Week 2 vs Patriots

Mike Prisuta and Matt Williamson are joined by Merril Hoge to preview the Steelers 2022 home opener against the Patriots

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Steelers Preview Show on w d V Pittsburgh,
presented by UNIBT. The only thing better than a Steelers
win is the Steelers win that pays double down on
your team. With UNIVET, proud partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
here are your hosts, Mike Presuita, Matt Williamson, and Merril Hodge.
Good evening and welcome to another edition of Steelers Preview

(00:21):
on Mike Pursuita, along with Matt Williamson, will be with
you tonight until eight o'clock here on your Steelers flagship
one to two point five d v E. Merril Hodge
will be joining us as always for our middle segment.
We kind of worked this like a hockey game. There's
a first period, a second period, and a third period.
But we are we are talking football and Steelers football,

(00:41):
and specifically uh the upcoming game with Bill Belichick and
the New England Patriots. But Matt, before we get there,
a lot to unpack from the opener in Cincinnati and
a lot of heroic performances, some stuff that I found
really encouraging. If you're projecting what kind of team the
Steelers have a chance to become but a lot of

(01:04):
people out there, and I admittedly I am in this
camp in and out. They won the game because Cincinnati
didn't challenge an obvious touchdown, because Cincinnati had an extra
point that should have won the game blocked, and because
Cincinnati missed a field goal in overtime, And the last
two things were directly attributable to the long snapper getting

(01:27):
hurt that often. And oh, by the way, they had
five seven turn seven sacks and five turnovers, which you
probably can't count on every week. Although I think this
is a defense that will sack the quarterback and we'll
turn the other team over. So I start with this, Yeah,
is a glass half full or half empty? That's a
tough one, you know. No, by the way, you lost

(01:48):
TJ watting that game going forward. By the way, by
the way, the defensive player of the year. UM I
absolutely thought a big trend across the league, and it
showed up in this game as much as any is.
The teams that didn't play their stars in the preseason
didn't look good early at or in like the Rams case,
for the entire game. We talked about that a lot
last week with the Bengals line. Yeah, so I thought that.

(02:12):
You know, one week ago we said I think this
is a good time to play the Bengals. Absolutely was,
you know. I mean Burrow doesn't look like that, um
nine out of ten times, and if you played him
next week, I bet they'll look a lot better. But
you're right. I mean the energy the defense brought and
the aggression and the plays they made very encouraging. Um.
You know, I thought past protection wasn't bad. I mean,

(02:34):
I don't have high hopes for the offense in general,
but there was a lot of good So I guess
I'm half full on it, you know. I mean I
would have liked to see more from the offense. I
would have liked the defense put him in such good
shape and the Bengals lost it at least as much
as Steelers wanted. Though. Yeah, I'm kind of in the
half full camp al though I admitted a minute ago,

(02:56):
I'm kind of into out. I overthinking at times. But
what keeps bringing me back to uh, yeah, all things considered,
this is a great thing is they won a division game.
They won a road game. They won a division road
game against the team that won the division and won
the conference last year. Yeah, like all their nine road
games they have nine, not even this year. That one

(03:18):
looked as hard as any of all their division games.
That one is probably as hard as any except for
maybe in Baltimore. And you get a win for both,
so and you'll learn some things and you know, go
from there. But um, I think I am more half
full because I thought they were in trouble. Although we
said it, we could go that. You know, the timing
was good, So you take the w and run with it.

(03:39):
Now let's look ahead to New England today Thursday, the
second day of real practice, and actually yesterday was just
as now. She Harris categorized it a walkthrough. I think
that was probably in reference to it or deference. I
should say, to a defense that had snaps worth of
football play, it's unbelievable, right, and uh really held up well,

(04:00):
I mean gave up a lot of yards, not many points.
And I don't know why more people weren't talking about that.
Some incredible clutch stands and stops. But I want to
go back to something you said a minute ago, the energy,
because I thought that was absolutely off the charts. And
you know, we can talk about the sacks. Everybody saw
those in the pics in the big plays, But a

(04:22):
couple of things that I noticed when I was watching
the tape reviewing the game for a second time. Early
in the fourth quarter, Cam Hayward, who rushed the pass
her all day, right, there's a there's a third and fourteen.
The Bengals are deep in their own end and they
ran a little dump to some j P. Ryan Heyward
rushed the passer, turned around and chased the ball. Now

(04:43):
he didn't get there, he didn't get there, but he
got close. Arthur Milette made the tackle about four or
five yards short of the sticks. And there was another
instance where there was a pass defense that the line
of scrimmage and the ball popped up in the air
and fell down and bounced around. Hey we're turned around
and used to bouncing ball. Yeah. You know a lot
of coaches say, if that thing's on the ground picking up,

(05:04):
you never know, right. But this is the This guy
is at all pro and yes, he's taking zero plays
off and he's playing every play to the whistle, and
he was he was not alone, and he was not alone.
I mean there was eleven guys hustling. I didn't see
anybody jogging on defense. It's ever they kept bringing him

