Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.99: Lane Switchin

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Ep.99: Lane Switchin · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Bag alert, bag alert, bag alert, bag alert, bag
0:05
alert, bag alert, bag alert, folks. That's right.
0:07
It's a surprise bag alert, to be honest with
0:10
you, because nobody was expecting a bag alert
0:13
just a few weeks before Christmas. All right.
0:15
But let's talk about it. All right. Mark Andrews
0:17
gets paid. Lane Kiffin heads to LSU. Chiefs and
0:20
Cowboys recap. Bengals and Ravens recap. Bears
0:23
and Eagles recap. Bills and Steelers recap, okay?
0:26
This is going to be a therapy session for Steelers
0:28
fans because man, oh man, are they going through
0:32
it, okay? All of this and more. On the 99th episode
0:35
of Football Junkies Podcast. That's right, 99
0:37
episodes. 99 episodes, folks. We have been cranking
0:42
them out since last year. And we're going to
0:44
keep on going, all right? I am your host with
0:47
the most, all right? I am your GM who currently
0:49
is not on a team right now. But don't you worry
0:52
about it, all right? Don't you worry about it
0:54
because I'm your chief bag roll dominance. That's
0:56
right, chief. Head of the table. Anything and
0:58
everything related to the bag. Rumors to the
1:00
bag and more, all right? I am your hopium hope.
1:03
Opium, opium, opium, opium dealer. That's right.
1:06
All the opium that you need to make it through
1:08
the rest of the season. I'm your guy. All right.
1:11
I'm all these things and more. But most importantly,
1:15
the most important thing that you must remember
1:16
is I am your host, Kale. Buckle up. It's going
1:19
to get crazy. So guess what? On three. One, two,
1:22
three. Let's lock in. All right, folks, let's
1:51
get into the meat and potatoes of everything
1:53
that is going on in the league right now. So
1:55
before we get into the drama with LSU and Ole
1:58
Miss, let's talk about this bag alert, all right?
2:00
So Mark Andrews tied in for the Ravens, inks
2:03
a three -year $39 .3 million deal, $26 million
2:06
guaranteed. He'll be making $13 .1 million a
2:08
year, okay? When we look at his stats from this
2:11
season so far... 37 receptions for 332 receiving
2:14
yards, five touchdowns, and he's averaging nine
2:17
receiving yards per reception. I'll be honest
2:19
with you guys, this was a little bit of a head
2:21
scratcher. I was not expecting Mark Andrews to
2:24
get an extension at this point in the season,
2:26
but I'm not surprised because he's the most reliable
2:29
weapon for Lamar Jackson. Now, with that being
2:31
said, it made me wonder, did the Ravens offer
2:34
this same deal to Isaiah Lightley? Because all
2:38
three of their tight ends are gonna be free agents
2:40
next year. So I'm thinking, OK, out of those
2:43
three, realistically speaking, who are they going
2:46
to bring back? Now, we all know most likely they
2:48
were going to bring back Mark Andrews, but at
2:49
a lesser deal, because most likely they were
2:52
going to pay more money to Isaiah, likely just
2:54
because he has more upside right now. But clearly
2:57
something has happened. Now, I'm not going to
3:00
be a person that says, oh, I have a source here
3:02
or there. I don't have any sources, okay? So
3:04
this is all speculations. I'm just trying to
3:07
put two and two together. My guess is the Ravens
3:10
have been trying to negotiate an extension with
3:12
both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely right now
3:15
because if they do it now, they can save a little
3:18
bit more money compared to if they do it in the
3:21
offseason. And so they've been trying to probably
3:24
get Isaiah Likely first because they know he's
3:27
going to demand more money than Mark Andrews.
3:29
And my guess is Isaiah Likely's team is telling
3:32
them, hey, we're looking to make about X amount
3:36
of dollars. And the Ravens are probably telling
3:38
them no. And so they're probably going back and
3:41
forth. And the Ravens say, you know what? We're
3:43
going to give you this one last offer. if you
3:46
take it cool if you don't take it cool and isaiah
3:49
likely and his team probably said no and so the
3:52
raven said okay fine we're going to go in a different
3:54
direction and they probably offered the same
3:56
contract to mark andrews and mark andrews eventually
3:59
signed it now when we look at spot rat's market
4:02
value for mark andrews it's a three -year 21
4:05
.2 million dollar deal which he would be making
4:08
7 .1 million a year My only question is this,
4:12
how much money would it take to get back Isaiah
4:15
Likely? And if they can't get back Isaiah Likely,
4:19
how high of a priority would tight end be for
4:22
this team? Now, I'm not saying, you know, the
4:24
Ravens would take a tight end in the first round,
4:26
but what I am alluding to is the Ravens offensively
4:29
have been better when they have two really good
4:32
pass catching tight ends. Now, Charlie Kohler,
4:35
I'm not really worried about because I believe
4:37
he'll be back with the team. That's not a big
4:39
deal, honestly. You could get him for maybe about
4:41
five to eight million a year. No one's really
4:44
going to lose an inch of sleep off of that. But
4:47
you need another athletic tight end. And we've
4:50
only seen Charlie Kohler in spurts, whereas we've
4:55
seen a longer track record with both Mark Andrews
4:58
and Isaiah Lockley. Only time will tell. I know
5:01
the Ravens are going to take care of this because
5:02
they're the Ravens, okay? Now that we got that
5:05
out the way, let's talk about some college football.
5:07
Blaine Kiffin is now the next head coach for
5:10
LSU. So he inks a seven -year, $91 million deal
5:14
with them. He's making $13 million a year before
5:17
incentives. So according to Austin Nevison of
5:21
CBS Sports, he has an escalator in his contract
5:25
that would make him the highest paid coach in
5:27
the country if he wins a national championship.
5:30
He can also earn up to a million dollars if Ole
5:32
Miss wins a national championship. Kiffin's buyout
5:35
includes 80 % of his contract guaranteed if he's
5:39
fired from LSU without cause. The money would
5:42
be paid in installments for the duration of the
5:44
contract. Now here's the statement that Lane
5:47
Kiffin put out, and I quote, After a lot of prayer
5:49
and time spent with family, I made the difficult
5:52
decision to accept a head coaching position at
5:54
LSU. I was hoping to complete a historic six
5:57
-season run with this year's team by leading
5:59
Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on
6:02
this team's incredible success and their commitment
6:04
to finish strong and investing everything into
6:07
a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect
6:10
the program in any areas of concern. My request
6:13
to do so was denied by Keith Carter, despite
6:15
the team also asking him to allow me to keep
6:18
coaching them so that they could better maintain
6:20
their high level of performance. Unfortunately,
6:23
that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game
6:25
coaching the Rebels. While I am looking forward
6:28
to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU,
6:31
I will forever cherish the incredible six years
6:34
I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard
6:36
for the team to complete their mission and bring
6:39
a championship to Oxford. Lane Kiffin, end quote.
6:42
So a couple things with this situation. For starters,
6:45
we have to talk about the why. Before we get
6:48
into personal opinions and whatnot, all right?
