January 11, 2023 • 44 mins
Jim Wexell joins to kick off the power hour as Max and Wolf continue to wrap up the Steelers 2022-23 season.
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Speaker 1 (00:18):
This is in the locker room with Wolf and Starks
on ESPN Pittsburgh against Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your
neighborhood Forward Store. The F one fIF is the official
truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. All right, just like Christopher
Walking needs some more cow bell, we need some more wexinator,
(00:38):
and we got him. You want and only Jim Wexel
in the locker room here, steel City Insider Wax. Good
to have you, my friend. Man. You know how to
loosen me up with that cow bell stuff. You know
I can't laugh at that, you know. I have been
laughing hysterically throughout the first two segments thinking about Max
(01:00):
yelling charge with a foot that he found on the
field during the game. And it's just it's it just
it tickled my fancy. I gotta say it was really funny. Oh.
I don't know if I can bring more cow bell.
But my last name does begin with a W and
has two uh syllables, so Wolf. Anyway, Well, while I
(01:23):
got you, where's your column, bro? I was taking some
extra time to put some thoughts together since it was
I apologize to you. Yeah, he's you know what I
should be. I should be laced thoroughly, you know. Boom, No,
it's okay. I mean I get up extra early to
put in the extra half hour of editing that's going
to reach I didn't think shame, shame, that's that's just
(01:51):
that's a different cowbell, that's a different cowview. But your fans,
they're on the message board, they're haranguing me the worst
of pleas, Calum. I don't want to read anything else
about you. All you gotta do is tell him that
fat pig just blew a day off and he's now
he's just trying to make up for it. I did say,
I mean, yea, the next games next September. What's what's
(02:17):
the manxactly now, exactly so, and wax. I want your
your thoughts and Max your thoughts because to me, I'm
looking at this now and going this is kind of
like Star Trek the next generation. I mean, we really
Now you have this rookie quarterback that you decide, you
know what, you got a four year window here to
(02:40):
do something. Plus you've got two first round draft picks.
There's a lot of good things that can happen in
the next three seasons. Here. I tell you, I love it.
You know. Um, I walked around that locker room all year. Now,
granted we're two years out of COVID, right, so I'm
really not as familiar with these guys as I should be.
But alright, if Cam, you know Cam's uh, I've already
(03:03):
talked to him one or twice today. Um t J
doesn't talk till Friday. Um, let's see who else. I
don't know this guy, and and I don't know this guy,
and well, this guy stinks and I don't need this guy.
I talked to him last week. It's like, I mean,
it's a it's like a locker room full of Richard Huntley's.
I thought I was back in two thousand, right, Well,
(03:26):
so they get hot at the end of the year
and I start to know the guys, and I start
to get my rhythm back, and I start to talking
to other people besides Cam, and I'm starting to get
to know these guys and they're starting to win. And man,
it's so refreshing just from a perspective being on the
job that they won and that these guys are good,
that they're not all Richard Huntley and Sharper Danish. You know,
(03:50):
it's funny. I brought sharp, poor Danish. Oh my goodness,
locker room was full of man. I mean, you know
Max's team, we all knew those guys and and uh yeah.
So anyway, I was walking out of the stadium the
other day and somebody said something about two thousand and
I've been thinking about that, that you're this this season,
(04:11):
and that was the year Gilbride. They they right at
the ship at nine and seven, right, and then everybody thought, well,
maybe Gilbride keeps his job, and the boom, he doesn't
keep his job. Ken wizzen Hunt comes in, Mike Malarkey's promoted,
Russ Grim comes in. You know it was it was
the coaching staff of the next Super Bowl. Yes, so
I can't get that analogy out of my head. Yeah,
(04:35):
you know what. I again, and Max, what do you
think about the fact that you know this? This to
me is like a turning point because of the fact
you've got some You've got people that are popping up
in the right positions, from Pickens to Friar move to
you know people. Defensively speaking, you've got some guys that
you're looking at. I mean, you look at the Mark Robinson,
(04:55):
You're like, it's tantalizing. But is it going to be
something that you're gonna be to live with? I don't know.
All I know is to me, there's a there's an
opportunity here to start the next generation. No, you know,
I We'll go ahead, No, go ahead. Oh, I was
just I was just gonna add a comment. Just you're right.
(05:16):
I mean, this is that precipice moment right where you're
standing at the edge of the cliff. It's like, do
I dive off with the squirrel suit or do I
take the hang glider or or or yell charge and
just go without anything? Uh except for a parachute in
the football you know what I'm saying. Uh, But but
I to stay away from tickets charge. Yeah, historically that's
(05:41):
been a disastrous Yeah. So you know, every time he
does a two minutes drill, I think it's a cute
headline and I think, nah, yeah, it's like that is
this the urge? Trust me, Yelling the word charge does
not do a great job. Nobody knows what you're talking about,
as I so learned twenty two years ago. Um. You know,
(06:02):
and I thought these guys were intelligent to um, but
but yeah, no, I mean This is where you get
to that moment where you have to decide, you know,
do I do I err on optimism or do I
or do I err on the side of rational judgment.
I think that's really what it comes down to. Uh,
you know, is that going where I would get the
possible coaching change when everybody is now you know what
(06:25):
that Canada is all right? Like people were getting with
Kevin Gilbride and then boom Coward makes the gutty call
and I don't know if he was forced into it,
but man, that worked out. Did we make that gutty
call here? Well? I think that that that's what we're
gonna wait to see. I mean, it's it's a tough
one to call, right because, like you said, you want
(06:47):
you want to know can can this Is this sustainable
what we were able to create the end of the season,
does it actually carry over or we got to this
point now we need to hand it off to someone
who can take it to the next level because this
might be the upper limits of what that coach can do.
And yeah, that's the decision we have to make. But
(07:12):
and here's to me that this is all in a
nutshell in the sense of this nobody has more at
stake or has more invested in Matt Canada than Mike Tomlin.
I mean, seriously, how much did have invested in Kevin Gilbride?
Well it I don't know the inside outs of that,
but right now through what he's invested thus far, all
I'm saying is the one guy that knows all the
(07:34):
ins and outs, that knows all that transpired with you know,
making the decision to move to Kenny earlier than what
he wanted, that this offense started to unfold more down
after the bye than before the bye. You know, I
look at that and I just say, look, all I
can say is I know that that Mike is gonna
do what he thinks is the very best. And if
(07:54):
he backs Canada, then do any of us know more
than than Mike, who's got more invested and more, that
he's got to depend on mc cannon if he retains him,
you know, I mean, that's the only thing I just
can't I don't know all the ins and outs of
what transpired inside the locker room. I see the effects
of it, but you know, making that judgment call is
(08:16):
like on the inside coward head that that that judgment
with Kevin Gilbride, you know, and he made it. So
we're kind of like sitting and waiting and seeing what
he did. I thought, especially after the bye, I thought
Matt Canada did a solid job. That's solid job. That's
all I can say. Yes, I like I love his
running game. I like his short yardage stuff. Uh he Uh,
(08:39):
Kenny has come along fine. There's a lot of excuses
as to why that passing game was his ordinary as
rookie quarterback. Uh, rookie quarterback does not have good deep
ball accuracy. Uh. Deante Johnson, struggling firemouth. The whole second
half of the season was the leg injury. Um so,
there are and the first half was fighting a leg injury.
(09:03):
Um So there are reasons for some of the struggles.
But you look at that goal line fiasco, you know,
that could have come back to haunt them. That could
have been their season. That I you know, and Mike
Tomin knows better than anybody, was that Matt Canada did.
I love I love foe on a quarterback sneak. Tom
(09:26):
Brady has been killed for twenty years with that. But
not they're not then, not with what what happened. Ken
mccanada think on his feet. You know that. I think
that was a big I think that was an example
of some of the stuff throughout the season. That's okay, okay,
(09:48):
well again those are things Max, you know your thoughts. Yeah,
And that's why that's why I think, you know, with
the Steelers, this has to be a deeper dive and
you have to remove the emotion, right, And you can't
look you can't look at the last couple of games
and think, oh my gosh, you know, have rose colored
glasses on. You gotta say it. Take stock, what did
(10:09):
all seventeen games look like? And what was the culmination
result of those seventeen games in totality, the good with
the bad, way, the pros with the cons. And then
I think you have a more informed decision about how
you feel about it, because the knee jerk reaction is
is of course the Black Monday, right you say, oh
my gosh, we gotta get this done. It's Black Monday.
(10:31):
We've got to fire these people and and be in
the hunt and give these great soliloquies at our post
game you know, postseason uh meetings about how we're going
to cast a net far and wide and no stone
unturned and blah blah blah blah blah um you know,
whereas the Steelers like, no, no, let's make a rational
(10:53):
decision here. Let's not be irrational. Let's think about where
we were, how did we feel, and how does this
project going into um? And what does that look like?
