HR 1 - Double Revenge Game, Biggest Fear for Sunday

Tom Opferman and Chris Adamski talk about the Rodgers vs Fields revenge angle for the season opener Sunday, share their biggest fear for the game and more

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Our long national nightmare is finally over. There's a real
NFL football game being played tonight between the Cowboys and
the Eagles. I'm giddy with excitement. The hair on the
back of my neck is standing straight up. And if
you're wondering out there, wow, Wes Euler really sounds different,
a lot manlier, a lot you know, smarter, almost. Well,

(00:30):
it's not Wes Euler, it's Tom Opferman and that's why
you're hearing that I'm.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Taking over the Blitz.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Now. How about that I won this show off of
Wes in a poker match. Some people race for pinks,
I race for shows. No, as you all know, I'm
sure Wes is now on the Drive with Matt Williamson
doing fantastic work there. So I'm gonna slide in right
here on the Steelers Blitz. But I will not be
doing this alone. My co host will be Chris Adamski
from the Trip. You read his fine work there covering

(00:56):
the Steelers beat. Chris, this is gonna be a lot
of fun. I'm glad you're gonna be blitzing with this year.
Let's go, Tom, Let's go. I like that at the Energy.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes, yes, we could start out energy first day maybe,
but yeah, did you was that poker game? Was it
about two am? Maybe? After Shark?

Speaker 1 (01:11):
We signed an NDA with each other for that very much,
So I'm sure football's back though.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Man, it feels good.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
It really does have like a Christmas morning kind of
feel to it. And and last night I was sitting
on my couch taking some notes just perus and Twitter.
An NBC has kick Off Eve from ten to eleven.
It's like Kyle Brant and Jamie Orda, Monte Tayle like
a good morning football crews out there, and I'm like,
this is new right, Like I don't remember this last year,

(01:36):
but it really has built itself up to being almost
a national holiday today where they kick off the season.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
We always talk about the NFL with the draft. I mean,
who would ever thought, even in our I mean even
twenty five thirty years ago, that the draft would draw
half a million people at an outdoor facility just for
selections of players.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
People tune in to watch the schedule get released.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yes exactly. That they've gone into a year round schedule
of events and they're brilliant at it. And that's why
the NFL has become what it's become. But yeah, now
we have special on a major network. Yes, it's it's
it's not just the NFL network or some cable channel
or whatever, you know, web channel. But that that says it,
and it really is exciting. I know you're a big

(02:19):
a college fan as I am too, that there's that
feeling on that that week zero, that that's sad.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
There was the butterflies in your stomach.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
And this past Saturday and that was a great weekend
of college football, five days in a row of games.
But now, yes, the NFL is the NFL is with
all due respect to baseball, I guess national past time
is certainly the past baseball for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
The Steelers are a marquee game here in this first
week as well, the one o'clock kickoff Steelers Jets. NFL
knew what they were doing back when they made this
thing in May. I mean, I know that Rogers wasn't
officially a Steeler back then, but they could read the
tea leaves and I think they were also thinking, worst
case scenario, Rogers doesn't sign, we still have the fields

(02:58):
playing his old team angles that we can play up here.
But they got everything that they were wishing for. Chris,
I can't remember. I'm going to do some more research
on this tonight to make sure, but I haven't been
able to unearth another time when it wasn't just a
quarterback playing his former team, it was both quarterbacks playing
each of their former teams, like and let alone.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
It's in Week one, which is even crazier.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
But I just don't remember, off the top of my
head any circumstance where that would play out.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
A couple years ago, I remember the Russell Wilson they
played the Seahawks and people assumed that Drew Lock. It's
kind of crazy, how to look back, that Geno Smith
was sort of a career journeyman at that point.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
And he was forgot about that. That's a great call,
but he didn't.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Locke didn't win. The Locke was traded with a bunch
of a ton of other assets. Of course, Yes, for
Russell Wilson from the Broncos to the seasons.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Supposed to be the incumbent or the guy who was
supposed to win.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, he played Week one and everybody was surprised at
that point that Gino Smith has become this, like, you know,
a good starting quarterback in the NFL, not not an
elite one, but at the time he was a long
time backup, not with the Jets lamed out, you know whatever,
and he was so that ruined that would have been it,
but that ruined that. So yeah, I can't imagine there's
too many, because how many times you're starting quarterback, especially
if they're high profile teams, playoff caliber team. I mean,

(04:12):
in one case with the Steelers, maybe with the Jets
to playoff caliber, but you know, I guess you probably
have lower level team. You know, if this was the
Jaguars and the Panthers, for instance, if they had somehow
traded quarterbacks, it'd still.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
Be at one o'clock with the B team or the
C team calling it on CBS. It's a good point
on Gino and Russ. Just it's a little different because
Gino was in Seattle with Russ the year before and
then slid into that starting role when he beat out Drew.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Locke, and then Russ was playing his former team.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
Was it would have been the same if Gino was
on Denver, yeah, and then swipt over to Seattle and play,
and that angle of it is just it's so bizarre.
I saw justin Fields was asked about it this week,
and he was like, I'm gonna leave that to you guys.
I'm not a storyline guy. I'm a playball guy. That's
exactly what you're supposed to say. But like, man, you
have to not be a human being, you have to
be a literal cyborg to not at least take a

(05:00):
second and sit back, if you're Rogers, if your fields,
anybody on the Steelers, anybody on the Jets, and just
realize how really rare this kind of thing is that's
going to happen, and almost bizarre that, you know, you
basically just traded quarterbacks and now you're going to go
play your first game with the other guys quarterback.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
And especially both of them. Now, Rogers, of course, was
very open at least one time on what he did
is on the on the McAfee show and in April
that he was not pleased with the way that ended.
He's I wouldn't have been either, Yeah, yeah, the way.
I mean, especially a player of his, of his caliber,
of his resume, And I think that was.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
A misstep by Aaron Glenn the way. First of all,
he hasn't refuted it, so like I believe that it
did happen. The way Rogers laid it out, but like
you got to have a little bit more of a
professional tact I think when it comes to that, and you'd.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
Think Glenn was a long time NFL player too. I
don't know how his career ended. I mean, you've not
the not a fourth time MVP, but I mean, Aaron
Glenn was a was a was a respective player. Yeah,
however he got cut the last time. I'm sure he remembers,
or how he retired or whatever.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
It wasn't the way that Rogers like that, where he
was like we're watching film and all of a sudden
he's like, you're going to play next year. We're not
gonna play here the Jets like.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
You got it.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
You walk him to the tarmac, you shake his hand
and say, Aaron, it was amazing to spend a couple
hours with you. But I'm going in a different direction.
I hope you understand that, and he does. I guarantee
you he would have even just you know, maybe let
him leave. Hey, we'll be in touch. You call him
the day later, and how what, Aaron, We're just gonna
go in a different It was just kind of a
very unprofessional way of going about it. And because of that,

(06:30):
I think there is an extra element of revenge to Rogers.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
If it would have ended normally, if.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
Glenn would have been more professional, I bet you Rodgers
wouldn't have even really seen it as like a I
hate the Jets because it's a whole different organization now
than it was the previous two years with him. But
because of that, I think there's a little bit extra
on is like, you know what, that guy was kind
of a jerk to me at his first meeting as
a head coach. Really, I'm gonna stick it to him
right away?