6:51
So according to Todd McShay, one of the reasons
6:53
why Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss was because of
6:56
high school recruiting. Now, you're probably
6:58
thinking, why high school recruiting? Let me
7:01
explain. According to Daniel Miller from Live
7:04
Now Fox, Louisiana is the sixth state that produces
7:09
the most NFL players in the country at 102. I
7:13
want to say that one more time. Louisiana. is
7:17
the sixth state that produces the most NFL players
7:21
in the country at 102. And if we want to go a
7:27
little bit deeper in this issue, there is no
7:29
other college that can rival LSU. Think about
7:33
it. At Georgia, you have Georgia, of course,
7:35
Georgia Tech. In Texas, you have Texas, Texas
7:38
A &M, you have TCU, you have Baylor, the list
7:42
goes on. But according to Yahoo Sports, Lane
7:45
Kiffin gave an ultimatum to his Ole Miss staff
7:48
and he said in that quote, if they're not on
7:51
a plane to Baton Rouge today, they won't have
7:53
a spot on the staff, end quote. So he was 100
7:56
% serious about this move. But if we can be honest
8:00
here, I don't hate Lane Kiffin for making this
8:03
move because he realized that being at Ole Miss,
8:08
though it is a great opportunity, though he's
8:11
had a lot of success there, he's reached his
8:14
ceiling. And by going to LSU, you have now opened
8:18
the floodgates for more opportunities and a better
8:21
chance to bring in better prospects. Think about
8:24
it like this. You're 17 or 18 years old. You're
8:27
a five -star prospect. You got multiple offers
8:30
from different schools. Michigan, Ohio State,
8:34
USC, Oregon, the list goes on and on. But LSU
8:38
has been really trying to get you to come there.
8:41
You're going to go to LSU because for one, they
8:45
have such a rich history in producing some of
8:48
the best football players that we've seen in
8:50
our lifetime. We know that their alumni goes
8:53
from A to Z. From OBJ to Jarvis Landry, Justin
8:57
Jefferson, Jamara Chase, Patrick Queen, I could
9:00
continue to go on and on. You're going to go
9:02
to LSU because you know that by going to LSU,
9:05
that's going to be the best opportunity for you
9:08
to be playing on Sundays. You're not going to
9:11
take a job at Ole Miss, and this is no disrespect
9:13
to Ole Miss at all, but Ole Miss's reach is very
9:16
limited. The LSU's isn't. Here's just some of
9:19
the high school recruits that have already committed
9:21
to LSU so far. Lamar Brown. the number one defensive
9:24
tackle prospect in the country, LSU. Deuce Gerald,
9:28
the number two defensive tackle prospect in the
9:31
country, LSU. Trent Henderson, the number nine
9:35
defensive end prospect, LSU. Richard Anderson,
9:38
the number six defensive tackle prospect, LSU.
9:42
The proof is in the pudding here, folks. Lane
9:45
Kiffin realized that by going to LSU, I have
9:49
a better opportunity of winning a national championship
9:52
than Ole Miss. Now, granted, Ole Miss is having
9:54
a really good year this year, but this is just
9:57
one good year. How many times have LSU produced
10:01
great teams within the last, let's say, five
10:05
years? Now, compare that to Ole Miss. The rest
10:08
is history. Now, with that being said, we have
10:11
to be honest about Lane Kiffin. Although he is
10:14
a really good coach, all of his departures have
10:17
been very messy. Let's just go down the list
10:20
of the notable departures with Lane Kiffin. In
10:23
2008, he was fired by the Raiders after a 5 -15
10:27
record in the first 20 games as the offensive
10:30
coordinator for them. God rest his soul, Al Davis
10:33
said this about Lane Kiffin, and I quote, I think
10:37
he conned me like how he conned all you people,
10:39
end quote. Now, Al Davis doesn't have no cut
10:42
cards. So for him to say this, yeah, you definitely
10:46
need to go. 2009, he left the University of Tennessee
10:50
to become the head coach for USC. Apparently,
10:53
there were protests that erupted on campus that
10:57
resulted in burning mattresses. 2013, he was
11:02
fired after a 10 -7 loss to Washington State
11:05
and then a 62 -41 road loss against Arizona State.
11:10
Legend has it that he was fired on the tarmac.
11:13
Now, I mean... Depending on who you ask, they
11:16
may give you the real story or not. I don't know.
11:19
I wasn't there. I was in school, okay? 2017,
11:23
he was demoted from offensive coordinator for
11:26
Alabama after accepting the Florida Atlantic
11:29
head coach job. Nick Saban made this announcement
11:33
days before the national championship matchup
11:36
and literally said in that quote, We made the
11:39
decision because it was in the best interest
11:42
of our players, our program, and for Lane for
11:45
him to assume his duties at Florida Atlantic."
11:48
So granted, I'm happy for Lane Kiffin, but at
11:52
the same time, I don't like the way that he handled
11:56
his departure from Ole Miss. There are just certain
11:59
things that you should have just left out. Now,
12:01
if they leak out from different insiders, okay,
12:03
fine, whatever. But for you to just throw Keith
12:06
Carter under the bus and make the situation seem
12:09
like you're the victim and Ole Miss didn't want
12:12
to give you a chance, if I was the athletic director,
12:15
I wouldn't want you to come back either. You've
12:17
made your bed, now you must lay in it. What does
12:20
it look like for you to come back after already
12:22
accepting a job with LSU and say, oh, hey guys,
12:25
let's just finish the season strong? No, you
12:28
need to be on a plane to Louisiana. But the crazy
12:31
thing about this is five assistants joined Lane
12:34
Kiffin to LSU, including offensive coordinator
12:37
Charlie Weiss Jr. and co -offensive coordinator
12:39
slash tight end coach Joe Cox. Now, out of all
12:42
those people, according to Adam Rittenberg from
12:45
ESPN, Charlie Weiss Jr. is the only staff member
12:49
that will be allowed to return to Ole Miss as
12:51
offensive coordinator for the college football
12:54
playoffs. I'll be honest, I wouldn't have allowed
12:56
Charlie Weeks to come back. Because all you're
12:59
going to do is hurt the players more than help
13:01
them. Now granted, once Ole Miss season is over
13:04
with, there's a good chance that some of those
13:06
players are going to transfer to LSU. But at
13:08
the same time, the damage is already done. The
13:11
messy departure has already happened. Let it
13:14
go. There's no need for you guys to come back.
13:17
And if I'm the athletic director, I would have
13:19
emphasized that the moment that any word had
13:23
gotten out that Lane Kiffin was going to accept
13:25
a job somewhere else, I would have told the entire
13:28
coaching staff, any person that takes a job with
13:31
Lane Kiffin, you are not coming back. I don't
13:34
care if you beg. I don't care if you cry. I don't
13:37
care if the players want it. You're not coming
13:39
back. You made your decision. Live with it. Now,
13:42
with that being said, and this will probably
13:44
be the final thing that I'll say about this situation,
13:46
then we'll talk about the games. I do believe
13:48
Lane Kiffin is going to win a national championship.
13:50
I do believe that by bringing in Lane Kiffin,
13:53
I think that's going to help out Garrett Nussmeyer.
13:56
For starters, it's going to rebuild his confidence
13:59
while at the same time rebuild his draft stock.