What do we need more of? What do we need?
A better energy with? Always need cow bell, you always
(11:14):
need cow bell. But with that cow bell, here's the thing.
Are you shaking it with a bell on the inside?
Are you hitting it with a drumstick? That's what you
need to know. That's a great question. I love that.
Is your shirt unbuttoned enough? Exactly? Are we going to
just taco meat and showing off the gold chain or
(11:34):
we go into the belly button for the full teams?
You know what I'm saying, Like, those are the questions
you've got to ask because you know there's different levels.
Just remember whenever you go to the belly button, make
sure that you're lint free. Yes, yes, it's only if
you're an inning. If you're now, don't go there, don't
(11:55):
go there, keep it, keep keep it chest high, keep
it chest high. Were I'm sorry for taking you guys,
where we WEREX one of the questions I gotta ask you.
You know you you you wrut one of the definitive
books on the Steelers draft. Okay, as great stuff. Now
(12:17):
you're looking at two first rounds? Are you kidding me too?
You know, I look at the comeback season that they've had,
and you know, the Steelers just to have two first
round draft picks. Man, this is another opportunity in that
window to start moving forward, don't you think? Absolutely absolutely?
Are you asking me if two first rounders are good?
(12:39):
Or are you asking I just I'm throwing that up.
There's a general theme, you know, you Hey here, it's
like the ball Matt Matt, Max found you know against
who are you playing? Max? We're playing Auburn? Auburn? So
I threw you the ball charge Okay, yeah, okay, Well,
(13:01):
as we know, draft fixed with uh and uh. I
hope they don't. I really hope they don't package him
to trade up. Let's they've got somebody better than Devon
up there. So I sorry about that, Devon. But anyway, um,
it all making these coaching decisions right now more critical.
(13:23):
You really are on the precipice. You know I'm hearing,
I'm reading a lot about how Mike Tomlin hasn't won
a playoff game and six years or something. I don't
know what it is, but everybody's screaming. It's like the
people who are mad that he wont he won again
in nine and eight without realizing what a breakthrough the
year this is. This is a totally different group. I
(13:44):
thought the last group struggled and then the few key
players they have would get injured for the playoffs. I
don't know that you know the rebuilding job from the
two thousand ten team, it just didn't take and they
didn't have high draft picks. Well, this seems like a
totally new, refreshing bunch with a new quarterback. And now
(14:04):
you've got two first round draft picks. You're looking at
like the turn of the century again. And and I'm
sorry to keep bringing this up. And I don't know,
because I rooted for Matt Canada because guys who are
taking so much abuse with a rookie quarterback knowing that
that's a big part of the problem. And it's just
because he's a rookie, not because he was bad. But
(14:27):
I rooted for Matt Canada, and you know, then he
uh came in one. But just because I rooted for him,
I don't know if it's the right move to make.
I I listened to a lot of people say his
past thing is just below mediocrity his passing coordination where
I love what he's done with the run game. Um,
(14:48):
but it's got to be such a difficult decision for
a head coach. I'm sure. I'm sure Mike Thomas rooting
for him just the same, you know, because he takes
abuse too, and you get enough of use and you
start rooting for guys like that. And I'm sure Mike
was rooting for him too and really came to like
the guy. Wow, what a tough call this is. It
(15:09):
really is, and and it takes a lot of a
lot of courage for a coach. Oh, I can't imagine cold.
It must be the fire coach. That's well, that's why
you've got a job with me forever. Man, I just
don't have the guts. By the way, can we talk
about a race? Yeah, boom, you're fired that timing. Realize
(15:39):
I don't have I don't have the guts. Zero leverage,
zero leverage two ways, because you're you're on the show
as a guest to I mean talking about way to
optimize the opportunity. Wolf. It's just like, no, no, we
never talked about that. Well, let's go back to the
tape here. You know, he goes around acting all uh
(16:02):
under you know, under the radar. I I'm not smart,
you know, happy, happy, lucky. Yeah, exactly, looking for more
cow bell, That's all I'm doing. Hit him with a jackie.
Oh my goodness. Well, you know, I love the fact, Yes,
(16:26):
the Steelers have this window, this opportunity. I love what
they're you know, one of the things that I'm thinking about,
I'm really kind of excited. You're talking about the passing
game Wix. There is an unknown element to what could
happen next year because we've yet to see what Calvin
Austin brings. And that's one of the things I'm looking
forward to this spring and going back into camp with Pickens.
(16:49):
You got a guy like Austin that could who knows
what this guy is capable of doing? And Deante's here again. Uh,
you've got a pretty good I don't know, it's just
interesting to think about what could be. Yes, yes, And
Kenny's gonna put in some work more accuracy on his
deep ball. I hope and Jante is gonna come back
(17:11):
with a better year. I mean, the contract stuff will
be out of the way. Uh, he'll have that new
GPS that makes him go forward. Um uh and man,
come on. Yeah, And Calvin Austin absolutely brings the speed.
And you know what I saw of him, he was
no dree archer. He put the pads on and he
(17:33):
was just as fast and he uh he hit a
little bit too. He didn't contact, didn't bother him. Um.
But I also like what I saw out of Steven
Sims and uh, you know, Derek Watton, Connor Heyward, as
as those h back wing guys. There's a lot I like.
There's a lot I like. And I don't know that
(17:54):
Calvin Austin is gonna, you know, really upgrade this, but
he's gonna be another piece. It'll take him a little
time and then yeah, it'll be a nice piece going forward.
But I like what they've got. I guess I would
agree with you and that I just it's an unknown
element what this kid. I know he's got that four
three speed though, and that's I don't think any has
(18:15):
anybody else got that kind of speed. I mean, the
other guys not well, you know, you put Pickens is
uh what they called it catch radius onto his four
four speed? Right, and you know what's the difference. I
mean that guy should be open deep all the time.
Well do you imagine two man concepts with Austin and
(18:35):
Pickens doing things that put a corner and conflict with
that speed over the top and that widening of the windows.
I just think it's a natural plus there to coordinate
on your passing game exactly. So no, absolutely, and it'll
be like a bonus draft pick since we didn't have
him this year. Uh, and him literally getting his first opportunity,
(18:57):
So you know it's gonna be a fun experience experiment
to see and hopefully, you know, since Wolf is already
asking for raises, I'm just hoping to get resigned. Um,
you know, vet versus unvested guy only in his second year. Uh,
well guess what, lets may give me a veterans day off,
(19:18):
which bay you know what, Wolf, you've taken two veterans
days off. Yeah, oh my gosh, that that is tremendous.
That is that's okay. Well, at least I have an
answer for the message board. Yeah, well, Wolf, working on
(19:42):
something really special for you. Guys exactly. He took a
veterans day off. Yeah, that day, that day, Wolves got
a vet day this week. Hey, it's one of those
that says player arresting. This is just put when somebody
asked it just player arresting. That's how you have to
do non injury related right, yeahs d NW did not write. Yeah,
(20:13):
oh my goodness, you talking about am I am? I bleeding?
I just got tagged. I'm taking taking a lot of
heat here. That's okay. You're trying to get another day off. Yeah, yeah,
I'm bleeding. No. Al right, before we let you go,
is there any books in the works other than what's
(20:36):
out there right now? And Jim wexel dot com I
tell you, since I had nothing to write today, I've
been thinking about it this morning, and uh, you know
there are some there's some stuff, but nothing. Uh you know,
the paperback to pull them, all of paperbacks coming out
of publishing houses publishing the paperback next September. So they're
kind of giving me the year off. And so you know,
(21:00):
you know how it is when you get a year off,
start working in week fifty one. You know, I've got
a few weeks too, you know, take some coaches decisions
and and take a few veterans days off. Well, one
title of your next book could be the Next Generation. Well,
you know, I've considered another road trip book, the next
(21:22):
Generation to have a fan base be excited out there
in the in the US of A all over the
place when you're in the in between two super Bowls
and Ben Roethlisberg your quarterback, and now, oh yeah, we
love the Steelers. Everybody in Oregon here watches them every week. Well,
how do you like Kenny Pickett and uh the uh
(21:43):
the nine and eight club. You know, we'll see, we'll see.
I'm sure it's I'm sure this run six and one
finish has restored the uh energy in Steelers Nation. So
but I'd still like I contemplate taking another road trip
like that very good lex sits the road. That's nice,
(22:06):
very very nice. Love it all. And I mean you
call it Steelers the next Generation. Uh, not that that's
ever been clipped before or it sounds like any other show,
But but but that that could be. That could be
a good one. I like it. And we're not coming
up We're not coming up with with with a with
a Star Trek All Time team by the way, guys,
(22:26):
we're still working on the Looney. Later, Wolfe came up
with my You know, I'm I'm always trying to talk
Jack Lambert into doing a biography. Sometimes he's okay. Sometimes
it's like, you know, didn't we talk about this fifteen
years ago? But you know you you want to be
ready with a title. And Wolfe told me a little
(22:48):
story and it came up. The title was perfect. Uh,
Jack Lambert? What what? What? What the heck was it again?
