HR 2 - A Moment with Kenny G, Around the NFL

Chris and Tom break down the bad run defense and lack of running game for the Steelers on Sunday, talk about Kenneth Gainwells big game, look around the NFL and more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Tom Offerman and Chris Adamski on the Steelers Blitz on
the Steelers Audio Network. It was really easy to feel
good about yesterday's win. Your quarterback three for four touchdown passes,
your offense scored thirty four points. It was a fun
game to watch if you remove yourself from the fandom
angle of it, like if you were just you know,
some guy in Boise, Idaho. What an amazing football game
that I got treated to. So that was something that

(00:31):
was nice today. It's always fun to digest those type
of games too when your team is involved in on
the winning side of it. So there was a lot
of good, but there was also some things that make
you a little queasy, maybe some things that you're trying
to selectively ignore today on a victory Monday because it's.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Like, I don't want to talk about that yet. We're
going to talk about it right now. Though.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
The run defense, to me, at the very top of
the list here as the biggest problem, and it's concerning
because this was a problem last year and it's kind
of like, oh no, here we go again. The Jets
got one hundred and eighty two yards on the ground
on thirty nine carries and that's a four point seven
yards per carry clip. And they found the end zone

(01:09):
three times via running the football, Justin Fields running the
ball in twice and Brayleen Allen once you saw the
Ravens put up two hundred and ninety nine yards in
the ground in the playoff game, and it didn't get
to that point in this game against the Jets. But
it started out in a way that was similar where
it was like, man, what is going on here?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
And it didn't get better throughout the game.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Like I always Chris was kind of expecting it to
kind of click right, like maybe coming out of halftime,
maybe late in the second quarter, was just one drive
was gonna be a stuff stuff Justin Fields tries to
run stuffed and they're gonna try to start feeling it
a little bit and they'll put the clamps on a
running game that was out of control early.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
That never happened.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
The Jets for the entire game were able to run
the ball, and just by the saving grace of being
up by two points and they're only being a minute
and three seconds left on the clock, they could not
in that final possession. It was just way too easy
for them. And it's really deflating when teams have a
lot of success running the ball on you.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, and that's not it's not even you know, they
don't listen to me very openly. Omar Kahn and Andy
Widel discussed how they wanted to get more physically. They
want to be better against the run. You know, the
players got to the point where they were sort of
downplaying it. But you know how much much of a
bad taste that was in their mouth that the Ravens
game last the two Ravens games late last year. Actually,
even if you go to the regular season, they game

(02:29):
there and they go out, they draft two defensive line
and they signed two defensive line I know they're not
you know, you know a Qualita and and my boy,
Oh that I I want to try to rep. He
was easy, yes, oh he was. He was a scratch
this week. But and they signed a Malik Harrison, who's
whose job on defense is to stop the run.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
Right.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Uh, they did a lot of things. They wanted to
get more physical, they want to be better against the run.
And yeah, especially that first drive. That's what it was like.
I talk about confidence level both for that game and
for the season. There's a point there after the first drive.
I'm like, like all they think of all the priorities
and the resources they did to put into that and
to have Now we talked about our the Jets are

(03:06):
going to be one of the more run reliant teams
in the NFL. You have that. What's the term he
says that the plus one. He calls it when David
ordru the quarterback is a running back that Mike Tomlin
refers because you have ANX essentially an extra blocker. Then
because your quarterback, usually in a running game, is not
part of it. He's he hands it off and he's
out of the way and that's it. See, you do
have an advantage that way too when you're a running

(03:27):
quarterback if you're a team. So it's not necessarily a
trend for the season, but yes, you would. You certainly
would have liked to see and been better. It was
a little just dishearted and it got better throughout the game,
although you said it wasn't.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
It made some key stops. Let's say that, yes.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
And and and defense on hold, we're not we're getting
away from just the running game. Those two again, like
the plays we talked about, you know, DK drops a
pass in the first quarter or whatever that the defense
it needed two stops, then it got two stops. Two
stops the end of three and outs two or three
O four and out technically, of course, but they got
not to stop just like emphatic stops when they needed
it in the fourth quarter with the game on the

(04:04):
line on both occasions. So you give him credit for
that for sure, on defense as a whole. And that's
that's it. But I mean, there were there were runs
in those drives too, especially the first of those ones.
But but yes, and it's it's not alarming, it's at
the panic button yet. Yes, if what's this way if Boswell,
you know, he kicks a field go fifty nine yards
and misses that one at the end where we're probably

(04:25):
talking a lot.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Of more about Aaron Rodgers that they couldn't stop the run,
that's that's the topic. A yes, So we don't get
to ignore it selectively at that point. But that's what
winners do, Chris, they get to ignore selectively.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
And and and to that point, if you don't mind
me said like we and it was I'm glad like
because a couple of us got to talk to Patrick
Queen at the end of the locker room session after
the game, and and he you know, we took I mean,
they won the game, took a positive attack and I
was just trying to do something all the new guys
or whatever, and he took it and steered it to
and he said, you know, we stunk and what we
played like crap, and we played like trash. And if

(04:59):
we do that and we're going our heads beat it.
I mean, he was pretty descriptive of their stuff. Aware.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
You know, none of them are under the illusions that
the defense played well in that football game. And I
think they will fix things. I also think you're not
gonna get that stiff of a test every week like
this week coming up. The Seahawks are gonna try to
run the ball, because I think that's kind of what
their identity is gonna be anyway. But also they're gonna
see what the hell happened in the game this week,
and they're gonna say, wow, that's been a kind of

(05:23):
a track record for them. They got to kind of
prove it right. But Darnold's not involved this time, you
know what I mean. It's the more of the traditional
sense where they're handed off the charbone or they're handed
it off to Kenneth Walker, like it's it's not you know,
that extra element that you have to worry about. What
I think was so surprising to me, Chris is they
have for a long time now shown such a great
ability at stopping that type of quarterback, that type of

(05:46):
offense where the quarterback is such a running threat. I mean,
I know that this kind of changed in the previous
two matchups with them, but forever they were just great
at stopping Lamar. I think they did a fantastic job
last year on Jaden Daniels in that Washerrington game down
in Washington, Like they're just usually good at this, and
they were not very good at it in that game
against the Jets.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
And that's what I think was a little.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
Bit the huh moment to me is like I really thought,
especially early on in the season, they're usually amazing early
in the season, I thought that you would see kind
of them make life a little bit harder on justin fields.
The big thing that they usually are so good at
is they hit the quarterback on those you know, read

(06:28):
option center quarterback running back exchanges because you're allowed to.
And like that was the thing that they did to
Lamar is like Bud Dupree, you hit Lamar every time.
It doesn't matter if he has the ball or not.
Just make him feel it. You saw that big time
with TJ on one play where Breese the camera literally
just stuck with TJ crushing justin Fields. You couldn't see this,
but it was literally we didn't even see Breesaw run

(06:50):
for three yards however he got because they didn't pay
to follow him. It was just boom right to Fields.
That's kind of the strategy against that offense is just, yeah,
the quarterback can do this, but even when he doesn't
have the ball, he's gonna be in a world of hurt.
So like make him think about it a little bit.
Maybe Fields kind of wise to that, right, Like it
was in the same meeting rooms for an entire year.