Speaker 2 (06:54):
Oh yeah, I'm sure he and he downplayed it yesterday
in the locker room, which is what again, he's smart
enough to I mean he he'd already he'd already made
his he made his point before, and he knew he
didn't say anything else that did another reason to do
it during a game week and distraction and get his
drag his teammates into it. It wasn't I kind of
took the tact because the two of us were you know,
Steeers writers for the trip, and actually even three if

(07:14):
you count Tim Benz too, Joe Rudder, so they don't
have to count here. Yeah, we don't know. But Joe
was in the scrum with Rogers, so I said, you
know what, I was in the back and I couldn't
so I went over to Brandon eccles, which and he's
sitting there, and I thought it was kind of the juxtaposition.
He's also going back obviously again he's a game for him. Yes,
so he was a little more open about Oh, yes,
who's the schedule came out? I was, I was excited.

(07:36):
I was ready to play him, and I said, what
do you think about your buddy over there? You know
he's saying right now, it's not a big deal. He's like,
I said, do you think he's really He's like, oh,
oh yeah, he trusts me. He's angry. He is. He
did not like that.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
So and even if he wasn't angry at them, it's
a big deal because he wants to get this thing
going off on the right foot, Like he wants a
good taste in Steelers Nation's mouth. He wants a one
to oh start with the offense looking. It doesn't have
to look amazing, but it's got to look better than
I think we're thinking it might. I don't know about you,
but I have a feeling it's going to look a
little ugly in Week one, but hopefully the offense does

(08:06):
some nice things, some things you can build off of,
and you get the dub like beyond the Jets, you know,
revenge that's fueling him and the way he might feel
about Aaron Glenn and how he was spurned by them
in that meeting. Just getting off on the right foot
with the Steelers is so important for him. He wants
to write this final chapter of his career in a

(08:27):
positive way. And right now, when you finish that book
on Aaron Rodgers, it's a flame out for the last
two chapters.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
He needs it to fix that. Yeah, and if you
just think I don't want to say it, it would
get it. Just the vibes in the entire organization. There's
a lot of question marks about they didn't play together
in the preseason. There's new you know he got there
in June. There's a lot of sort of and if
they lose, right, they could win the game like last
year eighteen. You know, get what's a field goal, It
wouldn't matter, like that wouldn't even matter. But if they

(08:54):
lose the game somehow and the offense isn't very good
for whatever reason. If that happens all of a sudden,
you know, all this talk about it. You know, you
have all these veterans to come in and you have
a lot of a lot of reason to be optimistic. Now,
you know, predict the super Bowl? I don't know, but
you can talk yourself in. If you're a Steelers fan,
I think you can feel like, you know what, this
team has a chance. It's better than last year. Yeah,

(09:15):
as a chance. It's it's a playoff caliber team. And
you know we're not going to say they're better than
the Chiefs right now or whatever. But you get a
chance with this team, I think with the rosters, reason
to be excited about it. But if you lose the
week one to the to the Jets, whoever do you
think of the Jets? There's still the Jet. You know,
you always yes to the Jets, especially in Rogers, you know,
homecoming or whatever, what God forbid, if justin Fields it's

(09:37):
a big game or something. That's the other thing too.
To this one.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
It's like if they beat you with Fields as the quarterback,
it just feels a little extra ichy because he was
your guy last year. You didn't want to pay him
the money that he wanted, couldn't reach an agreement there,
You let him go to the Jets. That's fine, but
it just is a little bit awkward if right away
you turn around and you lose to that same guy.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so it would definitely for the for the sake
of everybody, for the for the fan base, for getting
getting off to listen. That's always important obviously, right. But
you know, when you have so much turnover like this
team has, and a lot of it's veteran turnover, and
a lot of them are a high profile, a lot
of big reds. You know, I was thinking about some
Let me think about guy like Darius Slay, thirteenth year,
six time Pro bowler, just won the Super Bowl, been

(10:17):
in All Pro and like you kind of almost forget
forget He's like, you don't forget about him. But in
terms of your ranked like oh, like Aaron Rodgers can
dk meckw, I mean the list of a listers that
are above him in terms of your off season acquisition,
just in terms of name value and whatever. It is
high agreed. And so it's been quite the off season
when you step back and look at it, what the

(10:38):
Steelers have done to the roster, and like I said,
you you can. There's no reason you can always season
week one, this season of hope. Right, you always say,
no matter what, every sport before the seams except for
the Penguins this year of the Pirates every year are exactly,
but you always have that everybody thinks they can win. Yeah, exactly,
And I think that that's I think it's true with

(10:58):
the Steelers that what they've done. You can see the
pieces they put in. So what I'm saying is starting
out one to oh really kind of it accelerates that
and you're starting to oh, and one's kind of kind
of a gut punch if that.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
Would have Yeah, even if the offense does struggle and
it's kind of like the Falcons Week one last year,
but you still get the win. I agree, Like you
can stomach that and you can kind of probably find
some positives that the offense did to talk up and
just be optimistic still about them turning a corner, putting
up more points and being a better football team than

(11:30):
they were last year. But yeah, when you start zero
and one, then you really start to worry a bit
because a team like the Steelers, you know, making the
playoffs or not Chris. I think it just it teeters
on a razor's edge, a knife's edge. And if you
drop a game that you probably should win against the Jets, yeah,

(11:51):
you can say you have a ton of time to
make that up. There's sixteen more games, but we might
be in Week sixteen and we might be a game
behind Cincinnati and are like, we lost by a field
goal to the freaking Jets, who only have five wins
now at this point in the season. The AFC tiebreaker, well,
the Bengals have been played by this for years, Like
last year, you go back and it's like, boy, if

(12:11):
they would have just beat the Patriots in Week one,
they're probably in the playoffs and no one wants to
play Joe Burrow, but they got upset. And so when
you're a team like the Steelers that really needs to
get every win you're supposed to get to ten, it
would really be I think an extra damaging Week one
loss if they were to fall this year than usual years.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
And I just think if you this season, in particular,
maybe in the AFC, because I do feel like, I mean,
you have your your powers right now that you know
the Ravens, the Chiefs, the Bills are you know, they're
pencil them in. Obviously, a team from the AFC South
has to make the playoffs, So that's four right there, right,
I guess they have to. Yeah, yeah, so and you figure,
you know, the Steelers and Bengals and Ravens are competing there.