Wolf I don't know the story about you being in
the trainer getting Oh yeah, when I was getting my
toe nail when they you know how you have an
ingrown toe nail and you're cutting it out, and and
(23:08):
Lambert walked in. This is so funny because I'm sitting
on the table. I got this ingrown toe nail and
they're cutting it out the day before the game, right,
and it was throbbing all night long. You know how
it goes, and you gotta cut straight through the nail.
So the doc shoots the big toe and the big
toe is still feeling it when I when he starts cutting,
I'm going, hey, doc, I'm feeling that. Wait a minute, whoa, whoa,
(23:29):
and all of a sudden, Lambert walks in and he
looks over the shoulder of the dock and he looks
at me. He's looking right at me, and I'm I'm
a rookie. He goes, come on, rookie, I know you
want to cry, Go ahead, cry cry? Dare you go ahead?
You know? And I'm like, I'm like bearing down, like
I'm having a kid man. I mean, I was locked
in and I would not give him the satisfaction i'm
(23:51):
seeing me cry, But I think I did. After I
wrote it down. You you said something else here was
something about the scream. Don't let me Oh yeah, don't
oh yeah. He was yelling scream, I know you want
to scream, go ahead, and I was. I wrote it down.
It was good. Yes, jim Bert colon, don't let me
hear or I know you want to scream or something.
It was about screaming. It was screaming. Yes, better line
(24:14):
than anything we've uttered on this show. And maybe maybe
it's God's way of saying, don't let other people steal
this title. I can't, I can't think it, but I
wrote it down. It's in my It was screaming because
I wanted to scream. Let me tell you something that
was painful. If you really want to scream something like that. Yeah,
if you've never had a toe nail cut out, man,
(24:35):
you are that that's painful. But that's that's my great
white whale there the Jack Lambert. I like it. Wex.
I want to thank you for joining us all year long.
Your contributions are awesome. We love you and appreciate you
so much. And just like the Kyle Bell, you gotta
have more. So we'll look forward to that, God willing
next year. Oh that's awesome. I love coming on this show.
(24:57):
You guys are great and uh, I'll see you both
in the off season. Take care of it. Sounds good?
All right. That's Jim and of course that's steel City Insider.
That's Max Starks. I'm Craig Wolf. Max. We're going to break.
I believe, yes, we are going to break. And when
we come back, more of the musings and mind bogglings
(25:18):
in the Locker Room with Wolf. It starts here at
ESPN and SNR Radio. This is in the Locker Room
with Wolf and Starks on ESPN Pittsburgh against Steelers Nation Radio,
(25:42):
presented by your neighborhood Forward store. The F one is
the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was probably
more important to them as a as a subject matter,
obviously than it was to me. I'm appreciative of that, UM,
the relationship that I have with them that makes it
important to UM. UM. But you know, my agenda is
(26:03):
getting into single elimination tournament and and pursuing the confetti
game and winning it. UM. And that agenda will never change. UM.
The totality of past experiences and stuff. Man, I just
you know, I'm a competitor. UM. I like to compete continually. UM.
I love the challenges that this game and this job provides.
(26:28):
And and so I'm wired in that way. And and
so I've spent a little time kind of assessing the
totality of things, particularly if it doesn't light a fire
under me, if it doesn't if I if I can't
utilize it as fuel and an effort to to be
ready for the for the adversity that awaits. And so
you know, talking about accolades and you know, trivial things
(26:50):
and streaks and things of that nature. If it's not
useful to me in terms of UM assessing our next battles,
then then I don't spend a lot of time thinking
about it. Are folks, So Max, what is it about
Mike Tomlin that endears himself to his players? What is
it that m Because you've experienced that in a way
(27:11):
that none of us outside have. I mean, I think
that that that's kind of a snapshot. I mean what
you here there with Mike Tomlin. The frankness, the clarity,
the transparency, and that honesty is what players appreciate, right,
And you know, give me a coach who's going to
(27:33):
be straight up with me, versus give me a coach
who's gonna tell me that everything is rainbows and sunshines, right, sugarcoat?
You know, sugarcoat. The bad things that are that that
are about to happen is it's a tough job. You
know a lot of times you get into thankless positions,
um in this job when you have to make tough decisions.
I mean, just think about, you know, making a decision
(27:55):
at halftime of a game to sit a veteran and
start a rookie. It wasn't like he got he got
he got a parade because of that. It wasn't like
he got he got conjoled for that because that rookie
went out in that game and still through three picks.
Um so, I mean so, But but he was open
(28:17):
and honest that, you know, something needed to be to
be made and he was willing to make that hard decision.
I think that's where you know, the genius um the
the the leadership habits is making tough decisions at the
right time. And obviously we will still continue to look
(28:38):
at this for the next couple of years to decide
if this was the right decision. But he lived with
that decision. He stood by his position. He didn't flinch
in his position. And Coach Thomland has always had an
open door policy with players. You got an issue, guess what,
come to my office. You know the door is always open.
I will have that conversation with you. Good batter and different,
(29:00):
And trust me, Coach Tom and I have have had
some some interesting conversations over the years when I was
a player, good batter and different. I always knew where
I stood. And that's all you can ask for. Where
do I stand in your eyes? And what is it
that is good or bad? I'm willing to take it
because I asked a question. He's going to give you
(29:21):
a truthful and honest answer, and I think that's what
players appreciate. They appreciate that type of transparency so that
you never have to question, You're never walking on eggshells
wondering what if if. This always is always a statement,
not a question. And I think that's what players appreciate
the most about Mike Tomlin and that's what that's what's
(29:44):
made sixteen years of him being the head coach. And
you know, I know a lot of fans are like, oh,
you know, I saw one fan was talking about, Oh,
so I guess the standard of the standard is just
to be five hundred. It's like, really, are you serious?
I was like, listen, if you have a problem with that,
feel free to turn in your black and gold card.
You can go pick up a Jets card, Houston Texans card,
(30:08):
Cleveland Brown's card, go pick up all those other cards
if that's the case. But to know that you're not
consistently a top five drafting team is something that's very
tough to do. And until you walk in those shoes,
please I don't want to hear about it because it's
a tough world to be in and no other coach
(30:30):
has done. When he's done by the way, he's the
first coach to ever go six in his first sixteen
years as a head coach. First of all, make it
sixteen years and never have a losing season. That that
is to be celebrated. People like, oh, well, I guess
we're gonna throw on a parade because he didn't have
another one. It's like, dude, please, I was like, the
job is to win games. You went You just went
(30:51):
through a transition. An eighteen year quarterback, um quarterback, by
the way, Hall of Fame to be quarterback has four
more years and yes he I believe he will be
a first bout. You've won two Super Bowls in the
last two decades, You've been to three of them. And
when you look in take Stock, yes that's a convert.
(31:13):
It's not every year. Go look at the l A. Rams.
They had literally the worst drop off of a defending
Super Bowl champ in NFL history in these problects. So
when people are sitting there and want to throw darts
and everything, if you claim you're a fan, stick by it.
Be consistent, don't be fair weather, don't be bandwagon. Because
(31:35):
at the same time, this is something that's a process.
Every year is a new opportunity, a new journey, and
a new challenge to figure it out. I don't see
people picking up a Rubik's cube time after time or
challenging themselves, you know, to do that over and over again.
And the consistency and the ritual that it takes to
go through the process is what he doesn't tire from.
(32:00):
He doesn't he does, he doesn't get bothered by. He
doesn't look at it as a chore. He looks at
it as an opportunity. And I think people kind of
lose sight of that because you're so used to it,
you've become numb to it. If every day is a
sunny day, where when do you know a rainstorms coming right?
You know? So I think that's what people have to
(32:20):
kind of keep in mind as well. We're celebrating this
because we were two and six at the bye. We sucked.
In case anybody was in case anybody forgot about that,
we literally stunk at the first half of this season,
and he literally flipped it and did a one to
finish it. I'm sorry. As good as David Copperfield is,
(32:44):
I don't know if David Copperfield could have pulled that off,
you know, what I'm saying like that was some Hoodini
level mastery that he was able to contort and get
this team together. And people can talk about all the
other team's record, death matter, those other teams won games
as well. It wasn't just because we got the better
(33:04):
of them and we made them below five hundred a
lot of those teams, But those teams have had they won,
they could have been above five hundred two, but we
made sure that they didn't. And I think that's what
you have to remember in this process, um, is that
it was a long process to get guys to buy in,
to get new guys to become close guys, and to
(33:26):
get the guys who are ways apart rookies new guys
on the team, and get them to meld into the
Steelers culture. That's not something people are used to microwaves.