(07:11):
It was like, this is what they like to do
against running quarterbacks and got to protect myself in this game.
Maybe Fields is just elite at running the ball as.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
A running quarterback. And I'm not rolling that out, but
he's certainly the second best in the league right now.
I mean by far. You know set you're not going
to pass themr but.

Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, but either way, I'm saying like, either way I
think that, you know, it was surprising to see him
have that much success against the defense that has shown
an ability to do really well against that type.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
Number one. I'm glad that because obviously I'm at the game,
and I did watch it late last night too on
the rebroadcast. All though was it was sort of the
cut up version, So I'm glad that we weren't the
only ones fooled by that. And there was actually there's
the Spanish language radio they put in the press box
at large in New York, so they're just screaming, you know,
and I sat warts. I took like four years Spanish,
and I still couldn't see a sentence. But he was

(08:00):
broadcasting and he was fully and he was going, that's
whatever the word for sack is, and he thought I
was a sacker. We're like ol saka. It's probably no,
probably not, but it was.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
I took four years of Spanish at c AC too.
I had to farm that out at from Dukenes.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
I couldn't.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
I couldn't handle the duke cane riggers of their actual Spanish. Actually,
actually I had to go back to more like a
high school level one.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
I always like tooks men I'm like, well I did too,
but I don't know what he is ro like I had.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
That was my level of Spanish green is verver day.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
But this guy got really excited. It's just so funny here.
I'm good enthusiastic because Ben scale like that, you know,
especially when it's a more you know, a less common name.
He might be screaming out in celebration. Uh god Cane,
well you know things like that for the sack. So
we enjoyed it to a point, and it was kind
of loud, uh in the press box at large. But
he was fulled and we were fooled by that plate too.

(08:49):
But back to your point, not to take things off
the rail or off the off a tangent there, Yeah,
it was. And the Steelers have had, certainly, over Lamar's career,
the most successive probably even in the league, A certainly
team to play him more than once or twice over
that span of of limiting Lamar so and Justin Fields
is certainly the number two. And that's not a knock

(09:09):
on him. He's just by he's a by far number two.
I think, I mean, I guess Jaydon, there's the guys
up there, but I think justin Field. I don't think
it's it's almost like he isn't credit for how good
of a runner he is, because he is really good.
He's fast, he's big.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
You know, he can be a problem, certainly, and he
was a problem. Yes, yes he was.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
A problem to that, So it wasn't it's it's kind
of makes you scratch your head and you wonder how
much and be able to get the win, and like
it was, I guess you can be encouraged if you're
see the other fan that that Patrick Queen was so
annoyed still after this is an hour after a game
that they won, and he maybe you know, he wanted
to get off his chest, did he how annoyed he
was with how the run defense was so as they

(09:47):
it's the cliche, but it's absolutely true. It's so much
better after a win to be able to look at
your flaws and and be able to the swallow that
and hopefully you're still have enough you know, motivation and
things to change that and whatever it is, and and
it won't be like this that you said every week.
And the Jets are going to be a run first
team and they have that kind of wild card though,
but they do got to play. They got to play
those Ravens twice their suans. They play the Lions, who

(10:08):
are probably gonna try to run the ball a lot.
Although they couldn't run for anything against the Packers on Sunday,
Steve speaking of couldn't run for anything, there was a
problem on the offensive side of the ball, too, is
generating anything on the ground. Steel was very unsuccessful running
the football against the Jets. They only were able to
muster fifty three yards on twenty carries. It's just two
point seven yards per carry. Their longest run of the

(10:29):
day was Jalen Warren going for nine yards. So there's
just wasn't any explosion in the running game. And really,
when you think about how.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
The defense did not play up to the level that
they should be playing at, especially when it comes to
stopping the run, and the offense not able to generate
anything really at all on the ground, makes it even
more remarkable that Rogers did what he was able to do,
like he had no help, kind of he was the help,
Like there was just it was an unbelievable performance from him.
But they got to get the running game going more so,

(10:58):
like it's not going to be a week to week
thing where you average two point seven yards per carry
and Rogers throws for four touchdowns and says, don't worry about.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
It, We'll just do it through the air.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
Like you got to make life a little bit easier
on him, Like I want a game where he only
has a touchdown in one hundred and eighty yards because
he don't need to do anything. You won thirty one
to seventeen because you're just pounding the ball down someone's
throat and they show no signs of being able to
win that way yet.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, and that's what you think. Even with the resume
and the unique skills that Rogers has, he's forty one
years old, you still when you have a forty one
year old quarterback, generally speaking, you want him for those moments.
You want him for that fourth quarter, that's for sure,
when you need to get those comeback drives. You think
that's still in there there, but you would hope that
you build the team around it that he's not going

(11:41):
to have to be dynamic the entire game every week,
seventeen weeks in a row, and you need a better
running game, you need a better defense. I think that
goes without saying and you have that the lack of
splash in the running game and nine yards being there.
Think about the biggest gaining running play was because Caleb
Johnson lost two yards and his only carry and then
got a fifteen yard penalty and then of the Steelers

(12:01):
thirteen yards. So that was the That was the biggest
splash the running game provided, was like Caleb Johnson getting
tackled out bounds. But you know, I don't I'm not
ready to you know again sound the alarm bells about
it or whatever. But yeah, you would like to see
better from that. And but you know, as much as
talking about the running game, and I tried to preface it,
and you know, I think you saw it too when
like I'm breaking news about it. But I thought Hendy

(12:22):
gain Will I think will play a lot more than
people think. But he played a lot more than even
I thought a lot more people would think, like he
was out there, I mean, how many situations was he
out there?

