Week 4 vs Jets

Mike Prisuta and Bob Labriola are back for another edition of Agree to Disagree, the show with the motto, I'm right, and he's wrong!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is agreed to disagree with Mike President and Bob Labriola.
What is going on in the NFL so far this year?
Black as white, cats and dogs living together and maybe
even stranger than that. Jacksonville has a winning record. After
shutting out the Colts and smoking your Los Angeles Chargers,

(00:21):
Miami scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter on the
Ravens defense in Baltimore, and after getting shut out by
the Jaguiars, the Colts come back and beat the Chiefs.
The Eagles are undefeated and the Raiders are winless. Could
it be that we're actually staring down the barrel of
a Miami Philadelphia Super Bowl? To quote the great Beano Cook,

(00:41):
haven't we've suffered enough? Maybe not today, but we're gonna
try to make some sense out of some of this.
On the soon to be award winning podcast, You've Come
to Know and Love has Agreed to disagree the show
with the motto I'm right, okay, let's let's get this
show on the road statement number one standing up by
the way, Oh you like that? Get some fire today? Well,

(01:05):
you know, I'm trying trying. Maybe you know, some people
might download this early in the morning I want to
wake him up. Um okay, statement number one run defense
is as big a problem as this team has on
either side of the ball. I am going to agree wholeheartedly. Uh.
You know, I knew going into the opener that the
Bengals offensive line had not played together in the preseason.

(01:27):
I thought that was a good time to play the
Bengals and and control Joe Mixon, who had really given
the Steelers fits a year ago, among others. And they
did that. But ever since then, Boy, the end of
that New England game, the last six minutes and thirty
three seconds, and then the Cleveland game really throughout once
Kevin Stefanski decided to run the ball. Uh, the Steelers

(01:49):
looked helpless to stop it, and Labs, We're not just
talking getting caught with your nickel on the field against
the three tight end set or something of that nature.
It wasn't deployment and it was just getting pushed around. Uh.
Starting early in the second half, Cleveland goes with sixty
eight is eligible and multiple tight ends. The Steelers counter

(02:10):
with the three inside linebackers package and Cam Heyward a
big body on the edge, and they still could not
stop Nick Chubb. I know, that offensive line is really good.
I know, Nick Chubb is a freak. The problem is
twofold one. The Steelers devoted a lot of time and
energy and resources in the fixing the run defense after
last year, it doesn't look fixed. And number two, Yeah,

(02:33):
Cleveland maybe elite, but Cleveland is also in the Steelers neighborhood. Uh.
They're gonna have to walk past Cleveland's house uh periodically,
or they're gonna get their lunch money stolen if they
don't do something about this bump. Well, I'm gonna disagree
only because I'm gonna nitpick a little bit with the wording,
because I agree with everything you said, but I'm even

(02:56):
a little bit stronger than you. Maybe it's not as
big a problem as the Steelers have on either side
of the ball. It add it is the biggest problem
on either side of the ball, and it's a potentially
fatal flaw that ruins the whole season kind of problem
on either side of the ball. I mean, I know
that you know that when this When the season began,

(03:20):
a lot of fingers were being pointed at the offensive line,
especially after that awful performance against those Jaguars. Who knew
how good they were exactly we should be crediting the
offensive line for holding up as well as it did
in the face of that incredible, unstoppable force. Um and uh,

(03:45):
you know, the offensive line to me, has improved over
the course of this season. Certainly it has improved incrementally
since that disaster down in Jacksonville. During the preseason. You know,
Craig Wolfley and Max Stark said that it's gonna take
about four games for this offensive line to really come together.