This wasn't a micro This is a crock pot. You know,
it takes time. You can't substitute time and those and
those opportunities. So I was just a little frustrated. I
saw that during the break and it kind of nod
(33:46):
at my crawl a little bit. So I went a
little soapboxing on it. I know, you know what I
think I think we gotta start having a Max's rant
every now and then. You know, yeah, exactly, Max's soapbox.
We just we just turned to turn the dials up
and and have at it. There you go. I like that, Yeah, absolutely,
(34:07):
But yeah, it's just it's it's a frustrating thing that
people are upset about this or you know, because and
I did you know we did late hits last night,
because I do it every Tuesday night for Series x M,
and you know, it was did your team underachiever or overachieved? Well,
the good thing is when we got the Steelers caller,
he actually said overachieved, which I appreciated. But I was bracelet.
(34:28):
I was bracing for the underachievement. I had the mouthpiece
in well, had had the neck roll tied tight. I was,
I was. I was ready to go. If they would
have said underachieved, I was ready to light into them.
And and you know, and that and that's the thing
I think that people kind of forget that and you're
so used to it. Yes, to stand, we are blessed
to be one of the top overall teams all time
(34:50):
with super Bowl victories, you know, and very close as
Super Bowl appearances were like number two, I think number
two or three in Super Bowl appearances. There's a lot
of teams they ain't got one of either of either
of either And I think that's something that people have
to also keep in mind. It's not gonna it's not
(35:10):
gonna be easy. It's not for the faint of heart.
You know, this is a lifelong thing. Go ask the
Browns since it became a Super Bowl, they don't even
know what that is. You know what I'm saying, the
world that World championships back in the day, back when
Jim Brown played. But uh yeah, you ain't got yeah
modern era zilch zero, zippo, not a just to use
(35:36):
a couple of different length linguistics to get through to people. Absolutely, yeah,
you know, And I think you're right, you know. I mean,
it's just I think there's so much in the strength
of player coach relationship that Mike Tomlin affords that that
strengthening bond to be something that drives guys even more
(35:58):
than than normal. I mean, it's when you have that
personal relationship again, that coaching maxim You'll never know how
much they care until that you show them how much
you care. Um, there's a big difference there. And I
think the days of the impersonal you know, standoffice, Bear
Bryant up in the you know, in some stand with
(36:18):
a bullhorn, you know, watching practice and yelling down through
the bullhorn. Um, those days are over, you know. I
mean it's predicated on relationships now even more so than ever.
And we'll give you another thing. There's something called free
agency that a lot of those old coaches didn't have
to deal with. That kept the guy until he went
(36:41):
to the glue factory. In today's age, players can move
or demand to move, even under contract. In today's there
and we don't get those type of issues that often.
We had a couple of them. And guess what, we
still overcame those things, Levian Belle, Antonio Bright, whatever you
want to call it, overcame and surpassed. Guess what. As
(37:02):
much as people want to love a guy by the
name of Sean McVeigh, where Sean McVeigh right now, he's
looking to take a break. I think exactly had the
worst had the worst season ever? Post Super Bowl? Did
Mike Tomlin ever have that? Nope, he hadn't had to
deal with that yet now has he? That's right? Oh,
that's right because nobody else has done it. As much
(37:26):
as you want to talk about how you know, and listen,
I love Andy Reid, but Andy reads on the second team.
He felt that he fell out of love and favor
in Philly. Okay, Bill Belichick had to be terrible in
Cleveland before he could be great in New England. Okay.
So all these great coaches we want to throw around,
(37:46):
and you can name him, none of them have done
what he's done, you know what. That's absolutely right and
spot on it. I know we got to go to break,
but you know, you just triggered a thought in my
head and I'm just sitting there going think about that.
How many coaches go somewhere else and then don't you know,
don't succeed end up getting that second go round, which
you know for them, all right, that I learned from
(38:08):
my first go round. So now I'm better like a Belichick.
And here Mike never had that, never had no, no,
not had to deal with that, never had to deal
with that. So all right, we're gonna take it to
break when we come back. We will finish up in
the Bell lap Uh segment of the show in the
locker room here with Wolf It Starks on ESPN S
and R Radio. This is in the locker room with
(38:39):
Wolf and Starks on ESPN Pittsburgh against Steelers Nation Radio,
presented by your neighborhood Forward Store. The F one is
the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roast Wan Rolls,
(39:01):
Pocket Flash Downs, picked up my starts and starts this
and the game is on. We do have a crime
(39:24):
on the plant. Max, you mad at all of you.
You're you're my new hero. I'm walking up fold on
the screen in front of me, and it was tremendous
with a great job to pick that baby up, and
you were rumbling, bumbling star. Well, we gotta tweet that up.
(39:46):
That is so oh my gosh, you guys back to
back there. Yeah, I know I can't live it down,
but I invited it because I told the story. You
you know, the story was just tremendous. I can't believe
that little safety took you down though that gumming Uh
(40:08):
yeah exactly that that that's what you know. And I
had the d braces off. So you think, you think,
you think you're agile and nim until until you look
like Frankenstein trying to make a juke move. It was,
it was, it was. It's a humiliating moment. It's a
humbling moment, and you realize you're like, man, if only
(40:28):
I was less encumbered, I might have gotten three yards.
It makes me. I reminded Gary Dunn the first real
nose tackle the Steelers had when we went to the
to the three four and back in the eighty two.
I think is we made that that switch and we
(40:50):
were playing Denver John Elway through a middle screen and
Dunny intercepted it on like the five yard line, made
it back to like the five and a half yard line,
and afterwards, afterwards he's telling everybody. He was telling the press,
case goes, if I had cut outside of taking it
to the house, Yeah, exactly. Man if I if they
(41:13):
threw one block, I wouldn't eat it ten more. Oh, Max,
that it's just tremendous. Man. That is so good. And
I think whoever found that on the on the net
man Jason Jason on Twitter is the one who sent
it to Thank you, Jason. Once again, I knew somebody
was going to find it. Listen, you put it out there.
(41:35):
Everything exists, Everything exists online now, Max, You know, hey,
real quick though, Max, I'm looking at the box score
here and at least this one online. I mean, hey,
it's online, so we know it must be true. They
credited you with four rushing yards? Was it four? I guess, okay,
just doubled your career total right there. But I did,
(41:58):
I doubled my career total because I apparently forgot how
far I went. I think you know what I think
it was. I think it was like you know in
the Celtic games where you have that that like the
log you have to hold and then you kind of
flip it over. I think when I got tipped over,
and you know, I'm six ft tall, so I ran
two yards and then got flipped another two yards. You
(42:18):
you had more rushing yards that game, Max than uh
Auburn legend Ronnie Brown. Oh there we go, I beat out. Oh.
I cannot wait to tell Ronnie that next time I
see you. Oh my gosh, you guys just loaded me
up with so much, ammo. I cannot wait to talk
Mr Ronnie because because Ronnie works for Auburn um and
(42:40):
there in their radio right yeah, he's on their broadcast team,
so I do SEC games. So oh my god, I
can't wait to see Ronnie Brown had two attempts for
one yard Max Starks, one attempt for four yards baby, quadruple,
quadruple yard for cars, Starks for carry. Looked at that
he had double the amount of carry Max exactly. Think
(43:02):
about this mix. You average four yards of carry. That's
that's the Hall of Fame Plateau. Right, you go right there, man,
just say listen, listen, hey, watch out, guys, watch out.
Well this has been another what expedition into hilarity is
what it's been. You know, it's just so good, Max,
(43:23):
what a great, great day, great stuff. You know, we
got two more days to go, buddy, and then we're done.
Yes we do. Oh my god. Starting lineups for tomorrow,
by the way, that's right, well, Loony Tunes, slash Hannah Barbera.
Let's make sure we're going with a quintidential seventies eighties
um cartoon characters. Okay, so there's slash Hannah Barbara. Yeah.
(43:44):
So you get from from the from from from Bugs
Bunny all the way to Fred Flintstone. We get everybody
and covered in there. We get everybody covered. Let's let's
do it all all right, So we're gonna have a
starting offense and a starting defense. And of course we'll
have our to our two specialists and our long snapper,
so it's not gonna get them because long snappers are
(44:04):
people too Christian coops. High five, she warned my dog
oh Man. Alright, guys, well, hey, it's been great today.
If you missed any of this episode, it's a hilarious one.
I will say that if you want to laugh, definitely
going download. It's on the Steelers mobile app, I Heart
Radio app, wherever else you get podcasts. We appreciate all
(44:27):
of you, and Wilson, we're gonna be taking callers to
the last tw days. We gotta make sure we have
have the phone lines open for for our blessed Steelers nation.
So please tune in, same BAT channel, same BAT time tomorrow.