(12:54):
You know, all three of them are probably playoff caliber teams.
And it won't even mentioned the Chargers yet. I mean,
the Patriots are better. A lot people are picking the
Patriots as that kind of sexy team that that sneaks
up in.

Speaker 1 (13:03):
Patriots and Jags are the two teams that I kind
of look at as like sneaky teams. And we can
get more in depth than this. Yeah, later in the
show we're going to talk about their predictions. But you're
spot on about the Patriots, like they're gonna be a
thorn in the side type of team this year. Maybe
they only get to seven or eight wins, but they're
gonna be building towards something.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
That's I don't want to play them in a early
season road trip two for the Steelers too, that again
could come back to get you. Yeah, similar thing to
the Jets. Yeah, you want to want to stack those
wins early because I think even if you're a good
team this year, even if you are have a winning record,
I think there's might be a lot of competition in
there for you know, those wild cards if you don't
win the division, things like that. So it's enough. So
you're right. I was just saying that the fine line

(13:41):
you're talking about is there, and it exists, and you're
gonna have to you don't want to stub your toe,
especially in week one, and have to have to start
digging out of holes early on.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
An interesting topic that I've seen people talking about when
it comes to this game is that who does this
mean more for Rogers or Fields discussion? And first of all,
I think that's a little bit of a foolish topic
because it means a hull of a lot to both
of these guys, like they it's not like ones like eh, well,
if we win whatever. They both want to win desperately.
Even if it wasn't the double revenge game, they'd want

(14:12):
to win desperately, they'd want to get off to that
one to oh start.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
Man.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
I go back and forth with this one though, like
who has more pressure on them to get this win
against their former team? Fields people painted as he got
bench last year, which he did not the starter, just
got healthy and came back and took over the starting job,
but he didn't get the money that he wanted from
the Steelers in the offseason and a team that he

(14:38):
went for and two for instead a career high mark
and completion percentage for decided we.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
Kind of want you, but not that much.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
So that's definitely, you know, something that he's probably thinking about,
even if he won't say that to the media heading
into this game. And then there's Rogers, who, like we said,
you know, he really has no ties to this current
iteration of the Jets except for whatever and Glenn to
do him in that exit meeting and then basically just
telling him to his face that you know, when we
don't want you back, we don't think you're good enough.

(15:08):
I think this probably means a little bit more to Fields.
Rogers's career is set in stone. Fields is singing for
his supper this year. He's not an NFL starting quarterback.
If this doesn't work this year, like this is his
fifth year, Chris, this is his last chance. Like if
he doesn't catch on now, he's a career backup. Moving forward,
Rogers is going to Canton the second he's eligible. He's

(15:29):
a first ballot, no doubter, four time MVP. Yeah, he
wants to finish his career off better than what has
been happening the past two years with the Jets.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
But I don't know.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
I think there might be a little bit more pressure
on Fields to get things off on the good foot.
The Jets are such a miserable franchise too, I mean,
just a total joke in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
Rodgers is supposed to turn that around.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
And yeah, so like I think I leaned slightly towards
this might be a little bit more of a pressure
cooker for Justin Fields.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
He might feel it a little more like I gotta
get this win. Yeah, certainly in terms of his career resume.
You're right, he's young. Obviously, his careers I guess at
a crossroads. I mean, you're you said, fifth season, third team,
now starting for you know, starting a season opener for
a third team. Let's put that way. And so his
career still obviously, the Jets believe there's there's still meat

(16:18):
on that boone. We should track tomblinisms because I'll just
drop them. It's in my regular vernacular. Now, I don't
even mean to. I think I kind of meet. I
don't know, it just happens now enough press conferences over
the years. But the Jets still see that he can
be a long term so or at least are willing
to explore that. And he's still there for him and
you know, we saw something un foreign too here last
Like you said, I don't if I rank the quarterbacks

(16:38):
in the world, he's probably in the top thirty two.
But every year there's gonna be like rookies that need
to you know, that type of thing. And if he
might turn into a Ryan Fitzpatrick who kind of bounces
around and maybe starts in a placeholder type of thing
or whatever. But if he goes out this, you'll lead
to the Jets of the playoffs. You know, I don't
know how it's contract structured things like that. You know,
maybe that you know, he becomes their their kind of
permanent starter or whatever it is, and that's that's still

(16:59):
there and him, you know, he was a top eleven
pick for a reason. The Rogers thing, it's like, you know,
short term, it would sort of after the you know,
getting hurt and then going five and twelve with the
Jets and if whatever reason, this doesn't work out, you
want to say, like, you don't want to go out
that way if you're a proud, you know, first ballot
Hall of Famer like he is. But at the same time,
it's like, you know, Brett Farr, Willie Mays, I mean,

(17:22):
we go through the Franco Harris, I don't know, look
like these iconic type players, and he's an he'll be
He'll go back to Green Bay a decade from now
or whatever it is when he retires and they'll they'll
retire his number and statue. Yeah, So even if it
does end bally or whatever, he doesn't work out, he
does to me. And I didn't know him before. Obviously

(17:43):
I don't know him that well now, but I just
in the locker room seeing him and and just another
the way he interacts with the player. He seems very relaxed.
He seems very like, yeah, like he doesn't feel I
don't think he feels pressure, really, you know what, I
think he knows. He knows he's a quarterback, he's what
he's done in this league. He knows the Steelers have
put a roster around him he can't succeed with, and
he must to give one last run here and you know,

(18:04):
if it doesn't work out, I don't think he feels
like this like now week one against the Jets. He
probably feels a little more. He wants to make sure
he doesn't uh things so well, the kind of stuff
with the them, I'm sure that's part of it for sure.
The field justin you know, being around him, he always
you know, he whether he handled that everything, if he
was angst or anything, and I guess you would be
to I don't you know your human being if anything happens.