14:02
Because right now, if he was to declare for the
14:05
26 draft class, he isn't a first rounder, let
14:08
alone a second rounder. At best, he will probably
14:11
be a high third, maybe fourth round pick at this
14:14
point. But the one thing I do have a problem
14:17
with this entire process, and not just specifically
14:19
Lane Kiffin's, is with all the head coaching
14:22
moves that has happened so far. Why are these
14:24
things happening now towards the end of the college
14:27
football season going into the playoffs? Why
14:30
can't you guys just wait till the entire college
14:32
football season is over with like how the NFL
14:35
does? Because all you're doing is creating distractions
14:38
for these players. Because everyone's going to
14:41
be asking them questions. Oh, do you have any
14:43
information about this situation? Do you have
14:45
any information about this head coach? How do
14:47
you feel about this person? How do you feel about
14:49
that person? Nobody wants to hear all that. Everybody
14:51
is trying to focus on winning their bowl game.
14:54
But instead, they're having to ask questions
14:57
about grown folk stuff. Stuff that has nothing
15:00
to do with them at all. So if you're college
15:03
football, you need to bring in some structure.
15:06
Because right now, this is just ridiculous. All
15:09
I continue to see on my feed is this coach getting
15:12
fired, this coach getting hired, this coach getting
15:14
hired, this coach getting fired, this coach going
15:17
to this school or that school. It's a whole bunch
15:21
of distractions. Save that stuff after the college
15:24
football playoffs is over with. But let's get
15:27
into these games. So Patrick Mahomes, 34 attempts
15:29
for 23 completions, 261 passing yards, four touchdowns,
15:34
7 .7 yards per attempt, and a 67 .6 completion
15:37
percentage. Kareem Hunt, 14 attempts for 58 rush
15:41
yards, 4 .1 rush yards per carry, and 1 rush
15:44
of 10 plus yards or more. Rasheed Rice, 12 targets
15:47
for 8 receptions, 92 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns,
15:51
and 11 .5 receiving yards per reception. Dak
15:54
Prescott, 39 attempts for 27 completions. 320
15:58
passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 pick, 8 .2 yards
16:02
per attempt, and a 69 .2 completion percentage.
16:05
Javante Williams, 17 attempts for 59 rushing
16:08
yards, 3 .5 rushing yards per carry, and 1 rush
16:11
of 10 plus yards or more. CeeDee Lamb, 9 targets
16:14
for 7 receptions, 112 receiving yards, 1 touchdown,
16:18
and 16 receiving yards per reception. So here's
16:21
a few junkie nuggets. Patrick Mahomes threw all
16:23
4 touchdowns to receivers in the slot. the most
16:26
by any quarterback in the game since week four
16:28
of the 2020 season. Dak Prescott was blissed
16:31
on 48 .7 % of dropbacks, the highest split rate
16:35
he's faced this season, and completed 15 of 19
16:37
attempts for 190 yards and one pick. 84 of 92
16:41
Rasheed Rice's receiving yards was against zone
16:44
coverage, including a touchdown. When facing
16:47
man coverage, Rasheed Rice was targeted four
16:49
times and caught two passes for eight yards and
16:52
one touchdown. When facing Jalen Watson, George
16:55
Pickens caught five of seven targets for 85 yards,
16:59
the most receiving yards allowed by a Chiefs
17:01
defender since 2018. So my main two takeaways
17:05
from this game is the Chiefs have to do better
17:08
at retooling their team, and the Cowboys may
17:12
try to sneak into the playoffs. So let's just
17:14
talk about the Cowboys first, then we'll get
17:16
to the Chiefs, all right? While I don't believe
17:18
the Cowboys will make it to the NFC Championship,
17:21
let alone a Super Bowl this year, I do believe
17:23
they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs.
17:26
For starters, the NFC is just as weak as the
17:29
AFC. And if we can be honest here, their own
17:32
division is a topsy -turvy in itself. Because
17:36
if I'm not mistaken, they haven't had a consistent
17:39
divisional winner in a very long time. So for
17:42
all intents and purposes, the Cowboys could win
17:45
the division this year. We've seen crazier things
17:47
happen. So offensively, I love what they have
17:50
so far. Javante Williams looks really promising.
17:53
George Pickens looks very promising. They have
17:56
a lot of pieces for the future. But the question
17:59
is, will they be able to keep them going into
18:01
next season? But we're going to save that for
18:04
when the offseason comes around. Now, defensively,
18:07
I definitely love what they have. And you're
18:10
definitely starting to see the fruits of their
18:12
labor when they made the move to acquire Quentin
18:14
Williams. You have a really good tandem in him
18:18
and Kenny Clark. Donovan Ezeraku is in the slouch,
18:21
which, I mean, if we can be honest here, I was
18:23
sort of a little high on personally, but we're
18:26
not going to talk about that, all right? I think
18:28
the only weak spot defensively for the Cowboys
18:31
is their secondary. Now, granted, I understand
18:34
they're getting back some of their players, but
18:36
they've just been a little bit of an eyesore
18:38
to me personally. And if Quentin Williams or
18:41
Kenny Clark or anybody on the defensive line
18:43
doesn't get after the quarterback, those corners
18:45
and safeties are toast. So I don't know what
18:48
they need to do, but just try to fix it, please.
18:50
Now, this is not me trying to root for the Cowboys
18:52
because I would never root for the Cowboys, but
18:54
to see them be a little bit more competitive
18:57
than what they have been the last few years,
18:59
hey, I can rock with that. Now, when we talk
19:01
about the Chiefs, I think, honestly, they're
19:04
in the same boat that a lot of teams who have
19:06
alien quarterbacks are in, and that is they don't
19:10
have a lot of talent around that quarterback.
19:13
I mean, outside of Rasheed Rice, who else can
19:15
you really rely on? Outside of Travis Kelsey,
19:18
who else can you really rely on? Your run game
19:21
is inconsistent. Your offensive line is a hit
19:23
or miss sometimes. And if it wasn't for Patrick
19:26
Mahomes still having a little bit of speed, you
19:29
would have more fourth downs than first downs.
19:32
This is my opinion. I could be completely wrong.
19:34
But this is what happens when you allocate all
19:37
of your money to just three people. the Chiefs
19:41
should have tried to at least evenly distribute
19:43
the money to both sides of the ball. Because
19:47
now what you're going to have to do is to hit
19:49
on your draft picks within the next few drafts.
19:52
Chris Jones is starting to show his age. Travis
19:55
Kelsey, after this season, is probably going
19:57
to ride off into the sunset. So you're going
19:59
to have to figure out something moving forward.
20:02
Now I would have thought that some of the tight
20:04
ends on the team would have tried to take the
20:06
mantle from Travis Kelsey, but clearly that's
20:08
not the case. Now, defensively, I understand
20:12
that Spag's thing is blitzing, but they were
20:15
blitzing a little bit too much for me because
20:17
every single time that they tried to send everybody
20:19
after Dak Prescott, Dak Prescott made them pay
20:23
for it. Do I think the Chiefs are going to make
20:25
it anywhere in the playoffs? No. I think this
20:28
is going to be the one year where they don't
20:29
make it, and this will be the year that will
20:32
force them to make significant changes on their
20:35
coaching staff and on their roster. But again,
20:39
we're going to save that for the offseason. Now
20:41
let's talk about the Bengals and Ravens. So Joe
20:45
Burrow, 46 attempts for 24 completions, 261 passing
20:49
yards, two touchdowns, 5 .7 yards per attempt,
20:52
and a 52 .2 completion percentage. Chase Brown,
20:56
15 attempts for 78 rushing yards, 5 .2 rushing
20:59
yards per carry, and three rushes of 10 plus
21:02
yards or more. Jamar Chase, 14 targets for seven
21:05
receptions. 110 receiving yards, and 15 .7 receiving
21:09
yards per reception. Lamar Jackson, 32 attempts
21:13
for 17 completions, 246 passing yards, one pick,
21:17
7 .7 yards per attempt, and a 53 .1 completion
21:20
percentage. Derrick Henry, 10 attempts for 60
21:23
rushing yards, six rushing yards per carry, one
21:26
touchdown, and one rush of 10 plus yards or more.
