Week 18 vs. Browns

MIke Prisuta and Bob Labriola Agree to Disagree on several topics surrounding the Steelers ahead of their season finale against the Browns Sunday.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is agreed to disagree with Mike President and Bob Labriola.
Hello everyone, and welcome to what I guarantee is going
to be the best agreed to disagree podcast of the year,
the one with the motto I'm right, he's wrong. Am

(00:23):
I wrong about? It's gonna be the best one of
the year. First thing you've been right on this year, Labs,
and probably the last. But for that clever opening, well
I got I got more cleverness here for you. And
this this is right up your alley. Okay, right up
your alley. Like Michael poor Leone told Carlo Ritzie in

(00:45):
one of the climatic scenes of The Godfather, Today, I
settled all family business. You know, the a f C
North is made up of four teams and not five families,
but it is somewhat similar in that physical superiority and
in imidation are factors and who comes out on top
in which team is feared, And if you don't necessarily

(01:06):
believe that being feared as a component of winning football, well,
being perceived as soft is a component of losing. On
December eleven, the Ravens made the Steelers look soft by
rushing for two hundred and fifteen yards with a five
point one average to possess the ball for thirty three
minutes on offense, while their defense limited the Steelers to
sixty five yards rushing and their special teams blocked the

(01:29):
field goal. Three weeks after getting physically handled by the
Ravens on both lines of scrimmage, the Steelers returned the favor.
They rushed for a hundred nine yards, including a hundred
and seven in the first half, and they limited the
Ravens to a hundred and twenty yards rushing, with only
thirty two in the second half. After the Ravens drove

(01:49):
for a field goal on their first possession of the
second half, they ran ten plays combined on their next
three possessions, managed just one first down, and had two
three and ounce Okay Now, On a Thursdy night in September,
the Browns used a running of Nick Chubb behind a
physical offensive line to turn a fourteen to thirteen halftime
deficit into seventeen victory. The Browns rushed for ninety two

(02:15):
yards in the second half and possessed the ball for
twenty of those thirty minutes. It was helped by a
defense that forced the Ravens the Steelers to pun on
for their second half possessions and had to take away
on a fifth. Okay, So the Steelers settled their account
with the Ravens on New Year's Night. This coming Sunday

(02:36):
at Akershuer Stadium, they have an opportunity to settle their
account with those Browns from Cleveland. Okay. As so, as
Michael Corleone said today, I said, will all family business,
The Steelers have an opportunity to do that. So, um,

(02:57):
what did you do? You appear for it? For me?
Bob too. I was just gonna interject here that it
would be a huge mistake on my part to discount
anything Godfather related coming from a guy whose name ends
in a vow. But since final ends in the same

(03:19):
valuers ends in, I would just add that in a
f C North it's personal as well as business, you know. Uh,
they have a chance to settle another account on two scores,
and hey, two's better than one, right when it comes
to settling scores. Um with dare we say teams that

(03:44):
you hate? Um, I'm all for that. Let's get this
party started with statement number one. Personal file penalties sideline
arguments among players are better than being pushed around on
both lines of scrimmage. I'm gonna disagree, and I'm gonna
do so keeping in line with your well thought out

(04:04):
and well delivered movie referenced team. Uh, this one's not
from the Godfather Labs, but from another one of your
all time favorites, a league of their own. Can't they
do both? I mean, I've seen enough guys who are
in the uniform running onto the field getting personal foul penalties.
I've seen a personal file penalty occur after a play

(04:24):
is dead enough times, you know, the ones that turned
would be field goal attempt into shots at a touchdown
right before the first half concludes. This has been game
coming up against Cleveland, and I don't know what's gonna
happen between Miami and the Jets. I don't know what's
gonna happen between Buffalo and New England, but I do
know this, Uh, it would really put a damper on

(04:46):
what appears to be working its way toward a happy
ending this season. If the Steelers get the help they
need and then don't take care of their business against
the Browns. I think they need to be buttoned up.
I think they need to be locked down. I think
they need to be dialed in. Every every box needs
to be checked. Uh, be the best that you can

(05:08):
be against Cleveland. That includes to me, dominating both lines
of scrimmage and avoiding the silly stuff. Well, I mean,
you know, in a perfect world, you know that that
would be great. And so I'm going to agree with
the statement, but disagree with you because you know, I'm
also a believer that you know, lessons have to be

(05:30):
taught and then they have to be relearned, sometimes on
an annual basis. And you know, the guys who have
been recent additions to this team have come into a
program that recently finished last in the NFL and rushing
and then maybe a year or two after that last
in the NFL and defense against the run, so they

(05:51):
could do book. So you know, it's not like, um,
you know, guys who have been coming who have been
added to this program in the last year or two
or are you know, being absorbed into the steel curtain
or anything. And speaking of the steel curtain, let me
just remind people being that I am old. Um, you know,