(18:25):
I'm sure he probably hadn't went four and too, I
can flow. Yeah, I'm sure that was in his mind.
But he handled everything all right, you know, always interactions
after that, and even this past week he didn't you know,
he said anything about the Steelers or any hard feelings
about or whatever. And you know, at the same you know,
Russell Wilson started what six and one after he got

(18:46):
well again, not bench I won't say the word bed
because it wasn't benching, but after fields with Ruscott Healthy. Yeah,
Ruscott Healthy came in. So at that point then you
could could you make the case, But I mean, seriously,
were they going to make a quarterback change and in
the playoffs or the final game of the season.

Speaker 1 (18:58):
At that point, it was already unprecedented. When Mike Tomlin
did it going from Fields to Russ people were making
a huge deal about that.

Speaker 2 (19:06):
I imagine if he did that. Yeah, so you couldn't
put him in that. Let's starting to get the Chiefs
on Christmas Days, he'll get him.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well, I actually will say this, and I know we
got to get to break the one. And this hit
me way way hindsight, like I wasn't in the moment,
like give me a microphone in front of my face.
I have a great idea. When Pickens went down, you
had no passing game, so maybe that was a little
bit of a chance to maybe slide Fields in a
little bit more and try to lean on him running
the ball. But the Steelers didn't really do that as

(19:33):
much last year as you'd hope with him. And let's
actually pick up there, because that's the thing with Fields. Now,
this might be his last chance to be a starter
in the NFL. Is he gonna get the appropriate kind
of commitment from the Jets side of things to really
foster him becoming the best quarterback he can be? Well
touch on that next it's Kris A. Danski, It's Tom Offerman,

(19:53):
It's the Steelers Blitz on the Steelers Audio Network. It's
the Steelers Blitz with Tom Opperman and Chris Adamski. Chris,
we're gonna keep talking some Justin Fields here and how
the Jets can utilize him in a way that will
maximize his potential. You tweeted out yesterday you were talking

(20:17):
to Brandon Echols in the locker room and he said
something along the lines of our goal in this game
is to make Justin Fields play quarterback. I had a
good chuckle about that. He's absolutely right, first of all,
but what if you're Justin Fields and you see that, Like,
what do you think? You're an accomplished Ohio State starting quarterback.

(20:38):
You were a top ten I think you were actually
the number eleven, the overall pick in the draft.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
You've been a.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
Starting quarterback for three teams now an opening week, like,
you're a fifth year NFL quarterback and this guy who
you're playing is like, we should make him play quarterback.
That's our best bet against them this Sunday. But that's
the thing with Fields is he's just never really developed
as a passer. His best, ironically enough as a passer

(21:04):
came with the Steelers last year, but that still wasn't
that great. And people harp on the completion percentage that
he had. It was a career high. It was like
sixty five percent, which, by the way, it's not that great,
but still good for him. He's throwing the ball like
six seven yards down the field. I mean they were
all layups, like you should complete a lot of those.
So he didn't really take a huge leap forward last

(21:26):
year as far as passing the football is concerned. And
I got to be just quite honest with you, Chris,
I don't really expect him to take a huge leap
forward as far as that's concerned with the Jets now.

Speaker 2 (21:35):
I do think the Jets are going to.

Speaker 1 (21:37):
Kind of lean into his running ability more.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
So than the Steelers did.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
I think that there's a couple of reasons maybe that
the Steelers didn't want to do that. A because they
know you have to be a quarterback to actually win
games in this league eventually, Like Lamar doesn't just run
the ball.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
He's an amazing thrower.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
Jalen Hurts can whip off a nice pass or two
every now and then, I think they knew that and
then b I mean, Russ was heart. They were down
to their emergency third string quarterback. They just wanted to
make sure Field stayed healthy. I think I think that
was a part of it too, is like let's not
put him in too many situations where he's gonna get
hit a lot. With the Jets, I think it's gonna
be different. I think they're gonna do a lot of

(22:13):
designed runs. I think they're gonna have him lean into
his strengths and if the Steelers, like Eckles was alluding to,
can neutralize that and force him to throw the ball
and the offense can get out to an early lead
where the Jets are kind of chasing.

Speaker 2 (22:27):
I just don't I don't believe in justin fields.

Speaker 1 (22:30):
To put it bluntly like that, I don't think he
will become a starting caliber quarterback in this league, an
effective one.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, A couple of things. The first off, it was
like a little devil on my shoulder and the Angel
on my shoulder to tweet that, because I think he
was just trying to say we want to stop the
run and make them throw. But the verbiage like making
I was like it was so good, and I was like,
I don't think he meant to really fire that shot
the way it kind of came across. But I was like, oh, I,
but so you look at it and I'm like I

(22:57):
typed it out. I'm like, I gotta, I gotta share
this with the war Well.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
That's the thing, Chris like, You're right, he didn't mean
that as a shot. He was just genuinely talking game plan.
And that's why I'm like, if your fields, it's like
that stakes to hear.

Speaker 2 (23:09):
Because it's so true.

Speaker 1 (23:11):
He's not as effective as a thrower as he has
is as a runner. This isn't a thousand yard rusher
once upon a time with the Bears.

Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yeah, And there's enough of people were and even people
all the way up heck, probably even into June, and
I think even now they're probably Stiller friends out. How
why didn't we just Reasligne feels. I don't know that
there was up until certainly when Roger signed and I
just through with the Bears. And one of my things
that I I harp one of my pet like peeves
is that like sacks are a big quarterback stat more

(23:38):
so than you have a line. And people say oh,
look how often you got sacked the line and the
Chicago stunk, which would the line in Chicago wasn't great,
so I'm take that away. But but him taking sacks
is part of the problem with Justin Field is probably
he you know, whatever that is. You know, I'm am
out of quarterback, the ability to get the decision making,
whatever it is. If you're gonna run around, you're gonna
get sacked, You're not getting rid of the ball, fast stuff,

(24:00):
whatever the that's that's part of it. And he was.
You're right, he was better with the Steelers than I anticipated.
I think he was better. That was probably some of
the best. It wasn't dynamic. It wasn't like he'd have
the best stats. Maybe. Yeah, there were games in Chicago
runs where he had both good productive passing days and
certainly very good rushing days.

Speaker 1 (24:17):
He put up one hundred and forty rushing yards on
Aaron Glen's Detroit defense at twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2 (24:22):
You think that might have been.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
In Glenn's head when he was going to a free agency.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, yeah, probably. Yeah, it's given him nightmares for a while.
They're not I got kid to.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
Get this guy when he was in his second ear Chris.
The Bears won like five games. I think he only
won like three of them for them. He was ninth
in MVP voting because he ran for like a thousand yards.