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Or you know, he had seven carries in the game.
He was clearly the second back to Jalen Warren. We
kind of knew that that was going to happen. Just
how much was he going to be the second back?
I mean, the split of carries was eleven to seven, Like,
that's getting close to a fifty to fifty split as.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
Far as the workload is concerned.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
Yeah, I didn't know if that we were expecting that.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
Yeah, I wouldn't expect. Yeah, I didn't expect him, especially
early on in the game and in the first quarter there,
and that he was he was playing that that much.
You know, it wasn't necessarily even like just special downs
or third downs or obvious passing to situations and things
like that. He was here or the like. He played
fifty four percent of the snaps and he played more
snaps than Jalen Warren, So that that tells you there

(13:09):
game well played thirty snaps fifty four percent, and then
Warren played twenty five snaps at forty five percent. And
then you had your what what the two snaps from
from Caleb Johnson at running back. So he played more
than than than he played more and you know, almost
he didn't have as many touches. I guess, but it
showed I don't And hey, he made he made a
splash play. I guess We're gonna get to that probably

(13:31):
here at some point. It wasn't on offens or defense,
so I don't know if that's But then again, if
we're talking about how bad the running game was, was
the weakness of the game. I don't know if that's
a good point. If you if you're playing the most
snaps of the of a unit that didn't underperformed in
the first game, yeah, but you did have some impact.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
But again, he only averaged two point seven yards for
carry on his seven carries, so there was just nothing
really being able to be generated on the ground. And
Rogers had a carry but it went for minus one yards,
So I mean I lost the bed of over under
point five rushing yards for Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
That's very disappointing.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
I can't believe that that happened by more than a
yard because he went negative.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
I don't even remember that play.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
I was trying to think of that of when did
he get a technical carry in this game?

Speaker 2 (14:10):
But I don't know.

Speaker 1 (14:14):
It just needs to be better. They need to be
able to run the ball more. And one last negative
to harp on before we can wash ourselves with positivity.
To end this segment, Proderick Jones had a doozy of
a game, man, I mean, he did not play well,
I think I saw that he gave up four pressures
and they credited three of the four sacks that Aaron
Rodgers took to Broderick Jones surrendering it. And I know

(14:36):
that quarterbacks are involved in sacks two and that is
a quarterback stat as well. This quarterback's pretty good at
avoiding them though, Like when you get to Rogers, I
think your line pretty much screwed up more times than not.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
Yeah, yeah, he throws away a lot. Yeah, in the
reputations last year, I think we saw it at points
and fields and Russell Wilson have the reputation of taking
more sacks not throwing it away. Right, yeah, he should
and that I bet you know watching him, and you
never know. They always say the scheme and who knows
who is supposed to for assignments. But I think all three,
especially two of them, were pretty unambiguously guys beating Broderick.

(15:12):
And again that's one game, but he was I don't
see is he the biggest question mark of was he
the biggest It depends on how you define it and
things like that. There's certainly the biggest range of outcomes
for him. You know, you still see the skill set
he could be a star, and you know he still
wasn't proven yet, you know you could, so that was
not encouraging. It's that's no, it wasn't. I think that
in week one is makes your give some pause.

Speaker 1 (15:33):
To your point though, was he the like least encouraging?
Was he still the guy that you're kind of most
worried about?

Speaker 2 (15:37):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (15:38):
Probably yes, moving forward, he's still the guy I'm most
worried about. The interior didn't exactly cover themselves in glory
versus old Quinn Williams either, And that's a dude right there,
and first former first team Hall Pro and he's twenty
six years old, so like he's still in his prime
very much. So might have a career year this year
for all we know. It's in the realm of possibility,
and it's off to a good star because he was
having a career day yesterday. He was a wrecking force

(16:00):
in the middle of that defense. So I don't want
to single out just Broderick. He had a rough day
against some of the pass rush, but the interior didn't
do well against Williams either.

Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah, and that's maybe that's what the running game is.
And if that was that, that is a Jets strength,
and that's that's one of the Jets' best best players individually.

Speaker 4 (16:14):
There.

Speaker 1 (16:15):
We can't ignore that, right, Like this is a good
Jets defense, yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
Think, and yeah, if you could say, you can be
they scored the Steelers scored thirt thirty four points. Yeah,
which they've They've only got thirty four points I think
four times since again going back to that Chargers game
in late twenty twenty one, four and four years they've
only got thirty four more points. And this is the
fourth time they've done that. And it's a debut of
a quarterback, it's on the road, it's against a certainly
it's not a bad deal. It's not the Bengals defense

(16:39):
from last year twenty twenty four bangles. We know that
the Jets will see how good they are. I mean,
I think the potential will be a top you know,
six to eight defense in the NFL. We'll see if
that plays out. But they're no worse than like, you know,
the average, right, there's no worse you know, whatever it
might be. So it's not like you're again running against
the that bad Bengals team, or it's a bad defense
that that they weren't able to run against them, so well,

(17:02):
you can give the running game a pass, the Steelers
running game of pass until you see it. It's looping
a trend hopefully over the hopefully if you don't want
them to, you're Steelers fan for the next few weeks.

Speaker 1 (17:12):
All Right, it's time to take our victory laps here.
It's time to recap our pick segment. And you went
two and one correct. We both missed the Bengals pick.
We both picked the bang. So when we agreed on
we we missed. You got the Rams though. You nailed
that one, and I talked you into this one. You
nailed the Jags. You nailed the Jags minus three and

(17:34):
a half weather delay and all you saw yourself through
that one. So you went to two and one. I
lost the Bengals one, the same one that you lost.
I also lost my Giants one. They laid an egg.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
That's on Russell Wilson.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
Okay, that defense did enough in that game that they
should have covered the six and a half points.

Speaker 2 (17:49):
Damn it, Russ.

Speaker 1 (17:52):
And my one win was Indianapolis minus one and a half. Chris,
I should get like eight points for that one because
they won that like twenty times over. They were like
a one and a half point favorite, and that's why
I took him. I was like, why are the Colts favorite?
Like they should not be favorite. They're supposed to be bad.
They won like thirty three to nothing.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
I think Dolphins might be historically or not historically, but
I think Dolphins may be number one pick type badge.
I thought that maybe going after watching. That's why I
couldn't necessarily take that bad because I was like, I
don't think the cults are that good, but I'm like,
I don't think the Dolphins are very good at all.
And Dolphins again just judging by I'm not gonna say
it was going on while I was working covering this,
so I didn't watch the whole game, but judge by
the numbers and judge them by the highlights. It could

(18:28):
be a long season in.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
Miami, but it might end up paying off because it's
a great quarterback class.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
Tyreek Hill future Steeler.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
He's gonna he's gonna be moving at the deadline.

Speaker 4 (18:38):
I do.