21:29
Isaiah Likely. six targets for five receptions,
21:32
95 receiving yards, and 19 receiving yards per
21:35
reception. So here's a few junkie nuggets. When
21:38
facing zone coverage, Lamar Jackson was 14 of
21:41
21 for 177 yards and took two sacks. When blitz,
21:46
Lamar was three of 11, which is 27 .3%, for 69
21:50
yards, one pick, and a sack. When facing pressure,
21:55
Joe Burrow was seven for 12, 83 yards, and one
21:58
touchdown. When taking 2 .5 seconds or more to
22:02
throw the ball, Joe Burrow completed 16 of 27
22:05
for 203 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals'
22:10
defense generated 39 .5 % pressure rate on Lamar
22:13
Jackson, the second highest pressure rate in
22:16
a game this season. Joseph Asai led the team
22:20
for six pressures and two sacks, which is the
22:22
second most pressures in the game this season,
22:24
and the Bengals held the Ravens to a 38 .6 success
22:28
rate and a negative 23 .9 EPA rate. Kyle Hamilton
22:33
was lined up on 43 .8 % of snaps in the slot
22:36
and was targeted twice, allowing two receptions
22:39
for 17 yards and a touchdown. If you would have
22:42
told me that the Bengals defense without their
22:44
star pass rusher will put on the performance
22:47
that they did, I would have called you a liar.
22:49
They showed effort every single time they were
22:52
on the field. Jordan Battle forced a fumble at
22:55
the last second. And it was plays like those
22:58
that continued to give the Bengals energy as
23:01
the game continued. And now when Joe Burrow was
23:04
on the field, I mean, hey, the rest is history,
23:06
okay? Him and Jamar Chase, you already know,
23:09
that's peanut butter and jelly. Now, granted,
23:10
Chidovia Woozie was holding his own against Jamar
23:13
Chase. I'll be honest with you. I was unfamiliar
23:15
with your game. But for you to put on the performance
23:18
that you did, Chidovia Woozie, hey. My hat's
23:20
off to you, brother. Now, Kyle Hamilton is Kyle
23:22
Hamilton. It was a little bit of a head -scratcher
23:24
to see him in the slot, I'll be honest with you,
23:26
but he was somewhat productive. And I feel like
23:29
Kyle Hamilton is that type of player where he's
23:32
positionless. But that's another story for another
23:34
day. Ravens fans, do not come at me, please.
23:36
I'm just trying to be honest here, all right?
23:38
Now, offensively for the Ravens, we have to have
23:42
an honest conversation. For one, your offensive
23:44
line has not been playing well this year. Lamar
23:47
is seriously hurt. I don't know what it is, but
23:50
it has to be a significant injury because when
23:53
he was trying to run out of bounds for one play,
23:55
he looked so sluggish. He was struggling, and
23:59
that offense was struggling. Now granted, I know
24:02
at this part of the year, everybody is dealing
24:04
with injuries, some more severe than others,
24:07
but if you're the Ravens, it's time for you to
24:09
lock in. Granted, you done weathered the hardest
24:11
part of the storm in the early part of the season,
24:14
but you still have some formidable opponents.
24:15
You still have the Steelers twice. You still
24:18
have the Packers. So whatever you need to do,
24:20
lock in. Now if you're the Bengals, survive.
24:23
Do exactly what you did last year. Now am I saying
24:27
you're going to get a different result? No. But
24:29
you at least want to show a little bit of fight.
24:32
Now on to the Bears and Eagles. So Caleb Williams,
24:35
36 attempts for 17 completions, 154 passing yards,
24:39
1 touchdown, 1 pick, 4 .3 yards per attempt,
24:42
and a 47 .2 completion percentage. Kyle Menungai,
24:46
22 attempts for 130 rushing yards, 5 .9 rushing
24:50
yards per carry, 1 touchdown, and 2 rushes of
24:53
10 plus yards or more. Cole Komet. Three targets
24:56
for three receptions, 36 receiving yards, one
24:59
touchdown, and 12 receiving yards per reception.
25:01
Jalen Hurts, 34 attempts for 19 completions,
25:05
230 passing yards, two touchdowns, one pick,
25:08
6 .8 yards per attempt, and a 55 .9 completion
25:11
percentage. Saquon Barkley, 13 attempts for 56
25:15
rushing yards, 4 .3 rushing yards per carry,
25:18
and one rush of 10 plus yards or more. A .J.
25:20
Brown, 12 targets for 10 receptions. 132 receiving
25:24
yards, two touchdowns, and 13 .2 receiving yards
25:27
per reception. So here's a few junkie nuggets.
25:30
The Bears' offense rushed for 268 yards on design
25:34
runs. On those 42 design carries, the Bears recorded
25:38
91 yards before contact and 177 yards after contact.
25:44
Jalen Hurts targeted vertical routes five times,
25:47
completed four of those attempts for 97 yards.
25:51
The Bears blitzed Hurts on 47 .1 % of his dropbacks,
25:55
in which he completed six of 16 passes, which
25:58
is 37 .5%, for 60 yards and one pick. My eyes
26:02
have been opened with the dilemma with the Eagles
26:05
offense. Because for the longest time, I've been
26:08
blaming Kevin Petula and not giving some criticism
26:10
to Jalen Hurts, and I have three instances to
26:13
prove it. Example number one, on third and eight
26:16
in the second quarter, Dallas Goddard was wide
26:19
open. He ran a simple go route right in your
26:23
face, and you didn't throw him the ball. You
26:25
decided to throw it at Devontae Smith. Okay,
26:28
you don't believe me? I got another one. Third
26:31
and nine in the third quarter. A .J. Brown was
26:34
in the slot. He ran an in route, and he was wide
26:38
open, and you didn't throw him the ball. Nobody
26:41
was covering him, not a linebacker or corner,
26:45
and you didn't throw him the ball. Okay, you
26:47
still don't believe me? First and 10 in the fourth
26:49
quarter. Saquon ran a wheel -like route and was
26:53
wide open. So I don't know what's going on with
26:56
Jalen Hurts, but brother, you need to open your
26:58
eyes. Because anybody could have executed those
27:00
three passes. But instead, you want to throw
27:03
the ball in tight windows and put the ball in
27:07
the spot where it could easily be intercepted.
27:09
And that's exactly what happened in this game.
27:12
This was a very winnable game for the Eagles,
27:14
and you just let the Bears just take it away.
27:17
This is exactly why nobody's going to take the
27:20
Eagles serious moving forward, because of these
27:22
simple things. One minute Jalen Hurts wants to
27:25
look elite, and then next thing you know, Jalen
27:28
Hurts looks like a deer in headlights. We need
27:31
to see some consistency, but this has been a
27:34
problem with the Eagles for a very long time.
