh,
he's a problem. I mean, here's saying.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Can I just put that?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
And that's why he's a problem.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Can I just point out the University of Wisconsin reluctantly
took Jonathan Taylor, Oh right, and reluctantly I didn't know
that reluctantly.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
Took JJ Watt out of Central America.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, okay, Sometimes you gotta be lucky in the talent evaluation.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
Yeah, yeah, well it's not perfect science. Listen, nobody's ever
bad at a perfect score, you know, no matter what,
I'm Bill pulling Sidebarer say, if you're going to be
a Hall of Fame GM, you gotta be fifty four percent, right,
And I said fifty four. He said fifty four. I'm like,
that's like five out of ten. It's like that's failure
(16:44):
in high school. I mean, failure in school. That's unbelievable.
I was surprised. I was actually surprised. I was shocked, actually,
But you know that's mistakes are made, you know, and
you know, you ever heard of beauty is either a
whole older talent is too you know, and and that
so it creates other layers of complication and difficulty when
(17:07):
you're evaluating a guy to come in and play. But
you know, and I'm sure you're gonna probably get to
this at the end. You know, they do a great
job up front for him too. You know, they have
a beautiful relationship. Those guys up front move people, and
they give him a chance. And that's a really that's
a really big, a rare combination when you get an
(17:28):
elite runner like that and a really good group up
front to help you.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Well, that leads me to Daniel Jones, who was considered,
you know, a buster failure in New York and a
much different environment. And I think it's easy to look
at his career as the Colts and be like, well, yeah,
he's got a ton around him. That line you mentioned,
great pass catchers, phenomenal running game. I watched his All
twenty two last night, and he's playing very well when
(17:53):
you just isolate the quarterback too.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
Yeah, No, from from a processing perspective, act your seat perspective.
You know, his mobility, you know, getting him out of
trouble when he needs to, and maybe some tough throws.
You know, it isn't like they're always you know, in
favorable situation, and there's times where they've got to lean
on Daniel Jones and and listen at some point if
(18:16):
they're going to get to the super Bowl, wins super Bowl, like,
he's going to have to make some critical plays, so
he's he's eventually going to have to really play anyway.
And that's just that's gonna happen. To this point, he
has shown when he's had to he's done that. That's
all I can tell you. There's from an evidence aspect,
(18:38):
he's done that. He's shown it. If you got it,
if I got to be in, if we're in a jam,
I gotta make a play force, I can make a
play for us, because he has done that to this point.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Okay, we got the Colts covered. They're really good. Yeah,
let's talk about the Steelers. Merrill and uh, maybe I'm overreacting,
maybe not. But when I heard Cam Hayward say there's
not enough fight, uh boy, I didn't expect to hear that,
you know, attached attached to this team at this time.
(19:10):
I saw it. You know, I didn't expect to hear it,
and I understand why he said it. My question to
you is, if there's not enough fight, as Heyward assessed
seven games into a season, do they start fighting now
or is that just who they are?
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Where you're gonna find out who you are? I will
tell you this, you're gonna find out who you are.
So a little bit of that has probably been given
away just by that. You got the captain there. The
guy been around a long time. He watches tape just
like we do. He's more he's more in tune with
that that huddle than anybody is. And you know the
(19:49):
one you guys mentioned, Uh, well, what's his name? Twenty three? Uh?
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Godstang it, Darius Slay, Darius Slay.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
You know the play that he he lacked, the commitment
that he lacked there on. There's a great example.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Williams. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
Yeah, somebody decided not to play and that you know,
it goes goes back. And you know, I didn't know
you're going to tell me this that Cam Hayward had said,
but it does remind me. I remember probably one of
the only times I ever listened to a Chuck millcom
conference after a game, which was on a Monday, after
the final game of the year. It was nineteen eighty seven,
(20:29):
when we had been on stride, had been an awful
just a tumultuous year. I might say, I want to
think we were seven and nine.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
No, you just you just missed the playoffs? Was it?