(05:24):
in like hockey lines on defense, you know, using that
that defensive front, keeping them fresh. I commended him for that.
You know, Tomlin didn't know this thing was gonna go
five quarters, you know, but they were still rotating guys early.
And it speaks to the depth and the trust of
those guys. And I remember it was a while ago
and Cam was young, or even when Twatt was young,
and coach Mitchell was the defensive line coach, and I

(05:46):
was shocked in practice how much he stressed those big
guys chasing down the ball, and that builds over time.
You know, Cam's gonna pass it down, and you know
that this just didn't happen overnight. They used to do
a drill out there. I didn't it this year, but
they would take all the defense to an extra field
or an adjacent field the mobe they're doing specialty. The

(06:08):
practice was over something and they would they would all
line up on one side of the field and then
they would throw the ball sideways to one guy standing,
you know, on the other side, on the other sideline,
and the entirety of the defense would chase that guy
and he would start just jogging down and you know,
they would be screaming, and I mean, but they did
it and did it and just that mentality it was

(06:30):
really impressive and how builds conditioning and how hard they
hit and to be able to buck up. Joe Mixon
pops the thirty one yard run on fourth and one,
and they've got the ball inside your five yard line
and they push him back. The penalties that give him
a new set of downs inside the red zone. They

(06:52):
pushed him back or hold the line, And yeah, they
gave up the score late, but boy Bakal said it
really worked for it. Uh, not many things, if any,
that you can complain about on the defense. Thirty one
yard run on fourth the one that happens. You're on
the play here on the field for that plays you're
gonna allow our big runners. Three guys got blocked, Yeah,
Miles jack Up, Luck, Larry Oogan, Joe got blocked, and

(07:14):
I forget who the third one was. Bengals made a play. Yeah.
And I wrote about fifteen hundred words on this the
other day about how impressive it is to sustain high
level defense in today's NFL. And one thing I got
into in that article is I very much believe fourth
quarter defense is dead and overtime defense is extinct, you know,

(07:37):
like offensive coordinators figure you out. Yeah, fatigue hits a
defense much more than an offense. And sure they weren't
as good in the fourth quarter in the in the
fifth quarter as the first, but no defenses are ever
in this league anymore. And even in the overtime they
came up with the negative slight Arthur Milette with the
sack strip and then the fumble that did you know

(07:58):
that rule? By the way, which what's that? The guy
picked the ball up and ran it? And I thought
it originally, and I wasn't sure as I was sitting
there myself, going, isn't that the fumbe risky type of deal?
The Raiders thing? Yeah, I knew it as well. It
was interesting the two guys on TV we're talking about
what it heads up play. I think it was p
Ryan again that oh he picked up the phonel and
ran him in the field goal but no he did not.

(08:21):
But yeah, and and the variety of packages, the number
of people they had involved. I think it was seventeen
guys played twenty eight or more percent of the defensive snaps.
Uh you need it. You saw a lot of different
stuff in the secondary, particularly after well before Levi Wallace
went out. Uh, then you lose t J. Watt as
you louded. Um. And one thing about the secondary I

(08:44):
want to talk about earlier is you saw the pass
rush early, but the secondary was really driving on the
football and not only just collisions after the catch, but
you know, they weren't just coming up and tackle and
they were driving on the ball on the air with
great aggression and it worked out phenomenally. Yeah, they get

(09:05):
their hands out. I thought one of the best places
of the game was camp Sutton's interception to cut called
back for holding because it was holding. He was holding
the guy with one hand and he picked it off
with the other. They should have said, you know, that's
a penalty, but that was pretty cool. So we're gonna
let us stay at first out. Let's go. Yeah. Uh.
So they get it done, and I think there's reason
to believe they can be pretty good. But how good

(09:27):
without t J. Watt? Yeah, I mean I think that's problematic,
of course. I mean the Bulls without Jordan's I mean, like,
I mean, he's a rare player. Um. I do think
they're in much much better shape now than they would
have been a couple of weeks ago, you know, before
the Red trade, and I even think picking up Jones
has some value. I mean, I thought he was better

(09:48):
than the the Tacos and Touchco's of the world as
your fourth outside linebacker. I honestly don't know much about
the guy they picked up today, but I don't think
he's a factor in the whole heck of a lot.
That would be David and then the yeah out of Houston,
uh six ft three two or forty nine pounds, undrafted
went to training camp with Tennessee. Cut was under practice

(10:10):
squads now's he had a phenomenal preseason, both in just
reading up on him a little bit. Uh, you know
how the Steelers fans have gotten really excited over the
likes of two Zar Skipper and somebody else next James Harrison, Right,
apparently he was there, Skipper, but he's here. Agree, but
had a good preseason. He's here now. I can tell

(10:31):
the people listening you and I and are Buddy Dale Lawley.
We did a ton of pre draft stuff. I did
not have David on my list, but he might be
a fine I mean, if if you're plucking him off
someone's practice squad instead of bringing him up on your own.
He did something well on tape as an NFL player
in the preseason, was my assumption, and sounds like that's
the case. Overcoming the Wad injury is going to be