27:37
Now, defensively for the Eagles, I don't know
27:40
what to say about them. Now, granted, there were
27:42
some players that were making some plays, but
27:44
overall, I don't see that same dominance that
27:47
we saw last year. Granted, I know they lost Milton
27:50
Williams, and I understand that he played a very
27:52
pivotal role in that defensive line, but what
27:55
are we doing here? You still have Nolan Smith,
27:57
Brandon Graham, Zach Bond. You just got Jalen
28:00
Phillips not too long ago. I can continue to
28:02
go down the list. So what's the problem? I need
28:05
to see some dominance. This is the part of the
28:08
season where it's time for you to separate yourself
28:10
from everybody else. And I don't see that. I
28:13
see a team that is probably going to limp into
28:15
the playoffs. I see a team that most likely is
28:19
going to get knocked out in either the first
28:21
or second round of the playoffs if you want to
28:23
take things a little bit further. But this is
28:26
a cycle that we've been continuing to see with
28:28
the Eagles every single time that they win a
28:31
championship. They'll have one year where they'll
28:33
have a really bad offensive coordinator, and
28:35
then it just affects the entire team. And then
28:38
the next year, they get a better offensive coordinator.
28:40
Next thing you know, they're back in the Super
28:42
Bowl winning another Lombardi. Now with the Bears,
28:45
however, they continue to surprise me week after
28:48
week. Ben Johnson continues to prove that he
28:51
was the best hire for the Bears because that
28:54
run game is just downright atrocious. And I mean
28:59
atrocious in a good way. Kyle Menungai, beast.
29:02
DeAndre Swift, beast. Cole Komet, beast. But
29:06
this is the difference between an offensive head
29:08
coach and a defensive head coach. Offensive coaches
29:12
are going to address whatever needs that they
29:14
need to address right then and there. Defensive
29:17
coaches, they're going to just sit and wait for
29:20
the problem to get bigger and bigger and bigger.
29:23
Now, with that being said, I don't know what's
29:26
going on with the Bears wide receivers, but...
29:28
You guys are just a little bit too wonky for
29:31
me. DJ Moore, I know you don't want to be there,
29:33
but come on, bro. You got to show a little bit
29:35
of effort. I'm not saying you got to be, you
29:37
know, smiling and just beard up from head to
29:40
toe, but come on, man. Do something. Your routes
29:44
don't look as crispy as they used to. Your body
29:46
language says you don't want to be there. I mean,
29:49
come on, bro. You're in a really good spot. You
29:51
guys have the number one seat. You guys could
29:54
potentially make a deep playoff run this year.
29:57
Now, I'm not saying you guys are going to make
29:59
it to the Super Bowl, okay? So, Bears fans, let's
30:01
pump the brakes, right? You still have to worry
30:03
about the Rams and the 49ers and everybody else,
30:05
okay? You guys are doing well this year, but
30:07
let's bring it down a little bit because Caleb
30:10
Williams has been very inconsistent for the last
30:12
few weeks. Now, I understand that he's still
30:15
a very young quarterback and he still has to
30:17
get his footing, but I mean, come on, bro. I
30:20
need to see a little bit more consistency because
30:22
everybody has already labeled you as a franchise
30:24
quarterback. I haven't. I still need to see more
30:27
before I can give you that label, but that's
30:29
just my personal opinion. Now, defensively, I'm
30:32
actually surprised that they've been this productive
30:34
without an elite pass rusher. Granted, they have
30:37
Montez Sweat, but Montez Sweat isn't a TJ Watt
30:41
or a Max Crosby or a Miles Garrett, okay? I'm
30:43
just being honest here. But the one thing they
30:45
do have is their turnover game. Now, do I think
30:48
the turnover game is sufficient when they make
30:50
it into the playoffs? No. Because you still need
30:53
to show consistency against these elite quarterbacks.
30:56
Because they're not concerned about corners or
30:58
safeties. They're concerned about pass rushers.
31:01
If you have a defense that's not creating pressure,
31:03
consistent pressure on a quarterback, they're
31:06
going to pick you apart all game long. We see
31:08
it all the time. That's why you see a lot of
31:11
teams make the investments that they make in
31:13
getting first round pass rushers. Because they're
31:15
going to be the people that are going to keep
31:17
these quarterbacks in check. But that's another
31:19
story for another day. And one more thing about
31:22
this game. The Bears have the second best rushing
31:25
attack in the entire league. If you don't believe
31:27
me, look up the stats, okay? But let's talk about
31:29
the Bills and Steelers. But before we do that,
31:31
we got to pay some bills. Pardon the interruption,
31:34
but this is your GM, your bad bro, Domus, here
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to talk about RSS .com, all right? So if you
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guys already don't know, I am a RSS .com affiliate.
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And so I just want to tell you for just a quick
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moment about why you should choose RSS .com.
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so me personally on my journey of podcasting
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i was looking at different platforms just to
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find the right place and i looked here i looked
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there i looked everywhere but i checked out rss
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Now back to the good stuff. And we're back, folks.
33:16
So Josh Allen, 23 attempts for 15 completions,
33:19
123 passing yards, one touchdown, one pick, 5
33:23
.3 yards per attempt, and a 65 .2 completion
33:26
percentage. James Cook, 32 attempts for 144 rushing
33:30
yards, 4 .5 rushing yards per carry, and three
33:33
rushes of 10 plus yards or more. James Cook again,
33:36
three targets for three receptions. 33 receiving
33:40
yards, and 11 receiving yards per reception.
33:42
Aaron Rodgers, 21 attempts for 10 completions,
33:46
117 passing yards, 5 .6 yards per attempt, and
33:49
a 47 .6 completion percentage. Jalen Warren,
33:53
10 attempts for 35 rushing yards, 3 .5 rushing
33:56
yards per carry, and two rushes of 10 plus yards
33:59
or more. Darnell Washington, four targets for
34:01
two receptions. 45 receiving yards, and 22 .5
34:05
receiving yards per reception. So here's a few
34:07
junkie nuggets. The Bills called a run play on
34:10
63 .5 % of their plays, which is the fourth highest
34:13
rate in the game since drafting Josh Allen in
34:16
2018. James Cook rushed for 144 yards on 32 carries.
34:21
This is his seventh game this season with at
34:23
least 100 yards on the ground. Now, according
34:26
to Alex Cazorra, the Bills ran the same inside
34:30
zone, inside duo play 26 times against the Steelers.
34:34
So a couple takeaways from this game, because
34:36
I know there's a lot to unpack with this and
34:38
the whole Mike Tomlin chance and whatnot. So
34:40
let's just talk about the Bills first, then we'll
34:43
get into the Steelers, okay? So offensively in
34:45
the first half, the Bills were struggling. Josh
34:48
Allen was making some knucklehead plays. He literally
34:50
threw a pick directly at Brandon Echols, and
34:53
they were just struggling. And I don't know what
34:55
happened, but when the second half came, they
34:58
were on it. Defensively, they were on it. Offensively,
35:02
you couldn't stop James Cook. Now I wonder, what
35:05
was the turning point in the game? Was it the
35:08
low hit that Patrick Queen delivered on Josh
35:10
Allen? Was it Cam Hayward and Josh Allen getting
35:12
into it? Somebody let me know in the comments
35:15
on our YouTube, which is Football Junkies Pod,
35:18
all right? Please, because I really want to know,
35:20
because I tried looking at the All -22. I didn't
35:22
see Josh Allen kneeing Cam Hayward in the stomach.
