June 19, 2026 • 48 mins
Ed Troup and Brian Batko are joined in studio by Chris Adamski of "The Blitz" on SNR and TribLive to break down the Steelers' offseason moves, discuss the biggest storylines heading into training camp, and evaluate where Pittsburgh stands as preparations for the 2026 season continue.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Our number two of the Steelers Standard. Here on Steelers
Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network, I am
a troop alongside Double.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
B, Brian Bacco and Brian.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We have a special guest making his Steelers Standard debut
is mister Chris Adamski.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hello, Chris, it's it's an honor to join you guys.
I'm glad you call him Double B two because I
do that every once in a while. Ago, Yeah, that's
the right person that ever called you. That guy was like,
I don't know what Williams. There you go.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Actually, I'm sure over the years a lot of B
squared I've gotten from people. I guess maybe the more
mathematically inclined than you two, but they're they're working quadratic equations.
You guys are just you know, hey, there's two bees
in his name. Well, I mean's Williams was calling me
that this week, so it's it's catching on.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
You can go to Barry Bonds, one of the most famous.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Uh, there you go.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
That's probably that's probably at the top world or otherwise
worth there's another one.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
The metal Draft Draft.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
He was, yeah, tying it all together. If you show
up in a mohawk and like cut off leaves or something,
then we will.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Know we stole Chris Adamski from the Blitz. You can
hear Chris and our good friend Tom Offerman each and
every day here on s n R on the Blitz.
But Chris, uh, graciously enough, he's going to be joining
me later today on the Top ten show, which Brian
has done with me. Tom is our only two times
by the way, so far on the Top ten Teachers.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So we yeah, we we sneak.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
We get Chris today that he well, he wants a
gold jacket, I think for if he comes.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
On a third he's got a little star sticker metal
or something.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Chris will be joining me to talk about the all
time Pittsburgh Steelers interception leaders. So that's some interesting conversation
because they're not all safeties and corners. There's a couple
of linebackers on there. But Brian, you want to guess
Chris probably can cheek because I sent him the list already.
But do you think who the two of the non
(02:08):
secondary members are in the interception all time Pittsburgh steel
was interception list.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
We were talking, we were doing our remember some Guys
segment earlier this week with Vince Williams, and he brought
up how many passes jack Ham picked off? Because he
is a big we learned Vince is a he's a
jack Ham stand he's he's one of the few people
who are like Ham is underrated. He should Actually he's
He's right there with Lambert, if not above him. So
I'll say jack Ham is probably in that also. I
(02:35):
guess like bingo quarterbacks in that day, I mean, Vince
brought up the point that they didn't throw it as much,
but I feel like when they did throw it, they
were way less risk averse. It just they're just kind
of winging the ball around. So guys at the second
level were probably picking off passes a lot more often.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well didn't. Is it true that Bradshaw had more interceptions
than like some crazy stats like that that nowadays You
look at the numbers, the raw numbers, and those quarterbacks
from the seventies would never you could bench in three
weeks that nowadays in turn numbers just the because you're
also the complete of percentage throw down the field. There'd
be a lot more passes twenty thirty forty yards downfield
than there are now too.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
He just didn't care quite as much I guess about
the turnover margin in that era.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
If you got Jack Ham, you should get the second
one because it's pretty.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Simple Jack Lambert exactly. The funny thing is like talking
about the interception leaders all time in Steelers history. Even
though I would say, you ask any Steelers fan on
the street, you know, who are some of the best
cornerbacks all time for the team? Obviously they'd say Mel Blunt,
Rod Woodson. It probably wouldn't take too long to get
to Ike Taylor on that list, but he's probably not
(03:35):
in the top interception leaders because Ike famously didn't pick
off many passes, whether it was because he was taking
a receiver out of the game or also infamously for
Ike sometimes it would clang off of his hands and
he didn't have the softest hands for tre receptions. But
you know, that's also kind of relevant to ongoing current
(03:57):
conversations about this twenty twenty six Stealers team. Joey Porter
j does not have a high interception total in his career.
How much stock do you or do you not put
into that stat for a corner I think it's interesting,
especially with him coming up in these contract extension negotiations.
I don't think it's the be all end all, but
it's probably an easy thing to point to if you
(04:18):
want to try to keep that price down a little
bit for a Joey Porter junior.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
When we talk about the context of defensive players, the
year a lot and a guy in a secondary for
him to win it in a given year, because I
think I brought up but we're talking about Aaron Donald
or TJ. Watt and sort of the standard Bears and
the one year Stefan Gilmore won it, and it's because
he had pick sixes and things that you need those
splot to win an award like that, you need the
splash plays. Now, I'm not taking away because those slash
(04:43):
players can change games, can win games. They're obviously are
are worthy and are are big impact type plays. But
there also there's a level of randomness, I guess, and
why are they throwing it? So, yes, yes, that's the
other Darrelle Revis.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
I mean he's he made an but I don't think
he was ever like you know Ed Reeves level picking
off passes as a safety.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
The big thing fifteen or twenty years ago, wow, twenty
years ago now or so was the Ed Reed versus
Troy Paulamalo debate who's the better, say big one of
different players. A lot of reasons why it's a hard comparison,
but the biggest case for Ed Reid always was, well
he has these pick sixes and the interception things like that,
and we meanwhile, Paulamalou, I mean, the safety is different
in an island, so it's not the same. It's not
(05:27):
out again, but it is.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Some interesting circular logic where it's like, well, I don't
have interceptions because because they don't throw at me, well
you know, or you just don't, you're not impacting the game.
So that's it. It's a difficult position to evaluate for sure.
And that's why at least I Chris have leaned a
lot more on Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
(05:48):
They try to do the passer rating against and touchdowns allowed.
A big feather in Joey Porter Junior's cap right now
is no touchdowns allowed since his rookie year, So at
least that's giving you a little bit better idea of
how a cornerback is playing when he does.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I guess you can do the old like plus mines
where it's like, if Joey doesn't have a pick six
in his career, but he's not a lot of touchdown
You're better off if a dB might have, you know,
like that one year Deron brand Or he had Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
He had a bunch, but he was also getting burned.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Yeah, yes, so it does. There is a definitely a
correlation there. You're right, they're not throwing to somebody. You're
not going to get interceptions because you're you're blanketing your
guy and the quarterback's not got throw it that way.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
It'll be a fun top ten list for sure, and
Chris and I will have that here on SNR. And again, Brian.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Which one did you and I do?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Brian?
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Receiving yard?
Speaker 1 (06:36):
We did receiving yards, We've done rushing yards, we've done
most sacks. Tom and I did Best Linebackers the other day,
which was a really good subject.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
To get into, and we'll have some fun with that
for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Chris A. Dansky not only can you hear him here
on sn R with Tom Offerman on the Blitz every day,
but Chris is also a Steelers reporter for The Tribune
Review and of course Double b our own Double b
with Steelers dot Com. So we have two forward winning
journalists here in the studio with us, and what better
segue to go with double B's recent article on Steelers
(07:07):
dot Com and Chris, we want to get your thoughts
on this as well on Maxionatore, the first round draft
pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Double B.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
You wrote, Maxionachur just isn't one of the Steelers' most
intriguing prospects. He may be one of the most He
might have one of the most remarkable journeys of any
player in this draft class.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I mean it's been well documented by now that he
grew up in Nigeria. Was there till he was thirteen?
And I talked to Max a little bit about you know,
I feel like a lot of us on draft night,
things are moving fast. You almost kind of gloss over
that fact that it's like, okay, you lived in another
country to your thirteen Well, he started telling me. I
was like, I was like walking me through this, explain
(07:47):
this to me, Like, I'm five. Are you in a
like a village in Nigeria? Are you in the city?
He said, No, I was mostly a city kid, but
my grandparents still lived in the villages, so we'd kind
of go back there on Christmas break and you'd swim
in the lake and you'd run around and play soccer
and all that stuff. So it was interesting to hear
a little bit of his backstory that way. And then
you know culture shock. I think moving to southern California
(08:09):
basically Compton. I think where he lived and didn't initially
take the football, was playing a lot of hoops and
lo and behold finds football gets a couple of years
at Chuco, one year of actually playing, one year practicing,
and then three years starting for Arizona State, And mister Danski,
I'm glad you're here for this because to remind you
(08:29):
a little bit of Chukes a corps for you, I mean,
you were covering the team when they drafted him in
the third round out of Western Michigan. I think it's
eerily similar that Chukes lived in Africa different countries until
he was a teenager. But to me, just looking at
the two big differences, Maxie Honachorge just has a much
higher ceiling because of the athleticism that Chukes maybe didn't
(08:49):
bring to the table.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah, and bringing us up around World Cup time too,
because you see that meme making properly some social media
I've seen it about like what American athletes If America
f soccer was the biggest sport here, would we dominate
the world because all are you know, Justin Jefferson or
who to throw out athletes in football or any sport
really for that ma Lamar, Lebron James, whatever it might be,
if they played soccer, how good would they be? So
(09:12):
it does kind of make you think how many offensive
tackles are out there or you know, for just that position.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Or don't.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
They could be?
Speaker 4 (09:21):
You know, well that was the case with Maxio Trent.
So he found his his AAU basketball coach hooked him
up with the football coach at East LA Commute, you know,
East Least Los Angeles College, and said, I think this
guy is actually a future NFL tackle walking around in
this six foot six body of his.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
And you know, you you talk to him and you
know the story way but more than I do. It's
but in terms of being always need to talked into
it and just you know, the the butterfly effect or
the crossroads of somebody's life and you know how much
you know money he's gonna make extra now in his
life because of somebody identified that and had to kind
of nudge him in that direction and push him that way,
and again if he doesn't. You know, part of the
(09:58):
equation is obviously moving to the i'd say to some
point and then becoming an athlete, having the coach that
has the right eye for whatever talent or whatever that
sees you and pushes you that direction. Otherwise, you know,
untapped potential who knows it? Or maybe he's a Division
one basketball player he picked up to the NBA at
this point, who knows?
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Yeah, well, that was the other part that he brought up.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
It.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
It does seem like there was kind of a randomness
to it and that it really was a connection with
this particular coach more so than any instinct from Big Max.
Because he's like, because his family initially moved to Atlanta
from Nigeria and lived there for six months, and he said,
he's like, if we stay in Atlanta, maybe I never
even find football. Now Georgia incredible hot metal football, so
(10:37):
maybe you find the shooter.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Who knows.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
But he looked at it as like this, you know,
this specific coach in my life was the one who
noticed that in me and he found him by being
in southern California.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Guys, it's pretty incredible that And Brian you noted this
in your article, didn't start playing football until July twelfth,
twenty twenty.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
And that was like years ago. That was not even
I mean that was like COVID time. To Chris's point,
like that was another reason why he even started going
in that direction was Yes, it was some cajooling from
his coach, but also COVID era, like there was nothing
to do. I mean there were if you think back
to July of twenty twenty, I mean, you didn't can
you go outside, can you do anything? No, everything shut down.
(11:17):
So I think he was just probably picked up a
football for the first time. And then yeah, the next
year he was at eLAC basically just trying to learn
the very basic fundamentals of the game.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Soccer and basketball background, as you mentioned again, moving from
Nigeria to Atlanta for a brief time, and then la
on the West Coast, and then the Steelers' twenty first
pick Chris just after six years of starting football. Do
you think it will take some time for him to
get up and running here in the NFL? And is
he more of a project or maybe a plug him play?
(11:51):
At some point during the twenty twenty six season.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Well, certainly if you look at kind of the draft,
I don't know if he would have been. I think
it's the second highest ceiling in terms of all or
in terms of the draft general consensus amongst the draft community.