Here in the locker room, He's Wolf, I'm Starks, and
the west Euler bomb is over there in the engineering department.
Have a great day.
This is in the locker room with Wolf and Starks
on ESPN Pittsburgh against Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your
neighborhood Forward Store. The F one fIF is the official
truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. All right, just like Christopher
Walking needs some more cow bell, we need some more wexinator,
(00:38):
and we got him. You want and only Jim Wexel
in the locker room here, steel City Insider Wax. Good
to have you, my friend. Man. You know how to
loosen me up with that cow bell stuff. You know
I can't laugh at that, you know. I have been
laughing hysterically throughout the first two segments thinking about Max
(01:00):
yelling charge with a foot that he found on the
field during the game. And it's just it's it just
it tickled my fancy. I gotta say it was really funny. Oh.
I don't know if I can bring more cow bell.
But my last name does begin with a W and
has two uh syllables, so Wolf. Anyway, Well, while I
(01:23):
got you, where's your column, bro? I was taking some
extra time to put some thoughts together since it was
I apologize to you. Yeah, he's you know what I
should be. I should be laced thoroughly, you know. Boom, No,
it's okay. I mean I get up extra early to
put in the extra half hour of editing that's going
to reach I didn't think shame, shame, that's that's just
(01:51):
that's a different cowbell, that's a different cowview. But your fans,
they're on the message board, they're haranguing me the worst
of pleas, Calum. I don't want to read anything else
about you. All you gotta do is tell him that
fat pig just blew a day off and he's now
he's just trying to make up for it. I did say,
I mean, yea, the next games next September. What's what's
(02:17):
the manxactly now, exactly so, and wax. I want your
your thoughts and Max your thoughts because to me, I'm
looking at this now and going this is kind of
like Star Trek the next generation. I mean, we really
Now you have this rookie quarterback that you decide, you
know what, you got a four year window here to
(02:40):
do something. Plus you've got two first round draft picks.
There's a lot of good things that can happen in
the next three seasons. Here. I tell you, I love it.
You know. Um, I walked around that locker room all year. Now,
granted we're two years out of COVID, right, so I'm
really not as familiar with these guys as I should be.
But alright, if Cam, you know Cam's uh, I've already
(03:03):
talked to him one or twice today. Um t J
doesn't talk till Friday. Um, let's see who else. I
don't know this guy, and and I don't know this guy,
and well, this guy stinks and I don't need this guy.
I talked to him last week. It's like, I mean,
it's a it's like a locker room full of Richard Huntley's.
I thought I was back in two thousand, right, Well,
(03:26):
so they get hot at the end of the year
and I start to know the guys, and I start
to get my rhythm back, and I start to talking
to other people besides Cam, and I'm starting to get
to know these guys and they're starting to win. And man,
it's so refreshing just from a perspective being on the
job that they won and that these guys are good,
that they're not all Richard Huntley and Sharper Danish. You know,
(03:50):
it's funny. I brought sharp, poor Danish. Oh my goodness,
locker room was full of man. I mean, you know
Max's team, we all knew those guys and and uh yeah.
So anyway, I was walking out of the stadium the
other day and somebody said something about two thousand and
I've been thinking about that, that you're this this season,
(04:11):
and that was the year Gilbride. They they right at
the ship at nine and seven, right, and then everybody thought, well,
maybe Gilbride keeps his job, and the boom, he doesn't
keep his job. Ken wizzen Hunt comes in, Mike Malarkey's promoted,
Russ Grim comes in. You know it was it was
the coaching staff of the next Super Bowl. Yes, so
I can't get that analogy out of my head. Yeah,
(04:35):
you know what. I again, and Max, what do you
think about the fact that you know this? This to
me is like a turning point because of the fact
you've got some You've got people that are popping up
in the right positions, from Pickens to Friar move to
you know people. Defensively speaking, you've got some guys that
you're looking at. I mean, you look at the Mark Robinson,
(04:55):
You're like, it's tantalizing. But is it going to be
something that you're gonna be to live with? I don't know.
All I know is to me, there's a there's an
opportunity here to start the next generation. No, you know,
I We'll go ahead, No, go ahead. Oh, I was
just I was just gonna add a comment. Just you're right.
(05:16):
I mean, this is that precipice moment right where you're
standing at the edge of the cliff. It's like, do
I dive off with the squirrel suit or do I
take the hang glider or or or yell charge and
just go without anything? Uh except for a parachute in
the football you know what I'm saying. Uh, But but
I to stay away from tickets charge. Yeah, historically that's
(05:41):
been a disastrous Yeah. So you know, every time he
does a two minutes drill, I think it's a cute
headline and I think, nah, yeah, it's like that is
this the urge? Trust me, Yelling the word charge does
not do a great job. Nobody knows what you're talking about,
as I so learned twenty two years ago. Um. You know,
(06:02):
and I thought these guys were intelligent to um, but
but yeah, no, I mean This is where you get
to that moment where you have to decide, you know,
do I do I err on optimism or do I
or do I err on the side of rational judgment.
I think that's really what it comes down to. Uh,
you know, is that going where I would get the
possible coaching change when everybody is now you know what
(06:25):
that Canada is all right? Like people were getting with
Kevin Gilbride and then boom Coward makes the gutty call
and I don't know if he was forced into it,
but man, that worked out. Did we make that gutty
call here? Well? I think that that that's what we're
gonna wait to see. I mean, it's it's a tough
one to call, right because, like you said, you want
(06:47):
you want to know can can this Is this sustainable
what we were able to create the end of the season,
does it actually carry over or we got to this
point now we need to hand it off to someone
who can take it to the next level because this
might be the upper limits of what that coach can do.
And yeah, that's the decision we have to make. But
(07:12):
and here's to me that this is all in a
nutshell in the sense of this nobody has more at
stake or has more invested in Matt Canada than Mike Tomlin.
I mean, seriously, how much did have invested in Kevin Gilbride?
Well it I don't know the inside outs of that,
but right now through what he's invested thus far, all
I'm saying is the one guy that knows all the
(07:34):
ins and outs, that knows all that transpired with you know,
making the decision to move to Kenny earlier than what
he wanted, that this offense started to unfold more down
after the bye than before the bye. You know, I
look at that and I just say, look, all I
can say is I know that that Mike is gonna
do what he thinks is the very best. And if
(07:54):
he backs Canada, then do any of us know more
than than Mike, who's got more invested and more, that
he's got to depend on mc cannon if he retains him,
you know, I mean, that's the only thing I just
can't I don't know all the ins and outs of
what transpired inside the locker room. I see the effects
of it, but you know, making that judgment call is
(08:16):
like on the inside coward head that that that judgment
with Kevin Gilbride, you know, and he made it. So
we're kind of like sitting and waiting and seeing what
he did. I thought, especially after the bye, I thought
Matt Canada did a solid job. That's solid job. That's
all I can say. Yes, I like I love his
running game. I like his short yardage stuff. Uh he Uh,
(08:39):
Kenny has come along fine. There's a lot of excuses
as to why that passing game was his ordinary as
rookie quarterback. Uh, rookie quarterback does not have good deep
ball accuracy. Uh. Deante Johnson, struggling firemouth. The whole second
half of the season was the leg injury. Um so,
there are and the first half was fighting a leg injury.
(09:03):
Um So there are reasons for some of the struggles.
But you look at that goal line fiasco, you know,
that could have come back to haunt them. That could
have been their season. That I you know, and Mike
Tomin knows better than anybody, was that Matt Canada did.
I love I love foe on a quarterback sneak. Tom
(09:26):
Brady has been killed for twenty years with that. But
not they're not then, not with what what happened. Ken
mccanada think on his feet. You know that. I think
that was a big I think that was an example
of some of the stuff throughout the season. That's okay, okay,
(09:48):
well again those are things Max, you know your thoughts. Yeah,
And that's why that's why I think, you know, with
the Steelers, this has to be a deeper dive and
you have to remove the emotion, right, And you can't
look you can't look at the last couple of games
and think, oh my gosh, you know, have rose colored
glasses on. You gotta say it. Take stock, what did
(10:09):
all seventeen games look like? And what was the culmination
result of those seventeen games in totality, the good with
the bad, way, the pros with the cons. And then
I think you have a more informed decision about how
you feel about it, because the knee jerk reaction is
is of course the Black Monday, right you say, oh
my gosh, we gotta get this done. It's Black Monday.
(10:31):
We've got to fire these people and and be in
the hunt and give these great soliloquies at our post
game you know, postseason uh meetings about how we're going
to cast a net far and wide and no stone
unturned and blah blah blah blah blah um you know,
whereas the Steelers like, no, no, let's make a rational
(10:53):
decision here. Let's not be irrational. Let's think about where
we were, how did we feel, and how does this
project going into um? And what does that look like?
What do we need more of? What do we need?