35:25
But one person we need to give some recognition
35:27
to is Joey Bosa, because he's been playing his
35:30
best ball this season with the Bills. Now, I'll
35:33
be honest, when he announced that he was going
35:35
to sign with the Bills, I was very skeptical
35:37
of this move. I thought he was going to go with
35:40
the 49ers and reunite with his brother, but clearly
35:43
he wanted to prove everybody wrong that he's
35:45
still that guy, and he's showing it. Granted,
35:48
he's not having a season like a Miles Garrett
35:50
or Daniil Hunter or Will Anderson, but he has
35:53
been productive. He made one of the most pivotal
35:56
plays in the entire game. He forced the fumble.
35:59
And with that fumble, they were able to further
36:01
stretch their lead against the Steelers. This
36:04
wasn't just one side carrying the entire team.
36:07
This was a group effort. And sometimes you need
36:10
to do that. Now, Josh Allen and James Cook did
36:13
their thing in the second half. They essentially
36:14
spammed the same running play over and over and
36:18
over again. Now you would have thought after
36:21
maybe the third time that the Steelers would
36:23
have tried to do something to stop it. But they
36:25
couldn't. And I think a lot of that had to do
36:27
with Derek Harmon not being on the field. So
36:30
here's the rush defense when Derek Harmon is
36:32
on the field according to Sumer Sports. 115 rushing
36:37
attempts, allowing 457 rushing yards, and allowing
36:41
3 .9 rushing yards per carry. Now this is the
36:45
rush defense when Derek Harmon isn't on the field.
36:48
216 rushing attempts, allowing 955 rushing yards,
36:52
and allowing 4 .4 rushing yards per carry. The
36:55
proof is in the pudding, folks. When Derek Harmon
36:58
is on the field, the Steelers' rush defense is
37:01
a lot better than when he isn't on the field.
37:03
Now, you would have thought the Steelers would
37:05
have learned their lesson after facing the Chargers,
37:08
who are in somewhat of a similar situation as
37:10
the Bills. But let's talk about the Steelers,
37:13
because there's a lot to unpack with them. Offensively,
37:16
I'm not surprised. We all know that they've been
37:18
having a lot of problems this season and they've
37:20
had a lot of inconsistencies. One minute, they're
37:23
playing really good ball. Aaron Rodgers looks
37:25
great. And then the next two or three games,
37:28
they're struggling. The run game isn't going
37:30
anywhere. The passing game is non -existent.
37:33
They're not attacking the middle of the field.
37:35
And that's exactly what happened in this game.
37:37
So if we can be honest here. Because we need
37:40
to have an honest conversation about the Steelers.
37:42
No, I'm not going to be one of those people like
37:44
Kevin Adams in the Steel Hero podcast. You're
37:47
going to say, fuck Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin has
37:49
to... I'm not going to be that person. Instead,
37:51
I'm going to try to at least explain to you guys
37:55
what exactly is wrong with the Steelers. But
37:58
before I do that, I want to ask you a simple
38:00
question. What move in the offseason that the
38:04
Steelers made... that made you believe that this
38:07
year was going to be different than the previous
38:09
years? I'm going to ask that again. What move
38:12
in the offseason made you think that there was
38:16
going to be a different outcome with the Steelers
38:19
this year than what it has been the last few
38:21
years? The answer is none. Now, I'll be honest
38:26
here. I'll be very transparent. Mook, you know
38:28
exactly what I'm getting ready to say. The one
38:30
move that I was really excited about was when
38:32
they traded for Jalen Ramsey. But that was before
38:35
the details had came out that they were trading
38:38
away Minka Fitzpatrick. Once I found that out,
38:41
I was completely done with the team. But let's
38:44
be honest here. None of the moves that they made
38:46
this offseason scream that they're all in for
38:50
the Super Bowl this year. I don't care what Omar
38:52
Khan says. I don't care what your favorite Steeler
38:54
podcaster says. They were not going to the Super
38:57
Bowl this year. There were too many flaws on
39:01
both sides of the ball that still were not properly
39:04
addressed. And it shows. The run game is still
39:08
a problem. You still have people playing in positions
39:11
that they're not comfortable playing. And that
39:14
goes directly towards Mike Tomlin and this coaching
39:17
staff. We know that Keanu Benton will probably
39:20
be a lot more productive if you play him as a
39:23
defensive end. Instead, you continue to play
39:25
him at nose tackle. And this is why you continue
39:28
to see the inconsistencies in his play. So with
39:32
that being said, we need to go a little bit deeper
39:34
into this problem. The Steelers are trying to
39:37
thread a needle that not a lot of teams have
39:41
done in the past. And that is retooling the team
39:44
while remaining competitive. Now, am I saying
39:47
it's impossible? No. But the two factors that
39:51
need to be in play is that you need to be drafting
39:55
well and developing your players well. If you're
39:58
not doing those two things, it's going to make
40:01
the process a lot harder. And that's been a problem
40:04
with the Steelers for a very long time. How many
40:07
first -round picks have they whiffed on? How
40:09
many draft classes are still on this team? How
40:12
many people are still contributing at a very
40:15
high level on this team? TJ Watt, the last first
40:19
rounder to get a second contract with this team.
40:23
Kenny Pickett didn't get it. Devin Bush didn't
40:25
get it. Broderick Jones may not get it. I can
40:28
continue to go down the list. So with that being
40:31
said, while I understand that emotions are high
40:34
right now in Pittsburgh, we need to take a step
40:37
back. Because what I'm seeing is a lot of people
40:41
with personal access to grind against Mike Tomlin
40:44
have the biggest platform out of everybody. Instead
40:47
of people who are conscious of what's going on
40:50
in Pittsburgh and trying to find a solution.
40:53
Now, granted, I'll be honest here. Have we reached
40:56
a point where maybe there needs to be some added
40:59
pressure on Mike Tomlin? Yes. And that's for
41:02
any coach when they're not showing production
41:04
because the team only goes as far as the head
41:08
coach takes them. And granted, Mike Tomlin has
41:10
gone through a lot of things within the last
41:12
few years. His teams remain competitive all the
41:16
way to the end of the regular season. Now, does
41:18
everybody like that? No. Some people like the
41:21
team to still be playing in January and February.
41:23
I would too. But the fact of the matter is they
41:26
are not in the position to compete with Kansas
41:29
City. or Buffalo, or Baltimore, or Philly, or
41:33
San Francisco, or Seattle. I can continue to
41:36
go down the list. Because why? You're not drafting
41:40
and developing your players well. You continue
41:43
to try to fit players into this system when you
41:47
know they can't fit into the system. We saw it
41:50
a lot of times with a lot of their offensive
41:52
players. Kevin Dotson is a perfect example. Kevin
41:55
Dotson specifically said, I can only play one
41:58
position. And they moved him to a position that
42:01
he wasn't comfortable in. And they made it seem
42:04
like Kevin Dotson was just a waste. They trained
42:07
him to LA and now he's one of the best guards
42:09
in the league. Kenny Pickett is another example.