(10:54):
very difficult, but they don't need to. I mean, they're
not gonna do what they did against the Bengals any
game this year and way you know, I mean they
need more from the offense. It needs to be more
of a team effort. Now. I don't think it's gonna
be like Tyson alo Alla last year. It's not gonna
be the Jena piece that brings the whole thing crashing down,
in part because they have Miles Jack this year. They
have Allo Allo back, they have Larry ogen Jovi, They

(11:16):
got better depth and and performance in the defensive back.
So they're just a better defense all the way around.
So um more options, you know. Speaking of which, Mike Tom,
I'm talking about t J. Watt not having them back
on Tuesday, and we did not hear next man up.
What we heard was and I quote, when you lose
a guy like him, it's not about the guys that

(11:37):
occupy his position of left outside linebacker. It's how we
redistribute our responsibilities collectively to produce the collective outcome that
we desire. And that immediately, that immediately got me thinking,
all right, we've talked a lot on these programs and
other type programming that with Brian Floores in town, with

(11:58):
Terrell Austin is a new defense coordinator, you have a
new defensive brain trust here. I think we're gonna see
a little bit of scheming to uh compensate for t J.
Watts lost. Other than instead of just throwing the leak
read out there and saying, okay, you're next. See what's
really interesting to me, and I'm thinking the same way
you are, is these next two games. You have two
games in four days. You know, go going to Cleveland

(12:20):
and in week three off people aren't familiar. Is nothing
like playing the Bengals. You know, the Bengals are gonna
be in three wide all the time, shotgun Aaron it out.
What do we do about Chase Higgins, et cetera. These
teams are gonna be power football, a lot of tight
ends on the field. They're gonna run at you and
run at you. And that's We'll go too tight all
the time and do those toss suites of course. So

(12:42):
you have a bunch of d lineman that are you know,
really good players that we just saw to you know,
two hockey lines worth of big dudes. You're a little
light on the edges of the quota outside linebackers, and well,
I just talked up read I like them. I don't
want Chubb and the Patriots and Hunts and all those

(13:02):
guys running straight at him play after play. He's a
little light in the pants, and you know, maybe you
put some beef out there. I think something's coming. Yeah,
not quite sure what, but I don't think they're just
gonna take this line down and say, okay, we'll just
move forward in the right. It's almost similar to the
way they approached their offensive game plan. I thought clearly

(13:24):
they were not gonna let Robisky take five and seven
step drops and hold the ball and get killed because
they were worried about protection. They were gonna get the
ball out quick, they were going to roll them out
when when they could, or they were gonna tell him, hey,
first sign of trouble, get it out and get yourself
out of there. One second. That was when he got
out on the wing and just didn't really know what
to do and he ended up stepping out of bounds.

(13:46):
But for all the problems in the run game, pass
part was pretty good. It was I think that was
one of the underreported issues of the you know aspects
of the offense, was that's not a bad pass rush. No,
it's very good when players and I thought they held
up well. The run blocking is problematic and the whole
run games problematic. That the drop back passing game isn't

(14:06):
there yet, but I did think the protection is a
lot better, I bet than a lot of our listeners realized.
Some good news off the participation report today. Nagy Harris
upgraded to full participant, Levi Wallace upgraded to full participant,
Robert plaint splaine excuse me, full participant for the second
straight day. Mason Cole limited again with his ankle, but

(14:28):
he told a couple of us afterward he expects to
play on Sunday, and Cam Heyward had the day off.
A couple of developments in New England, nothing major, but
worth noting quarterback Mac Jones illness. Uh. I don't think
it's COVID, but I suppose there's a stomach thing from
what I've read, but who knows. It's a Dave prep
that he missed, and he's a second He's a second

(14:49):
year guy who's early in his second year. They made
a lot of changes in that offense, you know, just
schematically and things like that, and it's been a disaster
up to this point. He can use all the reps
he can get. Limits did for the second consecutive day.
Linebacker Juwan Bentley number eight with a toe injury. He's
one of their key guys. He's important for them. And
also left tackle Trent Brown ankle was added to the

(15:12):
Pats participation report as limited, and safety Adrian Phillips ribs
limited for the second straight day. He got hurt late
in the first half of New England's seven lost to
Miami on Sunday. They play him in the slot, they
play him all over. You know, they're a secondary moving parts,
chess pieces all over. That's Phillips is a key guy

(15:34):
for them, as it's Bentley on defense. So, uh, stay
tuned on that. Maybe all these guys play, but maybe
they're not. Uh, you know, you mentioned Trent Brown I
didn't realize he was on there, but until just now,
he's like the biggest tackle in the league and not
exactly the most fleet of foot guy to begin with.
If he's an ankle, that's something Note got a lot
more to get to Tonight when we come back, we'll

(15:56):
be joined by the third member of our Steelers preview team,
Meryl Hodge with Matt Williamson on Mike Pursuer. We're gonna
be with you tonight until eight o'clock right here on
Steelers Preview on your Steelers Flagship one or two point
five d V Back to the Steelers Preview Show presented
by Univet on d v E. Welcome back, Mine and