Speaker 2 (24:38):
He was a freak it really, I mean, if there
wasn't four Lamar Jackson, which is just to talk about
a freak or just sort of a anomaly once in
a lifetime type absolutely runner as a quarterback, we'd be
probably talking more about Fields in terms of his running
and sort of And even in this era where I
mean Mike Toma talks about the mobile quarterbacks and they
and every team and or a lot more quarterbacks are
mobile and do run. And there's I mean Jalen Herd.

(25:00):
It's just one of the Super Bowl and they have
a you know, set run type things for him, and
think of course the touch push. But even in that era,
I mean Fields is I mean, there's no comparison in
terms of running fields the Jalen Hurts even right right,
I mean Fields is just the in terms of his
running he gets in the open field, things like that things.
Oh yeah, and this is like he's fast and he's
almost has running back type I don't know, power or strength.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Yeah, that's he's.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
Different from Lamar in that aspect.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
Like Lamar is a little bit fragile, not to say
that he's weak, but like you don't want to take
a lot of hits.

Speaker 2 (25:29):
If you're Lamar, Fields can almost deliver that punishment.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
He's got like Allen size, but Lamar's speed as well. Yeah,
he really is like a running back. I mean, I
don't mean that disparaget exactly.

Speaker 2 (25:40):
He's built like that. Yeah, and he can't and that's
kind of makes them, especially when you have two high
caliber running backs that the Jets have too, that's all
they're gonna do. Yeah, it makes sense on their on
their level to do that. And when you you can,
if you're the Jets, you probably your roster. We have
a good front, you know, we can rely on our
you know, call it old school whatever you want to
call it, play that type of game. We're gonna run
the ball, possessed the ball, things like that. And it

(26:02):
is now. Of course, when you lose your your top guard,
maybe that that sort of changes things. I don't you know,
it won't be as easy, but I mean that's what
the Jets probably should do. If you're the Jets, and
if you sign Fields, and if you do things and
if you have the right thing around him, it can work.
And he's not a not a bad passer by any means.
He's inconsistent things like that. It's it's an interesting I mean,

(26:23):
of course you're throwing in a fact you played for
the Steelers last year. It makes it even more interesting in
a matchup. But yeah, I think I mean again, Fields
was a it's kind of it's a derivative and they
both went to Ohio state of like people in love
with Will Howard, Like when you have a high profile
college quarterback like that, who was a top eleven pick
when Howard wasn't that, but you know there's a.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
Lot he's famous from college. Yes, yeah, so he people
kind of overinflate his ability. I think it was like
the Steelers. I was like, I was against it. From
the Steelers perspective over the offseason. I said, they can
say they do better, but I thought there were better options.
Probably they could do better, and I think they did.
I think this is a better option that they have
right now exactly.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
But that being said, it's still you know, he still
can find ways to beat you, that's for sure, no
doubt like I said, he's a top thirty two NFL
or thirty two quarterback in the world. What's makes him
by definition of starters.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
So no, he should be a starter. I agree with that. Now,
maybe at the end of the year he shouldn't be,
and it was finally definitively proven. But right now, yeah,
he one through thirty two. He's getting drafted before you
get to pick number thirty three, and he's going to
be the starting quarterback. So yeah, I agree with that.
He can beat you with his legs, no doubt, like
there is a danger to that. But my thing with
him was, and this was happening last year with me too,

(27:31):
like people, when he was winning the games for the
Steelers and doing better than we saw in Chicago. The
Chargers game, he had some moments he almost came back
against the Colts, but then he took his eye off
the ball with the snap or whatever happened with Fraser
and that blew up that drive. But he was looking
good in that game. He looked like they were going
to bring him, he was going to bring the team back,
and he was throwing.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
The ball well in that game.

Speaker 1 (27:51):
Well, that was his best throwing performance as a Steeler.
You know, people looked at that and they were like, well,
this is it. We found our guy. And I was
watching all those games and I was like, I've never
walked away from his performance in these six games and gone,
he's it, Like this is the quarterback. Like I never
felt that, And that's kind of what you were getting at.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
In this offseason.

Speaker 1 (28:10):
It's like, hey, he's nice, Like, Okay, he probably could
be a good bridge this year if you had to
do that, but he's not. It Like I don't watch
the games and go, man, you know, they only went
nine to eight this year, but this dude has something
like with Burrow in Cincinnati's rookie year, he got hurt
and they stunk, but like from game one, I was like, Okay,
he's different. He knows how to play this game already.

(28:32):
And you just never saw that from fields in Chicago
at any point, and you never saw it in Pittsburgh
last year. So like, I've never really had this big
attachment to him, and now that I'm looking at him
from the other side of things, I gotta kind of,
you know, tamp myself down a bit, but I'm licking
my chops a little bit here. Chris like, as long
as you stop the running attack, I don't see any

(28:54):
way he's going to be able to orchestrate an offense
to beat you.

Speaker 2 (28:57):
I really don't. I think a lot of it. I'm
sorry put you said about holding onto the ball too much. Yeah,
that's so.

Speaker 1 (29:02):
That's feeds right into what the Steelers want to do,
especially if they're going man coverage and Porter and Ramsey
are locking.

Speaker 2 (29:08):
Up tjce ready to bat that ball down.

Speaker 1 (29:10):
To give him three or four seconds he's getting to you.
So I just think that it's a it's actually a
very favorable matchup for the Steelers as long as they
stop the run and.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Doesn't fields lead the NFL and fumbles since the end
of the league. I think it's so.

Speaker 1 (29:23):
I mean t J Watt, remember he fumbled like five
times last year. He just recovered most of them, so
it wasn't it wasn't really a big it wasn't.

Speaker 2 (29:29):
Yeah, And that's what TJ leads the league and forced
fumbles over the past year. So yeah, if you're doing
for I guess now it's legal. We can. We don't
have to be subtle about if you're doing any props
for fumbles oruble recovers or whatever. Turno. I don't know
what it is, but uh TJ might be over point
to say that you might look at that for sure,
and yeah that hey, wins and losses are I mean,

(29:49):
that is both the you know, it clouds things, but
if it's what you want, right so, but remember they
didn't score a touchdown the game one last year, Week
one in Atlanta, as we referenced, they wasn't the set
was it? Thirteen was the second game in Denver, and
that's fine in one games and they could there therefore
they could hear the game plan and you said in
Indianapolis and they did lose. It probably was his best

(30:09):
game because then they realized they couldn't. They had to
kind of turn him loose, and he actually was better
and he was fine. But I mean, people like I
know a lot of it's well, Chicago's so bad, and
I get it, Yes, Chicago four years, spending four three
years in Chicago doesn't isn't the best scenario for anybody.
But I always think like the Texans were like a
dumpster fire and see d Strout showed up and all

(30:30):
of a sudden, like what they didn't hold it, you know,
didn't hold him down. He didn't hold them down. All
of a sudden, they were a playoff team. I mean,
if your guy is it, I'm a big I'm also
a guy on the quarterbacks, and I've been proven wrong
a couple of times, Like Josh Allen's rooie year was
not very good, but generally I feel like you know.