People do this a lot better than I do in
terms of his talent level, and there's a reason why
he wasn't the top tackle taken. And I think if
he was a kid that grew up in Georgia from
(12:15):
a Rotomias little and was playing high school football and
was a five star recruit that went to Alabama or
Georgia or whatever it might be, then he probably would
have been a top ten pick. I think, you know,
extrapolating there a lot of hypotheticals, but in terms of
that so there is a nature very The reason why
he wasn't Daddy to fall the bottom half of the
first round was easy projects a strong word, but a
(12:38):
longer term. You don't you're not penciling him in to
start right away as a rookie, right and maybe because
out and blows everybody away at the trope and wins
that job. I saw the Romo possibility whatsoever. But you
have doing cook there to be able and who knows
what the Proderick Jones how that plays out too. You
have a lot of insulation there so he doesn't have
to start right away and ideally sort of develop himself more.
(12:59):
But again, you don't want to pigeonhole him and say
don't don't give him the opportunity. He's gonna have the
opportunity if he if he goes out and practice in
the preseason games and blows people away, then you know,
let him start right.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Away if he can, and he's gonna get the opportunity
to block. TJ. Watt and Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer
and I talked to her Big for this story, and
he called Ianachure really talented, a guy that size who
can move as good hands. I've said this before, but
I think playing tackle in the NFL is a rookie
one of the hardest things to do. But he said,
Eanachor has handled it really well. That was her BIG's
(13:32):
take on it. And yeah, I think with to me,
the biggest question of what's he going to do come
week one or even by week ten. What is the
difference between him and Dylan Cook at this stage of
their games. And you can throw Broderck Jones in there too,
I suppose, but I don't know that Eanachor is probably
as physically ready yet as someone like Cook who's been
(13:53):
in an NFL weight room for a few years. Probably
not as technically sound, although ironically, Dylan Cook also was
a quarter back at the juke level and is fairly
late to playing tackle himself.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah, so a variation of the same type.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
Of Yeah, now it's different, and he's been around football
his whole life and you know, could argue understands it
even more than your average offensive lineman because he played
it from under center, uh at a you know, at
the collegiate level. But he's probably not going to be
as technically sound as Dylan Cook is having NFL coaching
for as long as he has. But I think he's
more athletic. I think he's quicker than Cook, might have
(14:28):
better hand usage. And the other big thing. You'll just
look at the two guys with Nigerian roots who the
Steelers have drafted a tackle early similar size here sixty
five seven eighths three hundred and twenty pounds at the combine.
Chukes was six six three twenty. But Chukes ran a
five to three one forty Maxie honachor a four nine
to one. So we're just we're just talking different species
(14:51):
of athlete.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I think at that point, when you're that big and
you can move that fast, yeah, that's special and that's
why you're playing in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
When we much more explosive athletes.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
MAXI big time, very explosive. When we come back more
with Kris A.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Dampsky join us here on the standard, we'll get his
thoughts on Maxi on a chore and the rest of
the Pittsburgh Steelers is a gear up for training camp
in just over a month. He's Brian Bacco, I met
Troop and we do have KRISA. Dampsky in studio with us.
It's the Steelers Standard here on Steelers Nation Radio, part
of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
I used to have cable internet, but I'm a one
hundred percent kind of fan, so i switched to Verizon FiOS.
It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
with ultra lo lag and after what went down in
the first round, still getting video calls from my best
friend rubbing it in that he called all the pigs.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
I told you they were building their own line.
Speaker 6 (15:39):
I went to bet get one.
Speaker 7 (15:40):
Hundred percent fiber internet with Verizon FiOS, because when it
comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing.
Call one three three for Verizon to switch today.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Get that hot dog. Assume ready, bruh.
Speaker 6 (15:51):
And now a word from our sponsor, bud Light.
Speaker 8 (15:55):
There's nothing better than the clean Chris, There's nothing better
than the crisp.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (16:02):
What if we just got out of here and grab
some bud Lights.
Speaker 6 (16:04):
So man, we're on air for four more hours.
Speaker 9 (16:07):
I'll figure it out. So that's good to me. Anything
for the clean, crisp taste of bud Light. Stocked up now.
Bud Light, easy to drink, easy to enjoy, and you're
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Speaker 1 (16:30):
Back here on the Steelers Standard. Here on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network. I am a troop
alongside double B Brian Bacco and Chris and Damski from
the Blitz. We've loaned him, I guess from our good
friend Tom Offerman. You can hear Chris and Tom each
and every day here on SNR with the Blitz. And
(16:51):
also you can check out Chris's excellent coverage of the
Black and Gold.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
At the Tribune Review. Is it the Pittsburgh Tribune Review?
Tribune Review?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
I mean I technically also do stuff for the Trib
for the Trib Live High School Sports network covering whipil
stuff in and around Pittsburgh CRISP.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
But uh it want us to brand now just be
Trib Live, which I still don't want that. But yeah,
was introduced thoself as I worked for Trib Live and
not the Tribune Review anymore.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
This isn't Chris A. Danski from the Tribune Review. This
is buzz software.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
That there you go. Where'd you get the nickname?
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Everybody calls you?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
I could go in that whole the short story is
this from college radio station? That was my nickname on
college radio station. I could get a little bit into
the story.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
It doesn't explain why that, Yeah, I mean on your
college station. Okay, if you want to be other than
just assume it wasn't arbitrary.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
The short the short as I can the funny corollary
that is, like I joined the I don't know what
it's like at Pitt or what you call it, but
like it joined the collegiate at Penn State, just like
you have to apply and you through the interview. When
you go through this thing, it's like this whole like
formal thing. In the same building at the time was
the student radio station. So I'm thinking that. I thought
I kind of wanted to do it, but I was like, oh,
you know, it's too much work. So one day I can,
(17:59):
you know, the hell with it. I went in there,
filled out a little application, put it in there. So
I drive home. You know, twenty minutes later my phone
rings have a cell phone and that's old I am
and it says, hey, Chris, yeah, so you're just in
radio sports. I said yeah. He's like, well, we got
a show here, soar it's at six o'clock. You look
up to like an hour later. I'm like okay. Then,
so I go in there. I've never been in front
of now I'm a pro from the no. I never
(18:21):
prefer a microphone. I meet these like four guys that
are friends and they have this chemistry and so I'm
just a quiet guy in the corner like they are
in Major league where you know, he said, thought am
I drop in there a damn ski. I wouldn't say anything.
So then this very second week, they organized this sports
trivia tournament. There was eight people in the tournament. On
the staff, I was the eighth seed. They put a bracket.
Because I never said anything. I was the quiet guy
(18:42):
was shy and didn't notice exactly. So I go and
I blow out the one seed. I crush herm just
completely dominating their like. So, the guy's name was Mike Sooshio,
the same name as that former man, different spelling, but yeah.
So the host, Rocko Demarro, actually did stuff in Pittsburgh.
Media you for a while. He says, Mike Soosher runs
(19:02):
into a buzzsaw, Chris stuck a butt, and from that
one little moment it stuck and then generally was insulated
amongst the little radio friends, you know, staff I had.
But then it got drunk. John proto Rocco again. Rocco
did a show in Pittsburgh, had me on a guest.
I produced the show. Actually, we had John Paroto on
if Everybody Knows Pittsburgh and and and Rocco was like, hey,
(19:26):
he buzz saw, but he said, what'd you call it?
A dam So I called him. You called him buzza,
He's the buzz Saw. So then the next day I
was do Empirate game. At that time, Dron Paroto walked
into the Pirate pre He's buzz So you loved it
so much.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
And nothing insulated in Pittsburgh exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's the birth of the nickname. But but something A
lot of guys just call you buzz right they Yeah,
got rid of the bach, which I feel like a
different connotation.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
But you can't complain about uh so nicknames.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Penn State hit for Double B on Point Park Went Park,
so I can.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
But I grew up a pit fan. Yeah, that's right
there you go.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
I grew up a pit fan though, and lots of
family members who grew up near Harrisburg, so a lot
of Penn State folks in my family, So I can.
I can talk to both of you about whatever you
want to talk about, tolerated, but not to get off
the Steeler subject. We'll jump back on in a second,
but just quickly for both of you. You know, we're
all about the same age. I know, Chris and I
are definitely the same age. Double be a little younger
(20:23):
than us Chris, but you know we grew up in
a time where it was Pitt Penn State. I mean
that was a big rival West Virginia. Pitt that is
kind of in play now never bothered me. I don't
know about you. West Virginia never really did much for
me with the whole Pitt rivalry.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
But it was Penn State.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Penn State Pit for me was always the big rivalry
growing up.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, I mean I caught about the tail end of that,
that rivalry still being played every year, and it was
to me at that point then Pitt Pen Yes, but yeah,
I certainly I don't. I'm not old enough to remember
like those big those late seventies early eighties games where
nineteen eighty two has brought up a lot things like that,
and those those bigger games like that. But yeah, it
was in Penn State, joint and independent. I have memories
(21:06):
of that still following Penn State play and you look
in the newspaper whichever that's worth now, and you find
the standings and the Independence was like twenty eight teams
long and Penn States in third place amongst these twenty
eight teams, and Pitt was in there too, of course,
till the biggest came around. Just to oh, what a
world we live in now I know and everything else
college football.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
We've come full circle.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
I want to go back to the conversation we were
having about cornerbacks and interceptions, how much it really does
or doesn't matter. Joey Porter has one interception in each
of his first three seasons, so he does not have
a multi interception season. You know who has the most
interceptions by a corner over the last two seasons in
the NFL, not for just.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
The Steelers, just in the NFL. NFL, Oh boy about us.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Not Sauce Gardner. But that kind of is proving my
point because that's one of the players you would.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Think of, Yeah, that was be the first one to mind.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
It's not Patrick, It's not Patrick Tan the second that
was my second defensive player of the year from two
years ago. Now I'll be he did pick off four
passes that year and he had to pick six, so
he put the production.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I was going to say, so, are your point going
to be, it's gonna be somebody we're not going to
get because it's.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Kind of it's more Darius No and it's not Derek
Stingley Junior, although he is second with he's tied for
second with nine over the last two years. So he
does pick off passes despite being I think most people
would consider him one of the best lockdown corners in
the NFL. It's Marlon Humphrey. Now he's I feel like
(22:38):
he's solid. But also if you've say ten, yes, he
has ten. Now tied for second with Derek Stingley Junior
is Dante Jackson from the Steelers. Steelers, he picked off
like four or five that year, and then he had
another four or five last year with the Chargers. And
does anybody consider Dante Jackson one of the best corners
in the NFL. No, No, In fact, he was not
(23:01):
very good down the stretch with the Steelers, I would say,
so he was picking off passes. He was probably getting
targeted a lot in order to do that. Now, don't
take anything away from the guy or Humphrey for that matter.
You know they're making plays when they're served up to them,
and they're not squandering those takeaways for their teams. But
I just think that's an interesting point as we go
(23:21):
through this. You can't give Joey Porter Junior market setting
money because he only has three career interceptions. Well, that's
certainly not the be all end all for the best
corners in the league.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Chris, I'm sure you and Tom have talked about this
quite a bit, as Brian and I have here on
the Standard about Joey Porter Junior. Right now, there's still
no contract extension, not a new contract being offered, yet
that has to be at the top of the list,
right It had to be at the top of the
list for Omar Kana that front office going into this offseason,
and now as we sit here just about a little
over a month before the start of training camp, still
(23:55):
has to be the top of the list.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yeah. And I think the fact that the two other
extensions were done, there might even be a third, maybe
a fourth done before they even get to Joey Porter.
But I don't think that's a sign of priority ranking
in terms of most I think it's almost the opposite,
where it's like, let's get these other ones done. You know,
this will be the biggest one, probably the most highest profile,
however you want to put it. We want that that's
(24:18):
going to be probably the hardest to do. To some degree,
you could say, probably, So what's got everything else done?
So we're not this will last till mid August, not
maybe bab could have knocked the rest of these out.