(16:22):
Matt Williamson with you tonight on the preview until eight o'clock.
We're getting ready for the Steelers and the Patriots the
home opener in time now, and welcome to the program.
The third member of our team and our power back,
our feature, back Factor, Back Factor Back, Meryl Hodge. Meryl,
how are you and where are you? Because you live

(16:43):
such an exciting life. I think of you sometimes and
I picture you walking through the woods, weapon in one hand,
phone in the other, looking for a bear, looking at
some tape, looking for a deer, looking at some tape.
What's going on? That'll actually be me next week and
eat the mountains a new mett So on a big
elk cut, you will find me in the hell of mountains. Um,

(17:04):
But I'm actually in Pittsburgh. I was just up a
themicalon just got back from Los Angeles, and Uh, I'm
sitting here brushing up on some tape. So you caught
me at a perfect time. Absolutely what we tried to
do every week. Uh, Matt and I were talking about
the heroic effort of the defense in addition to playing well.
They played hard with passion and fire and all that.

(17:26):
But I wanted to get your impressions of Mitch ter
Bisky because I think there's a lot of ways you
can look at that opener in Cincinnati. Uh, he did
not make the huge mistakes and he really helped to
win the game for him at the end with a
couple of strikes in ot But boy, there wasn't much
happening until then. Uh. Is a winning performance good enough

(17:48):
for a quarterback or does he have have some major
improving to do well? Listen, Um, First of all, at
the end of the day, that's what matters, you know
in those In fact, it's been an area actually the
Mittell's probably there has not done well for from college
into the NFL. Like in college, some of let's go
back to when he was in college. Coming out of

(18:10):
college here was his his real issues. He was ancontistent passer,
he struggled in critical downs, um, and those things transition
to the NFL, and that's really what ended up driving
him out of out of Chicago, um you know, um
and making making throws where you don't even give your

(18:31):
your wide receiver a chance, which there was about you know,
four or five throws that he did that in the
game where you know, I just nobody's gonna be always
a spot on, but you least had to keep the
ball in the park and give your guy a shot.
I mean Andre Johnson's um um um, the one catch

(18:51):
and the left handed cats, I mean give your guy
a chance, um, you know, and show times you threw
it out of the park or like nobody had a chance,
an't even a chance for an interception. So like those
type of things. He's got to get better. Now, was
it all him? No? I mean, okay, this is just
gu I don't watch them again. They didn't do a
very good job. And I'm talking about the receiving corps

(19:14):
is getting open during man coverage. I'm trying. They really struggled.
I mean, there's lots not a lot of places for
him to go with the ball um, you know, and
you can't put that on him. His job, as through
his job is not to get open, and there were
guys that just weren't. Nobody's getting open in man coveries.
In fact, you see this take, you like, I've played
more Man than I would play his own right now

(19:36):
until they can prove to me they can get open.
And you couple with the times that they were playing
man um those throws I just talked about those, the
type of throws that Mitch made. You know, they were
not even the Vall Park. So like this is what
teams do they start looking on. They don't play well
against man. Nobody's separation, nobody's really getting open the quarterback. Really,

(19:57):
it doesn't make accurate enough throws consistently. I don't make
some throws, but you still got to be consistent, you know. Um,
And it consists in the NFL's like you're in those categories.
It can't be fifty fifties high school, fifties colleges. That
just doesn't exist in the NFL. So you know. Um,
so I would expect actual I would expect the Patriots

(20:18):
to do a lot of that. You know, Bill Belichick
is good. I mean I've watchington and studied him for
a long time. He changes there, everything, everything up from
week to week. He'll look at this team and he's
gonna stress their off a deep line and it's probably
gonna strets your receivers and makes your quarterback make really
tight tight throws. Um, I would see that. I would
expect that more out of this group. And maybe I

(20:39):
saw than he than he did last week against Miami.
It makes perfect sense. May and I think you're dead
on and I'm sure you agree that some semblance of
a traditional running game would go a long way too.
And where's the where are you seeing the problems with that?
I mean, I don't think you can blame the back,
you know, the blocking you know, um, you know, here's

(21:01):
here's one of the problems. The poor offensive line. They
if there's if they're not running the football and they're
miss blocks, maybe blamed for it. Period. Now, the other
component to a running game is your tight ends are critical.
Your receivers are critical. And I could give you I
could think of four or five rounds the top of
my head that I saw in the first half that
the tight ends are getting with while receivers are not

(21:22):
touching anybody. So it's not just the offensive line, is
my point. Um, did they do a very good job? Um? No,
they didn't. You know, they struggled. Um. But then there's
the other element to this. It's that I think sometimes
fans think you know, and I think even you when
I say fans, I'm including myself. You know that you

(21:43):
forget about the other guys are pretty good too, you know.
I mean, those guys are NFL players, And I would say,
if there was a play DJ reader there eight, I'm
gonna say this, that may not be a household man
to man, I don't know who he is there. Oh
my god, I'm John. I wants to play. I wanted
to play down a sporting carg where he tackles Naja Harris.