(04:05):
And then only then will you be able would we
be able to decide, you know, whether it's a big
problem or not. I'm ready to say after that performance
against the Browns where I don't know, I didn't hear
Miles Garrett's name very often against the Browns that, Um,
I'm not gonna say it's fixed where it's great, where

(04:26):
there's gonna be a couple three guys from the Steeler's
offensive line voted to the Pro Bowl. But I mean,
you you shine that up next to this run defense,
I mean, and it's not even in the same stratosphere.
So um and yes, the Steelers did commit resources to
uh fixing their run defense during the off season. Uh.
They also they are healthy now they don't have health

(04:50):
issues as they did last year that we were pointing
to last year with the injuries to Tyson Alualu and
the season log absence of Stefon to it. And your
point about getting physically handled at the line of scrimmage,
I mean put three exclamation points next to that. I
mean that is definitely you know what is happening. I
do understand that there were some mistackles in the holes,

(05:12):
but overall that, the fact that the Steelers are getting
handled physically on the line of scrimmage is is is.
I don't know. I don't know what worse than bad is,
but it's worse than bad. Concerning let's say contention number two,
after last Thursday's circus catching Cleveland, why don't they just

(05:35):
assume George Pickens Pickens is open and consider targeting him
as such, not targeting him twelve times every three games.
Labs agree or disagree. I I agree wholeheartedly with this. Um.
You know, I I don't understand why, um, George Pickens

(05:55):
is not being targeted more than three times a game. UM.
And you know I posed it to Mike tomlin Um
before the game against the Browns and asking if maybe
you know, all of the uh praise that Pickens was
getting during the preseason, and with training camp practices open

(06:16):
to the public and um the media allowed to report
on what you can see at practices that are open
to the public. Uh, you know, maybe pickens reputation around
the league was getting to a point where you know,
some teams were looking at him and thinking, well, he's
a guy we gotta think about taking out of this
game coming up. And Mike Tomlins said, now, that's not

(06:38):
the way it works in the NFL. You have to
do things in games that count in the standings and
show them on video before teams are gonna start creating
coverage is designed to take you out of the game.
He said, It's much more likely that Deante Johnson, coming
off a hundred catch season last year, would be garnering
attention from the upcoming opponent in terms of when they are,

(07:02):
you know, forming their defensive game plan. So to me,
there's no excuse for not getting Pickens the ball more often.
And since I mentioned him already, Deante Johnson, I'm gonna
throw Chase Claypool in there as well. Uh that the
other two receivers who often are on the field with
George Pickens. Those guys need to start making those plays

(07:22):
that they were unable to complete in the fourth quarter
against the Browns. Um. You know, the Steelers don't have
a lot of margin for air, especially on offense, and
so UM, these guys were perceived to be maybe the
strength of the offense. Um. They need to start playing
like it. The two, the two holdovers, and let's get

(07:44):
that rookie from George to the ball way more often
than has been happening. You know, when training camp broke,
George Pickens was being touted as a offensive Rookie of
the Year candidate. And that wasn't all just people paying
attention to the hype from the Pittsburgh media coming out
of training camp. It was on tape. And Uh, it's

(08:06):
baffling to me how this is unfolded in the early
going is baffling. As a defensive line thing is troubling. Uh.
It started in Cincinnati when there was a chance to
hit Pickens on a deep ball one on one down
the right sideline, and Mitch Robinski admittedly said he threw
it away rather than give Pickens a chance to make
a play. Why are they not giving this guy chance

(08:28):
to make place. Why are the fifty fifty balls not
considered Pickens being open? Uh? Why? Uh? Well, let me
instead of asking asking more questions that don't have an answer,
I'll just put it this way, Labs, where I the
offensive coordinator, I would be calling a lot of plays
where George Pickens is designed to get the ball, where

(08:48):
either quarterback, I would be throwing Pickens the ball, no
matter where the play that was sent in, decided where
the ball should go. I think he is combustible. I
think uh he's highly mode evaded. I think this guy
can be a difference maker. They gotta let him be
that by throwing him the rock. Lab. Yeah, and if
I were the quarterbacks coach, when I'm in the room

