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Jim Wexell Joins the Steelers Report · The Steelers Report

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: This is the Steelers Report with Brian Batko and Ed
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  Speaker 1: Truth on Steelers Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers
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  Speaker 1: Audio Network.
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  Speaker 2: Wrapping up our number one here on the Steelers Report.
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  Speaker 2: As we continue to wrap up week two across the NFL,
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  Speaker 2: we'll have that coming up at the tell end of
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  Speaker 2: today's show. Brian and I will do our renegade review.
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  Speaker 2: Also at the 3 o'clock hour, we'll have our top
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  Speaker 2: 10 moments and plays from Sunday. So stay tuned for that.
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  Speaker 2: But before we officially put a bow, well, if you
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  Speaker 2: want to put a bow on it from Steelers Patriots,
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  Speaker 2: you might want to put something else on it, as
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  Speaker 2: we've been discussing all week, and get ready for Steelers Bengals.
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  Speaker 2: We welcome in our good friend Jim Wexel. Steelers author,
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  Speaker 2: Steelers.com contributor and publisher of Steel City Insider. Jim, welcome
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  Speaker 2: to the program. It's been a minute. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: Great to be here. Thanks for having me. Hi, Brian.
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  Speaker 3: I'm sure you guys have a lot of work to
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  Speaker 3: do finding those 10 highlights from the other day, but
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  Speaker 3: that's what you make the big bucks for.
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  Speaker 2: That is for sure, Jim. We have our work cut
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  Speaker 2: out for us next hour. There wasn't too many highlights
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  Speaker 2: in Steelers and Patriots from this past weekend in week two.
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  Speaker 2: Let's start there. As I said, I don't know if
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  Speaker 2: we put a bow on it. We probably got to
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  Speaker 2: find something else, but let's start there with you. Your
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  Speaker 2: initial thoughts after the week two loss in New England.
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  Speaker 3: You know, the first words out of Mike McCarthy's mouth
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  Speaker 3: on Monday at his press conference were it wasn't as bad.
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  Speaker 1: Something along the.
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  Speaker 3: Lines of it wasn't as bad as we thought. You're
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  Speaker 3: never as bad as it seems. You're never as good
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  Speaker 3: as it seems. And I thought that was true. I
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  Speaker 3: rewatched it, and the offensive line was not nearly as
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  Speaker 3: bad as I had thought, or, you know, the angry
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  Speaker 3: mob on Twitter. I probably look at that, I look
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  Speaker 3: at it in small doses, and it's still probably too often.
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  Speaker 3: The angry mob was very angry, and the offensive line
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  Speaker 3: really wasn't that bad. I mean, New England dominated the line, yes,
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  Speaker 3: but Yeah, it was only four sacks. The worst offensive
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  Speaker 3: line performance that people could remember. I mean, only go
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  Speaker 3: back to 2021 with the rookie line with Kendrick Green
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  Speaker 3: and Dan Moore and the great Trey Turner and those guys.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I hear you, Wex. Do you think on the
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  Speaker 4: topic of the offensive line and the offense in general,
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  Speaker 4: I mean, didn't we kind of know that there might
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  Speaker 4: be some growing pains with a new head coach, mostly
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  Speaker 4: a new coaching staff. I mean, the same thing was
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  Speaker 4: in place for the Falcons sort of in week one,
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  Speaker 4: but that was a Patriots team with a lot of continuity,
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  Speaker 4: at least in terms of the guys calling the plays.
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  Speaker 4: Not to like, you know, soft pedal this or be
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  Speaker 4: too silver lining-ish, but I wasn't shocked that week two
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  Speaker 4: was a little bit, I don't want to use the
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  Speaker 4: phrase herky-jerky, but I guess I just did.
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  Speaker 3: Exactly right Brian I get your point about not wanting
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  Speaker 3: to soft pedal this it was a 20-3 loss and
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  Speaker 3: the offense struggled are.
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  Speaker 1: We surprised the Lions struggled?