Speaker 5 (20:39):
Eight eighty seven maybe eight seven and one.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
It was real close, got a poor start, and then
you came back. Woodson came in late, and uh it
got better.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Yeah, yeah, anyway.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
But he was just like, you know, how do you
evaluate a team like this? He said, because I know
who already quit? And I'm like, I remember I strive
my car. Oh man, I didn't quit. I remember I
didn't quit. I hope he knows I didn't quit. Doesn't
How does he know who quit? How does I know this? Right?
Kind of like, okay, that's how you know somebody quit
(21:12):
that that you quit there? You could create any excuse there,
could make any excuse he wants to make you quit
on that play you quit. Now listen, you could say
he's in his thirteenth year. Okay, I don't care. He's
on the football field, he's warning an NFL jury, and
he's lined up as a starter, and you have a
commitment period. Choose to quit there, then get somebody else
(21:35):
on the field for you. But that just it just
echoes now that Cam has said that, you know, because.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
Yeah, that was right after the Green Bay game, the
postgame locker room.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Yeah, well I can tell you this that there is
not the Bengal game. In the Green Bay game, there
has been a lack uh you don't I tell you this.
Let's the two teams are going to play the two defenses.
In fact, I just got to watch him. The Colts
their energy. First of all, they control the line of
scrimmage a majority of the time, a mass majority of
the time, big time percentage eighty ninety. They control the
(22:09):
line of scrimmage in every down in distance they all
get to the ball. You can just feel their energies
like they're all playing together and not the Steers. You
don't feel that same energy and that same commitment to
get to the ball all together and play together. Listen
that that can be resurrected immediately, you know, just from.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Minnesota and Cleveland though these past it's happened this year,
particularly against Yeah, yeah, I would completely agree with that.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
You know. That's That's what I'm saying. You know, no,
it's not gone, but you know you better resurrect it
now because there's it's it's you're getting You're getting to
the time now where you're gonna get in trouble.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
You know.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
That's what I love about the NFL, Like every game
is so important, you know, everything and every game Johns
I used to call we call it the update League
every week, Like how you view the league right now?
If we just went through every game, every team, blah
blah blah, and then we let the games play go
next week, about eighty percent of those views are going
to change and how you see a team, how you
(23:17):
view a team, and how you you look at the honestly,
every like we were like, dang, this league changes week
the week the week. There's only like a twenty to
thirty percent group that's consistent. And those are really, really,
really good teams. So you know they have they got
to do it now. You know, you can't wait around
this and talk. You know, words has never changed anything.
(23:38):
Action does everything for you, and so you know, hopefully
that's what you see on Sunday. You know what I
did not know, You know, I was reading Math's notes
and on the morning, for some reason, I thought they
were playing in Indianapolis. I don't know why I thought
they're playing there. I was like, thank the Lord, they're
not playing there.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
Now.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
That gives them a little bit I got. You know,
they got a they got some hometown energy. That listen
is a is a massive help. You know, it's better
than having to be on the road with this team.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
So effort on defense is wonderful and necessary and all
those things, but so much this game is played from
the neck up. Does the alignment and assignments mistakes on
defense alarm you?
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Yeah, well, because it happened all year. Yeah, you know
they've really challenged our linebackers. Our secondary at times had
confusion too, you know, that's right. You know the Green
Bay game, you know they knew that. You know, they
put our inside linebackers, they attack Queen. You know, they
make him play. People make him play. And when it
comes to identifying people in bunch formations, you know, and
(24:44):
they the Packers do a unique job too. They do
that and then they almost have like a screen set
up from it. You know, they they've designed one guy
is going to get the ball.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
But if you talked about that Packers screen game just
a week ago and you were one hundred percent, yeah.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
They're just they're just Johnny, It's crazy. It's like I
don't think I've seen I've probably seen about and make
notes at some point in my career. I just kind
of forgot about it. But they are a screen heavy
in a very creative way. You know, Like I try
to explain this morning. It's it's not like the office
line leaks out, the back leaks out and they screen.