(06:12):
Joe Green threw Ernie Holmes off the field during a
game one time, you know, Lambert and and Joe Green
once got into a heated argument on the sideline one time. UM,
you know, talking about roughing penalties or personal file penalties.
Does everyone forget James Harrison, I mean Troy Paula Malu
once got called for um an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. I

(06:38):
remember Bill Coward grabbing him and having a you know,
a face to face talk with him during a game.
You know about this? So, I mean, you know, there
are guys who are Steelers icons, some some of them
even Hall of famers, who have been um found guilty
of some of the very same things that are currently

(07:00):
happening now. And I agree with you they cannot allow
this to escalate to the level where it costs them
a game. UM. Now, I believe though, that there is
enough respect for the head coach and I'm now moving
into the presence of the head coach, is Mike Tomlin
by the players not to really go over the line

(07:23):
or go over it a second time after you know
they've gone over at once. So I don't know that
it's you know, it's necessarily the third or it's it's
not necessarily the same people making the same mistakes. Uh.
And you know again, I just think it's to some
degree a part of doing business. Uh, And this team

(07:45):
has to become tougher and I'm more consistently physical, and
it has to play with an edge. They're not good
enough to win other ways. And so as this is
kind of being reinstilled throughout the locker room. You know,
I think that you know what they say about making omelets.
You can't do it without breaking a few eggs. And

(08:06):
you know it's not gonna be perfect. Um, it's not
gonna be seamless. But I would rather there be personal
file penalties and some guys arguing on the sideline then
you know, watching the Ravens with a practice squad quarterback
just turn around and hand the ball off and you know,

(08:27):
win a game. So that's just me. I'm just glad
you cleared up the head coach you're referring to, because
I thought you were making a Bill Austin reference statement
number two. The Browns are not the Ravens. Therefore, do
not make this game a field goal fest attack on offense.

(08:51):
Oh music to my ears. I agree, I agree, I agreed.
I get what they did in Baltimore and why they
did it, and I get why it's been done that way.
Some this season, but it is time to take the
handcuffs off. I think this offense has been too conservative
by nature throughout the majority of the season. Whether that
is uh, you know, coaching uh avoiding turnovers above playmaking,

(09:16):
or whether that is the guy with the ball in
his hands, whether it's been Mr Biskie or Kenny Pickett
thinking that avoiding turnovers his job one and playmaking his secondary.
I think they're growing individually and collectively. I think we've
seen in the last two games what happens when push
comes to shove and you you get faced with a
drive where you now have to make plays. They're actually

(09:39):
capable of making them, and they're capable of making them
with a number of different targets on the receiving end
to Kenny Pickett's passes. I also think, you know, Cleveland's
probably gonna score more points than you would expect Baltimore
to score. So yeah, I gotta go up and down
the field a little bit, gotta stick it in the
end zone. Let's see what the kid can do, uh
with the freedom or the instruction, and to do it

(10:01):
more than it's been done of late. That's uh, that's
an offensive game. I'd like to see I agree. So
I'm gonna agree with you and the statement. However, I'm
gonna kind of take your attack on the first statement
and and just um caution that not to get careless.
Can't get careless. I mean, I think that you know
too much uh attacking on offense. It can be just

(10:26):
as detrimental as you know too many personal files or
you know, overgoing over the line physically, you know, with physicality.
Wit Await, what about the eggs thing from a minute ago?
You with no broken eggs. I understand that, But what
I didn't say, you can't there can be no turnovers

(10:46):
on offense. But you know, I'm gonna go back to
what you know Mike Thomas philosophy in that weather game
against the Raiders on Christmas Eve, Um, you just gotta
be better at it than the team you're playing. So
if you're gonna turn it over twice, you better come
away with a couple three takeaways, because you can't be
minus two minus three on turnover ratio ratio against even

(11:11):
the Browns. And you know the other thing I want
to point out is, um, you know Cleveland's defense is
not the Ravens defense, So you don't want to relay it.
You don't want to play it like you play against Baltimore.
I mean, you know, I hate to just beat you
over the head with statistics. Um Baltimore ranks in the
top fifteen in the NFL and nine significant defensive categories.