(22:05):
Now he's double. Now when I'm telling you, it's about
as good as double as you could possibly ever imagine. Initially,
I can't remember who came down. It was the guard attack.
I think it was open for coming down because he's
engaged with the guard. Guess it has to be I
think it has to be and he he basically jack's
him up across the other side. I mean he's going

(22:27):
his head's gonna hit the ground. He's got one leg
on the ground, another leg in the air. He looks
like a pretzel. When I stopped actually sending this, played
Salom wilcox Um, who who's a buddy of mine, because
I was like, I just can't believe this place. Fact
got to saying I'll send it to you guys. I mean,
and I stopped it, and I'm like, because here's why
I dragged my attention. It almost looked like it played

(22:47):
that what happened when we were playing the Giants against
Lawrence Taylor John Jackson and I John Jackson was engaged
with him and I gave him a chip, and I mean,
I'm telling me his head was gonna go hit the ground.
I mean we thought it was like the best chip.
I mean, he's done, and somehow he he put his
hand on the ground where the other leg keeps bounce
and then jokes and hits Mill Donald just as he

(23:09):
throws the football. John Jackson, I walked out, go old,
did we just that just happened? It was like that
you well in this in this play, I'm talking about
um the number uh dj Ritter, I mean reader, I mean,
oh my gosh. He so and then he ends up
splitting the double Team act and Taplin Roja Harris And

(23:29):
I'm just telling you that I would come my officers
live and I'm like, I'll be honest with you. I
thought you had it done too, you know, And they
were kind of like, so the your loop things happened
to is my point. If you're not, just they didn't
get the job done. Now that being said, they clearly
have to do a much better job than they did
against Cincinnati because you are exactly right, Um, Belichick is

(23:54):
not gonna take it easy, and nobody in the NFL
is going to They're gonna stretch it and stretch and
keep stretching it, um and doing all kinds of things
to make it harder on you to get your rhythm
and get a system wrong. But if they do, you know,
this is why you're not. The group talked about this before,
but it bears repeating because it is a staple of
the NFL. It's one of the most critical aspects of

(24:15):
winning in the NFL consistently, as you have to control
the temple. You have to control the environment. Controlling the
temple one of the very best ways and really the
very best way to give you um all phases to
your offense as options. As you have to run the football,
you have to be good at it. You have to
dominate there because when you do, you now neutralize what

(24:37):
they can do. And I think that's what I don't
think people understand is when you run the football, you
become dictated. The dictator you tell them you know what
you can't stop with seven you put you gotta put
somebody else in the box. Once that happens, I have
now handcuffed you with what you can do in coverage.
Now I know what you're gonna do, so I'm dictating
the whole game. When I can't do that, well, then

(25:00):
got all your cards. You're flexible. You can create everything
that you want. You can you can do creative blitzes.
Your coverages can be extreme, exotic and different and create
all kinds of problems for us. And so there's no
doubt that without that they just they're going to struggle offensively.
Your quarterback is not just like an elite guy that

(25:21):
can carry the football team and off set your deficiencies.
I think you could be a very good compliment, but
you gotta you gotta support him. You got helping and
you've got to do that would be the run game,
or or he's gonna struggle like he did against Cincinnati.
One of the things that Trabisky talked about this week,
Meryll was some opening day stuff and some timing, and
maybe he didn't get the ball out quick enough, or

(25:43):
maybe the receivers didn't get to whether they were supposed
to be quick enough. There were a couple they just
missed one. I'm thinking in particular early in the game.
I think it was the second series, a deep sideline
shot to Miles boy can number thirteen and just completing.
Then there was another one later in the game, two
pickings down the right sideline, and it looked to me

(26:06):
like he was in the process of beating one on one,
and Trabinsky said he sensed an all out blitz and
he threw that one away. And then he said, maybe
I should have given him a chance, but he said,
he threw that one out a bound so nobody would
get it. Does he have to accept a little bit
more of the possibility that the ball might get intercepted
and try a little harder to make a play or

(26:27):
do maybe his coaches have to accept that and allow
do the Steelers as an offensive entity have to go
for it a little more and to use the mike
Tomlin is um stop living in the turnover fears, right, person.
I don't like that mindset. As soon as you say
you talked about that mindset, that to me is you surrendered. Now,

(26:48):
actually I'd be smart with the ball. But listen when somebody,
when somebody's gonna try to sting, I mean, what you
got to sting him? You can't. You can't have tape
on to go kids can bound. We should of him
a type pressure you to throw about that and how
what you want to show him? I want to show
them what because guess what that defense wins defense. And

(27:09):
let me add one other layer to this. You know
they in the passing game doing things that really worked
were kind of the gadgets. You know that that to
me is a little concerning. If that's your most successful stuff,
that that's a concern. You ain't gonna live on that. Shoot,
they ran a screenplay and they ran it wrong. Obviously,
line is going the right to tight ends standing over
there all by himself. Now, I don't know who lined
up wrong. I don't know who. They can't tell you

(27:30):
who's the plane could have been off to the line
because they went one way for our me. If he
was on the other side, did he line up wrong?
I don't know who. I can't tell you who did
it wrong. But they did it wrong because Robisky got
and at the end of the day, your quarterback has
to know that anyway, you tied INDs on the wrong
side to keep on the inside, no snap it. You
know your screens going over there. How can you not
check over there? So that I'd being said The first

(27:52):
person I think about, the first person I think about
who had that mindset was Bobby Brister Ironic and Sunday
night game in Sinnati. I will never forget. It's third
and ten um to two quick stories on this because
they're classic the first time. You know, I got a
comfort to. We can't tell them on the show, right

(28:13):
so the so this is why I'm sharing them. You
can tell these stories. This is why I said, very cello,
can you tell a story above the brister? These are
two great stories above the Brister. Um anyway, it's it's
I'm really was third down, Yes, it was third down,
third and ten. Play comes in, He calls time out,
goes the sideline comes back. You know, got TV time happen.