(25:19):
Of course they'll do that one, but they do one
man screens. They get the two man screens. They do,
you know, just wide receiver, tight end screens, just back screens.
I mean, they just have a litany of them. Well,
I'm gonna just gonna tell you this, Like when you
see a team has that problem with the Steers, I've
had you see it every week. We've seen it every week.
Every team just adds something to their arsenal to challenge
(25:43):
that because people don't want to see let's see if
they're let's just see if they've fixed it, because we
have not seen it for you know, the entire year.
And in the only way the Steers get that to
go away a little bit, you got to show up
for a month. You know, we're the next team, you know,
you know it's five weeks from now, looks the last
four games, and they don't see that air they keep
(26:05):
seeing it. The Steelers are gonna keep seeing it. But
the Packers really took a big time advantage of that,
you know, with gardenside players and even our dvs.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Merrill.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Looking at the Steelers offense, I felt this way after
the Bengals game. Very strongly and not as strong, but
I still thought against Green Bay the points were left
on the field. And I think they're doing well. I
think they're getting better. I am so impressed with Rogers.
Is it crazy to think that while they're in this
(26:39):
defense in Blaze, maybe this offense which is averaging twenty
five points a game, do they have another gear? Can
they start scoring in the thirties and beating people thirty
five thirty three something like that, Because I kind of
feel like that's how they're gonna have to win if
they're gonna win this week this Sunday.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
Yeah, well because of a very and now they have
that possibility clearly, the way they're going to have to
have to do is, you know, other people are going
to have to start, you know, winning and and producing,
you know, rather than a tight end grow you know,
and and wide receives. Because what a lot of teams
are doing now is they're they're prior to priority, prioritizing DK.
(27:19):
You know, they's trying to double him as much as
possible and eliminate him best you can. And you know
that that's just given access to everybody else.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
And now for.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Somebody, you know, to really you know, not just somebody,
I think you know, you need almost to at least
two guys to elevate their game and really start making
plays that can could help that offense evolve. You know,
I have another weapons and uh layers of different phases
to the passing attack. That that's there's growth in there,
(27:54):
to your point, and that's guests to that. As long
as that growth comes up comes a lot, you know,
and it needs to come to the live this week.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
So along those lines, if we've gotten the point, especially
against a team like this upcoming opponent, where you kind
of know that it's not a race to twenty anymore
like it used to be. It's a race to thirty
and maybe more. Do they have to be more aggressive
with going forward on fourth downs, not settling for field goals,
you know, coaching accordingly in all phases of the game.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Yeah, you know, Now when you say that, I'm like,
you know, it all depends on the situation. Yeah, yeah,
you know, I you know, you know, you know, the
analytic thing I'm not an analytics fan at all, you know,
you know, I look at like player evaluations. The three
most important evaluations for a player feet hips and hands,
(28:48):
instincts and toughness. If you want to add two more
in it, which are vital lest five, there's no analytics
for that. That's the five most important evaluators of a player,
and you have no analytics for that. That is more
on to think that I'm gonna let an analytic tell
me what to do from an evaluation tax that does
that mean there's not value there. I'm not disclaiming it.
They're disgusting saying no way nothing.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
You're in a safe space here. If you want to
go ahead and torch analytics Maryland, I'm not a fan
of either.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
I'm not a fan of saying that that's when you
should go for it on fourth down.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
If I can't, Donald, I'm not going for it on
fourth down.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Yeah. Who's to say that? You know you didn't You're right,
you didn't lose your just two best off its blindmen,
you know you're.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Right.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
No, Yeah, none of that it comes into play. So,
but I do think that maybe you take the sense
of we might have I might based on the scenario
that we're sitting in that when those fifty to fifty
chances coming, I'm gonna lean more towards puntinent or kicking
a field goal. Maybe I'll need more towards going forward.
(29:55):
But before I do that, I'm talking to my team
knows that first. I trust that. That's who knows his point,
and that's who I'm addressing. Number one of this is
so they understand that, and that's how we practice it.