(11:34):
In those same um uh defensive categories, the Browns rank
in the top fifteen and three. They're tied for twenty
one and points allowed. So I don't know that you
have to treat the Browns defense with the same level
of respect and caution that you would the Ravens. And
so yeah, you know, go after a little bit. But

(11:58):
again I'm not suggest thing that because if you have
Kenny pick and throw the ball for to you or
forty five times, I think that that's a recipe for disaster,
you know, going forward on offense. I'll agree with that.
I'll agree with that, but throw it with more of
a purpose when you throw it is a point I'm
trying to make, and maybe I'm not making that well enough.
But uh, that play that stands out to me that

(12:20):
Ravens game, Labs were you would all surprised that on
that third and four team on which George Pickens made
a diving reception to kind of which only really good
players make. Were you would all surprise the ball actually
went fourteen yards down the field? Well, I will say
that I was happy it was a surprise. So we're

(12:40):
on the same page. Yeah, yeah, um yeah. You can't
play not to lose. That's that's definitely my opinion, and
that that goes with you know, not only overall, but
certainly specifically on offense. You cannot be you know, throwing
the ball on third and fourteen two yards beyond the
line of scrimmage and crossing your fingers and hope, you know,

(13:02):
for some miraculous run after the catch. No, no, no no,
you can't do that. You have to be, as I said, realistic.
But again, you can't be reckless. Just like the point
you made for the first statement, I just want to
make that point on the second statement. Okay, statement number wait, wait, wait,
one more movie right for you. Friday Night Lights. They

(13:23):
don't have to be perfect, they just gotta be more
perfect than the Broads, right right, Absolutely, I'm getting this.
I'm following along at home here. Okay, however, this season ends.
This is statement number three. By the way, However this
season ends. The Steelers having found their next quarterback is

(13:45):
a more significant accomplishment than making the playoffs. Yeah, I
agree wholeheartedly, and not that I think making the playoffs
is an insignificant accomplishment. But we were taking this around
on the pregame show Labs. I'm sure everybody listening to
this should the award winning podcast also tunes into our
pregame shows on the Steelers Radio network. Uh. The definition

(14:08):
of success was brought up by me and discussed by
the three of us, you, uh, myself and Jerry Doolax.
You know, is this a successful season or do you
have to make the playoffs to consider it a successful season?
And my uh perception of it is it's already a
success for the exact reason you mentioned that that Kenny

(14:28):
Pickett just put an exclamation point on it in the
Baltimore game, And Uh, yeah, they got their guys. So
whatever happens, maybe they don't make it. Uh, maybe they
lose and don't make it, maybe they make it to
the NFC championship game. They got their guy going in
the next year. They know who that guy is. They
know the direction in which they're going ahead. That puts

(14:49):
them light years ahead or where they were coming into
this season. So yeah, this might be my uh agree
most wholeheartedly in the entirety of all these should be
award winning podcast that we have so expertly and entertainingly
crafted all season long. Wow, Okay, yeah, I'm gonna I'm

(15:09):
just I'm just uh my mind is blown by the
um the way you phrase that. It was just it was,
it was, it was every good, pretty good stuff. Oh,
we don't just say should the award winning. This stuff
should win awards. Um, But let me just again, I
agree with you, and I agree with the statement, and

(15:30):
let me just throw this out. Um. You know, Kenny
Pickett in the game against the Ravens became the first
rookie quarterback in NFL history to have game winning touchdown
passes in the final minute of the fourth quarter and
back to back games NFL history. Let me just point

(15:50):
that out again. You know, they the Steelers. This is
the Steelers ninety season. The NFL, uh celebrated their hundredth
season a while ago. So there's a lot of a
lot of history and a lot of rookie quarterbacks and
so yeah, using that statistic to make the case, you

(16:12):
know that Kenny Pickett is a guy, um who is
worthy and capable of following Ben Roethlisberger. Uh is kind
of my aim there, And let me just kind of,
you know, expand on this a little bit more, because
you know, so many teams, and the Steelers were one
of them. How many years did and how many guys
did they go through trying to find the player to

(16:34):
follow Bradshaw? It took a long time, and during that
long time a lot of guys. But I looked, I
looked it up once I had the exact number, but
I didn't commit it to memory. But it was a
lot of guys. Well, and let me say this, most
of those guys were very much forgettable. So I don't
blame you at all for not remembering all of the names. Uh.

(16:55):
But you know, when teams do this, and there are
a lot of teams that do this. The Browns are one, um.
The Dolphins are another one. The Dolphins trying to um,
you know, follow Dan Marino, who's their next quarterback? After
Marino as two of the guy you know. I don't
know that you can say definitively one way or the
other with him, but there certainly have been a parade

(17:16):
of guys following Marino, you know, and when a team
does this and you have to continually um use resources
to uh try and make up for a mistake that
you made at the same position, and it's especially damaging,
I believe, for positions on a team where there's only
one who plays at a time. You know, if you're

(17:37):
looking for linebackers and you play four at a time, well,
if you miss on one, you know, it's not like
you're really necessarily setting the team back because maybe the
other three guys are still okay, and you know you
can add something and and quickly kind of get back
to where you would like to be. But it was
when it's a quarterback, not only is there only one