A better energy with? Always need cow bell, you always
(11:14):
need cow bell. But with that cow bell, here's the thing.
Are you shaking it with a bell on the inside?
Are you hitting it with a drumstick? That's what you
need to know. That's a great question. I love that.
Is your shirt unbuttoned enough? Exactly? Are we going to
just taco meat and showing off the gold chain or
(11:34):
we go into the belly button for the full teams?
You know what I'm saying, Like, those are the questions
you've got to ask because you know there's different levels.
Just remember whenever you go to the belly button, make
sure that you're lint free. Yes, yes, it's only if
you're an inning. If you're now, don't go there, don't
(11:55):
go there, keep it, keep keep it chest high, keep
it chest high. Were I'm sorry for taking you guys,
where we WEREX one of the questions I gotta ask you.
You know you you you wrut one of the definitive
books on the Steelers draft. Okay, as great stuff. Now
(12:17):
you're looking at two first rounds? Are you kidding me too?
You know, I look at the comeback season that they've had,
and you know, the Steelers just to have two first
round draft picks. Man, this is another opportunity in that
window to start moving forward, don't you think? Absolutely absolutely?
Are you asking me if two first rounders are good?
(12:39):
Or are you asking I just I'm throwing that up.
There's a general theme, you know, you Hey here, it's
like the ball Matt Matt, Max found you know against
who are you playing? Max? We're playing Auburn? Auburn? So
I threw you the ball charge Okay, yeah, okay, Well,
(13:01):
as we know, draft fixed with uh and uh. I
hope they don't. I really hope they don't package him
to trade up. Let's they've got somebody better than Devon
up there. So I sorry about that, Devon. But anyway, um,
it all making these coaching decisions right now more critical.
(13:23):
You really are on the precipice. You know I'm hearing,
I'm reading a lot about how Mike Tomlin hasn't won
a playoff game and six years or something. I don't
know what it is, but everybody's screaming. It's like the
people who are mad that he wont he won again
in nine and eight without realizing what a breakthrough the
year this is. This is a totally different group. I
(13:44):
thought the last group struggled and then the few key
players they have would get injured for the playoffs. I
don't know that you know the rebuilding job from the
two thousand ten team, it just didn't take and they
didn't have high draft picks. Well, this seems like a
totally new, refreshing bunch with a new quarterback. And now
(14:04):
you've got two first round draft picks. You're looking at
like the turn of the century again. And and I'm
sorry to keep bringing this up. And I don't know,
because I rooted for Matt Canada because guys who are
taking so much abuse with a rookie quarterback knowing that
that's a big part of the problem. And it's just
because he's a rookie, not because he was bad. But
(14:27):
I rooted for Matt Canada, and you know, then he
uh came in one. But just because I rooted for him,
I don't know if it's the right move to make.
I I listened to a lot of people say his
past thing is just below mediocrity his passing coordination where
I love what he's done with the run game. Um,
(14:48):
but it's got to be such a difficult decision for
a head coach. I'm sure. I'm sure Mike Thomas rooting
for him just the same, you know, because he takes
abuse too, and you get enough of use and you
start rooting for guys like that. And I'm sure Mike
was rooting for him too and really came to like
the guy. Wow, what a tough call this is. It
(15:09):
really is, and and it takes a lot of a
lot of courage for a coach. Oh, I can't imagine cold.
It must be the fire coach. That's well, that's why
you've got a job with me forever. Man, I just
don't have the guts. By the way, can we talk
about a race? Yeah, boom, you're fired that timing. Realize
(15:39):
I don't have I don't have the guts. Zero leverage,
zero leverage two ways, because you're you're on the show
as a guest to I mean talking about way to
optimize the opportunity. Wolf. It's just like, no, no, we
never talked about that. Well, let's go back to the
tape here. You know, he goes around acting all uh
(16:02):
under you know, under the radar. I I'm not smart,
you know, happy, happy, lucky. Yeah, exactly, looking for more
cow bell, That's all I'm doing. Hit him with a jackie.
Oh my goodness. Well, you know, I love the fact, Yes,
(16:26):
the Steelers have this window, this opportunity. I love what
they're you know, one of the things that I'm thinking about,
I'm really kind of excited. You're talking about the passing
game Wix. There is an unknown element to what could
happen next year because we've yet to see what Calvin
Austin brings. And that's one of the things I'm looking
forward to this spring and going back into camp with Pickens.
(16:49):
You got a guy like Austin that could who knows
what this guy is capable of doing? And Deante's here again. Uh,
you've got a pretty good I don't know, it's just
interesting to think about what could be. Yes, yes, And
Kenny's gonna put in some work more accuracy on his
deep ball. I hope and Jante is gonna come back
(17:11):
with a better year. I mean, the contract stuff will
be out of the way. Uh, he'll have that new
GPS that makes him go forward. Um uh and man,
come on. Yeah, And Calvin Austin absolutely brings the speed.
And you know what I saw of him, he was
no dree archer. He put the pads on and he
(17:33):
was just as fast and he uh he hit a
little bit too. He didn't contact, didn't bother him. Um.
But I also like what I saw out of Steven
Sims and uh, you know, Derek Watton, Connor Heyward, as
as those h back wing guys. There's a lot I like.
There's a lot I like. And I don't know that
(17:54):
Calvin Austin is gonna, you know, really upgrade this, but
he's gonna be another piece. It'll take him a little
time and then yeah, it'll be a nice piece going forward.
But I like what they've got. I guess I would
agree with you and that I just it's an unknown
element what this kid. I know he's got that four
three speed though, and that's I don't think any has
(18:15):
anybody else got that kind of speed. I mean, the
other guys not well, you know, you put Pickens is
uh what they called it catch radius onto his four
four speed? Right, and you know what's the difference. I
mean that guy should be open deep all the time.
Well do you imagine two man concepts with Austin and
(18:35):
Pickens doing things that put a corner and conflict with
that speed over the top and that widening of the windows.
I just think it's a natural plus there to coordinate
on your passing game exactly. So no, absolutely, and it'll
be like a bonus draft pick since we didn't have
him this year. Uh, and him literally getting his first opportunity,
(18:57):
So you know it's gonna be a fun experience experiment
to see and hopefully, you know, since Wolf is already
asking for raises, I'm just hoping to get resigned. Um,
you know, vet versus unvested guy only in his second year. Uh,
well guess what, lets may give me a veterans day off,
(19:18):
which bay you know what, Wolf, you've taken two veterans
days off. Yeah, oh my gosh, that that is tremendous.
That is that's okay. Well, at least I have an
answer for the message board. Yeah, well, Wolf, working on
(19:42):
something really special for you. Guys exactly. He took a
veterans day off. Yeah, that day, that day, Wolves got
a vet day this week. Hey, it's one of those
that says player arresting. This is just put when somebody
asked it just player arresting. That's how you have to
do non injury related right, yeahs d NW did not write. Yeah,
(20:13):
oh my goodness, you talking about am I am? I bleeding?
I just got tagged. I'm taking taking a lot of
heat here. That's okay. You're trying to get another day off. Yeah, yeah,
I'm bleeding. No. Al right, before we let you go,
is there any books in the works other than what's
(20:36):
out there right now? And Jim wexel dot com I
tell you, since I had nothing to write today, I've
been thinking about it this morning, and uh, you know
there are some there's some stuff, but nothing. Uh you know,
the paperback to pull them, all of paperbacks coming out
of publishing houses publishing the paperback next September. So they're
kind of giving me the year off. And so you know,
(21:00):
you know how it is when you get a year off,
start working in week fifty one. You know, I've got
a few weeks too, you know, take some coaches decisions
and and take a few veterans days off. Well, one
title of your next book could be the Next Generation. Well,
you know, I've considered another road trip book, the next
(21:22):
Generation to have a fan base be excited out there
in the in the US of A all over the
place when you're in the in between two super Bowls
and Ben Roethlisberg your quarterback, and now, oh yeah, we
love the Steelers. Everybody in Oregon here watches them every week. Well,
how do you like Kenny Pickett and uh the uh
(21:43):
the nine and eight club. You know, we'll see, we'll see.
I'm sure it's I'm sure this run six and one
finish has restored the uh energy in Steelers Nation. So
but I'd still like I contemplate taking another road trip
like that very good lex sits the road. That's nice,
(22:06):
very very nice. Love it all. And I mean you
call it Steelers the next Generation. Uh, not that that's
ever been clipped before or it sounds like any other show,
But but but that that could be. That could be
a good one. I like it. And we're not coming
up We're not coming up with with with a with
a Star Trek All Time team by the way, guys,
(22:26):
we're still working on the Looney. Later, Wolfe came up
with my You know, I'm I'm always trying to talk
Jack Lambert into doing a biography. Sometimes he's okay. Sometimes
it's like, you know, didn't we talk about this fifteen
years ago? But you know you you want to be
ready with a title. And Wolfe told me a little
(22:48):
story and it came up. The title was perfect. Uh,
Jack Lambert? What what? What? What the heck was it again?