42:13
Now, I'll be honest here. I was very critical
42:15
of the Kenny Pickett pick because I thought that
42:18
he was just an average. to a slightly above average
42:22
quarterback. But let's be honest here, folks.
42:24
The Steelers did not do any justice with his
42:28
development. You gave him a crappy offensive
42:31
coordinator and you kept him for far too long.
42:35
So of course his production was going to be limited.
42:40
But again, nobody pressed Mike Tomlin about this.
42:45
So when you don't do those simple things, this
42:47
is what happens. Najee Harris is another example.
42:51
Arthur Smith let it be known that he doesn't
42:54
fit his system, even though he should have tried
42:57
to make Najee Harris fit his system, but you
43:00
weren't willing to do it. And now you're in this
43:03
situation where Jalen Warren is now the new Najee
43:06
Harris. So when we look at all of these things
43:10
that have happened in the last few years, of
43:12
course the Steelers are not going to be competitive.
43:14
Of course they're not going to be Super Bowl
43:16
contenders. And any person that believed that
43:19
they were going to be Super Bowl contenders,
43:21
we're lying to yourself. Now, I'll be honest
43:24
here. I am not opposed to anybody chanting fire
43:27
Mike Tomlin in the stands because the product
43:30
on the field is inconsistent. And at times it's
43:34
very demoralizing. The philosophy of the Steelers
43:37
is play physical football and stop the run. And
43:41
so far, they haven't been able to do that. So
43:44
when you have these things in place, of course,
43:46
you're not going to be successful. You have an
43:49
offensive coordinator who his reputation is he
43:52
can work with less and make more out of it. I
43:56
know I'm probably saying that wrong, but just
43:58
you know what I mean. You know what I mean, okay?
44:00
And here you have this offensive coordinator.
44:03
who's not properly utilizing what he has on the
44:06
team. Why am I seeing Spencer Anderson lined
44:09
up as a wide receiver? Why is John U. Smith going
44:13
up against Gregory Russo one -on -one? It's those
44:16
type of things that make you just want to rip
44:19
your hair out. So I say all that to say this.
44:22
Do I think Mike Tomlin needs to go? No. But I
44:26
do believe that he needs to modernize his approach
44:29
to the game. Because I feel like his approach
44:32
right now is outdated and it's very inconsistent.
44:35
This is the same head coach that said in the
44:38
summer that what we have on this defense, there
44:41
is a possibility that this could be a historic
44:44
defense. You can't say those type of things and
44:48
not back it up. This is the same person that
44:51
took a picture with Darius Slay and DK Metcalf.
44:55
Out of all the free agents that they acquired
44:58
this offseason, the only two that he took a picture
45:01
with was the two of them. And he was smiling
45:04
from ear to ear like he was his two favorite
45:07
sons. Meanwhile, Darius Slay is gone. He's talking
45:11
about retirement. And DK Metcalf, he's struggling.
45:15
And you can't blame him for it because he's in
45:17
a bad situation. You have a 42 -year -old quarterback
45:21
who, at this point, he doesn't want to get hit.
45:24
The scheme as a whole is not supporting you and
45:27
your supporting cast is not really good. So of
45:31
course your stats are not going to look good.
45:33
But if I was to make a list of the few things
45:36
that I want Mike Tomlin to do, I think the first
45:38
thing is to scrap the entire coaching staff.
45:41
It's time for you to bring in some fresh blood.
45:44
It's time for you to bring in some people who
45:47
have a different approach than what you do. People
45:50
that are going to challenge you. Not people that
45:53
are just going to say, okay, sure, we'll do whatever
45:55
you want to do. It doesn't work like that. Because
45:58
your approach has not been working the last few
46:01
years. And this approach of having a defense
46:05
that relies on splash is not going to get you
46:08
to the Super Bowl. You know what gets you to
46:10
the Super Bowl? Consistency. Yes, the Bears have
46:14
the best turnover defense in the entire league,
46:16
but on a consistent basis, are they a good defense?
46:20
No. So why do you continue to believe in this
46:24
hope that as long as TJ Watt makes the big sack,
46:28
makes the force fumble, Cam Hayward tips the
46:31
pass that leads into an interception and whatnot,
46:34
that you're going to be able to win games? No,
46:35
you're not. It can only go so far. If Broderick
46:39
Jones can't beat out Dan Moore, the same Dan
46:42
Moore that everybody complained about, that everybody
46:44
said is too inconsistent and is just a bad left
46:47
tackle, who is now with the Titans and got a
46:49
big old bag. What makes you think he's a better
46:52
left tackle than Dan Moore? Now, granted, I understand
46:55
he's a quote -unquote project, which in translation
46:58
means he's not that good. But what in his skill
47:02
set screams franchise left tackle? Nothing. So
47:06
if all the other players are catching on to what
47:09
Pat Meyer is saying, but Broderick Jones isn't,
47:12
that's a direct reflection at Broderick Jones.
47:15
Now, do you still need to bring in another O
47:17
-line coach just so you can try to maximize what
47:20
you have with Roger Jones to justify the move
47:22
that you did to get him? Yes, because you're
47:26
approaching his fifth year option. And you know
47:28
that fifth year option is pretty expensive because
47:30
he traded up to get him. So with that being said,
47:33
you could bring in, I don't know, Mike McCarthy.
47:36
You could bring in Byron Leftwich, Pep Hamilton,
47:39
people that have experience working with quarterbacks.
47:43
Because you know most likely you're going to
47:45
have to take a quarterback within the next two
47:47
years. So you want to have an offensive coordinator
47:50
that has experience developing quarterbacks.
47:54
Now, Byron Lefkowitz is a really good name just
47:57
because he's familiar with Mike Tomlin. He knows
48:01
the expectations that Mike Tomlin has. And you
48:04
know that you have to do something with DK Metcalf.
48:13
impact fire move please now with that being said
48:16
i think mike tomlin needs to have some of his
48:19
power taken away from him because clearly the
48:22
people that he wants don't work with him now
48:25
granted i understand that mike tomlin prefers
48:27
veteran players over young players because the
48:30
learning curve is a lot smaller than younger
48:33
players but you want to know the one thing that
48:35
a younger player has that an older player doesn't
48:37
youth athleticism speed drive And you guys are
48:42
going to have to figure out what you're going
48:43
to do with T .J. Watt. I was one of the people
48:46
that said the Steelers just need to trade away
48:48
T .J. Watt because right now they're not in the
48:51
spot to win. And it'll be better off that you
48:54
just trade him away, you get those draft picks,
48:57
and you use those draft picks to really build
48:59
out this team. Because all you're doing is just
49:02
wasting the prime years of T .J. Watt. You need
49:04
to challenge T .J. Watt. How is it that last
49:08
year you used him in different roles and you
49:10
saw success with it, but this year you just totally
49:13
scrapped it? Now, some of that needs to be put
49:16
on TJ Watt as well, because when you look at
49:18
all the other pass rushers, they all move. Myles
49:22
Garrett moves, Micah Parsons moves, Will Anderson,
49:25
Daniil Hunter. I can continue to go down the
49:27
list. All of them move. And by moving everywhere
49:31
on the offensive line, You're going to create
49:34
a matchup nightmare for whoever you go up against.
49:37
But you can't do that if you're continuing to
49:40
line up on the same side. Now, granted, that's
49:42
probably because of TJ Watt's pride. I get that.
