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Steelers vs. Saints Preview: Pittsburgh’s Blueprint to Beat New Orleans in Paris · AFR Saints

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: AFR On Demand is brought to you by Breck Golf.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Try Beaver Creek today. Just 20 minutes from downtown Baton
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Rouge in the Zachary area. They've got a PGA Tour
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: driving range, a short game practice area, 30 to 40
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: yard practice shots. It's a great place to chip and
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: putt and practice if you don't have time for a
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: full round. Book your tee time today. Golf.breck.org. Golf.breck.org. Jeff Hathorne,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Program Director at 93.7 The Fan there in Pittsburgh. Good
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  Speaker 1: enough to hang out with us. Jeff, we appreciate it, man.
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  Speaker 1: How are you?
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  Speaker 2: I'm good. How are you guys?
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  Speaker 1: Doing awesome. Saints got a win. Always a little bit
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  Speaker 1: better going into the week with a win, as nerve-wracking
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  Speaker 1: as it might have been at the Meadowlands this past weekend.
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  Speaker 1: Real quick, the Saints are already in Paris. Pittsburgh is
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  Speaker 1: doing things a little differently. They're going to travel later.
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  Speaker 1: Walk us through that, if you would, what sort of
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  Speaker 1: approach Pittsburgh's taking this week.
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  Speaker 2: They practiced here in Pittsburgh today. In fact, they just
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  Speaker 2: got done. And they're going to practice here tomorrow and
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: then get a red eye in, and they go off
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  Speaker 2: the plane into the bus right to practice. And their
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  Speaker 2: thought process is to go to practice. They're telling the guys,
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  Speaker 2: don't take naps, to stay up and then try to
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  Speaker 2: get acclimated. So Saturday, kind of have that feel. Now,
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  Speaker 2: it's the same schedule they had last year when they
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  Speaker 2: went to Ireland. They won the game in Ireland yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: I'm sure that probably had a little bit to do
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  Speaker 2: with them saying, well, why don't we try this again?
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  Speaker 2: Cause it worked. But McCarthy just wants to have the
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  Speaker 2: practices over here as much as possible. And then Friday
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  Speaker 2: is typically a, they have a weird, McCarthy has them
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  Speaker 2: do a walk through Friday and then they practice Saturday,
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  Speaker 2: which is normally backwards from what most teams do. So
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  Speaker 2: Friday is just going to be a walk through guys.
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  Speaker 2: We'll get the go through meetings, have the rest of
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  Speaker 2: the day. And then, Again, they've been advised to, as
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  Speaker 2: much as they want to, don't sleep until a little
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  Speaker 2: later in the evening.
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  Speaker 1: Such a weird thing that the NFL has laid this
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  Speaker 1: additional variable at everyone's feet. Obviously, we saw what happened
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  Speaker 1: with the Rams in the opener, but not quite as
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  Speaker 1: much travel as going to Australia here. I'm glad you
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  Speaker 1: brought up McCarthy. It's where I wanted to go next.
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  Speaker 1: It's the McCarthy-Rogers reunion. You all have talked about it,
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  Speaker 1: no doubt, for months now. It's something that we're now
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  Speaker 1: here just going to sink our teeth into because they
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  Speaker 1: fall on the schedule. How's it gone so far?
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  Speaker 2: So it's been interesting. I mean, it was all love
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  Speaker 2: at first. And you knew there were going to be
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  Speaker 2: some times. The comparison that gets made here a lot,
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  Speaker 2: and sometimes by them, is that they're kind of an
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  Speaker 2: old married couple. That they kind of know each other
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  Speaker 2: so well that they can be open and honest and
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  Speaker 2: they can complain to each other and they can say
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  Speaker 2: things to each other that you wouldn't say early in
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  Speaker 2: a relationship. But you can when you've been together for
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  Speaker 2: that many years. So I think they have that type
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  Speaker 2: of vibe going. I think there are at times some
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  Speaker 2: frustrations on both ends, but I think there would always
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  Speaker 2: be that. It wouldn't matter what's going on. I think
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  Speaker 2: Aaron wants control. Mike wants control of the offense. So
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  Speaker 2: there's going to be some times where they disagree on things.
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  Speaker 2: The oddest variable, I think, really in Pittsburgh with that
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  Speaker 2: relationship is you first start with Mike's relationship with the city.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I'm at their practice facility right now, and
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  Speaker 2: I can look across the river at the neighborhood that
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  Speaker 2: Mike McCarthy grew up in. So there has been that dynamic.