Wolf I don't know the story about you being in
the trainer getting Oh yeah, when I was getting my
toe nail when they you know how you have an
ingrown toe nail and you're cutting it out, and and
(23:08):
Lambert walked in. This is so funny because I'm sitting
on the table. I got this ingrown toe nail and
they're cutting it out the day before the game, right,
and it was throbbing all night long. You know how
it goes, and you gotta cut straight through the nail.
So the doc shoots the big toe and the big
toe is still feeling it when I when he starts cutting,
I'm going, hey, doc, I'm feeling that. Wait a minute, whoa, whoa,
(23:29):
and all of a sudden, Lambert walks in and he
looks over the shoulder of the dock and he looks
at me. He's looking right at me, and I'm I'm
a rookie. He goes, come on, rookie, I know you
want to cry, Go ahead, cry cry? Dare you go ahead?
You know? And I'm like, I'm like bearing down, like
I'm having a kid man. I mean, I was locked
in and I would not give him the satisfaction i'm
(23:51):
seeing me cry, But I think I did. After I
wrote it down. You you said something else here was
something about the scream. Don't let me Oh yeah, don't
oh yeah. He was yelling scream, I know you want
to scream, go ahead, and I was. I wrote it down.
It was good. Yes, jim Bert colon, don't let me
hear or I know you want to scream or something.
It was about screaming. It was screaming. Yes, better line
(24:14):
than anything we've uttered on this show. And maybe maybe
it's God's way of saying, don't let other people steal
this title. I can't, I can't think it, but I
wrote it down. It's in my It was screaming because
I wanted to scream. Let me tell you something that
was painful. If you really want to scream something like that. Yeah,
if you've never had a toe nail cut out, man,
(24:35):
you are that that's painful. But that's that's my great
white whale there the Jack Lambert. I like it. Wex.
I want to thank you for joining us all year long.
Your contributions are awesome. We love you and appreciate you
so much. And just like the Kyle Bell, you gotta
have more. So we'll look forward to that, God willing
next year. Oh that's awesome. I love coming on this show.
(24:57):
You guys are great and uh, I'll see you both
in the off season. Take care of it. Sounds good?
All right. That's Jim and of course that's steel City Insider.
That's Max Starks. I'm Craig Wolf. Max. We're going to break.
I believe, yes, we are going to break. And when
we come back, more of the musings and mind bogglings
(25:18):
in the Locker Room with Wolf. It starts here at
ESPN and SNR Radio. This is in the Locker Room
with Wolf and Starks on ESPN Pittsburgh against Steelers Nation Radio,
(25:42):
presented by your neighborhood Forward store. The F one is
the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was probably
more important to them as a as a subject matter,
obviously than it was to me. I'm appreciative of that, UM,
the relationship that I have with them that makes it
important to UM. UM. But you know, my agenda is
(26:03):
getting into single elimination tournament and and pursuing the confetti
game and winning it. UM. And that agenda will never change. UM.
The totality of past experiences and stuff. Man, I just
you know, I'm a competitor. UM. I like to compete continually. UM.
I love the challenges that this game and this job provides.
(26:28):
And and so I'm wired in that way. And and
so I've spent a little time kind of assessing the
totality of things, particularly if it doesn't light a fire
under me, if it doesn't if I if I can't
utilize it as fuel and an effort to to be
ready for the for the adversity that awaits. And so
you know, talking about accolades and you know, trivial things
(26:50):
and streaks and things of that nature. If it's not
useful to me in terms of UM assessing our next battles,
then then I don't spend a lot of time thinking
about it. Are folks, So Max, what is it about
Mike Tomlin that endears himself to his players? What is
it that m Because you've experienced that in a way
(27:11):
that none of us outside have. I mean, I think
that that that's kind of a snapshot. I mean what
you here there with Mike Tomlin. The frankness, the clarity,
the transparency, and that honesty is what players appreciate, right,
And you know, give me a coach who's going to
(27:33):
be straight up with me, versus give me a coach
who's gonna tell me that everything is rainbows and sunshines, right, sugarcoat?
You know, sugarcoat. The bad things that are that that
are about to happen is it's a tough job. You
know a lot of times you get into thankless positions,
um in this job when you have to make tough decisions.
I mean, just think about, you know, making a decision
(27:55):
at halftime of a game to sit a veteran and
start a rookie. It wasn't like he got he got
he got a parade because of that. It wasn't like
he got he got conjoled for that because that rookie
went out in that game and still through three picks.
Um so, I mean so, But but he was open
(28:17):
and honest that, you know, something needed to be to
be made and he was willing to make that hard decision.
I think that's where you know, the genius um the
the the leadership habits is making tough decisions at the
right time. And obviously we will still continue to look
(28:38):
at this for the next couple of years to decide
if this was the right decision. But he lived with
that decision. He stood by his position. He didn't flinch
in his position. And Coach Thomland has always had an
open door policy with players. You got an issue, guess what,
come to my office. You know the door is always open.
I will have that conversation with you. Good batter and different,
(29:00):
And trust me, Coach Tom and I have have had
some some interesting conversations over the years when I was
a player, good batter and different. I always knew where
I stood. And that's all you can ask for. Where
do I stand in your eyes? And what is it
that is good or bad? I'm willing to take it
because I asked a question. He's going to give you
(29:21):
a truthful and honest answer, and I think that's what
players appreciate. They appreciate that type of transparency so that
you never have to question, You're never walking on eggshells
wondering what if if. This always is always a statement,
not a question. And I think that's what players appreciate
the most about Mike Tomlin and that's what that's what's
(29:44):
made sixteen years of him being the head coach. And
you know, I know a lot of fans are like, oh,
you know, I saw one fan was talking about, Oh,
so I guess the standard of the standard is just
to be five hundred. It's like, really, are you serious?
I was like, listen, if you have a problem with that,
feel free to turn in your black and gold card.
You can go pick up a Jets card, Houston Texans card,
(30:08):
Cleveland Brown's card, go pick up all those other cards
if that's the case. But to know that you're not
consistently a top five drafting team is something that's very
tough to do. And until you walk in those shoes,
please I don't want to hear about it because it's
a tough world to be in and no other coach
(30:30):
has done. When he's done by the way, he's the
first coach to ever go six in his first sixteen
years as a head coach. First of all, make it
sixteen years and never have a losing season. That that
is to be celebrated. People like, oh, well, I guess
we're gonna throw on a parade because he didn't have
another one. It's like, dude, please, I was like, the
job is to win games. You went You just went
(30:51):
through a transition. An eighteen year quarterback, um quarterback, by
the way, Hall of Fame to be quarterback has four
more years and yes he I believe he will be
a first bout. You've won two Super Bowls in the
last two decades, You've been to three of them. And
when you look in take Stock, yes that's a convert.
(31:13):
It's not every year. Go look at the l A. Rams.
They had literally the worst drop off of a defending
Super Bowl champ in NFL history in these problects. So
when people are sitting there and want to throw darts
and everything, if you claim you're a fan, stick by it.
Be consistent, don't be fair weather, don't be bandwagon. Because
(31:35):
at the same time, this is something that's a process.
Every year is a new opportunity, a new journey, and
a new challenge to figure it out. I don't see
people picking up a Rubik's cube time after time or
challenging themselves, you know, to do that over and over again.
And the consistency and the ritual that it takes to
go through the process is what he doesn't tire from.
(32:00):
He doesn't he does, he doesn't get bothered by. He
doesn't look at it as a chore. He looks at
it as an opportunity. And I think people kind of
lose sight of that because you're so used to it,
you've become numb to it. If every day is a
sunny day, where when do you know a rainstorms coming right?
You know? So I think that's what people have to
(32:20):
kind of keep in mind as well. We're celebrating this
because we were two and six at the bye. We sucked.
In case anybody was in case anybody forgot about that,
we literally stunk at the first half of this season,
and he literally flipped it and did a one to
finish it. I'm sorry. As good as David Copperfield is,
(32:44):
I don't know if David Copperfield could have pulled that off,
you know, what I'm saying like that was some Hoodini
level mastery that he was able to contort and get
this team together. And people can talk about all the
other team's record, death matter, those other teams won games
as well. It wasn't just because we got the better
(33:04):
of them and we made them below five hundred a
lot of those teams, But those teams have had they won,
they could have been above five hundred two, but we
made sure that they didn't. And I think that's what
you have to remember in this process, um, is that
it was a long process to get guys to buy in,
to get new guys to become close guys, and to
(33:26):
get the guys who are ways apart rookies new guys
on the team, and get them to meld into the
Steelers culture. That's not something people are used to microwaves.