Speaker 1 (18:39):
I do, Yeah, I think because I agree with you,
they're going to be bad.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
Yeah. And they they've they've done had a history of
doing that. They move players they're not afraid to do
that if if they are at the deadline, you know,
two and eight or whatever it is. Yeah, I think
they and they have a lot of veterans too make
if it's I don't think I've come here, but but yeah,
yeah he might be well, but he might be somewhere else. Yeah,
so maybe a contender more making.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
Anytime he's on the Dolphins, they stink, he leaves, they're good,
that's right. Yeah, and then he goes back and these things.

Speaker 2 (19:05):
All right.

Speaker 1 (19:06):
We were also writer. I was also right on my
big baller. Yeah he was delayed. Sorry, he must have
been having a sandwich in the back or something like that.
Kenneth Gainwell was my guy. He had a big game.
You talked about how he actually out snapped the Jalen
Warren had his moments on special teams. But before we
get into talking about Kenny G. Let's have a moment

(19:28):
with Kenny G.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
Thanks for good radio. When I sway, you know, don't
talk over the music.

Speaker 4 (19:39):
Sorry.

Speaker 3 (19:57):
Gipson takes it right between the hashes lost the futball
there it is recovered by this teelers. Ben Skronic is
on it. I think it may have been gain well,
who knocked it loose? And it's scronic who recovers Max
Stark's good call.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
Kenny G.

Speaker 1 (20:16):
Chris, Oh, it's so smooth, just like the player himself.
They needed that play bad and for it to come
from a running back. As Mike Tomlins said in his
postgame press conference, you know, sometimes it comes from those
unexpected places him and Benny Scrow. It's hard to have
serious analysis. I mean what you're talking about, please, this

(20:41):
is Kenny G. And we're having a moment with Kenny G.
They don't win that game without him making that play
on that kickoff, without him forcing that turnover. They weren't
forcing turnovers in that game, and that can be the
difference in a shootout, right Like the team that coughs
the ball up is and gives the short field is
the team that usually loses games that are back in
fourth like that, and Kenny G was able to deliver.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
You could have made a list of who's going to
create the splashed game changing turnover name jag turnover in
this game. You could have been a list of forty
guys before you got the ke got to Kenny g G.

Speaker 4 (21:12):
There he was.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
But yeah, and Tom win talked about it, and hey, man,
that's why he's getting He's a he's a football player,
as as Tomlin referred to him as. And he he
has the end he's a running back playing special team
and that's that's part of his job obviously, but to
be able, and it wasn't. It wasn't like it was
just a tackle when the ball came out or the
guy dropped. I mean he he had intent to do
that and and he kind of the open field dish too.

(21:34):
It was it was a it was quite a force fumble.
It was he deserved it in the stat line, you
know something. Yeah, I mean that was that was a
force fumble. And and ben' skaronic you had.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
A little punch going on there, Yeah, the swipe, the punch.
It wasn't exactly a peanut punch, but it was like that. Yeah,
but his pause on it. Yeah, it wasn't an accidental
force fumble, right should or something like that? They happened, yes, yes,
And the other part about the Kenny g turnover was
the quick strike ability from Rogers.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
It took him two plays to find the end zone.

Speaker 1 (22:06):
Yeah, yeah, that's been missing so many times the defense
would force to turnover and plus territory, and then the
offense would just kind of splutter around. They'd have like
weird like eight play five yard drives and you're like.

Speaker 2 (22:16):
What the hell is that?

Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah, like they would show up on the box score,
and that was such a problem is they weren't able
to capitalize with touchdowns and he wasted no time and.

Speaker 2 (22:27):
It's I together And actually Mike Pursudo on the on
the Steelers pregame show, he he loved harping on that,
and he brought it up again in the in the
literal his open right about how that play with Aaron
Champlin last year showed the Steewers then that faith in
justin fields that they were a third and seven instead
of going for the first down, they just pitched it
out the Champlin laid up for the field goal, and

(22:49):
it was telling. I think that that first Jetstar that
we talked about wasn't a similar thing there. They ran
laid up. Yeah, just they had a third and half
of Steelers twenty and they ran the ball and laid
up for the field goal. So what I'm saying, it's
not the same situation. But I think if the Steelers
had Justin Fields too, they wouldn't have Aaron Rodgers did
the quick strike there. I think the confidence that Mike Tomwin,

(23:09):
that Arthur Smith, and just the sort of mindset in
himself that Aaron Rodgers asked. But yes, it's all.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
About Kenny g though. Yeah, what do you need to
thank you? Kenny Gan? And thank you for bringing us
a moment other Kenny g All right, when Chris and
I come back, we're gonna look around the NFL in
insane Sunday night football game between the Bills and the Ravens,
an instant classic. We'll touch on that and some of
the other action as well. It's the Steelers Blitz on

(23:35):
the Steelers Audio Network. The Week one slate of the
NFL season was noteworthy. Heading into Week one, everybody kind
of was like, Wow, there's some really good interesting matchups here,
some great storylines, and it delivered and then some. I mean,

(23:59):
I'd say the only game that kind of fell flat
as far as expectations was concerned was Packers Lions, but
even that kind of had a draw to it. Chris,
I know you were busy working doing all your type
E TYPEE stuff at that point, but like the Packers
were just so dominant of Detroit. That like, even though
that that game was a blowout and they were always
in control, you were still interested in it because you

(24:20):
were like, what's happening here?

Speaker 2 (24:22):
Like, Wow, are the Packers this good?

Speaker 1 (24:24):
Are the Lions taking this much of a step back
because of losing Johnson and Aaron Glenn, But there was
still an attraction to that game because of how good
the Packers looked against the team that is supposed to
be very good as well. But that was really the
only dud, like everything else stood and delivered. The Thursday
night opener we talked about on our Friday episode that
was a great game between the Eagles and Cowboys Friday

(24:46):
and Brazil. We didn't get a chance to touch on
this yet, but that was a fantastic game between the
Chargers and the Chiefs, and the Chargers really making a
big statement to start the season that like, hey, maybe
the AFC West goes through us now for a change.
The high billing of obviously Steelers Jets delivered more than
anybody expected it to deliver. That might have been a
surprising great game for a lot of people.

Speaker 2 (25:09):
And then you had.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
The Sunday night brawl between the Ravens and the Bills,
which was the best game of all And maybe I
do see why some people think the league is scripted,
because like, how could the Sunday night game, how could
it get capped off in such a perfect way? Well,
here's why, because those are two of the best teams in.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
The AFC going at each other.