(28:33):
Goes say no, yours not not no offense. He goes,
they sent in the screen, you know to me center screen. Personally,
I want to get the first down. So I told
him we're gonna do something else because I want to
get first down because sometimes sometimes the screen is as
a surrender. Play right, I got to do. But you
don't think I get the first game, have no offense
to you. I just I want with you the first down.

(28:55):
So that that was his mind. He's like, we ain't
doing the first so same drive, same drive. We had
to use the wristband. He has six plays on his
wristband because for moments like this and they just signal
in the play. He's we have one time outleft. It's
not the opportunity. There's not the opportunity to time to
call time out. Where he does is mother time out,

(29:18):
you know, all fired up, comes over, He goes, pulls
the wristle, then go over over. He goes, how me
pleasures you on it? What's at six? He goes, Okay, well,
those idiots are signaling seven into me. He goes, and
they talk about me being dumb because they're talking about
they say. He goes, yeah, and and he says, I

(29:40):
gotta call it time out here. So I'm gonna look
like an idiot because it's not what you call it
time outs, the stuporst time to call it time out.
But he kept giving the circle repeat. He goes, They
kept giving me seven. Try to go to the sideline.
We don't have seven on here when we get six.
So that's why I had to call a time out
because they kept giving him seven in the city that okay,
So how we got to this point is that mindset.

(30:02):
I just don't that mindset. I don't understand that mindset,
um shoes, because I guess I don't think a quarterback.
Even I played, I was like third down back forever
and I'm ten tan. Yes, I wanted I wanted to
BLI because if we pick it up the real thought process,
we're gonna annail you. We're gonna annail you. You do that,
We're gonna annail you. And you have to nail him

(30:25):
to make him quit going it. So I don't know
That's that's interesting. Uh. I just I would and thrown
it out of bounce to me is well, that's they win,
that's that's a surrender. I just that's interesting that he
says stuff like that. I don't, um, I don't know, don't.
I wouldn't see it like that. I just said differently.

(30:46):
But you know, listen that there's there's some place you know,
and give him the better I know what place that
he's talking about, because he just now he listened. He
did the same thing on second down though, and there
was no bleds. He threw it completely out of bounds,
so that was the pickings on the other side to
come back. Yeah, but he didn't. I don't think he
was trying to throw that out About that, I think right,

(31:09):
But yeah, but that's my point. You have too many
throws like that to be consistent that that that's been
his that was his problem in college. I remember I
was a study in college and I was really perplexed
by him because he was You'd see some throw great
those and then you'd see things that he was out
of the park, and then he could miss stuff didn't
make great throw. I'll tell you what. Everything came down
boiled down to this. It was in South Carolina, in

(31:30):
North Carolina. At North Carolina, they're down by belief for
they're on South Carolinas around forty yard line is third
and five or third and six, around third and five.
The slot receiver they had was actually went. He went
in the NFL. He was he was a very good player.
I can't remember his dame name. So he was. No,
he wasn't Chop liver. Well. He absolutely destroys the defender

(31:50):
and end they're playing off. The playing off he runs
a route on him and smoked team and Ramiskey hit
the third down sign. He I mean didn't even keep
the ballpark. Now, now this has been this has been
going on. Okay, so I loots like I'm ten games
into this and I was like, okay, now here's a
critical moment. This is this is where that this is.

(32:11):
A quarterback has to win this. These are the throws
you have to make because if you can't make him
in college, you're not gonna make him in the NFL.
I've never seeing somebody who handle critical or struggle with
critical situations or critical downs, um critical moments and have
a consistent basis on it not do the same thing
in the NFL. Or struggle with it, and I'm not

(32:32):
struggle in the NFL. And if you look at his
UM time in Chicago, that's where he would struggle. He
struggled with the scoring territory, started on critical downs. Um
he still made some place. He's gonna make some place.
You know, he's a pretty good athlete, and you know
he's gonna make some place. It's just that consistent fact,
consistency factor that he has to try to get over

(32:52):
that hurdle, you know, and sometimes hoping in Buffalo. You
you know, sometimes when your set, you know you can
really you know, you can revamp yourself and look at
things differently. And as long as you worked on those things.
I don't know what he did when he was in Buffalo.
I can't speak to that. I listen, there is one game.
You know, there were some of those flaws that I
saw way back in college, and just in Chicago doesn't