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  Speaker 3: No I mean yes they addressed it with the first
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  Speaker 3: round pick and the third round pick those guys aren't
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  Speaker 3: ready the same way Alan Fanica wasn't ready for five
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  Speaker 3: games and Dermotty Dawson wasn't ready for the first four
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  Speaker 3: games and Mike Webster wasn't ready until two years later
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  Speaker 3: for at least full-time duty.
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  Speaker 1: So, I mean, why are we expecting a guy who
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  Speaker 1: never even played.
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  Speaker 3: High school ball with a lot of, lot of potential?
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  Speaker 3: I'm not down on him at all. The fact that
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  Speaker 3: he doesn't understand the high volume of Aaron Rodgers' audible.
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  Speaker 1: Wing at the line, I'm not surprised.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think anybody has trust that he's going to
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  Speaker 3: mentally be ready for this. Physically, I think he is.
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  Speaker 3: We're talking about Max Ahanachor. I mean, the team addressed
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  Speaker 3: the offensive line, the first and third picks. They addressed
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  Speaker 3: the lack of playmakers and free agency. And with a
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  Speaker 3: second-round pick, those weaknesses showed again. Are we surprised that
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  Speaker 3: they're not ready in the second week? We shouldn't be surprised.
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  Speaker 3: It's surprising when Pittman was out.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Jim, you brought up a good point because,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the initial reaction right after Sunday was the
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  Speaker 2: world's falling apart. The Steelers are only going to win
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  Speaker 2: three or four games. And then 24 hours later on
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  Speaker 2: Monday morning, You look back at it and you said, okay, well,
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  Speaker 2: we made some mistakes here or there, but it's all
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  Speaker 2: correctable mistakes. Now we're 48 hours removed. And I rewatched
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  Speaker 2: the game last night, and one thing I noticed with
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  Speaker 2: the offensive line was more miscommunication than talent and even
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  Speaker 2: execution for that matter. There was just times in that
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  Speaker 2: game where the offensive line just wasn't communicating. So that's
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  Speaker 2: one area that I really think that they could potentially
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  Speaker 2: clean up rather quickly this week. and still have that
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  Speaker 2: same five together this upcoming Sunday against Cincinnati and potentially
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  Speaker 2: make a difference and improve and to get a better
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  Speaker 2: performance out of that group.
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  Speaker 3: Personally, I would make one change. I play Hoffman at
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  Speaker 3: right guard. I mean, the coach is no more, whether
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  Speaker 3: he's ready. Uh, what happened, uh, with Spencer, uh, at
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  Speaker 3: right guard, he gave up what seven pressures.
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  Speaker 1: That's a lot for a guard.
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  Speaker 3: Um, And yeah, the lack of communication really showed on
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  Speaker 3: that 36-yard loss. You could see the confusion at the
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  Speaker 3: line as Rodgers was changing the play. McCormick looked back
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  Speaker 3: at Rico Dowdell and pointed to the inside linebacker as
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  Speaker 3: you pick him up.
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  Speaker 1: And then the outside linebacker came up and ran free.
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  Speaker 3: Right.
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  Speaker 1: The communication.
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  Speaker 3: And you see this often on the road, especially in
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  Speaker 3: a rough place like Foxborough. And, yes, it should be
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  Speaker 3: much better at home where the communication is much easier. But, man,
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  Speaker 3: it's not going to get easier with Cincinnati. And then
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  Speaker 3: Thursday night at Cleveland is.
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  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: We all know about those.
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  Speaker 3: So they could be one in three, and the Twitter
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  Speaker 3: noise will get louder.
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  Speaker 1: The angry mobs will get angrier.
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  Speaker 3: It seems like they get angrier quicker every year.
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  Speaker 1: That's just how it is, I guess.
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  Speaker 3: But I'm certainly not down on a team that knew
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  Speaker 3: in the offseason it needed to improve its line.
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  Speaker 1: And needed to improve its playmakers, and I felt did.