So I think that in some ways is that I
you know, I don't know what you guys think, but
we talk and we'd be shocked if a dozen get done. Yeah,
I could definitely see it going to the very end.
(24:40):
Maybe I wouldn't be shocked if it went to week
one of the regular season. You know that we leading
up to it. I don't. I don't think it will,
but I wouldn't be shocked if it did. I'd precedent
for that, yes, and under Omar Kahan, I think we
were always trained that that was almost like standard practice
that they would go nob not to the week one,
but up and after the preseason, would say, or after
train camp or certainly after camp started it. But now
(25:02):
like there's been so many now that get done May
June July. We've seen in recent years here TJ WHTT
last year, before camp started, I don't I was looking
at it because Joey is very having the dad and
the business of course I think is that he's kind
of progatic and I don't think it will be contentious
at all per se, But I think it could last
to the very end of the preseason or camp or
(25:24):
whatever you want to put it. I don't think it'll
be you know, negative in the me you know that
kind of thing per se. But I do think there,
you know, Joey knows is the business and Joe Junior
because again growing up around it, and I think that sense,
like the whole deadline pressure, I think both sides will
wait maybe until the pressure comes on. At least that's
my guess their take on it.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
For the record, Sauce Gardner has three career interceptions. Really,
I'm just asking questions about like evaluating corners and what
to make of sure if some of these guys and
their quote unquote worth on the open market, because I
guarantee you like the people who are anti Joey Porter
(26:04):
junior extension or I should say anti huge money Joey
Porter junior extension twenty five to thirty million, putting him
in that's where it would beefy tax bracket. Like they're
going to point to this guy doesn't make that many plays.
He has three picks over his entire career. Well, and
this isn't just me saying Sauce Gardner is a good player.
He was first team All Pro in twenty twenty three,
(26:26):
when he didn't pick off a single pass. The Colts
gave up seventy two draft picks to get him last
year at the deadline and then paid him. So like, yeah,
I mean, it's it's a position where it's kind of
choose your own adventure if you if you think picks matter,
they don't matter at all. They matter a lot. It's
almost it makes me kind of want to throw that
out In the assessment of Joey Junior, you kind of
(26:48):
just have to watch the film and make your mind
up that way.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
He does such a good job of being a shutdown corner.
The quarterbacks simply just aren't thrown his way, right Chris.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Yeah, and that's more you want. It goes back to
you know, and again the safeties is different, but they
you don't want that. The splash plays are an element
of everything. But ideally, I think if you go into
a game and you're a cornerback, right, yeah, the better
if your mindset or the better game is that the
better game? How do to put this? If you don't
(27:18):
get targeted all game, you take the number one receiver,
you don't get don't get targeted. That's an extreme example.
To think the number one receiver wouldn't get even at
the ball front. But that's that is the ideal, that's
the the pandora that that's the yes, what you're trying
to accomplish. Right when you go out there every single
snap your mindset and that snap is he's not getting open.
(27:39):
Your mindset on that snap isn't I'm gonna have him
throw it to me. I'm gonna pick a pick six
back to the house. You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
So, so the Cris's point, double B does Joey Porter
Junior become a hold in if this last all through
training camp and they don't get it done.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Right before the end.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
At TJ.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Watt, that was not this past contract.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
It was two contracts ago, remember he signed like right
after training camp wrapped up.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Yeah, And my take on that was always I think
it was a little more practical for TJ. Watt to
hold in because simply the nature of that position. There's
certainly communication that goes on, but he's more just every
rep is kind of outside linebacker. You're almost like a
kicker in a way. You're like you're kind of doing
the same thing every time, and you know, for the
(28:19):
great ones like Chris Boswor or TJ Watt. Most of
the time it goes through the upright. Most of the time,
you know you win your rep against the tackle. They're
almost like independent contractors out there within the defense. Those
edge rushers. I mean, it's just beat that guy. Find
a way to get through that chip, find a way
to put pressure on the quarterback. He might get rid
of the ball, and it's a zero on your box score,
but you know you did your job. I think for
(28:40):
a corner with someone who plays the way Joey plays,
there's an element of that, but you also need to
be on one accord with the rest of the defense,
or at least the rest of the secondary and have
that kind of second nature feeling with the safety next
to you, or if there's a nickel next to you
in the nickel defense. I'm not saying he wouldn't hold
(29:03):
in there. It's been done by a lot of guys
now and I always kind of go back to Deontay
Johnson as being like the one that sort of broke
the whole hold in thing, because it was you know, TJ.
Does it, you understand it? Make a Fitzpatrick does it?
You understand it. Deontay did it it? What's the happy Days?
It kind of jumped the shark a little bit when
he now he he did have a Pro Bowl to
his name at that time in a thousand yard season.
(29:25):
But still, I think that threatened to open this can
of worms.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Of all.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
Right now, any player going to the last year of
his deals in negotiations might do it, but we haven't
seen that. And also to the Steelers' front office strategic credit,
they have taken care of some of these deals before
you've even had to cross that bridge.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
And I think that's the advantage of the hold in.
I suppose to hold out. Of course, as you're in
all the meetings, you're on the field, they're even doing
and there's I guess they're all everyone's different. I suppose
in terms of how this theoretically hypothetically will play out
here in what six weeks, five weeks, five and a
half weeks now, jeez, In terms of the hold in
by Joey Porter Junior, would it be you know, you
(30:05):
do like the walk through things, even you know there
could be that he could be on the field do it.
Then I get you're right. When the bullets are flying,
when you're you know, padron and communicating that it is different.
That's true, but but it's obviously much better than the
generation ago, where they wouldn't show at all, they would
even be there, and now they're here at least they're
certainly in the meetings, they're in the stretches, probably some
degree of doing the walkthrough type things when they're at
(30:27):
least you know, mocking or mapping out the defense to
a point. So it's not as you know, but in
an ideal world. Yes, And you're right, and that's why
I said under omar the it's not a coincidence. For
the past four off seasons, the extensions have been generally
beginning done earlier than they have been as we the
previous couple of days.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
It was around this time in June. I feel like
Alex high Smith was around this time in June. I mean, shoot,
this year Cam Hayward got done in was it February
or margin.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, by the time you're listening to this, maybe something
was done.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
We're not sure.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Is the time we record this everything still up in
the air.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
It feels like it could happen at it and they
could with the current of it, definitely could whenever we
come back, we will wrap up our number two here
on the Standard and get more of Chris A.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Dampsky's thoughts of the Steelers off season moves so far,
as well as double B on where the Steelers head.
As Chris said, just you know, five six weeks away
from Latrobe, it's right around the corner. We'll be here
quicker than we all realize.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
He's Brian Bacco Chris A. Dampsky with us in studio.
I'm met Troupe.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
It is the Steelers Standard here on Steeers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
I used to have cable Internet, but I'm a one
hundred percent kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon FiOS.
It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
with the Ultra Lo lag and after what went down
in the first round, still getting video calls from my
best friend rubbing it in that he called all the pigs.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
I told you they were building their own line.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
I went to bet get.
Speaker 7 (31:51):
One hundred percent fiber internet with Verizon FiOS, because when
it comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing.
Call one, three three for raison to switch today.
Speaker 4 (31:59):
Get that hot dog ready, bruh.
Speaker 8 (32:02):
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Speaker 4 (32:13):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
What if we just got out of here and grab
some bud Lights?
Speaker 6 (32:16):
So, man, we're on air for four more hours.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
I'll figure it out.
Speaker 7 (32:19):
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Speaker 1 (32:39):
Up our number two here on the Steelers standard for
this week, I am a troop alongside Double B Brian Bacco,
Chris Adanski from the Blitz with Tom Offerman in studio
with us for this second hour. You can also catch
Chris's excellent coverage of the Black and Gold with trib
Live each and every day, and Double B you can
catch his excellent coverage of the Black and Gold on
(33:02):
Steelers dot com. Chris, how long have you been covering
the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Speaker 3 (33:06):
In late in the twenty fourteen season, I guess. So, yeah,
we're we're approaching the dozen year mark.
Speaker 7 (33:11):
Now.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
It's crazy to think about it, really is. It's been alone,
but yes there was. Uh any I was depend State
B writer for a year and a half until November
twenty fourteen.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Anyway, any good stories between Double B and Buzz over
here of any road trips that we could talk about
on the air.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Not because I mean to peel back the curtain. I
would usually travel with the PG crew and you know,
as would usually travel with the trip crew, So we're
kind of on parallel tracks.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Ah, you guys didn't interact.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
You had to stay on separate and I have plenty
at the in the press box and in the locker
room and all that good stuff, but not really we'd
get there via separate means.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Most of the time be traveling with Chaz Palla and
Joe Rudder from a Joe Rudder to retired, give Joe
a shutout no longer no longer with.
Speaker 4 (33:57):
The Pro Football Writers of America presence.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Right, Yeah, we have respect. There you go exactly now
you're you have Chris Harlan Arlon joined the beat, Yes,
and uh know, Chris for a long time.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
So that's a yeah, good one there with you.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
From the Steelers now, And he said, yeah, we used
to travel a lot with Kevin Gorman and he's not
another ones. Yeah, but yeah, you're right, it's just the
way that was.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
Vince Williams is one of his favorite guys, wasn't he.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
That sounds about Yeah, that's right, yeah, yeah, yeah. Gorman
used to go, I like talking to Vince back in
the day. I'm excited. It sounds like I'll get to
talk to love him on the you get to talk
to him a lot.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
They're gonna be having him a lot there, Chris. Uh,
we're putting him one. We're lending him to you guys,
just like we're you know, Tom's lending you to us today.
We're lending you Vince now.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Trade, but wow, I think we're also going to need
a future first yea, yeah, I say, you know, if you.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Got an eight year starting NFL linebacker for me, it's uh, yeah,
you gotta Hopefully there's some future considerations attached.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
We were talking about the Steelers actually on a tour
this hour with Brian's article on Steelers dot Com about
the Steeers first round draft pick. Last segment, we got
into the Joey Porter junior contract extension, new contract conversation
that has yet to take place. So, Chris, I wanted
to ask you about the quarterback position and the Steelers
are positioned with Aaron Rodgers of course coming back for
(35:19):
this year, Will Howard, Drew Aller, and of course Mason Rudolph,
Brendan Soresby. There's been a lot of conversation this week
whether the Steelers should enter that's sweepstakes or not. Brian
and I both think they shouldn't, but.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
It is intriguing.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
It's a good topic to talk about on sports talk
radio for sure, but your opinion of where the quarterback
room is now, and then Brian and I have talked
a lot about let's see what we have in Will Howard,
let's see what we have and Drew Aller moving forward,
and we know that we're safe with Aaron Rodgers at
the QB one spot at least for the twenty twenty
six season.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Yeah. One of the things, as I say, there are
there's two as we said here now two and a
half months before a hard decision has to be made
really in terms of just setting the fifty three man
roster for the regular season. So there's a lot of
like talking. I get it. Obviously it's quarterback. Obviously that's
very important to the Steelers future. If one of the
two young guys becomes a franchise quarterback, that that's, you know,
(36:14):
perhaps even more important what happens, you know, anything else
in training camp, the back of that spot whatever. That
of course, the battle you would think is the Will
Howard Mason Rudolph competition, because you know du Hour is
obviously going to make the team and Aaron Rodgers going
to make the team. So that's if you break it
down what the decision is or whether you keep happen
to keep four or whatever. I know it just make
for good talk. But just let it play out, right,
(36:35):
We're gonna see how this, you know, you knocking with.
Maybe it's an injury. You don't hope for that, but
maybe that that makes itself. Maybe you know, we'll take
the pot. Maybe two hours outstanding and just comes up
and looks so good as nobody expected that. Similar to
the Maxiconatore where we don't expect that it's not nobody
plans him to play this year, but maybe he just
knock blows the doors off everybody, and all of a sudden,
(36:57):
you okay, every quarterback of the future, and now you
know that that kind of helps you make your decision.