Speaker 1 (25:27):
Those probably the two front runners or two of the
front runners for MVP going at each other at quarterback. Yeah,
you put those two in a pot, you're gonna get
a great game. More times than not. Those are two
great teams playing against each other. I know you were
driving back from Pittsburgh, you were kind of listening on
the radio, Chris, But it really was remarkable to see
how dominant the Ravens looked in that game. And now

(25:51):
we're sitting here on Monday morning, and they were losers.
Like I saw josh Yeowe tweet this out, perhaps the
most dominating performance by a team that lost ever because
they were all over the Bills.

Speaker 2 (26:03):
I think to take a quarter therea that one of
the most dominating its running running back games.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
He had one hundred and one yards before there was
a minute expired in the second quarter, like after the
first quarter, he was already over the centry mark.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
And he becomes I mean, he cost him the game.
That's the wildest part about it. If he doesn't fumble
that that can't there's no almost no scenario where what
happened happened. So he has that game where he has
just vintage Derrick Henry like Earl Campbell, like I just
you know, and the production and the touchdowns and just.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
They couldn't stop him, and that was could not stop him.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
And you're thinking during that game, like, boy, the Steelers,
like if this is the.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
You know, I'm still thinking it as we sit here
right now.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yeah, that's true. After watching that and you see that
this is the team again, the team you gotta you
gotta beat if you get where you want to go.

Speaker 1 (26:51):
And I'm also in the back of my head thinking
Buffalo comes here too later in the season, and he's
pretty good at the quarterback, that guy.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
And that's the thing. If you want to turn this
back to the Steelers, just like a lot of times
you'd watch what's what this way the Steelers had last
year's opener, or what we thought the Steelers lead this year?
They won eighteen to twelve yesterday. If it played out
in the rock fight fashion. Yes, and then you watch it,
you'd be doing that thing where like, oh, the Ravens
and Bills are different playing different sport than the Steelers.
That'd be had you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (27:15):
It's hard to do that right now because we scored
thirty four points.

Speaker 2 (27:17):
Yeah, the Steelers and Jets had had the highest scoring game.
You're the Steelers side from this one, yes, so the
Steelers would have had inside for that one that the
third most points in the in the league. Was there
another with thirty three from the Colts we had? I
think the Steelers, I think about that. The Steelers offense
scored the third most points. Oh no, except for no, Yeah,
the third most points in the league.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
The third most points in the league. No one beat
their thirty four except for the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (27:40):
So they were the leader in the clubhouse until Sunday
night there.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, one of the teams lost that beat them. So
what's the point scoring all those points if you're gonna
lose the game?

Speaker 2 (27:46):
Baltimore. Yeah, So yeah, it's wild though, Like I said that,
because because you know, talk about beast mode or whatever
or just like different type freak type players Derek Hendry
is that and when he's going and that that definitely
can longer to I know the Ravens were own one,
but they lost the game on the road against you know,
a super Bowl, our Super Bowl pick or at least
our AFC Super Bowl pick there, So you know, you

(28:09):
can't you hold that against them if you're if you're
but there are I mean, you give up five hundred
yards or almost what it was, I mean is nine
hundred and twenty eight seven yards in the game for
both teams. That's a wild game to follow that for sure.

Speaker 1 (28:22):
In a way, I'm a little jealous that you were
driving back, like if you heard that radio call of
the fumble, like those are so fun on the radio,
Like because I'm sure you're all just like kind of like, well,
this is over whatever that point four hours left, Pittsburgh whatever,
and it's like the football what Derek who was in?
What did they have somebody running other than Derek Henry?
Like what the hell happened there?

Speaker 3 (28:40):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (28:40):
It was just such an unbelievable display when he fumbled.
I knew that things were gonna get dicey for the
the Ravens, but the Bills missed three two point conversions
throughout the game, and so it was like they were
just making life difficult on themselves over and over and
over again. And they failed the two point conversion when

(29:01):
it was forty to thirty eight that would have tied
the game. So they got to get one more stop.
They get the stop with a minute thirty left on
the clock, and I knew that they were going to
score or at least get into field goal range because
it was just you know, it's that snowball downhill now,
like Josh Allen is not going to be denied at
this point.

Speaker 2 (29:18):
Like we talked about with the Steelers defense and whatever.
You know, if you I'm sure they you know you're
following the Bills, you're a Bills fan. You're talking about, well,
we got to win. We got to fix this defense.
But again, it got the final three drives. Think about
this drive start for the Ravens field goal, touch on,
touch on, touchdown, field goal, touchdown. Okay, punt, touchdown, touchdown,
That's what you had for the game into the fourth
quarter and then all of a sudden punt, fumble, punt

(29:39):
with no first downs in the final three possessions, a
one first down in the final three possessions there on
the fumble one, so to get the two STU get
get those two three and outs again, just like the
Steelers did late in the game when they needed to
come two teams coming back in the fourth quarter against
well they're against they were at home, but you get
the point. I mean, I guess it makes the more
impressive for the Steelers doing the road then too, So

(30:01):
they got the stops and they needed now. But so
again we could talk about how much the Steelers if
you're concern and yes, but I mean the Buffalo Bills
just gave up how many rushing yards and total even
more about it because they have one sixty nine to
one player on that team. So and they didn't well,
they also had Lamar deal with two seventy from him,
so they gave up even more rushing yards against a
similar type of.

Speaker 1 (30:21):
Yeah, they did, and then won a game too. It
did not look good for the Bills or the Ravens
defense in that game. Again those teams, maybe not the Ravens,
but Buffalo can have selective amnesia there today and focus
on the three hundred and ninety four yards from our
freak of nature quarterback that he threw for like two
hundred and some absurd number in the fourth quarter alone.

(30:42):
The Bills put up twenty two points in that fourth quarter.
It was kind of a microcosm to what the Ravens
usually are, right, Like, Yeah, for a seventeen week regular season,
they're the greatest team we've ever seen. No one can
stop them, and then they choke in the playoffs Like
that was what happened. For three quarters. They were the
greatest team that anybody has ever seen. They'll never lose
a game. The Steelers are gonna get blown out by them.

Speaker 2 (31:03):
All is lost.

Speaker 1 (31:04):
There's no hope to choking away the fourth quarter, and
then all of a sudden, it's like, oh, that team
that we were all scared of their own one.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
It's like what the fourteen to two Ravens season and
then they get to the playoffs. You're right not to
be dramatic.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
Could cost them the one seed there, because I do
think those are the two best teams in the AFC.
And maybe you look back at the Ravens and the
Bills are thirteen and four, and you're twelve and five,
and you got to play the seventh seed, and maybe
it's Pittsburgh and it's a better Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
Than last year. And you're a little bit more nervous.