So we start practicing those things.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
You know, play caller needs to know it because your
third down call could be a lot different.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
You know, right, very very true, you know, and all
that stuff. You know, but yeah, you got to start
doing you know, I think all those things you know,
and I'm sure they do that, you know, I'm sure
that you know, self evaluation, you're you're looking at those
type of things and you know, trying to help yourself too,
so that you can change things up and help your
team be better too. So you know that your opponents
(30:35):
not not over there, you know, having all of these
great tendencies on you. You break your own tendencies, change
your own tendencies so that people don't have ways to
easily gain plan.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
You'll I'm not an analytics guy either, Merrill, but my
feeling remember the Steelers Packers shoot out a few years
back at U ben Hinzfield now after Sure Stadium, and
Mike Tomlins to take the lead in the fourth quarter
and on side kicked, and I'm gonna paraphrase him here,
but his reasoning was, well, if we get it, great,
(31:08):
If we don't, at least Sty'll score quicker and I'll
have time to score the last score.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Like that's that's kind of my thought. I know you
can't surprise on side kick anymore, but yeah, i'd i'd
be putting a pedal down on this one.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
If I'm gonna lose this game, I'm gonna lose it
with Aaron Rodgers in his hand, not with somebody throwing
the ball fifty yards down the field in three dbs
not making a play on it and some guy coming.
Speaker 5 (31:32):
Down with it. Touche. You all forgot about all about that.
And actually that's I love that thinking. That's the time
to thinking you got to come up with now. Yeah,
you know, think you gotta be thinking like that, thinking
on the edge, thinking outside the box. Think you're strategically
like that versus the same norm.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Last thing I got for you, Marrow is it's not
all doom and gloom. The offensive side of the ball
is clearly progressed, and I think the offensive line might
be the most improved unit on the team.
Speaker 5 (32:01):
And listen from they were week one. Yes, yeah, you know,
seventy seven's come a long way. You know, we we
haven't talked a lot about him lately. You know, he
still has his moments, but I think he has accepted
you know, where he changed was or where he's I
think his growth really came about was when we played Cleveland.
(32:21):
I think he knew that everybody thought he was just
going to get absolutely demolished and playing like he was
he was going to and he did not play like
he was he had been, so to his credit, he is.
I think he has played so much better seventy six
much improved. And I felt that there'd be greater growth
there and put the growth there just because of the
(32:42):
over all fundamentals that exist from feet, hips to hands,
and just how how much more stable he is and
more structurally sound he is versus seventy seven. Seventy seventy
is you know, he's he's got dynamic fee he's keecht
of an athlete, but he's feet hips to hands or
a mass a lot. And that's why he gets bullrus.
That's why he gets he gets they swim movie and
(33:04):
you know they get him out of position and get him.
He has no leverage. You can't hold people. And there
are times where you got to you had to question,
like like he didn't touch anybody, Like you don't even
know what you're doing, Like that's not a good team.
That's not easy to sit in the in the classroom afterwards,
your meeting room, and that I'm telling you, yes, and
(33:28):
he's really as a group. So as a group, yes
they have. They have manifested themselves as one and come together.
And I think the coaches have got a really good
job of creating some creativity in the running game because
you know, we've talked about this before, but they just
more are a man blocking type of guys.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
They like that.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
You just get a sense of they're man blocking schemes
and man, they're getting them going. Man, there's a different
there's a different energy about him when they they snap
the ball. But it's there's so when they've been has
to do his own stuff because it's not as much
as it feels like they do it better. You know,
it's not like this the same old thing, same old
zone run. So coaches have done a great job. The
(34:11):
Backs have done it in all the Backs have played
have done a really sucher job of compliment things, breaking
tackles and get in the yards that they needed to
get after they have done the boys up front have
done their jobs.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Meryl appreciate it is always just a reminder for your
scheduling purposes. The game is here in Pittsburgh on Sunday,
and then we will talk to you next week before
the Steelers play in LA against the Chargers.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Well, listen, I appreciate that because I would have hated
to have driven to Indianapolis and everybody where are you whereat?
