Latest / Pittsburgh Sports Memories / BONUS EPISODE: Pgh Sports Current Events - September 24, 2026

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BONUS EPISODE: Pgh Sports Current Events - September 24, 2026 · Pittsburgh Sports Memories

0:00
SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to another exciting edition of Pittsburgh Sports Memories Current Events.
0:05
SPEAKER_02: As usual, I'm your co-host, Steve Wirt, and I'm joined by Tim Hannon.
0:10
SPEAKER_02: Nice.
0:11
SPEAKER_02: Nice.
0:11
SPEAKER_02: So um we're gonna start off today talking about um the Pirates.
0:15
SPEAKER_02: We haven't talked about them a lot the last couple episodes, mainly because they're well, they weren't totally irrelevant.
0:22
SPEAKER_02: It's kind of funny.
0:23
SPEAKER_02: I was just reading an article that said if they would have played in the American League, they'd be tied for like the last wild card.
0:30
SPEAKER_02: So um let's talk some baseball.
0:32
SPEAKER_02: The Pirates did sweep the Royals, but like a lot of things in life, it was too litter, too, too little, too late.
0:40
SPEAKER_02: And uh, I think they're 79 and 77 as of this recording, so maybe they'll get a bet a little better, maybe a little worse.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: They still have a what three more wins, four more wins, and they'd have a winning season.
0:51
SPEAKER_02: So and I think they still have eight or nine games left, so a good chance.
0:58
SPEAKER_02: But they have been eliminated from the playoffs.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: It's mainly because San Diego has all the tiebreakers and the wild card.
1:07
SPEAKER_02: So the Pirates did make a big improvement.
1:10
SPEAKER_02: Maybe not big, they made an improvement, but unfortunately that improvement was not quite enough to make the playoffs, mainly because the National League was really good this year, especially the National League Central that they play in.
1:24
SPEAKER_02: So uh your thoughts, Tim, on the Pirates and they're almost making the playoffs.
1:31
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, good for them.
1:32
SPEAKER_03: They showed some improvement.
1:34
SPEAKER_03: Um the the the most disappointing thing about them was the pitching, because that's really what you thought we carry them, and the pitching was just not not good.
1:43
SPEAKER_02: It was okay.
1:45
SPEAKER_02: It wasn't great though.
1:46
SPEAKER_03: It wasn't elite.
1:49
SPEAKER_02: No, they needed elite and they got mediocre.
1:52
SPEAKER_03: Right.
1:53
SPEAKER_02: And that's why they're flirting with just barely breaking 500.
1:58
SPEAKER_03: So I think a really good way to move forward would be to keep Ben Sherrington around because that guy's done amazing.
2:05
SPEAKER_03: He's just so much success during his tenure.
2:08
SPEAKER_03: Let's just not change anything.
2:12
SPEAKER_02: I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not.
2:14
SPEAKER_02: That's sarcasm.
2:15
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
2:16
SPEAKER_03: Heavy, heavy sarcasm.
2:17
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
2:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Joe Starkey wrote an article basically like whining about how like they I guess the Pirates go to hire Charrington or whoever's running the Brewers, and they hired Charrington, and the guy who's running the Brewers, as you can tell, the Brewers are like in the playoffs every year.
2:32
SPEAKER_02: They haven't won a World Series, haven't even been to a World Series yet, but they're really like they're always really good and they don't spend they they spend money, but they don't spend like obscene amount of money, like the Dodgers or the Mets or you know the Yankees.
2:48
SPEAKER_02: So like you said, uh so you you you're in favor of changing general.
2:56
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
2:56
SPEAKER_03: It doesn't really matter.
2:57
SPEAKER_03: I mean, they're not a serious franchise.
3:00
SPEAKER_03: They're like the Atlantic Falcons, if they just seriously, it's like the best you can hope for is that you know they get lucky because they have enough high graphics, which they've had the last few years, that they can field something that resembles a winner.
3:15
SPEAKER_03: Um, but with it with without a change in ownership, it really doesn't honestly at the end of the day matter.
3:20
SPEAKER_03: They're they're gonna just continue to be run poorly.
3:24
SPEAKER_02: Well, do you want to talk about Brandon Lau or what's the point?