Speaker 1 (31:30):
Because what if Rogers has that Jets game. What if
he's like, this is my last playoff ride. I'm about
torch the Ravens as opposed to getting the one seed
and the Bills. And you have that nice buy and
you'll see who's the weakest team remaining coming through to
you in the divisional round, Like it could very well
be like you know, they look back and they're like,
we're preparing for a tough match up here in the
wild card round, and if we would have held onto
a fifteen point lead in the fourth quarter of that

(31:51):
Bills game, it's a different story.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
Get off this weekend, and we know, and we've talked
about it, like you know, you sometimes doesn't work out though,
you know the Ravens Bills will be the chief and
the Chiefs are down. So yeah, the one seed. You
see how it plays out a long way to go.

Speaker 1 (32:04):
Of course it goes through Buffalo. Now, I mean that
was a big statement.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah, and it is. And and you got to realize
if you're the Bills, then you kind of you knew
you have you had that you have the freaking rating
MVP right.

Speaker 1 (32:16):
And you said you'd they're your favorite to be the
one seed at the beginning of the year, and you
would have been right.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
But to be able to know to see that to
come back against a team that supposedly has a good
defense is supposed to have a good defense, and to
be able to score you said, twenty two points and
thinkst quarter quarter alone, and to come back and win
a game, that's a it's a I mean, I was.
I was saying, like, how again in the third quarter
there when it when the game were early in the
fourth quarter, when the game looked like it was over,

(32:40):
It's like, well that that Bill's Super Bowl pick. Maybe
I shouldn't have done that. My Bengals are really good.
Uh declaration doesn't look that good after one week? Good
so right now? But yeah, no, it looks great now.

Speaker 1 (32:51):
The Bills one, at least does some other things that
happened in Week one. The Niners beat the Seahawks. That's
who the Steelers got next. So the seah are coming
off of a loss. They'll be zero to one heading
into Akroscher Stadium.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
One thing I.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
Wanted to touch on too with the Bills. They go
to New York next week to face off against the Jets.
Like as good and encouraging as it probably was to
see the Jets play like that, and to see Justin
Fields play like that, I mean you're staring zero to
two in the face right now.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
Yeah, It's it's wild because they even just we have
a little elevator in the press box down you get
the Jets radio network while you're down there, and they
were actually really I mean it was a small sample
of the elevator eye, but they were spinning it positive, saying,
you know this is hey, this is a get. You
might actually have something here in justin Field. Do you
have a lead against any team?

Speaker 4 (33:32):
You know?

Speaker 1 (33:32):
You just I think that's an appropriate way to analyze
this game. But like I'm just saying, like that buffalo
comes in now face all of a sudden, it's like, how.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
Much do we like just yeah, you have all his
optimism and you're sitting and one a too. What good
does it do you? I guess in the actual in
the actual standings where it matters.

Speaker 1 (33:50):
The Rams edged out the Texans fourteen to nine. That
was kind of a sleepy game between the two teams
that was running opposite of the Lions in the Packers game,
but there.

Speaker 2 (33:58):
Were too There's two play returning playoff teams that it
really got hidden in it. I thought that was the
sleeper game, but it was a sleepy game.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
Sleepy game on the Fourteen to nine was the final
score that In fact, that was the game that was
the lowest total of any in the NFL in Week one,
unless we get a real snoozer tonight. Broncos took care
of the Titans twenty to twelve in cam Ward's debut.
He didn't play that great. Bonick didn't play that great either.
He threw two interceptions. I'll tell you a team that
kind of was impressive was those Jacksonville Jaguars putting up

(34:26):
twenty six points against Carolina. Carolina is no good, but
still they went out there and they executed and they
ran the ball really well in that game against Carolina.
I just think Jacksonville's got weaponry this year that could
make them a stingy team. And I don't know how
much better Houston is than the rest of that division.
They could be a thorn in their side, potentially chasing

(34:46):
them all year long. And the Colts game was the
most bizarre game, most bizarre outcome. I thought the Colts
would win, but I didn't think they would dominate like that.
Daniel Jones. I mean, imagine being a Giants fan, Chris.
You see Daniel Jones go to the Colts and now
he's Peyton Manning and now all of a sudden, Russell
Wilson's a New York Giant and he's playing like Daniel

(35:07):
Jones played.

Speaker 2 (35:08):
Well he was here. I mean, it's it's Brown's esque.
I guess, right seeing Baker Mayfield after you get a
quarterback and things that it's one game with Daniel Jones.
But yeah, maybe there's something we always thought. Like I said,
I still think, you know, the quarterback can almost the
lift the tide. But what they're saying for lifted.

Speaker 1 (35:25):
The rising tide, the quarterback will be the time. You think,
I don't get paid to use words and things and
people are there in.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
A coherent manner. But but he so I still don't
buy that in but you know, maybe it would be.
It would be very you know, hashtag Giants or something,
at least this era Giant. So there's a weird organization.
By the way, they have four Super Bowls, Like in
my lifetime, right, like, but they're kind of laughable. Yeah, yeah,
they're usually a punchline, but somehow they just come out
of nowhere win championships.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
Are well, it's always great to reference that Eli Manning
has two super Bowls.

Speaker 2 (35:54):
He'd be Tom Brady.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
Obviously, he hasn't won a playoff game outside of those
two super Bowl runs. Like, wow, he gets to the playoffs
and he loses, unless he goes the Super Bowl and
wins at all speak you mentioned Baker Mayfield. Dude is
just a winner. Man Uh leads a comeback for the
Bucks against the Falcons. They win twenty three to twenty.
Although Young Hoku had a chance to make a forty
four yard field goal. That's a layup almost in the NFL,

(36:16):
especially in a dome down in Atlanta, So him missing
that is all like right, like that's just a choke
job there, and.

Speaker 2 (36:23):
That's what till you know, we kind of take Ballswell
for granted. And like I said, it was freaking sixty
yards yesterday, like forty four for Boswell, It's like that's
a walker. He'd do that with his eyes closed, like
Jordan shooting a free throw. Yeah, it wouldn't And even
the sixty you almost felt like, oh he got this,
Like I didn't feel like any drama. I'm like, I
think he's gonna you're gonna hit it right six for
sixty yards and yeah, forty four yard.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
I think the lack of drama is what made me
nervous back here running the game. I was like, why
am I so confident that he's just gonna drill this?