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  Speaker 2: And then the dynamic with Aaron now as the games
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  Speaker 2: have started has, you know, wins or losses, you guys
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  Speaker 2: feel it. We all do. I mean, the feeling about
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  Speaker 2: a coach or a quarterback changes dramatically, whether it's a
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  Speaker 2: win or a loss the week before.
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  Speaker 1: Well, a big part of that naturally is going to
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  Speaker 1: be who Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball to. We
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  Speaker 1: know DK Metcalf is there, but that's been an injury-riddled group.
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  Speaker 1: They added MVS here this week. Can you walk us
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  Speaker 1: through that, Jeff, what that offense looks like with some
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  Speaker 1: of those injuries at receiver?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they went out and traded for it and gave
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  Speaker 2: big money to Michael Pittman in a sign or a
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  Speaker 2: trade and sign. And he's been dealing with a foot
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  Speaker 2: injury that happened. We're not exactly sure when it happened.
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  Speaker 2: He was able to go through off-season workouts. gets to
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  Speaker 2: camp and he goes through a couple of days of
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  Speaker 2: camp and then basically misses the rest of training camp,
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  Speaker 2: tries to play the first couple of weeks of the
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  Speaker 2: season and just can't go, just can't be himself. And
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  Speaker 2: now he's kind of on this perpetual IR. And what
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  Speaker 2: I mean by that is you don't, a lot of
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  Speaker 2: these guys, you have a feeling, all right, this is
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  Speaker 2: going to be four weeks. This might be five. there
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  Speaker 2: is no feeling right now of when Pittman might return.
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  Speaker 2: So that was supposed to be their number two receiver,
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  Speaker 2: their guy that they trust. So he's out. Roman Wilson,
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  Speaker 2: who was a third-round pick a couple of years ago,
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  Speaker 2: who had his best start of his three years, he's out.
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  Speaker 2: He's kind of their speed guy. So second-round pick Jeremy
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  Speaker 2: Bernard has really elevated himself in just a couple of
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  Speaker 2: weeks to be a go-to guy. I mean, 11 catches
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  Speaker 2: on 12 targets in the game at Tampa, and he's
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  Speaker 2: developed into that all right it's third down i can
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  Speaker 2: look for him they have a couple of tight ends
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  Speaker 2: that can catch the ball but and their receivers right
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  Speaker 2: now there's basically two of them whether mvs gets up
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  Speaker 2: to speed to be able to at least go out
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  Speaker 2: there and you know run a couple of go routes
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  Speaker 2: or something we'll see how the week progresses um but
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  Speaker 2: it's uh it's very scenic you kind of came in
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  Speaker 2: is it you had some questions about receiver and now
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  Speaker 2: with those injuries it's been.
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  Speaker 1: Bad Jeff Hathorne is with us, 93-7 the fan in Pittsburgh.
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  Speaker 1: Is there a strength offensively so far through six games?
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  Speaker 2: Jalen Warren would be at least their star offensively. He's
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  Speaker 2: single-handedly carried the offense in a couple of games. And
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  Speaker 2: it's always been with Warren that there's been somebody ahead
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  Speaker 2: of him. There was Najee Harris, and he got more
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  Speaker 2: than the benefit of the doubt because he was a
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  Speaker 2: first-round pick. So they always look to try to get
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  Speaker 2: him going, and Warren just– waited for his opportunity. Last year,
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  Speaker 2: Warren was going to be the starter. He gets hurt early,
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  Speaker 2: and if Gainwell gains traction, builds a relationship with Aaron Rodgers,
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  Speaker 2: and Warren becomes kind of the second guy. It was
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  Speaker 2: going to start that way with Rico Dowdle, who signed
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  Speaker 2: here in the offseason, but he got hurt early this time.
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  Speaker 2: It's Warren who goes in, shows what he could do.
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  Speaker 2: Two weeks ago, the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
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  Speaker 2: Warren has been their guy that they've realized they need
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  Speaker 2: to find. not only running the ball, but find him
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  Speaker 2: in space and find little opportunities to dump him the football.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff, if we flip it to defense, when I think
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  Speaker 1: of the Steelers, and obviously the Saints and Steelers don't
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  Speaker 1: play often, but I always thought, as long as Mike
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  Speaker 1: Tomlin's there, they're going to be good on defense. I
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  Speaker 1: think we should all just assume that. I see a
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  Speaker 1: lot of the familiar faces, right? We see Cam Hayward,
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  Speaker 1: and we see T.J. Watt, and we see Patrick Queen,
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  Speaker 1: who people here obviously know well from his time at LSU,
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  Speaker 1: being from just down the road. How good are they
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  Speaker 1: on defense?