(09:09):
with the quarterbacks going over the video, I would be
emphasizing in that room so that everybody could hear it.
Not just Mr Bisky, but everybody could hear it. Throw
the throw this guy the ball, Throw him the ball. Okay,
here we go. Statement number three. The Jets aren't the Bills, Bucks, Dolphins,
or Eagles, but nor should this game be perceived as

(09:32):
a layup. Yeah, I'm gonna agree. I think there's a
maybe a tendency to look at it that way because
the schedule gets uh so much tougher, or so you
would think so quickly after this Jets game. Now the
Jets are one and two. They've earned that record. Uh,
They've they've had some meltdowns on defense. Uh, they've made

(09:52):
some catastrophic mistakes, and uh they've been trying to get
by with an offensive line that by the end of
the game last Sunday against the Bengals was down to
offensive tackle number five and UH an aging immobile quarterback
with Joe Flacco. That was a bad combination. The Jets
have some problems, but I also think they play hard.

(10:14):
They are infusing a lot of young people in their
lineup high draft picks this year and last year. Uh,
they are in rebuild mode, but they look like they
have some building blocks. I think the defense, despite the
catastrophic mistakes, is gonna play hard and be capable of
making some place. And I don't think the Steelers or
any position bob to uh to consider anybody a layup.

(10:37):
You better be ready to uh take the ball to
the room with authority and finish, because if you sleep
on these guys, a bad situation could get worse. Well,
I'm gonna pull another nitpicking disagree on this because I'm
gonna just go a little bit farther than you, because,
as you so accurately mentioned following the game against the Jets,

(11:01):
the Steelers are at Buffalo, they played Tampa at home,
They're at Miami and at the Eagles. Okay, so squander
this game, this home game against the Jets, um and
those four games, those other four games that I just
mentioned Buffalo, Tampa, Bay, Miami, and Philadelphia. The Steelers will

(11:23):
be underdogs in all of those, and I don't think
anyone should be surprised if they don't win any of them.
So that being the case, you're staring down the barrel
at one and seven before Halloween. One and seven before Halloween,
I mean, and that is a deal breaker. Ways, some

(11:44):
buddy Joe Flaherty used to say, yes, yes, it is Pittsburgh,
Joe flat So, uh, you know, I just I just
I just believe that there are opportunity these, you know,
presented by the schedule, each team schedule, just as there

(12:04):
are difficulties presented by each team schedule. Uh, this game
against the Jets at home as an opportunity, you know,
for the Steelers to win to break their two game
losing streak, you know, and and get a victory, maybe
feel a little bit better about themselves, work on some
things in light of a win instead of, you know,

(12:25):
with a dark cloud of a loss hanging over their head.
And I understand that there is no mathematical validity in
proclaiming the fourth game of any season, I must win, um,
and so I'm not gonna do that. But I'm just
shy of the must win line. You know, I got
my if if the must win line was the back

(12:48):
of the end zone, I got my feet two feet
down in bounds so that the catch is good for
the touchdown. Yes, oh man, gotta get your buddy stare
Tour to make some sense of that, because I cannot, um,
because you know, when your toes are in, I think
that that's good enough. They don't say you have to

(13:09):
get your well never mind, I digress here. But anyway, UM,
gotta beat the Jets. J You cannot lose to the
j E t s uh not not at this point
in the season, based on what has happened earlier to
the Steelers, and especially based on what is on their
immediate horizons. So what you're saying is to summarize, if

(13:29):
they lose to the Jets at home and fall the
one in three, you're not confident that they're going to
go on a nine or ten game winning streak after that.
That would be an accurate statement. Quote that famous ex
Steelers coach. Okay, that's gonna do it. For this, it
should be award winning, maybe an Emmy award winning. I

(13:50):
don't know what they give for podcasts should be award
winning episode, and they better and they better give us
each one none of this sharing because I'm not sharing
that with you. No I I grew up not being
instructed to share and resisting, uh the temptation to do so.
So yeah, I want and you can have yours at

(14:11):
a boy the show with the motto I'm right, he's wrong.
Talk to you all next week