Speaker 2 (36:50):
And they did. It was just easy for him. But
that's what you know, And I tend to I'll say this,
I tend to downplay the kicker thing. I'm like, he's
just a kicker, and you know there obviously there are
better criers than others, but saw you see situations where
you know the kicker. I mean that Boswell was a
major difference in the game, which it goes without saying, right,
fifty six and a sixty yard a two point game,
and especially in around the league whenever who about the

(37:11):
forty nine ers missed him. There were a lot of
field goals.

Speaker 1 (37:13):
Fordners missing field goals yesterday. Yeah, field goal kicking was
not on display for the most part yesterday.

Speaker 2 (37:19):
But Boswell and Prader were nails.

Speaker 1 (37:20):
Because Prader had to hit that one against the Ravens
too on Sunday Night football, and Prayder caught a red
eye flight to Buffalo on Thursday because they've been having
kicker issues, maybe an injury there and hitting game winning
kicks on Sunday Night Football against the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
And yeah it's Matt Prater.

Speaker 1 (37:35):
I mean, we know the name. He's been around the wall.
It's not something new to him.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
But yeah, yeah, we underrafted rookie or something. It shows
up and does it would be more, but yeah, it's
still I mean, it shows I mean the fine line
in this league.

Speaker 1 (37:46):
And speaking of missed field goals, Ravens rookie kicker misses
the extra point when they go up forty to twenty five.
If it's forty one to twenty five, that might slam
the door shut that. I texted my buddy who's a
Bills fan at that point. I was like, missed extra point,
doors kind of creaking open there.

Speaker 2 (38:03):
And then they win by one. Yeah, and it is
And and it's funny because I tend to and maybe
it's because I'm in the Steelers' bubble here and I'm like,
because I'm on the point when we just be another
short of time they should they move the pot field
goal post in because they're getting too eat These guys
are too good, Like I see Aubrey and I see
a Bass. Well you know, but maybe we're in the bubble.
Yeah yeah, And like so all the kicks around the league.
I mean that the Falcons, I mean, how many teams

(38:23):
did it caught? The raven Falcons, Niners didn't cost them.
They end up winning, but they had troubles the Ravens
it kind of costs them. Yeah, I mean even the Jets.
I mean the Jets missed the extra point. You wonder
if they would have accepted the penalty, and then they're
tasing the two point that game twos for the rest
of that game. Yeah, and maybe if the if he
makes it. I don't know what Eeron Lynn would have
done if you were taking the I don't take the
point off the board. You never know. At the butterfly

(38:46):
flight blah blah blah, you don't know what happens. But
it was they missed. He missed it. Yes, so Nick
Folk did miss that.

Speaker 1 (38:51):
When Nick Folk, by the way, oh my god, I
was like, who's this guy off the street that they
just picked up? I was like, Nick, go retire place,
like it's time to go sit at home, all right,
Chris and I come back. We got a game tonight.
We'll preview Vikings and Bears. I got a lot of
intrigue in that matchup. I wonder if Chris has the same.
It's the Steelers Blitz on the Steelers Audio Network.

Speaker 2 (39:18):
No it's not. I miss him already. We'll have more
moments with Kenny G this year. I'm sure we will.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
He's gonna have an impact on this team, and hey,
until they feel like Caleb Johnson's up to speed, he's
gonna get a lot of snaps. Maybe not more than
Warren every week like he did last week, but he's
going to.

Speaker 2 (39:35):
Be on the field.

Speaker 1 (39:36):
He's going to be a big time contributor this year.
So looking forward to more moments from Kenny G as
we march our way through the twenty twenty five season.
Tonight is the conclusion of Week one, no.

Speaker 2 (39:46):
Monday night football double header. Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
They like do that in week two now and like
then there's like one that pops up in week six,
Like not even double headers.

Speaker 2 (39:53):
They play him at the same time, like a simultaneous
ABC and C or whatever. SOESBN, Hey whatever, right, I
like that. It was always like the Raiders and the Chargers. Always,
it was always in the baseball field. Always a team
from the A s C. West was participating in that game.
It was Chris Berman there for a while.

Speaker 1 (40:11):
The B team would call the broadcast. It was almost
a little a little more fun, a.

Speaker 2 (40:14):
Little more right, and a long weekend, you know, five
days of football at that point or whatever. Yeah, it was.
It was. It was the nightcap, but usually wasn't two
really good teams, but it was. Yeah, it was fun.
It was kind of like it was a late It
was the late night cocktail hour version of the of
the NFL, NFL after dark, like the fact twelve games
after dark, the Old or whatever Mountain West after dark.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
Yeah, I think we get our first doubleheader, and oh
my god, Chris, you got your wish. It's a true
double header. Next time it's the Bucks and the Texans
at seven and then a ten o'clock guess just playing
at ten o'clock the Raiders and Chargers.

Speaker 2 (40:48):
Yes, you didn't know that. I did not know. I swear.
I feel like I will look and I want to
go back and research and see how many times the
Raiders will.

Speaker 1 (40:55):
Playing the Chargers on the second leg of a Monday
night early in the season at ten pm Eastern ends.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
You know, it literally Endsay morning, Tuesday morning football and
on the East Coast. We can just get Boom on
the call. That's all we need now.

Speaker 1 (41:07):
But we start with our Monday night football debut tonight
the Vikings and the Bears. First of all, it's a
divisional matchup, so that's just got intrigued to it in
its own right, especially when it's Week one, so you know,
Hope Springs Eturnal and all that crap for these teams.

Speaker 2 (41:22):
So like they're both believing that they can do something
this year.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
But I actually think both of these teams do realistically
believe that they can do something this year. Vikings obviously,
so they're coming off of a fourteen win season and
everybody's basically the same except for the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (41:35):
But they've been pressed.

Speaker 1 (41:36):
Like JJ McCarthy didn't get off the plane today and
just shake his hands with Justin Jefferson and introduce himself
like they had him all last year. He's been working
all off season with them. He's been their starting quarterback
for reps and training camp, preseason he didn't play in
a preseason game, but you know what I'm saying, in practices,
like there's familiarity with him, Like they're not like I
don't think Kevin O'Connell's going to the stadium tonight, Like.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
Do I have a quarterback or not?

Speaker 1 (41:58):
Like he's pretty confident, he's got his guy and it's
just a matter of seeing him actually go out and execute.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
Now.

Speaker 1 (42:05):
So you know, the Vikings obviously think that they can win.
And then if you're the Bears, like you gotta think
you're gonna win. You've put a lot into this team.
Caleb Williams was supposed to be that franchise type of quarterback,
and now this marriage with Ben Johnson is supposed to
bear fruit immediately.