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  Speaker 2: I would say they're above average, but they are not elite.
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  Speaker 2: They're getting paid like they're elite, but they're not to
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  Speaker 2: that point. Now they've had a big injury and likely
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  Speaker 2: going to get Deshaun Elliott, the safety back this week.
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  Speaker 2: Patrick Queen just, it just hasn't clicked for him in
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  Speaker 2: Pittsburgh for whatever reason, whether that's more on him, whether
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  Speaker 2: that's the style of play, whatever it is, he's had
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  Speaker 2: some games, but he's also had some moments that, that just,
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  Speaker 2: just look bad, especially when you, when you have the
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  Speaker 2: ability to look back, look slow-mo, you know, there's been
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  Speaker 2: questions about, you know, is he where he needs to
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  Speaker 2: be defensive line? They're young with the exception of Cam Hayward, who's,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the Steelers, Cam Jordan, and who just plays perpetually. He,
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  Speaker 2: he has been solid. TJ Watt had a crazy first
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  Speaker 2: couple of weeks, but it slowed down for him. So,
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  Speaker 2: They've got names. They've got guys that can make plays.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, Jalen Ramsey really showed out in the game
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  Speaker 2: against the Buccaneers. But they've been inconsistent, and because of that,
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  Speaker 2: they haven't played up anywhere near their potential.
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  Speaker 1: Chris Boswell's been there forever. The Saints have been awful
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  Speaker 1: on special teams this year. Boswell's been there forever. Is
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  Speaker 1: it still a feeling where if it comes down to
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  Speaker 1: a kick and we're talking a close game that they
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  Speaker 1: feel like he's going to go nail it?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, even though he's missed. More kicks than he did
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  Speaker 2: all in 2024. He's already missed four, which he missed
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  Speaker 2: three that entire season. But I think there still is
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  Speaker 2: a confidence. And I think there's two things. I think
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  Speaker 2: there's Boswell and then there's the special teams. The rest
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  Speaker 2: of the special teams are a number of questions. They've
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  Speaker 2: had some issues with field position from both ends, coverage
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  Speaker 2: and return. And they need to see better. That is
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  Speaker 2: an area that they are concerned about. But Boswell... they're
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  Speaker 2: not concerned about, I mean, he's 35. He's been in
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  Speaker 2: every situation. He missed a kick that he kind of
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  Speaker 2: pulled left against Tampa Bay, but man, that 58 yarder
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  Speaker 2: was good from forever and he had to do it twice.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, they feel good about Boswell.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff, before you go, I always like to ask the question,
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  Speaker 1: if there's a blueprint for Pittsburgh to win the game, ideally,
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  Speaker 1: how do you think that looks?
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  Speaker 2: It's finding Jalen Warren as much as possible. They still
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  Speaker 2: have those questions at receiver. They like the tight ends,
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  Speaker 2: but when they get it to Warren, it opens up
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  Speaker 2: other things for them. Metcalf would be my second key
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  Speaker 2: because when he's going, that offense seems to click at
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  Speaker 2: a different level. But Jalen Warren's been their MVP so far.
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  Speaker 2: That's how they do it offensively and defensively. What they
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  Speaker 2: did last week kind of confused the young quarterback. There
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  Speaker 2: were some different blitzes. It was the most aggressive they
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  Speaker 2: have been As far as blitzing and trying new things
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  Speaker 2: last week, with Elliott back, they should feel comfortable about
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  Speaker 2: throwing more things that Chuck. So I would say the
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  Speaker 2: Steelers being versatile to confusing on defense and offensively just
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  Speaker 2: trying to get the ball at number 30.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, it's Patrick Graham's defense there. His first season
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  Speaker 1: is the D.C. and Jalen Warren. I mean, averaging five
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  Speaker 1: and a half a carry in Saints run defense has
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  Speaker 1: not been good. That would make a lot of sense.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Hathorne, 93.7 The Fan there in Pittsburgh, taking a
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  Speaker 1: look at Saints-Seals. We appreciate it. Thanks for the time.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no problem. See you.