This wasn't a micro This is a crock pot. You know,
it takes time. You can't substitute time and those and
those opportunities. So I was just a little frustrated. I
saw that during the break and it kind of nod
(33:46):
at my crawl a little bit. So I went a
little soapboxing on it. I know, you know what I
think I think we gotta start having a Max's rant
every now and then. You know, yeah, exactly, Max's soapbox.
We just we just turned to turn the dials up
and and have at it. There you go. I like that, Yeah, absolutely,
(34:07):
But yeah, it's just it's it's a frustrating thing that
people are upset about this or you know, because and
I did you know we did late hits last night,
because I do it every Tuesday night for Series x M,
and you know, it was did your team underachiever or overachieved? Well,
the good thing is when we got the Steelers caller,
he actually said overachieved, which I appreciated. But I was bracelet.
(34:28):
I was bracing for the underachievement. I had the mouthpiece
in well, had had the neck roll tied tight. I was,
I was. I was ready to go. If they would
have said underachieved, I was ready to light into them.
And and you know, and that and that's the thing
I think that people kind of forget that and you're
so used to it. Yes, to stand, we are blessed
to be one of the top overall teams all time
(34:50):
with super Bowl victories, you know, and very close as
Super Bowl appearances were like number two, I think number
two or three in Super Bowl appearances. There's a lot
of teams they ain't got one of either of either
of either And I think that's something that people have
to also keep in mind. It's not gonna it's not
(35:10):
gonna be easy. It's not for the faint of heart.
You know, this is a lifelong thing. Go ask the
Browns since it became a Super Bowl, they don't even
know what that is. You know what I'm saying, the
world that World championships back in the day, back when
Jim Brown played. But uh yeah, you ain't got yeah
modern era zilch zero, zippo, not a just to use
(35:36):
a couple of different length linguistics to get through to people. Absolutely, yeah,
you know, And I think you're right, you know. I mean,
it's just I think there's so much in the strength
of player coach relationship that Mike Tomlin affords that that
strengthening bond to be something that drives guys even more
(35:58):
than than normal. I mean, it's when you have that
personal relationship again, that coaching maxim You'll never know how
much they care until that you show them how much
you care. Um, there's a big difference there. And I
think the days of the impersonal you know, standoffice, Bear
Bryant up in the you know, in some stand with
(36:18):
a bullhorn, you know, watching practice and yelling down through
the bullhorn. Um, those days are over, you know. I
mean it's predicated on relationships now even more so than ever.
And we'll give you another thing. There's something called free
agency that a lot of those old coaches didn't have
to deal with. That kept the guy until he went
(36:41):
to the glue factory. In today's age, players can move
or demand to move, even under contract. In today's there
and we don't get those type of issues that often.
We had a couple of them. And guess what, we
still overcame those things, Levian Belle, Antonio Bright, whatever you
want to call it, overcame and surpassed. Guess what. As
(37:02):
much as people want to love a guy by the
name of Sean McVeigh, where Sean McVeigh right now, he's
looking to take a break. I think exactly had the
worst had the worst season ever? Post Super Bowl? Did
Mike Tomlin ever have that? Nope, he hadn't had to
deal with that yet now has he? That's right? Oh,
that's right because nobody else has done it. As much
(37:26):
as you want to talk about how you know, and listen,
I love Andy Reid, but Andy reads on the second team.
He felt that he fell out of love and favor
in Philly. Okay, Bill Belichick had to be terrible in
Cleveland before he could be great in New England. Okay.
So all these great coaches we want to throw around,
(37:46):
and you can name him, none of them have done
what he's done, you know what. That's absolutely right and
spot on it. I know we got to go to break,
but you know, you just triggered a thought in my
head and I'm just sitting there going think about that.
How many coaches go somewhere else and then don't you know,
don't succeed end up getting that second go round, which
you know for them, all right, that I learned from
(38:08):
my first go round. So now I'm better like a Belichick.
And here Mike never had that, never had no, no,
not had to deal with that, never had to deal
with that. So all right, we're gonna take it to
break when we come back. We will finish up in
the Bell lap Uh segment of the show in the
locker room here with Wolf It Starks on ESPN S
and R Radio. This is in the locker room with
(38:39):
Wolf and Starks on ESPN Pittsburgh against Steelers Nation Radio,
presented by your neighborhood Forward Store. The F one is
the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roast Wan Rolls,
(39:01):
Pocket Flash Downs, picked up my starts and starts this
and the game is on. We do have a crime
(39:24):
on the plant. Max, you mad at all of you.
You're you're my new hero. I'm walking up fold on
the screen in front of me, and it was tremendous
with a great job to pick that baby up, and
you were rumbling, bumbling star. Well, we gotta tweet that up.
(39:46):
That is so oh my gosh, you guys back to
back there. Yeah, I know I can't live it down,
but I invited it because I told the story. You
you know, the story was just tremendous. I can't believe
that little safety took you down though that gumming Uh
(40:08):
yeah exactly that that that's what you know. And I
had the d braces off. So you think, you think,
you think you're agile and nim until until you look
like Frankenstein trying to make a juke move. It was,
it was, it was. It's a humiliating moment. It's a
humbling moment, and you realize you're like, man, if only
(40:28):
I was less encumbered, I might have gotten three yards.
It makes me. I reminded Gary Dunn the first real
nose tackle the Steelers had when we went to the
to the three four and back in the eighty two.
I think is we made that that switch and we
(40:50):
were playing Denver John Elway through a middle screen and
Dunny intercepted it on like the five yard line, made
it back to like the five and a half yard line,
and afterwards, afterwards he's telling everybody. He was telling the press,
case goes, if I had cut outside of taking it
to the house, Yeah, exactly. Man if I if they
(41:13):
threw one block, I wouldn't eat it ten more. Oh, Max,
that it's just tremendous. Man. That is so good. And
I think whoever found that on the on the net
man Jason Jason on Twitter is the one who sent
it to Thank you, Jason. Once again, I knew somebody
was going to find it. Listen, you put it out there.
(41:35):
Everything exists, Everything exists online now, Max, You know, hey,
real quick though, Max, I'm looking at the box score
here and at least this one online. I mean, hey,
it's online, so we know it must be true. They
credited you with four rushing yards? Was it four? I guess, okay,
just doubled your career total right there. But I did,
(41:58):
I doubled my career total because I apparently forgot how
far I went. I think you know what I think
it was. I think it was like you know in
the Celtic games where you have that that like the
log you have to hold and then you kind of
flip it over. I think when I got tipped over,
and you know, I'm six ft tall, so I ran
two yards and then got flipped another two yards. You
(42:18):
you had more rushing yards that game, Max than uh
Auburn legend Ronnie Brown. Oh there we go, I beat out. Oh.
I cannot wait to tell Ronnie that next time I
see you. Oh my gosh, you guys just loaded me
up with so much, ammo. I cannot wait to talk
Mr Ronnie because because Ronnie works for Auburn um and
(42:40):
there in their radio right yeah, he's on their broadcast team,
so I do SEC games. So oh my god, I
can't wait to see Ronnie Brown had two attempts for
one yard Max Starks, one attempt for four yards baby, quadruple,
quadruple yard for cars, Starks for carry. Looked at that
he had double the amount of carry Max exactly. Think
(43:02):
about this mix. You average four yards of carry. That's
that's the Hall of Fame Plateau. Right, you go right there, man,
just say listen, listen, hey, watch out, guys, watch out.
Well this has been another what expedition into hilarity is
what it's been. You know, it's just so good, Max,
(43:23):
what a great, great day, great stuff. You know, we
got two more days to go, buddy, and then we're done.
Yes we do. Oh my god. Starting lineups for tomorrow,
by the way, that's right, well, Loony Tunes, slash Hannah Barbera.
Let's make sure we're going with a quintidential seventies eighties
um cartoon characters. Okay, so there's slash Hannah Barbara. Yeah.
(43:44):
So you get from from the from from from Bugs
Bunny all the way to Fred Flintstone. We get everybody
and covered in there. We get everybody covered. Let's let's
do it all all right, So we're gonna have a
starting offense and a starting defense. And of course we'll
have our to our two specialists and our long snapper,
so it's not gonna get them because long snappers are
(44:04):
people too Christian coops. High five, she warned my dog
oh Man. Alright, guys, well, hey, it's been great today.
If you missed any of this episode, it's a hilarious one.
I will say that if you want to laugh, definitely
going download. It's on the Steelers mobile app, I Heart
Radio app, wherever else you get podcasts. We appreciate all
(44:27):
of you, and Wilson, we're gonna be taking callers to
the last tw days. We gotta make sure we have
have the phone lines open for for our blessed Steelers nation.
So please tune in, same BAT channel, same BAT time tomorrow.
Here in the locker room, He's Wolf, I'm Starks, and
the west Euler bomb is over there in the engineering department.
Have a great day.
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