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Yeah, we already had that unfortunate getting to Ireland three
weeks early thing. We don't want to go down that
road again.
Speaker 5 (34:52):
And man, love you go Steelers.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Meryl honts here on the preview.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Gear up with the latest game day necessities at the
official Steelers pro shops. Get the latest Sideline apparel, Jersey's
Terrible towels, authentic memorabilia. Well, the only thing I like
better than memorabilia is authentic radio uh and custom exclusives
you can only find directly from the team. Visit one
of the official Steelers Pro shops. Those are located at
Akracher Stadium, the Grove City Premium Outlets, and the Tanger Outlets.
(35:19):
Can also gear up online at shop dot Steelers dot com.
Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro
Shop at shop dot Steelers dot com. One more segment
to come, so keep it here with Matt Williamson on
Mike Persuda and this is Steelers Preview prevented by presented
by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one fifty is
the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers, right here on
(35:40):
Steelers Nation Radio and your Steelers Flagship one A two
point five DVE.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
Back to the Steelers preview show on DVE.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Welcome back to the preview, Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson
with you. Another full court press from Merrill. Yes, great
fucking mix my sports metaphors.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Good STUFFO.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I mean, he's spot on Steel's getting ready to take
on the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
And it's funny, Matt. You know we've talked. I think
everybody's leaning into you got to win this one with offense.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
The defense could make plays though, Well yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
That's the thing. You get those eraser plays, right. The
Bengals game last year in Cincinnati's a good example. When
they played Joe Burrow at the height of his powers.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
And Bengals team was a race to thirty five every week.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
And they got a defensive score.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Now, they gave up an offensive score, but they were
able to make the plays ahead to make.
Speaker 4 (36:37):
I don't care about yards allowed anymore.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
I think the way the league is officiated, just the
way it's played, you're not gonna have what you had
twenty five thirty years ago. The steel curtain's gone, the
eighty five Bears are gone, the two thousand Ravens are gone.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Even like those great Belichick teams, which is pretty long
ago now, they were never the top of the league
in yards allowed, but they were the bottle league. Points allowed,
red zone was tough, takeaways, sacks, you know, putting your backwards,
but they allowed yardage.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
So okay, you get the sack when you need it
or the turnover when you need it. That that's that's
how you win.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
It is, and unfortunately this team's a little too dependent
that way. You know that when they get defensive splash,
they well, but put the other way, when they don't
get defensive slash, they don't win.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
And you know, you look at the Green Bay game,
just the longer it went, the more out of hand
it got. But I still can't wrap my head around
that fifty nine yard catch and run from Tyler Kraft
the third and five from the fifteen yard line, and
it's a six man pressure and they get there and
eye blink late.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
That's the thing is they're so close to it and
it just heaves it.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
Down the middle of the field like that could have
been a sack. That could have been a strip sack,
That could have been a tip pick. Yeah, it could
have been a lot of things. It ended up being
a fifty nine yard game.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
You and I and Rob King do a show every
Monday recap in the game the point after, Yeah, the
point after. And you said that very very early in
that hour that you thought the game changed right there
right there, and oh, by the way, injury to insult
Elliott gets hurt on the play.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
And that I think really changed was an emotional letdown.
Then the Steelers able to come back and get a
field goal. But then you had another one of those plays,
the long throw down the middle to Christian Watson, who
is a great receiver, and he could go up and
get the ball. But there's two three guys there. I mean,
somebody's got to make a play on that ball.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
And like that five minutes of play, there seemed like
there was a bunch of things that could have gone
either way, you know, like goofy things like not calling
the off sides when the guy's clearly offsides, and Rogers
would never even tried to throw if he wasn't getting
the off sides, and none of them went to Steelers way.