Speaker 1 (30:45):
Pretty quickly I do too. I agree with that Josh
Allen's a good one to throw in there. But even
his rookie year, there were traits that you were like,
this guy's a freak, Like he's just even when he
wasn't a great thrower of the football, Chris, remember they
went nine and eight and he was a wild card team,
Like he was just you know, kind of water buffaloing
his way down the field. And boy, he was a
terrible passer. I mean, his accuracy was just all over
the place. But he had a gun for an arm.

(31:07):
That was his book too, So it was kind of
like but there was still there were it in moments
with him. We could have never predicted that he would
have become one of the best passers in football and
completely basically fixed his throwing mechanics at the NFL level.
But I agree with you completely, Like nine times out
of ten the guy shows signs his rookie year that
you've got something here. Now, maybe he does that and

(31:28):
then it doesn't pan out, like he kind of falls
off a little bit. And then there's those rare examples
of guys that maybe are a little bit of a
late bloomer. Sam Darnold I think fits that description right
now as a late bloomer. But again, kind of backing
my own point, he showed some traits in New York
of why was picked number three overall, just he's on
the Jets and they are a terrible franchise when it

(31:48):
comes to quarterback development, and he just never could really
put it together. But yeah, I agree with you on
that take that you pretty much know you've got a
franchise quarterback. Maybe not from Jump Street, but by like
week ten of his rookie season. And again, like Burrow,
it might not be going anywhere wins and loss wise,
but you know your future is bright.

Speaker 2 (32:06):
And it's like I think there's always the sunk cost
fallacy to a point, and and like the Cardinals were
the first one, believe you know, when they had Josh
Rosen and a top eleven pick right, and they just
this that they realized pretty quickly. They're like, yep, overall
next year, yeah and once and that helps too when
you get the top pick. The same thing with the
But like if the Bears didn't make that, if the

(32:27):
Carolina didn't give the Bears everything for the draft pick,
how to go the draft pick of the year before, right,
then the Bears wanted to pick number one overall. The
Bears still might have justin fields, you know what I'm saying. Might?

Speaker 1 (32:36):
And does Carolina take Caleb Williams a year after taking
Brice Young?

Speaker 2 (32:41):
Probably not, but still yeah the way I kind of
you know so, And even the teams that have sort
of quote unquote given up on their young quarterbacks, it's
almost by they can't pass up the alternative number one
overall pick. I just gave two examples, and they were
I say, generated. But I think Kayleb william just thought
of as prep well we don't, I don't, I don't
think anymore, but was thought of as a possible generational quarterback.

(33:03):
Kylin Murray was a stamped on number one overall pick.
When you have those opportunities and you pick a number one,
you got to take it. So I don't know how often,
but it is like some of these teams they take
the rookie quarterbacks and you languish with them for three
or four years. And even the Jets, I mean, I
mean you could tell pretty early that Jack Wilson wasn't
going to be the answer, right, Yeah, I mean it's
it's like and then I don't even who was there.

(33:24):
They had a veteran back up a little bit there,
and they put they'd go back to Wilson when Wilson
got hurt, and I'm like, this is not even the
Wilson won a game here three or four years ago
and I was like, he ain't it like that was
probably the best game of his career when when the
Jets he had nothing to do with that exactly, And
it was you could tell and if it wasn't for
you know, Rogers, that was.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
The Mitch Trubisky bench game, correct, wasn't that the Deontay
Johnson blow up?

Speaker 2 (33:46):
And Kenny Kenny came in debut. Yeah a half time he.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
Threw that pick late in the game. Kenny did it
swung things in the favor of the Jets. Yeah, that
that that was what a time to be alive. I
remember it clearly like it was yesterday.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
Life comes out.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
My guy came in Chris back then. I mean, I'm
such a picket haead. I mean it was exciting.

Speaker 2 (34:05):
Yeah, it is like I said, life goes at your fast.
That was only less than three years ago right now
in real time, and imagine what's happened since.

Speaker 1 (34:12):
Well, because of the quarterback turmoil with this team, it
feels like it's been a centi. It's been a century
since been Reverend Rothsberger was just.

Speaker 2 (34:18):
Like the incumbent.

Speaker 1 (34:19):
You always write him in with sharpie on the depth
chart and the first one that's released the training camp.

Speaker 2 (34:23):
You don't have to worry about it. And that's what
you always say. Two types of NFL teams, one to
have the franchise quarterback and those that don't the stewards
this period when they don't, it's what the other half
lives that way and five different stars in five years,
and you know.

Speaker 1 (34:35):
There's so much more successful than the other half.

Speaker 2 (34:36):
Usually, yes, exactly, and to make the playoffs, I mean,
think about it. Kenny Pickett's been on what we've been
treated three times now since and he you know, it's
not even off his rookie deal yet and yeah, and
they made the playoffs a year that Kenny Pickett started
most of the game. They made they finished the winning
record the year Kenny Pickett started most.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
Of the game, their third string quarterback got him off
the mat that year. It just it's very You're right,
they're kind of in the have nots side of things
with the l but they're not acting like it because they're.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
Winning ten games and they're still getting to the playoffs.
And that's what. Yeah, and what the alternatives available I
think they've done. I mean last year and Russell Wilson
and Justin Fields, I mean getting those two guys for
where for the alternatives what they were instead of in
you know, whether you traded you would have a bounty
of pit whatever, the Matthew Stafford thing, whatever, if that,
if that ever was a thing to be available, but
for realistic options and for what the compensation, both in

(35:25):
terms of draft capital and what they've paid these quarterbacks.
I think even a good job of fostering this and
trying to get it to a point. And listen, Aaron
Rodgers might be great, but he's forty one years old, right,
we know he's not the long term anson no matter what.
So steering it through this making the playoffs and having
teams that again we talk about, can compete and can say,
you know what, we're getting the playoffs. This team, you
could see things if things fall right, that could go

(35:47):
you could go far. And so you got to foster
through and eventually and take another swing, whether it's next
year or one, and we'll get We have plenty of
time to I'm sure when spring comes, depending on it,
maybe Rogers will come by I don't know, forty two.
We'll we talk about that draft a lot or whatever
the long term answer is. But not happened that to
be able to and it's been a carousel, but I
think it's been again the Stewards have been winning record

(36:08):
this whole time.