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  Speaker 4: So let's say, Wex, and maybe it will get a
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  Speaker 4: little bit easier against the Bengals. Two games does not
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  Speaker 4: make a season, and their defensive woes have been persistent
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  Speaker 4: year over year. It's been a good start for them,
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  Speaker 4: but maybe they aren't quite as havoc-wreaking up front as
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  Speaker 4: New England is at home, and we'll see what the
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  Speaker 4: Browns are without Myles Garrett, albeit if he were on
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  Speaker 4: IR in Cleveland, he wouldn't be helping them much either.
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  Speaker 4: Let's say there's some credence to the hypothesis we're espousing
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  Speaker 4: here that this veteran team that is adjusting to a
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  Speaker 4: new coaching staff will, as logic might dictate, improve throughout
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  Speaker 4: the course of this season once they all work under
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  Speaker 4: Mike McCarthy more and Brian Angelico, and it's not as
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  Speaker 4: big of a deal, but on the defensive side of
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  Speaker 4: the ball, Patrick Graham. Sticking with the offense, though, and
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  Speaker 4: new O-line coach James Campin, too, is at the helm
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  Speaker 4: of that group. What is it that gives you optimism
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  Speaker 4: that that might be indeed what happens, that this team
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  Speaker 4: gels and gets better over the course of the year?
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  Speaker 3: So much youth on the offensive line. I do believe
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  Speaker 3: they're the least experienced offensive line in the NFL.
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  Speaker 1: Wouldn't be surprised. I thought I saw that graphic.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, and those inexperienced players play in new positions,
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  Speaker 3: and I have no problem with those changes that they made.
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  Speaker 3: And Max and I believe Jennings Dunker are going to improve,
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  Speaker 3: and they're going to give that right side the heft,
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  Speaker 3: the power of a normal right side, of a good
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  Speaker 3: right side, of a strong running game. that's what they've needed.
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  Speaker 3: So I've been watching the offensive line ever since 2021,
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  Speaker 3: when you could tell that those rookies were not the
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  Speaker 3: answer and they started drafting. Robert Jones, I know it
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  Speaker 3: was a mistake, but you keep, they admitted to their
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  Speaker 3: mistake and moved on and followed on. It was not
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  Speaker 3: a mistake. McCormick's not a mistake. Frazier's not a mistake.
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  Speaker 3: So there's three. And, and, You know, they're building at
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  Speaker 3: the foundation. And meanwhile, now they know they need a
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  Speaker 3: skill player. So they've been adding to that and they'll
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  Speaker 3: continue adding to that. And I know you want to
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  Speaker 3: talk offense, but the same foundational approach on defense. you know,
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  Speaker 3: that really had a good game. Why a black looks
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  Speaker 3: like he belongs now. I wasn't sure if he belonged
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  Speaker 3: last year, a big guy, you just go low on him. He,
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  Speaker 3: you know, his pad level wasn't what it needed to be,
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  Speaker 3: but I mean, he looks like, he looks like an
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  Speaker 3: NFL player now with that body that was just offered
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  Speaker 3: potential before.
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  Speaker 1: So I think both lines are young and going to
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  Speaker 1: improve a lot.
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  Speaker 3: So I, I can't help but see it improve as
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  Speaker 3: those foundational, those building blocks improve.
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  Speaker 2: We're talking with Jim Wexel from Steelers.com contributor, also the
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  Speaker 2: publisher of Steel City Insider, Steelers author as well. Jim,
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  Speaker 2: you mentioned the defensive line, and my goodness, Derek Harmon,
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  Speaker 2: a bit quiet in week one, but was not quiet
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  Speaker 2: at all against the New England Patriots. Had a great game.
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  Speaker 2: Keanu Benton, very good. game against the New England Patriots
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  Speaker 2: up front as well. He's put back-to-back performances as well
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  Speaker 2: as Y.Y. Black, as you mentioned, too. And Cam Hayward
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  Speaker 2: continues to play at a high level these first two
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  Speaker 2: weeks of the season. He may be getting older, but
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  Speaker 2: you can't tell on the football field.