49:45
But we are in a business of production and winning.
49:49
And you just got this big contract. So you have
49:52
to start justifying the move of giving you that
49:55
contract and making you the highest paid pass
49:57
rusher at that time before Micah Parsons got
49:59
his deal. These are the simple things that the
50:02
Steelers need to do in order to really say that
50:06
you're serious about winning, that you're serious
50:09
about taking the next step forward into the right
50:12
direction. Otherwise, everybody just needs to
50:15
go. Now, I'll be honest, a lot of the narratives
50:18
that I see around Mike Tomlin, I'm just not liking.
50:21
I've heard Big Ben say that Mike Tomlin needs
50:24
to be the next head coach for Penn State. That's
50:26
not going to happen. But I will say this. If
50:29
Mike Tomlin is let go, because he's not going
50:33
to get fired, they're not going to say that,
50:34
they're just going to say a mutual parting, wherever
50:37
he goes next, he's going to be successful. Because
50:42
Mike Tomlin is a successful coach. He's just
50:45
in a really crappy situation. Does Mike Tomlin
50:48
deserve a lot of blame for it? Yes. But you cannot
50:52
just blame all of his mistakes and not talk about
50:56
Kevin Colbert. And not talk about Art Rooney
50:59
II. And not talk about the front office and how
51:02
they mismanaged a lot of things. Everybody has
51:05
mud on their hands in this situation. From the
51:08
past till now, everyone must be held accountable
51:12
for this. A lot of those draft classes that Kevin
51:15
Colbert had within the last five years of his
51:18
tenure with the Steelers were bad. They were
51:21
atrocious. A lot of the moves that he made were
51:24
atrocious. So we can't just put all the blame
51:28
on Mike Tomlin and say, you got to get out of
51:31
here, but you're just going to absolve Kevin
51:33
Colbert because all the great teams that he built
51:36
and all the great players that he brought in,
51:38
it doesn't work like that. If we're going to
51:40
be critical of somebody, we need to be critical
51:43
of the entire situation. But let's just wait
51:48
and see how the rest of the season goes. Do I
51:50
think the Steelers are going to make it to the
51:52
playoffs? No. I would venture to say the Dolphins
51:55
have a better chance of making it to the playoffs
51:57
than the Steelers do. But I will say this, and
52:01
it'll be the last thing I say, and I'm going
52:02
to end the episode. I'm not worried about Sunday's
52:06
game. I'm worried about that Monday night game
52:09
against the Dolphins. Because if the Steelers
52:12
put on the same performance that they did against
52:14
the Bills facing the Dolphins, at that point,
52:18
something significant has to happen. Because
52:21
on that night, Big Ben, Marquise Pouncey, and
52:26
Joey Porter are all going to be inducted into
52:28
the Ring of Honor. And what better way to tarnish
52:31
that moment than for the Steelers defense to
52:35
give up more rushing yards than what they did
52:37
on Sunday against the Bills. But we're going
52:41
to wait for all of this to transpire. OK, but
52:43
I'm going to end this episode. If you guys like
52:45
what you're listening, please, please, please,
52:47
please, please make sure you guys leave a five
52:48
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52:52
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52:54
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53:00
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53:25
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53:27
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53:30
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53:32
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53:38
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53:40
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54:48
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54:54
all right? As always, I hope I gave you guys
54:57
the fix that you guys need. I love you guys.
54:59
I appreciate you guys so much. Thank you guys
55:01
for listening to the best football podcast that
55:03
you can listen to on a week -to -week, day -to
55:06
-day basis, all right? As always, this is your
55:09
GM Kale signing out. Peace and love. Later, guys.
55:12
Go watch some football this weekend. And another
55:18
thing. The Steelers need to bring in veteran
55:21
coaches to fill in that role that Brian Flores
55:24
had. We saw when they added Brian Flores to the
55:27
coaching staff, the defense was very productive,
55:30
it was creative, and everybody was playing at
55:34
a high level. So you could bring in someone like
55:37
a Gerard Mayo or Antonio Pierce. You could do
55:40
the same thing with the offense as well. If you're
55:43
Art Rooney and Mike Tomlin, You have to expand
55:46
this coaching staff. I understand that Mike Tomlin
55:49
likes a small coaching staff, but brother, it's
55:52
not working. It's time for you to expand this
55:55
coaching staff a little bit more. I'm not saying
55:57
you got to have the world's biggest coaching
56:00
staff in the entire league, but you have to do
56:03
something because what you have right now isn't
56:06
sufficient. Now, I will say this, and shout out
56:09
to OAD Loon on TikTok for saying this. If you're
56:12
a coordinator with aspirations of being a head
56:15
coach, why would you want to go to Pittsburgh?
56:19
Why would you want to go to a place where you
56:21
know you cannot implement your own scheme into
56:25
whatever side of the ball that you coach? When
56:28
you know that a lot of the things that you want
56:30
to do, you can't do because of Mike Tomlin and
56:33
his scheme and the Pittsburgh Steelers philosophy.
56:37
So at some point, if you really want to show
56:41
change, if you really want to open yourself to
56:43
new ideas and new possibilities, you're going
56:46
to have to throw away the old and bring in the
56:49
new. That's the only way that you can attract
56:52
some of those great coaches from the McVay and
56:55
Shanahan tree. If the Steelers were to move off
56:58
of Mike Tomlin, this will be the worst offseason
57:01
to do it because there's not as many notable
57:04
candidates that are available. Last year should
57:07
have been the move because Ben Johnson would
57:09
have been a perfect fit. Mike Vrabel would have
57:12
been a perfect fit, especially Mike Vrabel because
57:15
he's had a lot of success recently. Both of his
57:19
offensive coordinators became head coaches. You
57:22
see what he's doing with the Patriots. You wouldn't
57:25
want that for the Steelers? Ben Johnson, look
57:28
what he's doing with Caleb Williams. You mean
57:30
to tell me you wouldn't want that? So if you're
57:33
R. Rooney moving forward, you have a lot of tough
57:36
decisions that you have to make. And at some
57:38
point, you have to put your balls on the table
57:40
and you need to be honest with Mike Tomlin and
57:43
you just need to tell him flat out, it's not
57:45
working. Your idea is not working. We trust you,
57:48
but our trust is starting to fade because we
57:51
continue to have the same outcome year after
57:55
year after year. And this year, you should be
57:57
more critical of him because why? The division
58:01
in the early part of the season was essentially
58:04
the Steelers. Lamar was hurt. Joe Burrow was
58:07
hurt. You had the lead and you blew it away.
58:11
And so now you're in a position where most likely
58:14
if you lose on Sunday, you're going to have to
58:17
win out. And you still have to face the Lions,
58:19
the Dolphins, which, I mean, let's be honest
58:22
here, they're not a slouch. You still have to
58:24
face the Ravens twice. You have some very tough
58:27
teams that you have to go up against. But we're
58:30
going to save all of this once Sunday passes
58:33
and everything happens and whatnot. So Steelers
58:38
fans, relax, take a deep breath, touch some grass,
58:42
drink some hot chocolate, get your favorite meal,
58:45
do something, okay? Calm down. But this time
58:49
I'm serious. Peace and love, guys. Definitely
58:51
going to watch Alabama and Georgia and whatever
58:54
big games are going to be coming on today. So
58:57
later, guys.