Maybe it's maybe the opposite. One of the guys is
a terrible camp and it's just like Bill Howard's throwing
interceptions every time he could takes the field, and well,
that makes that decision, right, You don't have to worry
about that. So there's a lot of runway here to
let it play out. I do. I don't think. I'm
not predicting whatsoever that keep four quarterbacks. I'm just staying
(37:18):
if there's ever a scenario where you would consider it
or it would be plausible, it's when you hire a
coach a large part developing quarterbacks. You have two young quarterbacks.
If you like them both at that point, you get
to August twenty sixth or whatever the cutdown day is,
and you still like them both, but you still want
to go in the regular season with a veteran. I
(37:38):
think it's worth entertaining or discussing at that point. It's
not ideal for many reasons, but you know, let it
play out here and see how it goes. And I
think We're all to finally see Will Howard hopefully again
who we don't get hurt again in a preseason game,
see in an NFL uniform in a game playing. I
think we all want to see that to a degree,
and you know, see what there is in him. What
(37:58):
a lot of this is based off of even I
sly to have watched practice, Brian. I mean, he was
hurt on ir for so long and hurt her in camp.
We don't even that much view him in that context,
let alone in a game and everybody see him against
you know, live competition.
Speaker 4 (38:10):
Yeah, I'm with you. And it's like you said, people
do want something to sink their teeth into year round
when it comes to the Steelers and football and quarterbacks.
But it is going to have to play out on
the field. That's why they play the games, as they say,
and in this case, that's why they practice too. But
all that being said, I think Mason Rudolph is behind
the eight ball here. I just think that's kind of
(38:32):
a natural reality to live in when there are two
young quarterbacks draft picks who are also in the mix,
and guys that you know, one obviously handpicked by this
coaching staff, Unlike yourself if you're Rudolph and the other
kind of talked up by this coaching staff from the
moment that they sat down, And you know, I think
Will Howard only helped himself in OTA's as much as
(38:56):
one can. And it's not like we're not sitting in
the team meetings after and listening to Mike McCarthy go
over the film with his offensive staff. But from what
we saw, it seemed like he only helped himself. Granted,
we might not know if the opposite were true, but
I think one of the biggest talking points, you know,
even going back to May, was he was the second
(39:16):
quarterback out there behind Aaron Rodgers. To me, that had
to mean something, and I think it means that Mason
Rudolf's gonna have a bit of an uphill climb. But
if we've learned nothing from his time with the Steelers,
every once in a while, like he does make that
climb and finds a way to reinsert himself into the conversation.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
And I think, if you're the Steelers the Steelers fan,
that the best case scenario is because he's younger and
he has you know, theoretically, at this point of the
higher ceiling and is that will Howard get kind of
like I was out and seizes the job. And it's like,
because I mean the debate is you going to the season,
you're trying to win, You're trying to win a division,
you're trying to make the playoffs, and you did not
have the insurance policy of a veteran, proven backup to
(39:53):
step in for who knows, one, two, three, four weeks,
whatever it might be. It's got to make a head
coach nervous or organized, you know, to go into a
season like that. But if Will have the best case
scenarif we're all involved, is he goes out there and
just like again in the preseason, is blowing people away.
Although I say all these hypotheticals and I'm like, I
want to say, like has a perfect passer rating in
the preseason, I'm like, but we saw that happen three
(40:15):
years ago. Yeah, and it didn't mean any thin. So yeah,
Kenny Pickett did that. So that underscores why even the
preseason game. But but that, but that goes back circling again,
underscores why a team is nervous not to have a
Mason Rudolph on the roster when the season starts, because
what can you prove during the preseason that might carry
off all of a sudden Rogers. You know, we were
six and two, Rodgers says an injuries out two or
(40:36):
three weeks. Will Howard steps in and uh oh oh boy,
like he's not what we you know now that we're
facing live defenses and defensive coordinators game planning, this isn't
going all we thought whenever Mason Rudolph could. So you
understand why it's as a coat from a coach's perspective,
why you might not want to do that, But you.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Have to find out one way or another with Will
Howard and Drew all Er what you have there. We
know what we have a Mason Rudoff, and we know
what we will have with a Rogers at the quarterback spot.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Chris.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
The other big subject as far as a training camp
battle goes outside of the quarterback position of who backs
up Aaron Rodgers and what you have there in the
future with either al or or Will Howard is the
wide receiver spot behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Junior.
In the battle between the rookie second round draft pick
Jeremy Bernard and Roman Wilson. What do the Steelers do
(41:25):
there with Roman Wilson, Your thoughts on that battle for
the wide receiver three spot.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
That's one of those things where and I know there's
always the gray area of what exactly we saw, and
we're allowed to see stuff like that, but it's I
get what I get the impression that Roman Wilson is
a lot bigger candidate, or a lot more of a
candidate than I would have thought for that job. And
maybe it's a deference to the veteran okay, who has
been here already, and you don't want to give put
(41:51):
the rookie in already. But again we talk about what
you're kind of rooting for because of the higher ceiling
and because if you want, if you're a Steers fan
or the Steelers, you want to like, oh my god,
like we got to steal in the second round. Here
he come up to blows you away, and he's, you know,
capable of being a starting caliber receiver right off the
bat like that. So again I would think by the
end of it. I've also been on record a lot
(42:12):
saying that one way or another before September thirteenth, another
veteran receiver is going to be here trade cut cut
down day. It's not like I feel like one way
or another the lad you know, another guy, I feel
like that's my prediction at least so well, I don't think,
you know, I still think Bernard. I think Bernard would
be the wide receiver. Three is much short answer and
turn when the season starts.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
You think they had a veteran to actually be on
the fifty three man roster or just compete. I mean,
because I don't know where you'd really put him on
the roster. You'd have to move on from.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
Well, that's what yeah, I mean, the guy would kind
of slot in is the fourth wider. I'm not talking
like a major contributor. You're right, maybe it would be
a practice.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
Stepth chart is already filling up though with guys who
do other things like Ben's Gronic Caden region.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
And that is sort of yes, when you have two
kind of special teams, guys that you that maybe can
contribute to some degree offensive on your wide receiver position.
Rou I mean Weegen, you can kind of use that
as a chess piece. Is that a six receiver? Is
that you know, in terms of allocation on your roster.
I know he's going to be a wide receiver, but
building a fifty three man because you know, assuming he
(43:14):
I shortly project him to make the team. Yeah, maybe
a return specialist. But even if he's not a wide receiver,
if he becomes your sixth or seventh on the in
terms of the position label, he might not actually be
a receiver.
Speaker 4 (43:27):
I mean. The other possibility here is maybe Jeremy Bernard
and Roman Wilson both play a decent amount, and maybe
it's Michael Pittman Junior doesn't play as many snaps as
we all kind of expected and thought he would when
they traded for him from the Colts. Maybe less could
be more for someone like Pittman, who's what nearing thirty,
I guess at some point a lot of tread off
the tires in the league. If maybe he's not playing
(43:49):
the same amount of snaps he did with the Colts,
but he's overall more efficient with what he does for
you with the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
The other big battle too.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
While we stay on the offensive front here, Chris is
the offensive line. We know Troy Fontano, Mason McCormick have
switched from right to left, Zach Frasier not going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
If anything.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
He potentially could be an All Pro center by the
end of the twenty twenty six season. But on the
right side, they got to finish. They got to figure
out right guard. Spencer Anderson, brock Hoffman, the newcomer, the
big draft pick that everybody loves to talk about, Jennings Dunker.
Maybe he works his way into there in the right
tackle spot. We know Dylan Cook did great last year
filling in at the end of the season for Broderick Jones.
(44:26):
He'll be in the mix, of course with MAXI on
a chore as well.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Yeah, right, and then I mean whatever, at this point,
I think the Broderick Jones not you're writing him off,
but you're certainly not going to You can't plan on
him at this point. Maybe it's a bonus, maybe does
come back, and maybe he's I don't know. I know
it's the way I kind of look at it. You
want to throw him into that race, but until he's
kind of cleared to practice or is practicing fully at least,
(44:49):
you can't even you know, maybe again later in the season,
I don't know. So it is interesting how much of
how much of a runway or chance to win the
job as he haunted Troy. Like I said earlier, you
certainly if you want to give him the opportunity to
show you that he is ready, and you know, he
has more college starts and some of the other tackles
take as much as he is a raw prospect, there
(45:11):
were a first round picks a tackle that started fewer
college games than he did, So in some ways you
could make the case he could be ready, but I'm
sure in an ideal world you want to develop more.
And I think Dyln Cooks proved over that five or
six game stretch last year he can handle the degree,
so you know, I would still imagine that. Yeah, the
right guard thing, and so far Dunker has been repping
a left guard, which is kind of interesting, or you
(45:33):
know what the logic behind that is per Se and
Spencer Anderson? Is that again as echo back to the
deference to the veteran holdover, is that kind of what
that was or is that a sign of where kind
of the depth chart does stack at this moment in
terms of where they're going to right guard.
Speaker 4 (45:47):
I think everybody just assumed that the rookies would get
a chance to skyrocket in there, but maybe the staff
likes the returning players that they didn't quote unquote recruit
more than we expected. But I just wanted to give
one last note. Guys on the receiver, go back.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
To the interception again. You've over and over twenty.
Speaker 4 (46:11):
Twenty three Gardner Mike McCarthy. I'm sure there's more. There
could be more of it. I'll get those ready for
next time. But twenty twenty three Mike McCarthy's Cowboys, his
receivers all pretty much stayed healthy throughout the season. Ceedee
Lamb was your obvious, your alpha. He played eighty four
percent of the snaps, but Brandon Cooks played sixty eight percent,
Michael Gallup played fifty two percent, and Jalen Tolbert, as
(46:34):
the de facto receiver four, played still forty percent. That's
a lot. His top four receivers all played more than
forty percent of the snaps. Just when you think about
the Metcalf, Pittman, Bernard Wilson splitting how that goes. Now,
this team might use more tight ends than than the
twenty twenty three Cowboys. They might run the ball a
little bit more. But McCarthy said it. You know the
(46:56):
one day before practice that he looks at offense not
necessarily as a left in personnel or twelve personnel, but
you have your single back offense, your two back offense,
and then your no back offense. So just some food
for thought as we head into what I always call
talking and thinking season between mini camping. That's always been
doing all we.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Can really do, but it's it's not unknown. There's a
lot of especially I mean me and you've been around
the team for we just stuck out twelve, what's your
seven or so, like the routine of having the same
head coach and the same and we can make the
we can make a lot more educated projections based off
of the coaching staff and what's happened in the years past.
There's a lot of like, well it, yeah, we assume
(47:35):
this will happen, but why don't we assume because it's
entirely different staff that's in charge of that decision. So
it's a lot of it's a lot more keep you
under toes now going into camp.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
I feel like we will definitely see how it plays out.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
Chris Adamski, thank you so much for joining us here
for the second hour of the standard today.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
I'm enjoyable time. I'm glad to be. I'm glad to
be in this big difference too. I'm on camera and
everything like it's say, it's a I'm out of my
comfort zone camera.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
You're in the you're the a studio with us, that's
for sure. You go to the third mic. You'll be
in here next week. You gotta come to the big
one and we get out of that freezer that we
have over there.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
We're usually the one.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
Next to you and you and Tom each day, right,
double B Special Programming Note Double B and I off
the next two weeks, so we'll be back on the
air here on SNR after the fourth of July. But
you can catch CHRISA. Dampski with Tom Offerman on the
Blitz right here on SNR each and every day, and
that will be enjoy your break you too, Ed, all right,
that's gonna do for the Steeler standard for today for CHRISA. Dampski,
(48:30):
Brian Becko on that troop. It is the Steeler Standard
here on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Our number two of the Steelers Standard. Here on Steelers
Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network, I am
a troop alongside Double.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
B, Brian Bacco and Brian.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We have a special guest making his Steelers Standard debut
is mister Chris Adamski.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hello, Chris, it's it's an honor to join you guys.