It was just like you the title wave hit and
(38:53):
it hit hard.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Yeah, And now there's been a lot of talk.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
You know, Cam Heyward made the headlines with the not
enough fight address, but you know a lot of guys
have talked about subsequent spinoff teams of that, uh, you know,
handling adversity. Mike Tomlin says, you got to be able
to respond. Somebody's got to make a play to stop
that avalanche and momentum right right.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Why we're paying all this money, that's why we're putting
you on the field, even.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
A game that looked as one sided as that one
did by the end.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
And you know, the Steelers last score was you know,
if they make that two point conversion, they're an onside
kick away from maybe scoring and making another two point chance.
Speaker 5 (39:30):
Yeah, yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
It wasn't really competitive at that I mean they were, yeah,
but these games can change a couple three plays, even
the ones that get out of hand.
Speaker 4 (39:38):
And I can't why the league, I think is so unpredictable.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
And I can't stress this enough, and it's it's hard.
It's a hard limb to walk out on, just because
of the last two weeks. But I still very much
believe this defense creates big plays. I mean, the pass rush.
They're always in the top of the league at batting passes,
at the line of scrimmage, take away. They're the best
forced fumble team I've ever seen, you know, I mean,
(40:03):
like those things aren't accidents. It just hasn't happened lately.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Three games in a row no turnovers.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
It's I mean, that's rare, staggering, especially for a team
built this way.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Tonight's Injurie Report is presented by your neighborhood Ford store,
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and I wanted to go back to our
practice participation report. We talked a little bit about Corey
Trice Junior, who's trying to.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
Get back to that window.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
I'm exciting, you know.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
I was down there today. I took some video and
my god, does this guy look the part? And he's
looked the part since he got here. Yeah, and he's
had some brief moments on the field when he has
played well. He can't stay on the field. If they
could get this guy on the field, particularly with the
way the secondary seems to be reinventing itself again, and
it is Yeah, this.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Guy's created for safety, loss of safety. Could Ramsey be
playing safety, his slave's getting role being reduced. I think
all those things are very much play.
Speaker 5 (40:59):
So what.
Speaker 4 (41:01):
This guy is not this Sunday beyond absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
West and I have talked about him a lot this
week on the drive in that he would have been
a Day two pick coming out of Purdue if he
was clean injury wise, they take him in the seventh.
That seems like a long time ago. And that's my point.
It was a long time ago that if they didn't
have super high hopes for him, they wouldn't suck with
(41:25):
him as long. Yeah, I mean, it's it's injury after injury.
But maybe your team doctors are saying he just has
had some bad luck. I mean, when he recovers from
this one, there's no reason to think he won't be
out there. And part of me thinks he could either
be out of the league this time next year, or
he might be the starter opposite Porter this time next
year and be really good.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
Yeah, and I think there's reason to expect out of
one of us.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
Yeah, I mean either it's very real possible, probably fifty fifty. Right,
Flip a coin and you hope you get heads.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
You know, we've talked about your stats a couple of times.
You got a favorite one this week.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
From the one I keep harping on is just all
the points allowed in the fourth quarter and all the
title wave that follows it. One thing that's good along
those lines, though, is it's hard to find weaknesses in
the Colts team, but their defense does allow long sustained drives.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
I mean, so they have a history and it's not
just AP, but still teams have moved the ball on
this defense, and I think the Steelers. I could write
a story where the Steelers finally have thirty five minutes
a time of possession and control the game and just
limit the snaps.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I feel like this is the point of the show
where I should bring up the Colts defensive coordinator lou
and Roumo, because there's a lot of talk about coaching. Sure,
and this guy was smart enough to get fired by
the Bengals who had a horrible defense, and when he left,
and now he's in Indianapolis and he's being hailed as
the next big thing.