Speaker 1 (36:09):
When we come back, I'm gonna clue you in on
the biggest worry I have when it comes to Steelers
versus Jets. On Sunday, it's Chris Damps gets Tom off
froman It's the Steelers Blitz on Steelers Audio Network. Chris,
we were talking about the Jets utilizing Justin Fields's legs
a lot more than maybe the Steelers did last year

(36:32):
and really leaning into that as their offensive identity. Before
we get to my biggest fear when it comes to
the game one Sunday, let's take a look at the
rushing attack from the Steelers side of things, and more
specifically the contract that was handed out to Jalen Warren.
You know, I'm kind of this isn't good radio, but
I'm kind of sitting directly on the fence when it
comes to this, Like I see the positives of it,

(36:54):
but I also see the merit of well, maybe you
just have them play it out. And the thing that
I'm kind of have in trouble wraping my head around
a little bit is they always seem to have the
mindset when it came to Nausey, prove it, prove it.
You got to prove it. Don't pick up his fifth
year option, prove it in your fourth year. And he

(37:14):
had one thousand yards rushing.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
But I'm not.

Speaker 1 (37:17):
Upset that they moved on from him because there wasn't
anything there that I was like, oh, I got to
keep him. But that was the way they approached him,
was like, you know what, we're going to have you keep.
We still need to see a little bit more, a
little bit more, a little bit more. And then with
Jalen Warren, he hasn't started a game in his NFL
career and they gave him twelve million guaranteed in a
two year contract extension. Look, I think that that could

(37:39):
end up being a very good bargain for them if
he plays to the level that they think he's going
to play at this year. But I also just feel
like there's a little bit of an inconsistency there. You
had the last guy, have to prove it, prove prove it.
Maybe you go to Jailan Wrman and say, hey, we
want to get a deal done. We like you, but
why don't you start a few games first, and let's

(38:00):
just see that you can actually do it. I'm sure
they in their minds believe he can do it, and
I'm sure they'll probably be right, but let's see it first.
And that's the only thing I think that I'm a
bit hung up on about it. It's just a little
bit of the inconsistent. I wouldn't have hated seeing Jalen
Warren have that carrots still kind of dangling out in
front of him.

Speaker 2 (38:21):
That prove it kind of year. Yeah, the way I
look at this, a couple of things. You know, in
the era of a we're up to what two hundred
and seventy nine million dollar salary cap, what is twelve
million guarantee over two years or three years. Yeah, so
it's like we have a tendency. The money's not the
problem with me.

Speaker 1 (38:36):
Really, it's kind of just the approach from Jalen Warren
and like, hey, go earn it a little bit more,
start some games and show us that you can do this.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
Yeah, and so I kind of look at it's kind
of because I mean he's missed what three games of
his career has been relatively durable. Yeah, last year was
really the first problem he had to kind of wonder,
and he does play, you know, he could see him
getting hurt especially, but he was pretty much playing half
the snaps anyway these past two seasons pretty much, which
I don't know if we'll played that much more this
year and we get a little more like I feel
like the game well is if if you go with

(39:07):
a whole roster. What I'm most curious to see and
or most kind of don't know is I mean I
could see them using gain well have the snaps and
putting them out wide and doing all this stuff with them.
I could see maybe game wasn't playing hardly at all,
Like I don't like, I feel like Gainwall is going
to play a lot.

Speaker 1 (39:23):
That's kind of what I'm leaning toward. I do too,
especially at the beginning of the year.

Speaker 2 (39:25):
Yeah, especially because I think I think Caleb will be
a clear number three early. Yeah, me too. But Warren,
like I I way, I kind of feel it is
like you know, in the Grands game, it's not that
much money, and I get it, and you want to
you know, we look at it if you want your
team to quote unquote win the negotiation or whatever and
you want, and you could probably could have just let
him play it out and either recently, even if he

(39:46):
had a career year, I'm sure you could have resigned
him or even franchise and whatever you you had to
do if you really wanted to keep them then and
really not wouldn't have been that big of a risk.
Not too, but I think it was almost a situation
where he was certainly underpaid by his product in the past.
He was undrafted rookie, working on that rookie contract and
essentially the minimum three years in a row, and was
playing you know, side by side with the first round pick.

Speaker 1 (40:07):
He already was playing on a huge the RFA tender
of five million was that was life changing for him.
Now he got another two million on top of that.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
So yeah, so you get so. I think it was
sort of a you know, he's like everybody likes him.
He obviously works hard, he's you know, I think it
was a situation where they almost reward them to a
stands for for not much commitment on their r They're
not much financial. You know, they get out of it
if they have to. It wouldn't really hurt them. Yeah,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
Look, you're bringing up great points, and it check. He
does check all those boxes that you just brought up. Like,
I'm not saying, like this guy, thanks, how could you
sign him? I don't know. I just like dangling carrots,
I guess, Chris, I just like I just like making
people work for it a little bit. I think I
think there is something too. Contract year equals career best
performances in a lot of cases with athletes.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
That's what I mean. I remember a different sport, but
Kaig Patrick used to love giving one year contracts. He
even said, you got to sing for your supper now. Yeah, yeah,
seen guy that bring a veteran in here. You'll get
your best, best effort at best performance. And there is
something to that, but I don't think, but there's.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
Something to what you said to like, you can't just
be like earn it, earn it, earn it all the time.
It's like I've been earning. Please give me the contract
with some security and me.

Speaker 2 (41:15):
He's a guy I went to Juco Utah State, Oklahoma State,
undrafted right and came in, made the team, and then
now you want me to be your feature back. Yeah.
If it was next to a first round pick for
two years as as a time share essentially where they
almost trusted more and more almost in bigger situations just
by the nature of maybe passing down. You know, if
you're at the games on the line, he was in
the game more often because you're probably passing if the

(41:35):
games on the line, and you know, third down type
back situation. So you know, I think and you know,
they like everybody likes some of that room. I think
he's perpetually. What I'm saying is he's the type that
he's always gonna have that that that chips you don't
have to worry about him saying, oh I made it
now finally, you know what I mean, that's that's in
his nature. That's what he's had to do for the
past decade to get to this point. So I don't
think you had to worry about that. So I don't

(41:56):
I don't think I have a you know, I think
it was fine. There's nothing really to It's crazy that
now we'll see the running back market. Because even that's
why I thought, like you said, Nage was very ordinary
or just very adequate. It's fine, durable, you know, nothing
wrong with them, but a thousand yards. Yeah, So it's
like you wouldn't necessarily think. But then when the fiftyr
option was like seven million, I'm like, that's like nothing

(42:17):
like I thought. I thought they were gonna pick it
up for me too. I thought it was a bargain
for Yeah, So when they didn't do that, that was
sort of a signal like they don't believe in Naugy really.