(33:13):
mean they're going to be there and stay there. You know,
hopefully he's he'll do better at them. I'll give you example,
at the end of the game, those are critical times.
He made critical plays and at the end of the day,
right and it ended everything. I just said. He was
her relevant based on that game because he was able
to offset it when he had that chance, and you

(33:33):
have to give him that credit. I guess what I'm wanting.
The free plays, the one we're talking about, the he
escapes the sack from Hubbard and then he rolls left
and then he somehow gets turned and gets his body
square and fires at the Friarmouth right in front of
Jesse Bates. He's a pretty good safety and it ends
up to you a big play. And I'm wondering, Okay,

(33:54):
did he take a chance there because he knew it
was a free play? Like it doesn't want things? Does
he have to do that when he knows that there's
a risk that maybe Jesse Bates he can make the play,
but he's got to make the play. Well, i'llkay this.
Only he knows that. Now, I'll tell you this from

(34:15):
and I've studied he came out of college. Okay, I've
I've watched all of those things, like even even some
of the other problems that he gets stuck on things.
You know, he doesn't process things as quickly as as
I really think he needs to. I know, you need
to in order to truly be a good an excellent
quarterback in the NFL. He just sticks too long and

(34:37):
then what he does is he doesn't throw it. Sometimes
he runs with it. And neither one of them. Yeah,
neither one of those are are good. You know, like
you know, I know people go dogs like very good.
I get somebody who's mobile. Okay, tell me the first
chance of Bowl champion. You know, the quarterback round themself
to a championship does not exist, will never exist. If

(34:58):
Michael Vick can't do it, mar Lar Jack, you can't
do it? Um, shoot, Steve Young couldn't do it? Or
do Just tell Steve Young took everything that he did
with his legs and put it into his arm. But
they were a Super Bowl contender period. The more he ran,
the more average they were. We'll see if he can
get over at uh against the Patriots or start getting
over at Meryl great stuff. You earned your money this

(35:21):
week by recalling off the top of your head, Mr
Bisky college tape. I'm impressed. Well done. You guys are
the best man. Go Stevens though, and Mr Bich he'll
he plays better and obviously lying gets rolling because this
this will be interesting game with Patriots. I mean they
have I think they're they're not a very confident team

(35:42):
right now, and you usually don't get Belichick like that
very often. Great stuff. Meryl will talk to you next
Wednesday before the Cleveland game. You gotta guys, Meryl Hodges
bringing it as he always does. Uh, Matt and I
have one more segment to go. We'll get to that
on the other side of the break. You're listening to
Steelers Preview right here on your Steelers Flagship one or

(36:05):
two point five d V. Back to the Steelers Preview
Show presented by Uni bet on d V. Welcome back
Mike Kasuda and Matt Williamson with you tonight till eight
o'clock getting ready for the Steelers and the New England Patriots. Matt,
we've hit the Steelers pretty hard offensively in defensively, really
interesting stuff with Meryl there. Um. Mr Bisky's gotta uh

(36:28):
pick it up. He does. And it's one game, first
game ever there. They had an early lead. I mean,
who knows what the coaches were telling them in terms
of turning it over and all that. I don't know
he's dictating what he's doing, but they need more out
of that position right, and I like what Merrill said,
though there's more than one game body of work with
Mitch though to cite some of these, you know the
problems New England come into town and the Patriots twenty

(36:52):
to seven losers in Miami, and Bill Beltzick caming out
out out of that saying, well, it's basically an even game,
and so for a couple of plays, well into it
that way. A couple of plays he's talking about were disasters.
The first one, uh a sack fumble returned for walking
touchdown by our old buddy Melvin Ingram, And it was

(37:13):
a five man rush against a five man offensive line,
and the Dolphins apparently disguised their blitz pretty well because
Trent Brown, the left tackle, he didn't get beat by
the defensive back, he didn't block him, his attention was
inside and the guy had a free run from the
blindside on Jones. Pile ball comes out touchdown. Then the
one that everybody's talking about. Fourth and seven for Miami

(37:38):
from the New England forty two with twenty four seconds
left in the first half, and they run a slant
to Jalen Waddle and he catches. For some reason, they
had Devin mccordy there, uh center fielder who's about thirty
five years old and not real fast anymore, but still
pretty good the defense. He's a Belichick favorite for he

(38:00):
played center field almost every cent and this one he's
up in the slot on the line of scrimmage and
they run the slant and they get it between Jalen Mills,
the one cornerback and Juwan Brantley, who is a gamer
but not a speed demon linebacker either. This team in
general has no speed. Yeah. And then Waddle catches it

(38:20):
between those two guys, and Kyle Dugger's the center fielder,
who I love's one of my faves, but he's more physical.
And then gap to gap yeah yeah, and he came
up too slow and Waddle was gone. And that's how
it got from three nothing to seventeen and nothing. And
I'm here to tell you what this New England offense.
But that's all about team building. Miami's just at and

(38:41):
speed left and right and Bills looking for four seven
corners that are smart. You know how I do these,
uh preps? For the previews. I watched the Steeler game
and I always tape the team they're gonna play. I
have to tea and every once in a while you
get any situations, Oh there's a game with two opponents
that they're gonna play. They're gonna play New England and