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  Speaker 3: No, and he's teaching those young guys. You kind of
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  Speaker 3: wish the offensive line still had a guy like Ciamolo
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  Speaker 3: teaching and mentoring.
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  Speaker 1: But, you know, Cam's playing. He tipped another pass.
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  Speaker 3: I don't know if he got credit for a deflection
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  Speaker 3: on that, but he did tip an important pass. And
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  Speaker 3: their edges, you know, they've got them locked up. Sawyer's
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  Speaker 3: playing well.
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  Speaker 1: So, you know, it's... The playmakers.
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  Speaker 3: Playmakers on both sides are needed. I think Herbig's a
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  Speaker 3: genuine playmaker. And Ramsey, of course, she's getting older, but
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  Speaker 3: they do need playmakers. And I do believe that's part
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  Speaker 3: of the reason they're hesitant to give Joey Porter Jr.
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  Speaker 3: everything he wants. And playmakers on offense, especially with DK
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  Speaker 3: and a funk.
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  Speaker 1: And quarterback, of course.
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  Speaker 3: But we all know about that. So, whether they don't
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  Speaker 3: win a Super Bowl this year or not, that isn't.
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  Speaker 3: That isn't what I'm looking for. I'm looking for improvement
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  Speaker 3: on both sides of the ball on the lines and
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  Speaker 3: build from there and then add your playmakers and your
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  Speaker 3: key pieces.
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  Speaker 1: And so, you know, maybe it becomes like the 2004 Steelers.
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  Speaker 3: All of a sudden, they put together two rock-solid lines with.
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  Speaker 1: Playmakers on both sides.
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  Speaker 3: Then they inserted a rookie quarterback and they could go, go, go.
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  Speaker 3: Just keep building these lines. Keep building the foundational aspects
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  Speaker 3: of this team. Don't look at it as super plan,
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  Speaker 3: like when hours ready or whomever is the quarterback, that
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  Speaker 3: stuff just falls into place. Just keep building this team
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  Speaker 3: and get it better. And I think both sides of
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  Speaker 3: the ball on the lines, I know it wasn't really
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  Speaker 3: apparent last week, but in my mind it is.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm, I'm, I'm happy with what they're doing on
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  Speaker 1: both sides of the ball.
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  Speaker 4: Well, last one for me, Wex, we've talked to offense.
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  Speaker 4: We've talked defense. What do you make of special teams?
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  Speaker 4: I mean, feel free to choose your, your question here.
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  Speaker 4: Do you have any concern with Chris Boswell? Do you
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  Speaker 4: love what you're seeing out of Robert Spears Jennings in coverage?
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  Speaker 4: Have you been impressed with Caden Weijin or Eli Heidenreich and,
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  Speaker 4: or Eli Heidenreich as the returners take your pick of
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  Speaker 4: that triumvirate?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I know some good questions, uh, or as, uh,
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  Speaker 3: Mike McCarthy says, those were fantastic questions. Thank you. Um,
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  Speaker 3: Weijin looks like a great punt returner. I love his decision-making.
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  Speaker 3: I love his courage. And he does have that quick.
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  Speaker 1: hit and go. It's not so much of a kickoff returner.
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  Speaker 1: I think those guys need to be a little bigger
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  Speaker 1: in a core Daryl Patterson mold. And Heidenreich, I love.
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  Speaker 1: I want him on my team.
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  Speaker 3: I want that kind of character, and I think he's
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  Speaker 3: going to show some playmaking skills as we move along.
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  Speaker 3: I really like Brandon Echols as a gunner. He just
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  Speaker 3: was a little overenthusiastic. He's flying past guys, but I
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  Speaker 3: love how he gets down there. He's down there first
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  Speaker 3: all the time, it seems. Spears, Jennings, absolutely. Keep playing
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  Speaker 3: him over there. I don't know what's gone. It gives
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  Speaker 3: you a personal protector. He gave you a lot last
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  Speaker 3: year as a gunner, and he's not giving you much
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  Speaker 3: of a wide receiver. I don't know if you want
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  Speaker 3: to keep that with Travis Homer playing. So that's a
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  Speaker 3: question for the coaches. But as far as Boswell, nothing
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  Speaker 3: he's doing concerns me, except that time marches on.