Speaker 2 (42:19):
I think if you if you pulled people in art,
know what you think? I think I fall this way
that Kevin Kevin O'Connell's the the premier offensive head coach
in the league and in mine. I mean, if if
you want to, I mean, if you go old school
with the Andy Reid or whatever. Like I said, it's
debatable McVeigh, there's a lot of that's.

Speaker 1 (42:39):
One for me only put up fourteen points les, Yeah,
it's a great Texans defense, though.

Speaker 2 (42:45):
I still think Shanahan's really but he's in the class. Yes,
So I think you have the young quarterback if I'm mistaken.

Speaker 1 (42:53):
Coach of the Year last year, Kevin Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:56):
And he's and he's done it, and that was Sam Darnold.
Have we've seen career years and so I think there's
almost this. He got Sam Darnold paid, and yes, yes
he did, and you have you want to see it though,
obviously if you're a Vikings fan. So I think I
am very curious to watch j Aj McCarthy being his
you know, top he was like the fifth quarterback. Take him,
he's like eleventh overall whatever it was, and all the
quarterbacks in the class are good. Yeah, and ended up
he kind of gets almost lost because he said out

(43:17):
of season almost where it kind of gets lost. And
he's joining a very good team with with a very
good offensive coach. So there's expectation level for him to
be even though he was kind of like the draft
pick that I think again, Joe Fanner from the outside,
we're like, yeah, that's that's the one. He was at a
run offense in Michigan, and you know, he didn't I don't.
I don't believe in him. I think there's a lot
of negativity from the from the from the from the

(43:40):
the hoy poloy as they say. And I've include myself
from that. By the way, I'm not I'm not I'm
not a scout, but you know, so I see that,
but I'm curious. And then also alternatively, Kayleb Williams again
part of that draft class, the number one whispers that
he was the generational type quarterback that he was going
to be like you're Andrew luck and the guys that
were going to do it, And is he going to
do more where this Trevor Lawrence where he was that

(44:02):
and he'sious okay, yeah, or even to get to that level.
And if he comes out and lays an egg with
Ben Johnson calling his plays in his opening game of
his second season, like this is the big for Caleb Williams,
I don't get too It's one game. But he's at
a crossroads. I think, is can he be? He could
still be? There's there's a path there where he's a
superstar quarterback one of the best in the league. Is

(44:23):
a path there where he comes a bust and and
you know, it's probably gonna be in the middle there,
somewhere along that range, but it could go either way.
And the debut of his second season, now there's no
more excuses, no more Matt eber Flus, there's no you
know that this is a And they hired a coach
for him that supposed to was the for two years,
two coaching cycle hires in a row. He was the
premium every one in Ben remember Ben John's like, man,

(44:45):
I don't want.

Speaker 1 (44:46):
He was able to hold out because he wanted the
right job.

Speaker 2 (44:48):
Yes, he was that coveted last year that he could wait.
So he picked his man sort of. You know, the
Bears got their guy for their potentially generational quarterback or
franchise quarterback. So if he comes out and lay an
egg in week one, all of a sudden the Bears.
But if he comes out and looks dynamic in week one,
you could really start to think, oh, the Bears might
be a factor, you know, if they beat the Vikings.

Speaker 1 (45:08):
So I think it is the best division in football,
and the Bears might prove that tonight by being that
you know, fourth team that's going to be like an
eight to nine, nine and eight type of team.

Speaker 2 (45:17):
Minnesota.

Speaker 1 (45:18):
Though Matt Williamson always likes to hit on this our
colleague on the drive here. Listen to that a little
bit later on today, but he says that it's all
about building that nest for a quarterback like you. You
need to get the most out of these rookie quarterbacks
unless you're getting like a Burrow phenom that's just going
to be superman no matter what. To get the most
out of these kids, Like, the line's got to be good,

(45:39):
there's got to be weapons, you've got to have a
good coaching staff in place. That's that's beneficial for quarterback development.
Minnesota's got the best nest in football.

Speaker 2 (45:47):
They've got two elite.

Speaker 1 (45:48):
The wide receiver tandem is elite because the top dog
is maybe the best in football, and Addison is a
very strong number two. Thelin can hold down the four
to two when Addison's out, and then Deland's your number
three security.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
Yeah. Their defense is.

Speaker 1 (46:00):
Really good with Brian Flores a great defensive mind leading it.
Their offensive line is so saw. Darri Saw is a
great left tackle, and I mean, come on, Brian, and
you want to pit. So he's a great right tackle,
like maybe the best right tackle in the history of football.
People say that, like many many people are saying that Christy,
it's not arguable, but like everything about the Vikings is

(46:20):
set up for a young quarterback to come in and
have some success.

Speaker 2 (46:23):
Yeah, that that's why it is. It is. You know,
I'm very of all the games. Like I said, for
different reasons. These two quarterbacks are from the same draft class.
There's I'm looking forward to watching it and see him
because yes, if I could see if Sin there, Jadon
McCarthy could looks and this, you know, there could be
a good offense and he could be set up and
he could be the better career than Kapleb Williams. Yeah. Yeah,
and they have. I mean what they did with Sam

(46:44):
Donald last year and we saw it's one game, but
Sam Donald this year might be going turning back into
the pumpkin.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Or something the goal line again when they had a
chance to win. He's I said that to Mike Persida.
He came in and I was like, you missed that.
Donald just fumbled with a chance to go it And
he said, so Sam Donald was Sam Donald?

Speaker 2 (46:59):
Well said Mike, yes, yeah, yeah that's what and uh yeah,
so you saw what the Vikings did That's why I
think I'd say it's coter. We'll talk about the forty
nine Ers sometimes. Oh, there's a system in Quarterbay. Anybody
could play quarterback there. So McCarthy has a skill set
that couldn't if you combine it with that, and you
said the nest around him and everything has around him,
it could be it could be something. You know, he

(47:20):
could potentially be better if he's better than Sam Generald
with the rest of the same rest of the team
around then won fourteen games last year.

Speaker 1 (47:27):
Vikings Bears tonight on Monday Night Football. That's it for
us on the Blitz. No show tomorrow and we got
canceled already.

Speaker 2 (47:32):
No, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1 (47:33):
Mike Tomlin press conference tomorrow is typical Tuesday presser, so
we will carry that on the Steelers Audio Network. Chris
and I will be back on Wednesday with another edition
of the Blitz for Kris Adamski.

Speaker 2 (47:44):
I'm Tom Opferman.

Speaker 1 (47:45):
Thanks for listening to the Steelers Blitz on the Steelers
Audio Network.