(18:00):
who plays at a time, but then so much of
um resources draft capital that you use after you pick
that guy is designed to help him succeed, and if
he's not capable of succeeding, then maybe you messed up
on all of those other guys you try to add
to help him succeed too. And so I've read and

(18:23):
heard it said that if a team that misses on
a first round quarterback draft pick sets itself back more
than five years in terms of in terms of a
building program, so the fact that the Steelers did this
and seems that they did a decent job of it.
I'm not gonna say Kenny Pickt his Ben Roethlisberger or

(18:46):
you know, going to follow in his footsteps either statistically
or you know, in terms of putting trophies in the case.
But I think that he has shown enough to establish
himself as having the ability to be a quality NFL starter,
which is, you know, kind of the first step along
the road on the along the way, um and now

(19:09):
the stealers and sharing on top of that Sunday is
that he did it last Sunday in Baltimore against the
Ravens in a in a desperate battle, in a critical situation.
And I you know, welcome to Pittsburgh. Uh, that's a
big deal. We don't have to wonder. Can they beat

(19:29):
the Ravens with Katie Pickett a quarterback? Yes? And you
have the answer. You know, can this guy bring you
back from an efficit late in the game? Will his
teammates respond to him in the in that situation? You know,
does he have a lot of the intangible things in

(19:50):
addition to the physical skills, The intangible things, you know,
the intelligence, the presence. You know, can he be a
quarterback instead of just playing quarterback? You know, we the
Steelers have gotten a lot of yes answers, boxes checked
with Kenny Pickett during his rookie year, and so yeah,

(20:11):
I do think that if the Steelers now can do
a decent job of helping him now that they found
him and help him, you know, I think they could
set themselves up for a you know, a nice little, um,
you know, string of success. And I'm not talking about
winning multiple super Bowls or anything ridiculous yet, but you know,

(20:35):
there there's there's a there are different levels I think
when when you go into a season, and I think
that the Steelers can establish themselves as more than you know,
just playoff hopefuls or playoff contenders too. Maybe, you know,
if they help this guy and surround him with some
of the things that he needs, become championship contenders. Um.

(20:58):
And you know, and it's the NFL. It all starts
with the quarterback. Yeah, that's very well put. And you
know that's why that's a bigger deal. I just want
to throw in about the playoffs thing. It is not
insignificant making the playoffs. Okay, it's hard to do. You
don't win the Super Bowl unless you first make the playoffs.
And the way the league has trended for a long

(21:20):
time now, uh, anywhere from a quarter to a third
to half the field does not repeat from one year
to the next as playoff teams. So far, seven teams
have done that. Buffalo, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Dallas, Philly, Tampa,
and the Niners. UM. New England might not do it
this year. Tennessee might not do it this year. Green

(21:42):
Bay might not do it this year. For the Steelers
to get back in a year in which they have
transitions so significantly both on and off the field, don't
forget new general manager now, uh, changes in the front office,
different hierarchy and personnel. Uh. And all those first and
second year got saw in the field on both sides
of the ball. I think the arrow is really pointing

(22:03):
up whether it works out the way they needed to
this coming weekend or not. But lad you know my
hope going in, I'll leave it off where we started.
Can't they do both? Yeah? And let me let me
just agree with you on that as well. I did
not mean to come off as saying that, you know,
making the playoffs is insignificant because I don't believe that.

(22:28):
But as you just pointed out, you know, making the
playoffs is a year to year proposition. Um. In a
lot of cases. UM, you know, finding yourself a quarterback
that you believe you can win with, UM is something
that could last you a decade. And so rams on
the Super Bowl last year, they're not going to get
to defend, right, Vegas ain't going back, Arizona ain't going back. Uh,

(22:54):
it's not. It's not a given, it is it definitely
is not. Okay, that's gonna do it for this edition
of Agree to Disagree the podcast, and just a little
programming note, Um, this this podcast will continue as long
as the Steelers continue to play games. So if um,

(23:15):
things do not work out for whatever reason, uh, and
then and there are no playoffs, Um, you know, we'll
be back with you next summer when the game's resume.
But hopefully, um, you know, things work out, the NFL
figures out what it what it wants to do with
the Buffalo Cincinnati game. UM and um, you know, the

(23:38):
Steelers take care of their business. Some things fall into place,
and uh in that in that instance, then it will
be next week when we will be attempting to break
the record of this podcast being the best one of
the year with next week's podcasts, which we will effort
to make the best one of the year. FORMA. Because

(24:02):
we're not gonna be doing what you're telling me. We're
not going to be doing a Senior Bowl, agree to disagree.
We're not going to be doing a Montana State Pro Day.
Agree to disagree. None of that. This might be it
if it is good run. Because yeah, same to you
and no O t A. Agree to disagree either short,
I think we can both agree we can do without

(24:23):
O t A. Okay, thanks for finding us. Hope we're
back to you next week.