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  Speaker 1: How old is he now? 34, maybe?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, he's in his mid-30s at this point.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's the only concern. But just because he's
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  Speaker 1: missed a couple 56-yarders, I'm not worried about that.
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  Speaker 2: Jim, just another minute left with you. Quickly, the Cincinnati
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  Speaker 2: Bengals roll into AccuShare Stadium on Sunday. every AFC North
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  Speaker 2: game is important regardless of when it falls. But for
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  Speaker 2: this one, the Steelers are going to turn around just
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: in four or five days after and head to Cleveland,
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  Speaker 2: a place where they have not done well over the
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  Speaker 2: years on Thursday nights for whatever reason, regardless of where
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  Speaker 2: the Browns or Steelers are. Steelers got to come out
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  Speaker 2: of this two-game stretch 1-1. Of course, we'd love for
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  Speaker 2: them to come out 2-0 in the division and be
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: sitting at 3-1, but you certainly can't be at 1-3
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  Speaker 2: a week and a half from now, right?
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 3: The Cincinnati game is so important, especially, of course, they
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: have designs on winning the division title.
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  Speaker 1: They're defending champions.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, we should be looking at the division title, and
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  Speaker 3: beating Cincinnati at home would be a must in that regard,
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  Speaker 3: especially to gain momentum for a four-days-later game.
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  Speaker 1: Thursday night at Cleveland.
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  Speaker 3: And, you know, with Dexter Lawrence in the middle there,
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  Speaker 3: this Cincinnati defense could be completely transformed.
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  Speaker 1: At least, I mean, look at Woody Marks. Eight carries,
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  Speaker 1: eight yards.
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  Speaker 3: After gaining 112 against the Steelers in the playoffs. I
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: know Houston isn't the greatest offense, but wow, what Cincinnati
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: did to them was shocking to me offensively.
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  Speaker 1: We know offensively they have it.
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  Speaker 3: Defensively, if Dexter Lawrence is going to give that team
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  Speaker 3: that kind of chutzpah, that kind of defensive grit and
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: Cassius Howell. I don't know who this guy is, but
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: he's a second round pick. And apparently everybody's raving about
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: this pass rusher. So they traded Hendrickson for a run
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  Speaker 3: stuffer in the middle that completely changed Cincinnati's look if
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: they really have a defense they're trouble and you would
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  Speaker 3: hope that they're a little bit high uh emotionally after
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  Speaker 3: beating houston the way they did and you would think
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  Speaker 3: they would maybe look at the steelers tape and be
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: a little overconfident but and the steelers are going to
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  Speaker 3: come in uh you know they're going to be sky
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  Speaker 3: high they know the importance of this game and They're
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  Speaker 3: going to be embarrassed in town all week.
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  Speaker 1: They're going to be feeling it. They're going to come back.
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  Speaker 1: They're going to play well.
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  Speaker 3: Whether that's enough against Joe Burrow and those receivers without
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: Joey Porter Jr.
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  Speaker 1: that remains to be seen.
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  Speaker 2: I agree. Awesome stuff as always, Jim. You're always one
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  Speaker 2: of our favorites. Let's get you back on again soon.
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  Speaker 1: All right, guys. Take care. Always great talking to you guys.
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  Speaker 2: All right, Jim Wexel, who is the Steelers author, Steelers.com contributor,
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  Speaker 2: and also a member, well, not member, he's the publisher
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  Speaker 2: of Steel City Insider. Always great to have Jim on.
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  Speaker 2: That's going to do it for our number one. Coming
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: up at 3 o'clock and up next, we will have
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: our top ten moments and plays from this past Sunday. Here,
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: Brian chuckles. I chuckle, too, but I found ten. It
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: was hard. It was challenging, but we got there. He
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: is back, though. I am Troop. It's the Steelers Report
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: right here on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers.
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: Audio Network.