Speaker 5 (42:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
I mean the Colts had the helps to players, and
it helps to be playing with a fourteen point lead.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
Well, I just think it's also a reflection on the
Bengals making the wrong decision. You know, they basically told
him it's not the player's fault, it's your fault. You're
not coaching him. Well, well, two years before, when he
had decent players, they had a great defense, they went
to Super Bowl. Now and the Colts had leading the
last several years have been the most generic Cover three
legion of Boom old school, you know, boring static defense
(43:22):
in the league. Well, now he's almost like to a
Flores level. Of unpredictability, and he's a challenge in himself.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
A lot of show blitz. Oh yeah, and like not
to will I mean they will, Yeah, the edge.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Guys will drop, different guys will come, or different guys
in the four.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
Yeah, even if they don't know who it is, right,
you know, pseudo pressures, things like that. But I also
think we saw how Rogers handled Flores, waited him out,
saw it all. It didn't chock him one bit. And
Arthur Smith is coach against this guy on several occasions
when he was a Bengal.
Speaker 4 (43:54):
No, it's a great point.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
I would be worried if the quarterback was not Rogers, right,
worried about oh my god, they're not going to know
what they're doing or how to attack it, or there's
going to be a mistake made or.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Something unorthodox defenses. Don't worry me, right, Yeah, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (44:08):
Got a stat for you.
Speaker 2 (44:09):
See what you think of this one red zone Colts
have points on sixty eight consecutive red zone drives, not touchdown.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
Yeah, yeah, points.
Speaker 5 (44:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
And they reach there a lot.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Dating back to week seven of two thousand and twenty four.
And you said they reached it a lot. They they've
been there thirty eight times this year. They've also scored
overall in forty seven of seventy six possessions.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
It's crazy. Yeah, I mean, just like when you break
it down for yards or points per drive or per snap.
They're the best in the league in assigning clothes and
even when they don't get the red zone, sometimes they
have an eighty yarder from Taylor.
Speaker 2 (44:52):
So how do you hit We talked about maybe try
to run it down their throat and then play off
of that on the way to scoring touchdowns. When the
Steelers have the ball, it's a bit of a tight
back though. When the Colts, Oh yeah, yeah, it's a
great Wilenda trying to cross the World Trade Center town.
I don't think that was Carl Lenda, but you get
my plumbd it over Niagara or whatever.
Speaker 4 (45:12):
Challenging.
Speaker 2 (45:13):
Yeah, when the Colts have the ball. The Steelers have
been struggling with covering people, right, but you got the
greatest running back in the world. Do you just play
it straight? Do you still take away the run and
take your chances with the past? Put your Tarah Austin
had On and yeah, I have knocked him up with.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
That armer and I do not envy Austin and Company
at all this week because I just don't see weaknesses
in it. I don't even see a guard or a
center that you can beat up on. Or we even
mentioned Tyler Warren's name. I mean, he might be Rookie
of the Year and he's all over the field, and
the receivers are exceptional, and I like how Jones is playing.
I guess it has to be priority number one though,
(45:51):
just to take Taylor away. But you're not gonna take
him away.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
But you gotta you gotta slow that down, right. You
just can't.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
You can't get you can't give up ady R touchdown runs.
You can't give up a forty on the ground. You
can't let him dictate.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
It's the stuff we hear every week. I mean, gap
sound tackling, know your assignments, your.
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Stop him, yeah, and give up, give up a bunch
of passes and hope you get a stripsack when you
need it.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
That's the thing is I want him dropping back because TJ.
Watt might ruin his day.
Speaker 4 (46:16):
You know, I'm not saying that'll work, but that's the
way I'd played.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
I would do.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
That's gonna do it for us thanks to Justin Miller
for working the board in expert fashion as he always does.
Thanks for thanks to Brian la Martine for orchestrating Steelers
Nation Radio the way that he does. We'll be doing
this again next week before the Steelers Chargers game. Until then,
for Merrow Hodge and Matt Williamson on Mike Persuda, you
(46:40):
have been listening to Steelers Preview presented by your.
Speaker 4 (46:43):
Neighborhood Ford Store.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Steelers right here on Steelers Nation Radio and
your Steelers.
Speaker 4 (46:51):
Flagship one of two point five dv E. Good night, everybody,
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.