I'm glad you call him Double B two because I
do that every once in a while. Ago, Yeah, that's
the right person that ever called you. That guy was like,
I don't know what Williams. There you go.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Actually, I'm sure over the years a lot of B
squared I've gotten from people. I guess maybe the more
mathematically inclined than you two, but they're they're working quadratic equations.
You guys are just you know, hey, there's two bees
in his name. Well, I mean's Williams was calling me
that this week, so it's it's catching on.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
You can go to Barry Bonds, one of the most famous.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Uh, there you go.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
That's probably that's probably at the top world or otherwise
worth there's another one.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
The metal Draft Draft.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
He was, yeah, tying it all together. If you show
up in a mohawk and like cut off leaves or something,
then we will.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Know we stole Chris Adamski from the Blitz. You can
hear Chris and our good friend Tom Offerman each and
every day here on s n R on the Blitz.
But Chris, uh, graciously enough, he's going to be joining
me later today on the Top ten show, which Brian
has done with me. Tom is our only two times
by the way, so far on the Top ten Teachers.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So we yeah, we we sneak.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
We get Chris today that he well, he wants a
gold jacket, I think for if he comes.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
On a third he's got a little star sticker metal
or something.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Chris will be joining me to talk about the all
time Pittsburgh Steelers interception leaders. So that's some interesting conversation
because they're not all safeties and corners. There's a couple
of linebackers on there. But Brian, you want to guess
Chris probably can cheek because I sent him the list already.
But do you think who the two of the non
(02:08):
secondary members are in the interception all time Pittsburgh steel
was interception list.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
We were talking, we were doing our remember some Guys
segment earlier this week with Vince Williams, and he brought
up how many passes jack Ham picked off? Because he
is a big we learned Vince is a he's a
jack Ham stand he's he's one of the few people
who are like Ham is underrated. He should Actually he's
He's right there with Lambert, if not above him. So
I'll say jack Ham is probably in that also. I
(02:35):
guess like bingo quarterbacks in that day, I mean, Vince
brought up the point that they didn't throw it as much,
but I feel like when they did throw it, they
were way less risk averse. It just they're just kind
of winging the ball around. So guys at the second
level were probably picking off passes a lot more often.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well didn't. Is it true that Bradshaw had more interceptions
than like some crazy stats like that that nowadays You
look at the numbers, the raw numbers, and those quarterbacks
from the seventies would never you could bench in three
weeks that nowadays in turn numbers just the because you're
also the complete of percentage throw down the field. There'd
be a lot more passes twenty thirty forty yards downfield
than there are now too.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
He just didn't care quite as much I guess about
the turnover margin in that era.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
If you got Jack Ham, you should get the second
one because it's pretty.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Simple Jack Lambert exactly. The funny thing is like talking
about the interception leaders all time in Steelers history. Even
though I would say, you ask any Steelers fan on
the street, you know, who are some of the best
cornerbacks all time for the team? Obviously they'd say Mel Blunt,
Rod Woodson. It probably wouldn't take too long to get
to Ike Taylor on that list, but he's probably not
(03:35):
in the top interception leaders because Ike famously didn't pick
off many passes, whether it was because he was taking
a receiver out of the game or also infamously for
Ike sometimes it would clang off of his hands and
he didn't have the softest hands for tre receptions. But
you know, that's also kind of relevant to ongoing current
(03:57):
conversations about this twenty twenty six Stealers team. Joey Porter
j does not have a high interception total in his career.
How much stock do you or do you not put
into that stat for a corner I think it's interesting,
especially with him coming up in these contract extension negotiations.
I don't think it's the be all end all, but
it's probably an easy thing to point to if you
(04:18):
want to try to keep that price down a little
bit for a Joey Porter junior.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
When we talk about the context of defensive players, the
year a lot and a guy in a secondary for
him to win it in a given year, because I
think I brought up but we're talking about Aaron Donald
or TJ. Watt and sort of the standard Bears and
the one year Stefan Gilmore won it, and it's because
he had pick sixes and things that you need those
splot to win an award like that, you need the
splash plays. Now, I'm not taking away because those slash
(04:43):
players can change games, can win games. They're obviously are
are worthy and are are big impact type plays. But
there also there's a level of randomness, I guess, and
why are they throwing it? So, yes, yes, that's the
other Darrelle Revis.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
I mean he's he made an but I don't think
he was ever like you know Ed Reeves level picking
off passes as a safety.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
The big thing fifteen or twenty years ago, wow, twenty
years ago now or so was the Ed Reed versus
Troy Paulamalo debate who's the better, say big one of
different players. A lot of reasons why it's a hard comparison,
but the biggest case for Ed Reid always was, well
he has these pick sixes and the interception things like that,
and we meanwhile, Paulamalou, I mean, the safety is different
in an island, so it's not the same. It's not
(05:27):
out again, but it is.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Some interesting circular logic where it's like, well, I don't
have interceptions because because they don't throw at me, well
you know, or you just don't, you're not impacting the game.
So that's it. It's a difficult position to evaluate for sure.
And that's why at least I Chris have leaned a
lot more on Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
(05:48):
They try to do the passer rating against and touchdowns allowed.
A big feather in Joey Porter Junior's cap right now
is no touchdowns allowed since his rookie year, So at
least that's giving you a little bit better idea of
how a cornerback is playing when he does.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I guess you can do the old like plus mines
where it's like, if Joey doesn't have a pick six
in his career, but he's not a lot of touchdown
You're better off if a dB might have, you know,
like that one year Deron brand Or he had Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
He had a bunch, but he was also getting burned.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Yeah, yes, so it does. There is a definitely a
correlation there. You're right, they're not throwing to somebody. You're
not going to get interceptions because you're you're blanketing your
guy and the quarterback's not got throw it that way.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
It'll be a fun top ten list for sure, and
Chris and I will have that here on SNR. And again, Brian.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Which one did you and I do?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Brian?
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Receiving yard?
Speaker 1 (06:36):
We did receiving yards, We've done rushing yards, we've done
most sacks. Tom and I did Best Linebackers the other day,
which was a really good subject.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
To get into, and we'll have some fun with that
for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Chris A. Dansky not only can you hear him here
on sn R with Tom Offerman on the Blitz every day,
but Chris is also a Steelers reporter for The Tribune
Review and of course Double b our own Double b
with Steelers dot Com. So we have two forward winning
journalists here in the studio with us, and what better
segue to go with double B's recent article on Steelers
(07:07):
dot Com and Chris, we want to get your thoughts
on this as well on Maxionatore, the first round draft
pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Double B.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
You wrote, Maxionachur just isn't one of the Steelers' most
intriguing prospects. He may be one of the most He
might have one of the most remarkable journeys of any
player in this draft class.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I mean it's been well documented by now that he
grew up in Nigeria. Was there till he was thirteen?
And I talked to Max a little bit about you know,
I feel like a lot of us on draft night,
things are moving fast. You almost kind of gloss over
that fact that it's like, okay, you lived in another
country to your thirteen Well, he started telling me. I
was like, I was like walking me through this, explain
(07:47):
this to me, Like, I'm five. Are you in a
like a village in Nigeria? Are you in the city?
He said, No, I was mostly a city kid, but
my grandparents still lived in the villages, so we'd kind
of go back there on Christmas break and you'd swim
in the lake and you'd run around and play soccer
and all that stuff. So it was interesting to hear
a little bit of his backstory that way. And then
you know culture shock. I think moving to southern California
(08:09):
basically Compton. I think where he lived and didn't initially
take the football, was playing a lot of hoops and
lo and behold finds football gets a couple of years
at Chuco, one year of actually playing, one year practicing,
and then three years starting for Arizona State, And mister Danski,
I'm glad you're here for this because to remind you
(08:29):
a little bit of Chukes a corps for you, I mean,
you were covering the team when they drafted him in
the third round out of Western Michigan. I think it's
eerily similar that Chukes lived in Africa different countries until
he was a teenager. But to me, just looking at
the two big differences, Maxie Honachorge just has a much
higher ceiling because of the athleticism that Chukes maybe didn't
(08:49):
bring to the table.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah, and bringing us up around World Cup time too,
because you see that meme making properly some social media
I've seen it about like what American athletes If America
f soccer was the biggest sport here, would we dominate
the world because all are you know, Justin Jefferson or
who to throw out athletes in football or any sport
really for that ma Lamar, Lebron James, whatever it might be,
if they played soccer, how good would they be? So
(09:12):
it does kind of make you think how many offensive
tackles are out there or you know, for just that position.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Or don't.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
They could be?
Speaker 4 (09:21):
You know, well that was the case with Maxio Trent.
So he found his his AAU basketball coach hooked him
up with the football coach at East LA Commute, you know,
East Least Los Angeles College, and said, I think this
guy is actually a future NFL tackle walking around in
this six foot six body of his.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
And you know, you you talk to him and you
know the story way but more than I do. It's
but in terms of being always need to talked into
it and just you know, the the butterfly effect or
the crossroads of somebody's life and you know how much
you know money he's gonna make extra now in his
life because of somebody identified that and had to kind
of nudge him in that direction and push him that way,
and again if he doesn't. You know, part of the
(09:58):
equation is obviously moving to the i'd say to some
point and then becoming an athlete, having the coach that
has the right eye for whatever talent or whatever that
sees you and pushes you that direction. Otherwise, you know,
untapped potential who knows it? Or maybe he's a Division
one basketball player he picked up to the NBA at
this point, who knows?
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Yeah, well, that was the other part that he brought up.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
It.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
It does seem like there was kind of a randomness
to it and that it really was a connection with
this particular coach more so than any instinct from Big Max.
Because he's like, because his family initially moved to Atlanta
from Nigeria and lived there for six months, and he said,
he's like, if we stay in Atlanta, maybe I never
even find football. Now Georgia incredible hot metal football, so
(10:37):
maybe you find the shooter.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Who knows.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
But he looked at it as like this, you know,
this specific coach in my life was the one who
noticed that in me and he found him by being
in southern California.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Guys, it's pretty incredible that And Brian you noted this
in your article, didn't start playing football until July twelfth,
twenty twenty.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
And that was like years ago. That was not even
I mean that was like COVID time. To Chris's point,
like that was another reason why he even started going
in that direction was Yes, it was some cajooling from
his coach, but also COVID era, like there was nothing
to do. I mean there were if you think back
to July of twenty twenty, I mean, you didn't can
you go outside, can you do anything? No, everything shut down.
(11:17):
So I think he was just probably picked up a
football for the first time. And then yeah, the next
year he was at eLAC basically just trying to learn
the very basic fundamentals of the game.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Soccer and basketball background, as you mentioned again, moving from
Nigeria to Atlanta for a brief time, and then la
on the West Coast, and then the Steelers' twenty first
pick Chris just after six years of starting football. Do
you think it will take some time for him to
get up and running here in the NFL? And is
he more of a project or maybe a plug him play?
(11:51):
At some point during the twenty twenty six season.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Well, certainly if you look at kind of the draft,
I don't know if he would have been. I think
it's the second highest ceiling in terms of all or
in terms of the draft general consensus amongst the draft community.