(39:03):
then they're gonna play Miami down the road. I came
out of this study thinking Miami is pretty good. I
kept noticing Miami like, I'm really looking forward to Miami
Baltimore to see if they're really real. It's not getting
excited about New England. New England looks like an easy opponent.
I mean, I have all the respect the world for Belichick.
I but I don't think this is not They don't

(39:24):
have a good roster. Yeah, I don't know who they're
good players are. I mean I don't know who their
stars are. Um, they are slow on both sides of
the ball. Um. He's a phenomenal coach, but they I
don't know that the team building is on, you know.
I I have a lot of questions about the team
building and the stuff they're doing on offense with these
coordinators and changing their offensive scheme is not working out

(39:49):
at all. I mean, all the guys that are practiced
like you guys every day have said, Man, I have
not seen this offense look so abysmal from the start
to camp up and through now and any point in
the last twenty years, it has struggled. The big reason why,
maybe one of the big reasons why, similar to what
we saw with the Bengals. They've got four different guys

(40:10):
in four different spots on their offensive line. Now, they've
all been with the team. They didn't go in free agents.
Cole Strange, their left guard, was the twenty night out
of Chattanoogat jumping Bill. Do you know, do you really
know what nobody else seems to? Uh? Trent Brown has

(40:30):
moved from right tackle to left tackle. Isaiah Winn has
moved from left tackle to right tackle. He's also played
some guard. Michael Uh, Yeah, thank you, He's played everywhere
in the line. Yeah, he's playing right guard now. And
David Andrews is the only holdover at center. And they're
incorporating outside zone as is the featured scheme. I mean,

(40:51):
like they were one of the heaviest fullback teams in
the league last year. They don't even full back on
the roster, you know, like they really are changing things.
And mac Jones was kind of drafted to be of course,
not Brady but kind of a Brady clone, you know,
And now they want him rolling out and doing athletic
things like I don't understand what they're doing. Belichick will
have forgotten more football than I'll ever know. I have

(41:13):
the utmost respect for him, but what they've done in
the last two or three years makes no sense to me. Yeah,
they're just they're gonna try to run the tosses in
the outside zone stuff, and they stopped themselves with turnovers
and penalties in Miami. But they're not built to score fast.
They're not built to score from behind if they fall
behind her up against it. Defensively, we talked about mccordy

(41:34):
the secondary. They come up and attack the run, and
as a defense they attack the line of scrimmage. But
as you said, there's a lack of speed and there's
nobody spectacular. Who are you afraid of? Lord's guy, Dietrich Wise? Uh,
Matt Judean is a pretty good player, but I think
he's their best player. I like Bentley, but he's not

(41:55):
all that. I think Judan is a really good edge guy,
but I mean he's the Steelers have had ten better,
you know what I mean. Like he's fine. He may
probably go to Pro Bowl here and there. They have
two young guys I think are gonna be very good.
Dougger the safety we mentioned, and bar More the defensive tackle.
Bar Moore kind of reminds me of like to it,
you know, really athletic, but he's in his second year

(42:17):
and he only plays the snaps and then and typical
Belichick fashion. He's got a lot of versatile, tough guys
that he trusts, but there's no one that can run
or impact the game. And every cornerback's last name is Jones. Yeah,
Jonathan Jones is uh one of them, and Jayala Mills
the other one. Uh, you know j C. Jackson's playing

(42:39):
for the Chargers tonight the last two years. And that's
a position they went out and you know, paid money
for Reeves, paid money for Gilmore. Excuse Yeah, They've always
had a stud shutdown corner and the rest of the
second right, I mean Reeves. You know, yeah, there's no
there's not a Teddy Bruski. There's not there's not a
guy where you go, wow, look at this guy. What

(43:00):
are we gonna do about him? I mean I don't
mean to be critical, I mean, yeah, I do. I
think it's one of the worst rosters in the league. Yeah,
I think I think New England's gonna struggle, and I
think this is a pretty winnable game for Pittsburgh. But
but Pittsburgh's gonna have to do more the lightning that's struck.
It is not going to striking exactly. Last thing you

(43:22):
mentioned that the you know, the controversy or circus circus
with the play calling. Uh Joe Judge, offensive assistant and
quarterbacks coach, and Matt Patricia, senior football advisor offensive line.
They both had play sheets in Miami. They won't tell
anybody who's calling the place, but it's well and they're
both defensive guys. The Judge is a special teamer and

(43:42):
Patricia is also the old line coach, so when he's
calling plays, he's not Mark Andrews, the center you mentioned,
is coaching the old line. It's crazy. That's gonna do
it for us tonight. I want to thank Merrill for
joining us as he always does. Thanks to you, Jake
for keeping us on the air, and thanks to you
for findingough. We're gonna do this again next Wednesday. Programming note, Matt,

(44:02):
Now I'll be coming to you Wednesday from seven to
eight o'clock because the Steelers are in Cleveland on Thursday.
That's gonna do it for tonight's show for Matt Williamson,
UM Mike Pursuita. You have been listening to Steelers preview
right here on your Steelers flagship one or two point
five d v E. Goodnight, everybody,