Speaker 1 (42:24):
And then ironically enough, Chris, they're paying their starting running
back that's seven that's seven million dollars this year.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Yeah, which I guess maybe tells you all what to
you that they felt that way about one.

Speaker 1 (42:33):
But then again, in the back of my head, I'm like, well,
if you found that way, why didn't Warren start to
usurp some more carries.

Speaker 2 (42:38):
It was sort of the way Nagy got all seventeen,
like that had to be in. There's sometimes an intentional
the starts, which is so it goes into stat book
or it goes into your career, Like every time they's
not a free agent, I write it our site, this
guy's and you've played.

Speaker 1 (42:51):
A profile reference page. The starters are right there, so
that you maybe only play that one snack get to
be the starter.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
I mean, there's there's times they do it on like
in Roberts. How many games did he started? He's only
playing thirty percent of the snap the last couple years. Yeah,
there's some reason, there's that. I think that was part
of it. Nay, I remember Nag he was a captain
the one year. There was some sort of reverence or
reverence might be a strong word, but tom And endeared
himself and Nod he thought. I think he thought his
rookie year, this is gonna be my my my horse

(43:20):
for a decade for a long time. Yeah, and you know,
and then once it became a parent that it was
not gonna be yes, Yeah, but you know so that
it's way that Warren never was out there for the
first snap of a game. You know, it just seems
I don't think that's a coincidence. I think whatever reason
it was, you know, deferring to.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
Yeah, well, Warren will be out there for the first
snap of the game on Sunday. And again, I'm excited
to see what he brings to the table after getting
this contract. I hope he's extremely effective. I just maybe
would have made him earn it a little bit.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
That's that's just.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
Me my biggest fear right now. And we can get
into this in depth and tomorrow show Chris when we
really dig down deep in the Jets U Sauce Gardner
and his ability to potentially just delete DK Metcalf from
this football game. Now, it's not going to be exactly
the same as if DK was injured, which is my
doomsday scenario for this offense, because then Sauce is on

(44:08):
Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson and it's just the nightmare.
So at least they get to avoid him in this game,
but it's still very damaging. I think if Sauce is
just blanketed all over DK. DK can't slip away from
him for a couple of chances to make a play
with Rogers. It's just gonna turn your passing game, I think,
into a very tough proposition.

Speaker 2 (44:29):
Yeah, there's no doubt. And we saw a practice that
whether again talk about being intentional or not to set
a tone or to send a message or to have
that bond with them every first I mean, I've meant
to go back. I didn't chart it that well. I
mean some people are actually charting practice players. Was kind
of wild to me, but that it seemed like every
time there's a team period eleven to eleven, whether it
be seven shots or even you know, a two minute

(44:51):
Aaron was looking to DK the first play every single time.
It was almost without fail on the blitz first play
against it a slanted DK back I like play actions.
Maybe that with the bend thing that happened constantly where
there was a if there was some sort of midweek
controversy about ab or whatever, feed him, But yes, it
was that first they would send that message a one
of those screens right like that quick screen right to

(45:13):
the top. Yeah, if Mark Tavis had some sort of whatever,
it was get him on his hands. There was some
drama about something they got on the ball the first play,
just to get it out of get you know, forget it.
Everybody's okay, he's part of it. Put it behind you.
So I don't know if he's in the game play yes,
and I think that's you know, there is some I
mean DK meta DK again, going back to the Steelers offseason,

(45:33):
DK freaking Metcalf is a Steeler. Like if you had
said this back in February or whatever, there's.

Speaker 1 (45:38):
So many dudes like that. Jaylen Ramsey's a Steeler, Aaron
Rodgers is a Steeler. So it's like we're playing Madden
Chris and.

Speaker 2 (45:45):
DK's getting pay like he is a marquee player in
the market, top five receiver money wise. So it's almost
as if you almost again the first play of the
regular season. And I think Rogers does think these type
of things and think this way to a point you
I wouldn't be surprised they'd take a shot maybe the
first player that first series to DK, be right, I like,
your what you're thinking, and we'll have to I'll be

(46:05):
texting you after the first snap on Sunday. We'll see
if you got it right or not.

Speaker 1 (46:09):
Well, that's the thing, you got it right. This is
gonna be your Nostradamas. I do like to call myself
Tom Stradamas sometimes when I make predictions on the show,
or no stra Thomas.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
It's really easy, Chris, I mean, I got so many.

Speaker 1 (46:20):
But boy, now that I'm thinking about it, it might
be Rogers's move to early and often test sauce, like
be like, you want to delete DK. You want to
take off my best weapon in the passing game.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Let's see it.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
Early, back shoulder throwt a DK, deep ball to DK,
quickslanted DK, make guard. I think the biggest thing you
could do is if you get the ball into DK's
hands early and make Gardner tackle. He's huge, Like, that's
gonna be a lot for Gardner to do. I'm not
saying he's not a willing tackler, but that's gonna wear
on him.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
And that's the way that you might.

Speaker 1 (46:51):
Be able to later in the game slip away from
him on a deep route.

Speaker 2 (46:54):
And I hadn't even when you just mentioned that they're
test sauce. Seeing Aaron interact with the Steelers, I'm sure
it was the same with it and he was talking
to Echos something about his way. He was in the
locker around there. I'm sure Casas was maybe they're arguably
their highest profile player when Rogers showed up or yeah, so,
like I'm sure that they had a thing fun. He
probably you know, they were talking back and forth a

(47:14):
lot of smack. And I bet you I didn't think
about that angle of it too, that I bet your
Aaron wants to I bet you he might do it
and give a point, you know what. I could see
that happening and some on you like that not as
fun when it's on the other team. Yeah, so now
that now I'm more convinced even that if it's saw
us line up against number four and it's one on one,
that Aaron's going there for a lot of reasons. Right

(47:36):
off the.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
Bat, we got a football game tonight. We are going
to unveil our first twenty twenty five Steelers blitz ball
on the show next and we'll get into Steelers Eagles.
It's a skill, Chris. We'll get into Steelers Eagles as
well in the next hour. Tom off From and Chris
Adamski Steelers Blitz on the Steelers Audio Network