People do this a lot better than I do in
terms of his talent level, and there's a reason why
he wasn't the top tackle taken. And I think if
he was a kid that grew up in Georgia from
(12:15):
a Rotomias little and was playing high school football and
was a five star recruit that went to Alabama or
Georgia or whatever it might be, then he probably would
have been a top ten pick. I think, you know,
extrapolating there a lot of hypotheticals, but in terms of
that so there is a nature very The reason why
he wasn't Daddy to fall the bottom half of the
first round was easy projects a strong word, but a
(12:38):
longer term. You don't you're not penciling him in to
start right away as a rookie, right and maybe because
out and blows everybody away at the trope and wins
that job. I saw the Romo possibility whatsoever. But you
have doing cook there to be able and who knows
what the Proderick Jones how that plays out too. You
have a lot of insulation there so he doesn't have
to start right away and ideally sort of develop himself more.
(12:59):
But again, you don't want to pigeonhole him and say
don't don't give him the opportunity. He's gonna have the
opportunity if he if he goes out and practice in
the preseason games and blows people away, then you know,
let him start right.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Away if he can, and he's gonna get the opportunity
to block. TJ. Watt and Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer
and I talked to her Big for this story, and
he called Ianachure really talented, a guy that size who
can move as good hands. I've said this before, but
I think playing tackle in the NFL is a rookie
one of the hardest things to do. But he said,
Eanachor has handled it really well. That was her BIG's
(13:32):
take on it. And yeah, I think with to me,
the biggest question of what's he going to do come
week one or even by week ten. What is the
difference between him and Dylan Cook at this stage of
their games. And you can throw Broderck Jones in there too,
I suppose, but I don't know that Eanachor is probably
as physically ready yet as someone like Cook who's been
(13:53):
in an NFL weight room for a few years. Probably
not as technically sound, although ironically, Dylan Cook also was
a quarter back at the juke level and is fairly
late to playing tackle himself.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah, so a variation of the same type.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
Of Yeah, now it's different, and he's been around football
his whole life and you know, could argue understands it
even more than your average offensive lineman because he played
it from under center, uh at a you know, at
the collegiate level. But he's probably not going to be
as technically sound as Dylan Cook is having NFL coaching
for as long as he has. But I think he's
more athletic. I think he's quicker than Cook, might have
(14:28):
better hand usage. And the other big thing. You'll just
look at the two guys with Nigerian roots who the
Steelers have drafted a tackle early similar size here sixty
five seven eighths three hundred and twenty pounds at the combine.
Chukes was six six three twenty. But Chukes ran a
five to three one forty Maxie honachor a four nine
to one. So we're just we're just talking different species
(14:51):
of athlete.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I think at that point, when you're that big and
you can move that fast, yeah, that's special and that's
why you're playing in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
When we much more explosive athletes.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
MAXI big time, very explosive. When we come back more
with Kris A.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Dampsky join us here on the standard, we'll get his
thoughts on Maxi on a chore and the rest of
the Pittsburgh Steelers is a gear up for training camp
in just over a month. He's Brian Bacco, I met
Troop and we do have KRISA. Dampsky in studio with us.
It's the Steelers Standard here on Steelers Nation Radio, part
of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
I used to have cable internet, but I'm a one
hundred percent kind of fan, so i switched to Verizon FiOS.
It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
with ultra lo lag and after what went down in
the first round, still getting video calls from my best
friend rubbing it in that he called all the pigs.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
I told you they were building their own line.
Speaker 6 (15:39):
I went to bet get one.
Speaker 7 (15:40):
Hundred percent fiber internet with Verizon FiOS, because when it
comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing.
Call one three three for Verizon to switch today.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Get that hot dog. Assume ready, bruh.
Speaker 6 (15:51):
And now a word from our sponsor, bud Light.
Speaker 8 (15:55):
There's nothing better than the clean Chris, There's nothing better
than the crisp.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (16:02):
What if we just got out of here and grab
some bud Lights.
Speaker 6 (16:04):
So man, we're on air for four more hours.
Speaker 9 (16:07):
I'll figure it out. So that's good to me. Anything
for the clean, crisp taste of bud Light. Stocked up now.
Bud Light, easy to drink, easy to enjoy, and you're
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Speaker 1 (16:30):
Back here on the Steelers Standard. Here on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network. I am a troop
alongside double B Brian Bacco and Chris and Damski from
the Blitz. We've loaned him, I guess from our good
friend Tom Offerman. You can hear Chris and Tom each
and every day here on SNR with the Blitz. And
(16:51):
also you can check out Chris's excellent coverage of the
Black and Gold.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
At the Tribune Review. Is it the Pittsburgh Tribune Review?
Tribune Review?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
I mean I technically also do stuff for the Trib
for the Trib Live High School Sports network covering whipil
stuff in and around Pittsburgh CRISP.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
But uh it want us to brand now just be
Trib Live, which I still don't want that. But yeah,
was introduced thoself as I worked for Trib Live and
not the Tribune Review anymore.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
This isn't Chris A. Danski from the Tribune Review. This
is buzz software.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
That there you go. Where'd you get the nickname?
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Everybody calls you?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
I could go in that whole the short story is
this from college radio station? That was my nickname on
college radio station. I could get a little bit into
the story.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
It doesn't explain why that, Yeah, I mean on your
college station. Okay, if you want to be other than
just assume it wasn't arbitrary.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
The short the short as I can the funny corollary
that is, like I joined the I don't know what
it's like at Pitt or what you call it, but
like it joined the collegiate at Penn State, just like
you have to apply and you through the interview. When
you go through this thing, it's like this whole like
formal thing. In the same building at the time was
the student radio station. So I'm thinking that. I thought
I kind of wanted to do it, but I was like, oh,
you know, it's too much work. So one day I can,
(17:59):
you know, the hell with it. I went in there,
filled out a little application, put it in there. So
I drive home. You know, twenty minutes later my phone
rings have a cell phone and that's old I am
and it says, hey, Chris, yeah, so you're just in
radio sports. I said yeah. He's like, well, we got
a show here, soar it's at six o'clock. You look
up to like an hour later. I'm like okay. Then,
so I go in there. I've never been in front
of now I'm a pro from the no. I never
(18:21):
prefer a microphone. I meet these like four guys that
are friends and they have this chemistry and so I'm
just a quiet guy in the corner like they are
in Major league where you know, he said, thought am
I drop in there a damn ski. I wouldn't say anything.
So then this very second week, they organized this sports
trivia tournament. There was eight people in the tournament. On
the staff, I was the eighth seed. They put a bracket.
Because I never said anything. I was the quiet guy
(18:42):
was shy and didn't notice exactly. So I go and
I blow out the one seed. I crush herm just
completely dominating their like. So, the guy's name was Mike Sooshio,
the same name as that former man, different spelling, but yeah.
So the host, Rocko Demarro, actually did stuff in Pittsburgh.
Media you for a while. He says, Mike Soosher runs
(19:02):
into a buzzsaw, Chris stuck a butt, and from that
one little moment it stuck and then generally was insulated
amongst the little radio friends, you know, staff I had.
But then it got drunk. John proto Rocco again. Rocco
did a show in Pittsburgh, had me on a guest.
I produced the show. Actually, we had John Paroto on
if Everybody Knows Pittsburgh and and and Rocco was like, hey,
(19:26):
he buzz saw, but he said, what'd you call it?
A dam So I called him. You called him buzza,
He's the buzz Saw. So then the next day I
was do Empirate game. At that time, Dron Paroto walked
into the Pirate pre He's buzz So you loved it
so much.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
And nothing insulated in Pittsburgh exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's the birth of the nickname. But but something A
lot of guys just call you buzz right they Yeah,
got rid of the bach, which I feel like a
different connotation.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
But you can't complain about uh so nicknames.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Penn State hit for Double B on Point Park Went Park,
so I can.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
But I grew up a pit fan. Yeah, that's right
there you go.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
I grew up a pit fan though, and lots of
family members who grew up near Harrisburg, so a lot
of Penn State folks in my family, So I can.
I can talk to both of you about whatever you
want to talk about, tolerated, but not to get off
the Steeler subject. We'll jump back on in a second,
but just quickly for both of you. You know, we're
all about the same age. I know, Chris and I
are definitely the same age. Double be a little younger
(20:23):
than us Chris, but you know we grew up in
a time where it was Pitt Penn State. I mean
that was a big rival West Virginia. Pitt that is
kind of in play now never bothered me. I don't
know about you. West Virginia never really did much for
me with the whole Pitt rivalry.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
But it was Penn State.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Penn State Pit for me was always the big rivalry
growing up.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, I mean I caught about the tail end of that,
that rivalry still being played every year, and it was
to me at that point then Pitt Pen Yes, but yeah,
I certainly I don't. I'm not old enough to remember
like those big those late seventies early eighties games where
nineteen eighty two has brought up a lot things like that,
and those those bigger games like that. But yeah, it
was in Penn State, joint and independent. I have memories
(21:06):
of that still following Penn State play and you look
in the newspaper whichever that's worth now, and you find
the standings and the Independence was like twenty eight teams
long and Penn States in third place amongst these twenty
eight teams, and Pitt was in there too, of course,
till the biggest came around. Just to oh, what a
world we live in now I know and everything else
college football.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
We've come full circle.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
I want to go back to the conversation we were
having about cornerbacks and interceptions, how much it really does
or doesn't matter. Joey Porter has one interception in each
of his first three seasons, so he does not have
a multi interception season. You know who has the most
interceptions by a corner over the last two seasons in
the NFL, not for just.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
The Steelers, just in the NFL. NFL, Oh boy about us.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Not Sauce Gardner. But that kind of is proving my
point because that's one of the players you would.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Think of, Yeah, that was be the first one to mind.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
It's not Patrick, It's not Patrick Tan the second that
was my second defensive player of the year from two
years ago. Now I'll be he did pick off four
passes that year and he had to pick six, so
he put the production.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I was going to say, so, are your point going
to be, it's gonna be somebody we're not going to
get because it's.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Kind of it's more Darius No and it's not Derek
Stingley Junior, although he is second with he's tied for
second with nine over the last two years. So he
does pick off passes despite being I think most people
would consider him one of the best lockdown corners in
the NFL. It's Marlon Humphrey. Now he's I feel like
(22:38):
he's solid. But also if you've say ten, yes, he
has ten. Now tied for second with Derek Stingley Junior
is Dante Jackson from the Steelers. Steelers, he picked off
like four or five that year, and then he had
another four or five last year with the Chargers. And
does anybody consider Dante Jackson one of the best corners
in the NFL. No, No, In fact, he was not
(23:01):
very good down the stretch with the Steelers, I would say,
so he was picking off passes. He was probably getting
targeted a lot in order to do that. Now, don't
take anything away from the guy or Humphrey for that matter.
You know they're making plays when they're served up to them,
and they're not squandering those takeaways for their teams. But
I just think that's an interesting point as we go
(23:21):
through this. You can't give Joey Porter Junior market setting
money because he only has three career interceptions. Well, that's
certainly not the be all end all for the best
corners in the league.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Chris, I'm sure you and Tom have talked about this
quite a bit, as Brian and I have here on
the Standard about Joey Porter Junior. Right now, there's still
no contract extension, not a new contract being offered, yet
that has to be at the top of the list,
right It had to be at the top of the
list for Omar Kana that front office going into this offseason,
and now as we sit here just about a little
over a month before the start of training camp, still
(23:55):
has to be the top of the list.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yeah. And I think the fact that the two other
extensions were done, there might even be a third, maybe
a fourth done before they even get to Joey Porter.
But I don't think that's a sign of priority ranking
in terms of most I think it's almost the opposite,
where it's like, let's get these other ones done. You know,
this will be the biggest one, probably the most highest profile,
however you want to put it. We want that that's
(24:18):
going to be probably the hardest to do. To some degree,
you could say, probably, So what's got everything else done?
So we're not this will last till mid August, not
maybe bab could have knocked the rest of these out.
So I think that in some ways is that I
you know, I don't know what you guys think, but
we talk and we'd be shocked if a dozen get done. Yeah,
I could definitely see it going to the very end.
(24:40):
Maybe I wouldn't be shocked if it went to week
one of the regular season. You know that we leading
up to it. I don't. I don't think it will,
but I wouldn't be shocked if it did. I'd precedent
for that, yes, and under Omar Kahan, I think we
were always trained that that was almost like standard practice
that they would go nob not to the week one,
but up and after the preseason, would say, or after
train camp or certainly after camp started it. But now
(25:02):
like there's been so many now that get done May
June July. We've seen in recent years here TJ WHTT
last year, before camp started, I don't I was looking
at it because Joey is very having the dad and
the business of course I think is that he's kind
of progatic and I don't think it will be contentious
at all per se, But I think it could last
to the very end of the preseason or camp or
(25:24):
whatever you want to put it. I don't think it'll
be you know, negative in the me you know that
kind of thing per se. But I do think there,
you know, Joey knows is the business and Joe Junior
because again growing up around it, and I think that sense,
like the whole deadline pressure, I think both sides will
wait maybe until the pressure comes on. At least that's
my guess their take on it.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
For the record, Sauce Gardner has three career interceptions. Really,
I'm just asking questions about like evaluating corners and what
to make of sure if some of these guys and
their quote unquote worth on the open market, because I
guarantee you like the people who are anti Joey Porter
(26:04):
junior extension or I should say anti huge money Joey
Porter junior extension twenty five to thirty million, putting him
in that's where it would beefy tax bracket. Like they're
going to point to this guy doesn't make that many plays.
He has three picks over his entire career. Well, and
this isn't just me saying Sauce Gardner is a good player.
He was first team All Pro in twenty twenty three,
(26:26):
when he didn't pick off a single pass. The Colts
gave up seventy two draft picks to get him last
year at the deadline and then paid him. So like, yeah,
I mean, it's it's a position where it's kind of
choose your own adventure if you if you think picks matter,
they don't matter at all. They matter a lot. It's
almost it makes me kind of want to throw that
out In the assessment of Joey Junior, you kind of
(26:48):
just have to watch the film and make your mind
up that way.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
He does such a good job of being a shutdown corner.
The quarterbacks simply just aren't thrown his way, right Chris.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Yeah, and that's more you want. It goes back to
you know, and again the safeties is different, but they
you don't want that. The splash plays are an element
of everything. But ideally, I think if you go into
a game and you're a cornerback, right, yeah, the better
if your mindset or the better game is that the
better game? How do to put this? If you don't
(27:18):
get targeted all game, you take the number one receiver,
you don't get don't get targeted. That's an extreme example.
To think the number one receiver wouldn't get even at
the ball front. But that's that is the ideal, that's
the the pandora that that's the yes, what you're trying
to accomplish. Right when you go out there every single
snap your mindset and that snap is he's not getting open.
(27:39):
Your mindset on that snap isn't I'm gonna have him
throw it to me. I'm gonna pick a pick six
back to the house. You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
So, so the Cris's point, double B does Joey Porter
Junior become a hold in if this last all through
training camp and they don't get it done.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Right before the end.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
At TJ.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Watt, that was not this past contract.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
It was two contracts ago, remember he signed like right
after training camp wrapped up.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Yeah, And my take on that was always I think
it was a little more practical for TJ. Watt to
hold in because simply the nature of that position. There's
certainly communication that goes on, but he's more just every
rep is kind of outside linebacker. You're almost like a
kicker in a way. You're like you're kind of doing
the same thing every time, and you know, for the
(28:19):
great ones like Chris Boswor or TJ Watt. Most of
the time it goes through the upright. Most of the time,
you know you win your rep against the tackle. They're
almost like independent contractors out there within the defense. Those
edge rushers. I mean, it's just beat that guy. Find
a way to get through that chip, find a way
to put pressure on the quarterback. He might get rid
of the ball, and it's a zero on your box score,
but you know you did your job. I think for
(28:40):
a corner with someone who plays the way Joey plays,
there's an element of that, but you also need to
be on one accord with the rest of the defense,
or at least the rest of the secondary and have
that kind of second nature feeling with the safety next
to you, or if there's a nickel next to you
in the nickel defense. I'm not saying he wouldn't hold
(29:03):
in there. It's been done by a lot of guys
now and I always kind of go back to Deontay
Johnson as being like the one that sort of broke
the whole hold in thing, because it was you know, TJ.
Does it, you understand it? Make a Fitzpatrick does it?
You understand it. Deontay did it it? What's the happy Days?
It kind of jumped the shark a little bit when
he now he he did have a Pro Bowl to
his name at that time in a thousand yard season.
(29:25):
But still, I think that threatened to open this can
of worms.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Of all.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
Right now, any player going to the last year of
his deals in negotiations might do it, but we haven't
seen that. And also to the Steelers' front office strategic credit,
they have taken care of some of these deals before
you've even had to cross that bridge.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
And I think that's the advantage of the hold in.
I suppose to hold out. Of course, as you're in
all the meetings, you're on the field, they're even doing
and there's I guess they're all everyone's different. I suppose
in terms of how this theoretically hypothetically will play out
here in what six weeks, five weeks, five and a
half weeks now, jeez, In terms of the hold in
by Joey Porter Junior, would it be you know, you
(30:05):
do like the walk through things, even you know there
could be that he could be on the field do it.
Then I get you're right. When the bullets are flying,
when you're you know, padron and communicating that it is different.
That's true, but but it's obviously much better than the
generation ago, where they wouldn't show at all, they would
even be there, and now they're here at least they're
certainly in the meetings, they're in the stretches, probably some
degree of doing the walkthrough type things when they're at
(30:27):
least you know, mocking or mapping out the defense to
a point. So it's not as you know, but in
an ideal world. Yes, And you're right, and that's why
I said under omar the it's not a coincidence. For
the past four off seasons, the extensions have been generally
beginning done earlier than they have been as we the
previous couple of days.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
It was around this time in June. I feel like
Alex high Smith was around this time in June. I mean, shoot,
this year Cam Hayward got done in was it February
or margin.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, by the time you're listening to this, maybe something
was done.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
We're not sure.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Is the time we record this everything still up in
the air.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
It feels like it could happen at it and they
could with the current of it, definitely could whenever we
come back, we will wrap up our number two here
on the Standard and get more of Chris A.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Dampsky's thoughts of the Steelers off season moves so far,
as well as double B on where the Steelers head.
As Chris said, just you know, five six weeks away
from Latrobe, it's right around the corner. We'll be here
quicker than we all realize.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
He's Brian Bacco Chris A. Dampsky with us in studio.
I'm met Troupe.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
It is the Steelers Standard here on Steeers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
I used to have cable Internet, but I'm a one
hundred percent kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon FiOS.
It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
with the Ultra Lo lag and after what went down
in the first round, still getting video calls from my
best friend rubbing it in that he called all the pigs.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
I told you they were building their own line.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
I went to bet get.
Speaker 7 (31:51):
One hundred percent fiber internet with Verizon FiOS, because when
it comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing.
Call one, three three for raison to switch today.
Speaker 4 (31:59):
Get that hot dog ready, bruh.
Speaker 8 (32:02):
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Speaker 4 (32:13):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
What if we just got out of here and grab
some bud Lights?
Speaker 6 (32:16):
So, man, we're on air for four more hours.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
I'll figure it out.
Speaker 7 (32:19):
Sounds good to me.
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bud Light Meer saying, Louis, Missouri, wrapping.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Up our number two here on the Steelers standard for
this week, I am a troop alongside Double B Brian Bacco,
Chris Adanski from the Blitz with Tom Offerman in studio
with us for this second hour. You can also catch
Chris's excellent coverage of the Black and Gold with trib
Live each and every day, and Double B you can
catch his excellent coverage of the Black and Gold on
(33:02):
Steelers dot com. Chris, how long have you been covering
the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Speaker 3 (33:06):
In late in the twenty fourteen season, I guess. So, yeah,
we're we're approaching the dozen year mark.
Speaker 7 (33:11):
Now.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
It's crazy to think about it, really is. It's been alone,
but yes there was. Uh any I was depend State
B writer for a year and a half until November
twenty fourteen.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Anyway, any good stories between Double B and Buzz over
here of any road trips that we could talk about
on the air.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Not because I mean to peel back the curtain. I
would usually travel with the PG crew and you know,
as would usually travel with the trip crew, So we're
kind of on parallel tracks.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Ah, you guys didn't interact.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
You had to stay on separate and I have plenty
at the in the press box and in the locker
room and all that good stuff, but not really we'd
get there via separate means.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Most of the time be traveling with Chaz Palla and
Joe Rudder from a Joe Rudder to retired, give Joe
a shutout no longer no longer with.
Speaker 4 (33:57):
The Pro Football Writers of America presence.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Right, Yeah, we have respect. There you go exactly now
you're you have Chris Harlan Arlon joined the beat, Yes,
and uh know, Chris for a long time.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
So that's a yeah, good one there with you.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
From the Steelers now, And he said, yeah, we used
to travel a lot with Kevin Gorman and he's not
another ones. Yeah, but yeah, you're right, it's just the
way that was.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
Vince Williams is one of his favorite guys, wasn't he.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
That sounds about Yeah, that's right, yeah, yeah, yeah. Gorman
used to go, I like talking to Vince back in
the day. I'm excited. It sounds like I'll get to
talk to love him on the you get to talk
to him a lot.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
They're gonna be having him a lot there, Chris. Uh,
we're putting him one. We're lending him to you guys,
just like we're you know, Tom's lending you to us today.
We're lending you Vince now.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Trade, but wow, I think we're also going to need
a future first yea, yeah, I say, you know, if you.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Got an eight year starting NFL linebacker for me, it's uh, yeah,
you gotta Hopefully there's some future considerations attached.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
We were talking about the Steelers actually on a tour
this hour with Brian's article on Steelers dot Com about
the Steeers first round draft pick. Last segment, we got
into the Joey Porter junior contract extension, new contract conversation
that has yet to take place. So, Chris, I wanted
to ask you about the quarterback position and the Steelers
are positioned with Aaron Rodgers of course coming back for
(35:19):
this year, Will Howard, Drew Aller, and of course Mason Rudolph,
Brendan Soresby. There's been a lot of conversation this week
whether the Steelers should enter that's sweepstakes or not. Brian
and I both think they shouldn't, but.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
It is intriguing.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
It's a good topic to talk about on sports talk
radio for sure, but your opinion of where the quarterback
room is now, and then Brian and I have talked
a lot about let's see what we have in Will Howard,
let's see what we have and Drew Aller moving forward,
and we know that we're safe with Aaron Rodgers at
the QB one spot at least for the twenty twenty
six season.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Yeah. One of the things, as I say, there are
there's two as we said here now two and a
half months before a hard decision has to be made
really in terms of just setting the fifty three man
roster for the regular season. So there's a lot of
like talking. I get it. Obviously it's quarterback. Obviously that's
very important to the Steelers future. If one of the
two young guys becomes a franchise quarterback, that that's, you know,
(36:14):
perhaps even more important what happens, you know, anything else
in training camp, the back of that spot whatever. That
of course, the battle you would think is the Will
Howard Mason Rudolph competition, because you know du Hour is
obviously going to make the team and Aaron Rodgers going
to make the team. So that's if you break it
down what the decision is or whether you keep happen
to keep four or whatever. I know it just make
for good talk. But just let it play out, right,
(36:35):
We're gonna see how this, you know, you knocking with.
Maybe it's an injury. You don't hope for that, but
maybe that that makes itself. Maybe you know, we'll take
the pot. Maybe two hours outstanding and just comes up
and looks so good as nobody expected that. Similar to
the Maxiconatore where we don't expect that it's not nobody
plans him to play this year, but maybe he just
knock blows the doors off everybody, and all of a sudden,
(36:57):
you okay, every quarterback of the future, and now you
know that that kind of helps you make your decision.
Maybe it's maybe the opposite. One of the guys is
a terrible camp and it's just like Bill Howard's throwing
interceptions every time he could takes the field, and well,
that makes that decision, right, You don't have to worry
about that. So there's a lot of runway here to
let it play out. I do. I don't think. I'm
not predicting whatsoever that keep four quarterbacks. I'm just staying
(37:18):
if there's ever a scenario where you would consider it
or it would be plausible, it's when you hire a
coach a large part developing quarterbacks. You have two young quarterbacks.
If you like them both at that point, you get
to August twenty sixth or whatever the cutdown day is,
and you still like them both, but you still want
to go in the regular season with a veteran. I
(37:38):
think it's worth entertaining or discussing at that point. It's
not ideal for many reasons, but you know, let it
play out here and see how it goes. And I
think We're all to finally see Will Howard hopefully again
who we don't get hurt again in a preseason game,
see in an NFL uniform in a game playing. I
think we all want to see that to a degree,
and you know, see what there is in him. What
(37:58):
a lot of this is based off of even I
sly to have watched practice, Brian. I mean, he was
hurt on ir for so long and hurt her in camp.
We don't even that much view him in that context,
let alone in a game and everybody see him against
you know, live competition.
Speaker 4 (38:10):
Yeah, I'm with you. And it's like you said, people
do want something to sink their teeth into year round
when it comes to the Steelers and football and quarterbacks.
But it is going to have to play out on
the field. That's why they play the games, as they say,
and in this case, that's why they practice too. But
all that being said, I think Mason Rudolph is behind
the eight ball here. I just think that's kind of
(38:32):
a natural reality to live in when there are two
young quarterbacks draft picks who are also in the mix,
and guys that you know, one obviously handpicked by this
coaching staff, Unlike yourself if you're Rudolph and the other
kind of talked up by this coaching staff from the
moment that they sat down, And you know, I think
Will Howard only helped himself in OTA's as much as
(38:56):
one can. And it's not like we're not sitting in
the team meetings after and listening to Mike McCarthy go
over the film with his offensive staff. But from what
we saw, it seemed like he only helped himself. Granted,
we might not know if the opposite were true, but
I think one of the biggest talking points, you know,
even going back to May, was he was the second
(39:16):
quarterback out there behind Aaron Rodgers. To me, that had
to mean something, and I think it means that Mason
Rudolf's gonna have a bit of an uphill climb. But
if we've learned nothing from his time with the Steelers,
every once in a while, like he does make that
climb and finds a way to reinsert himself into the conversation.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
And I think, if you're the Steelers the Steelers fan,
that the best case scenario is because he's younger and
he has you know, theoretically, at this point of the
higher ceiling and is that will Howard get kind of
like I was out and seizes the job. And it's like,
because I mean the debate is you going to the season,
you're trying to win, You're trying to win a division,
you're trying to make the playoffs, and you did not
have the insurance policy of a veteran, proven backup to
(39:53):
step in for who knows, one, two, three, four weeks,
whatever it might be. It's got to make a head
coach nervous or organized, you know, to go into a
season like that. But if Will have the best case
scenarif we're all involved, is he goes out there and
just like again in the preseason, is blowing people away.
Although I say all these hypotheticals and I'm like, I
want to say, like has a perfect passer rating in
the preseason, I'm like, but we saw that happen three
(40:15):
years ago. Yeah, and it didn't mean any thin. So yeah,
Kenny Pickett did that. So that underscores why even the
preseason game. But but that, but that goes back circling again,
underscores why a team is nervous not to have a
Mason Rudolph on the roster when the season starts, because
what can you prove during the preseason that might carry
off all of a sudden Rogers. You know, we were
six and two, Rodgers says an injuries out two or
(40:36):
three weeks. Will Howard steps in and uh oh oh boy,
like he's not what we you know now that we're
facing live defenses and defensive coordinators game planning, this isn't
going all we thought whenever Mason Rudolph could. So you
understand why it's as a coat from a coach's perspective,
why you might not want to do that, But you.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Have to find out one way or another with Will
Howard and Drew all Er what you have there. We
know what we have a Mason Rudoff, and we know
what we will have with a Rogers at the quarterback spot.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Chris.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
The other big subject as far as a training camp
battle goes outside of the quarterback position of who backs
up Aaron Rodgers and what you have there in the
future with either al or or Will Howard is the
wide receiver spot behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Junior.
In the battle between the rookie second round draft pick
Jeremy Bernard and Roman Wilson. What do the Steelers do
(41:25):
there with Roman Wilson, Your thoughts on that battle for
the wide receiver three spot.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
That's one of those things where and I know there's
always the gray area of what exactly we saw, and
we're allowed to see stuff like that, but it's I
get what I get the impression that Roman Wilson is
a lot bigger candidate, or a lot more of a
candidate than I would have thought for that job. And
maybe it's a deference to the veteran okay, who has
been here already, and you don't want to give put
(41:51):
the rookie in already. But again we talk about what
you're kind of rooting for because of the higher ceiling
and because if you want, if you're a Steers fan
or the Steelers, you want to like, oh my god,
like we got to steal in the second round. Here
he come up to blows you away, and he's, you know,
capable of being a starting caliber receiver right off the
bat like that. So again I would think by the
end of it. I've also been on record a lot
(42:12):
saying that one way or another before September thirteenth, another
veteran receiver is going to be here trade cut cut
down day. It's not like I feel like one way
or another the lad you know, another guy, I feel
like that's my prediction at least so well, I don't think,
you know, I still think Bernard. I think Bernard would
be the wide receiver. Three is much short answer and
turn when the season starts.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
You think they had a veteran to actually be on
the fifty three man roster or just compete. I mean,
because I don't know where you'd really put him on
the roster. You'd have to move on from.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
Well, that's what yeah, I mean, the guy would kind
of slot in is the fourth wider. I'm not talking
like a major contributor. You're right, maybe it would be
a practice.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
Stepth chart is already filling up though with guys who
do other things like Ben's Gronic Caden region.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
And that is sort of yes, when you have two
kind of special teams, guys that you that maybe can
contribute to some degree offensive on your wide receiver position.
Rou I mean Weegen, you can kind of use that
as a chess piece. Is that a six receiver? Is
that you know, in terms of allocation on your roster.
I know he's going to be a wide receiver, but
building a fifty three man because you know, assuming he
(43:14):
I shortly project him to make the team. Yeah, maybe
a return specialist. But even if he's not a wide receiver,
if he becomes your sixth or seventh on the in
terms of the position label, he might not actually be
a receiver.
Speaker 4 (43:27):
I mean. The other possibility here is maybe Jeremy Bernard
and Roman Wilson both play a decent amount, and maybe
it's Michael Pittman Junior doesn't play as many snaps as
we all kind of expected and thought he would when
they traded for him from the Colts. Maybe less could
be more for someone like Pittman, who's what nearing thirty,
I guess at some point a lot of tread off
the tires in the league. If maybe he's not playing
(43:49):
the same amount of snaps he did with the Colts,
but he's overall more efficient with what he does for
you with the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
The other big battle too.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
While we stay on the offensive front here, Chris is
the offensive line. We know Troy Fontano, Mason McCormick have
switched from right to left, Zach Frasier not going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
If anything.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
He potentially could be an All Pro center by the
end of the twenty twenty six season. But on the
right side, they got to finish. They got to figure
out right guard. Spencer Anderson, brock Hoffman, the newcomer, the
big draft pick that everybody loves to talk about, Jennings Dunker.
Maybe he works his way into there in the right
tackle spot. We know Dylan Cook did great last year
filling in at the end of the season for Broderick Jones.
(44:26):
He'll be in the mix, of course with MAXI on
a chore as well.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Yeah, right, and then I mean whatever, at this point,
I think the Broderick Jones not you're writing him off,
but you're certainly not going to You can't plan on
him at this point. Maybe it's a bonus, maybe does
come back, and maybe he's I don't know. I know
it's the way I kind of look at it. You
want to throw him into that race, but until he's
kind of cleared to practice or is practicing fully at least,
(44:49):
you can't even you know, maybe again later in the season,
I don't know. So it is interesting how much of
how much of a runway or chance to win the
job as he haunted Troy. Like I said earlier, you
certainly if you want to give him the opportunity to
show you that he is ready, and you know, he
has more college starts and some of the other tackles
take as much as he is a raw prospect, there
(45:11):
were a first round picks a tackle that started fewer
college games than he did, So in some ways you
could make the case he could be ready, but I'm
sure in an ideal world you want to develop more.
And I think Dyln Cooks proved over that five or
six game stretch last year he can handle the degree,
so you know, I would still imagine that. Yeah, the
right guard thing, and so far Dunker has been repping
a left guard, which is kind of interesting, or you
(45:33):
know what the logic behind that is per Se and
Spencer Anderson? Is that again as echo back to the
deference to the veteran holdover, is that kind of what
that was or is that a sign of where kind
of the depth chart does stack at this moment in
terms of where they're going to right guard.
Speaker 4 (45:47):
I think everybody just assumed that the rookies would get
a chance to skyrocket in there, but maybe the staff
likes the returning players that they didn't quote unquote recruit
more than we expected. But I just wanted to give
one last note. Guys on the receiver, go back.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
To the interception again. You've over and over twenty.
Speaker 4 (46:11):
Twenty three Gardner Mike McCarthy. I'm sure there's more. There
could be more of it. I'll get those ready for
next time. But twenty twenty three Mike McCarthy's Cowboys, his
receivers all pretty much stayed healthy throughout the season. Ceedee
Lamb was your obvious, your alpha. He played eighty four
percent of the snaps, but Brandon Cooks played sixty eight percent,
Michael Gallup played fifty two percent, and Jalen Tolbert, as
(46:34):
the de facto receiver four, played still forty percent. That's
a lot. His top four receivers all played more than
forty percent of the snaps. Just when you think about
the Metcalf, Pittman, Bernard Wilson splitting how that goes. Now,
this team might use more tight ends than than the
twenty twenty three Cowboys. They might run the ball a
little bit more. But McCarthy said it. You know the
(46:56):
one day before practice that he looks at offense not
necessarily as a left in personnel or twelve personnel, but
you have your single back offense, your two back offense,
and then your no back offense. So just some food
for thought as we head into what I always call
talking and thinking season between mini camping. That's always been
doing all we.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Can really do, but it's it's not unknown. There's a
lot of especially I mean me and you've been around
the team for we just stuck out twelve, what's your
seven or so, like the routine of having the same
head coach and the same and we can make the
we can make a lot more educated projections based off
of the coaching staff and what's happened in the years past.
There's a lot of like, well it, yeah, we assume
(47:35):
this will happen, but why don't we assume because it's
entirely different staff that's in charge of that decision. So
it's a lot of it's a lot more keep you
under toes now going into camp.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
I feel like we will definitely see how it plays out.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
Chris Adamski, thank you so much for joining us here
for the second hour of the standard today.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
I'm enjoyable time. I'm glad to be. I'm glad to
be in this big difference too. I'm on camera and
everything like it's say, it's a I'm out of my
comfort zone camera.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
You're in the you're the a studio with us, that's
for sure. You go to the third mic. You'll be
in here next week. You gotta come to the big
one and we get out of that freezer that we
have over there.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
We're usually the one.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
Next to you and you and Tom each day, right,
double B Special Programming Note Double B and I off
the next two weeks, so we'll be back on the
air here on SNR after the fourth of July. But
you can catch CHRISA. Dampski with Tom Offerman on the
Blitz right here on SNR each and every day, and
that will be enjoy your break you too, Ed, all right,
that's gonna do for the Steeler standard for today for CHRISA. Dampski,
(48:30):
Brian Becko on that troop. It is the Steeler Standard
here on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network.
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