3:28
SPEAKER_02: Are we kind of in a existential funk?
3:32
SPEAKER_03: I mean, is there any chance he comes back?
3:34
SPEAKER_02: I mean, he said he's willing to listen.
3:37
SPEAKER_02: Sure.
3:37
SPEAKER_02: He has 33 home runs, and I guess that was the most since Brian Giles at PNC Park.
3:43
SPEAKER_02: So um he said he's all years.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: Will Ben uh Charrington talk?
3:49
SPEAKER_02: So I mean I think I'm kind of with you.
3:52
SPEAKER_02: Does it does it even matter?
3:53
SPEAKER_02: Like this offseason, like I'm hoping I'm rooting for the Dodgers or the Yankees or whoever's like because like it's kind of weird, like Tampa Bay's really good, and um, who else?
4:05
SPEAKER_02: Like Milwaukee's really yeah, the worst thing that could happen would be a Tampa Milwaukee World Series, right?
4:12
SPEAKER_03: You definitely want again, I think we said this once before, you want you want to root for the Dodgers to three peat so that everybody just gets so fed up with the system.
4:21
SPEAKER_03: And and I really hope that baseball takes a whole season off, they fix everything, and that the game is better as a whole.
4:29
SPEAKER_02: They kind of do like a hockey.
4:31
SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
4:32
SPEAKER_03: Right.
4:32
SPEAKER_03: Yes, exactly.
4:34
SPEAKER_03: So so that would be worth it for the game, and I'm rooting for the game, but everybody needs to set their expectations here in Pittsburgh that that's still not going to fix our team.
4:44
SPEAKER_03: Everybody thinks it will.
4:46
SPEAKER_03: Like it's it's the NFL has a salary cap, and the NFL still has the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns and the Arizona Cardinals.
4:53
SPEAKER_03: Like, if you aren't a well-run franchise, you're not a well-run franchise, regardless of if there's good economics or good, you know, uh salary cap structure, whatever.
5:03
SPEAKER_03: They're they're still going to be run poorly.
5:05
SPEAKER_03: So uh like I said, it would be good for the game at least.
5:09
SPEAKER_02: I think this could go two years.
5:10
SPEAKER_02: I could see that like baseball, that union so stubborn, and these guys have money to burn.
5:16
SPEAKER_02: Like I could see them losing two seasons.
5:19
SPEAKER_03: I won't miss it.
5:21
SPEAKER_02: That's that's sad.
5:23
SPEAKER_03: It is sad, but I mean that's where we're at.
5:26
SPEAKER_03: I I loved baseball.
5:27
SPEAKER_03: Baseball was my favorite sport growing up.
5:29
SPEAKER_03: I loved it, and I won't miss it if it goes away.
5:32
SPEAKER_03: And I hope it does because I want to love it again, and this would this would pull me back where I maybe could someday if they'd fix it.
5:41
SPEAKER_02: Well, on that down note, let's go to footballpalooza, Tim.
5:45
SPEAKER_02: I'm sick of talking about crappy baseball.
5:48
SPEAKER_02: Uh yay, footballpalooza.
5:52
SPEAKER_02: Hey, pit football, Tim.
5:54
SPEAKER_02: They beat Syracuse 27 to 13.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: Yay! Mason Heinchel was not good.
6:03
SPEAKER_02: He was uh 10 for 23 with one interception and one rushing touchdown.
6:09
SPEAKER_02: Um, the rushing, the running game of the Pitt Panthers and their defense won this game.
6:16
SPEAKER_02: And uh Syracuse quarterback, they just don't have a quarterback again.
6:20
SPEAKER_02: Like, it seems like every year I'm saying the same thing about Syracuse.
6:24
SPEAKER_02: Like, well, it looks like they could be a pretty good team if they just had a decent quarterback, and they don't have that.
6:30
SPEAKER_02: So um Damon Ferguson for Pitt, who was filling in for Jakari tournament uh Turner, had 10 carries for 102 yards, 10 yards a carry.
6:40
SPEAKER_02: There was like this one drive, like where they kept running that same play, it seemed, and like they would get 16 yards every time.
6:47
SPEAKER_02: I've never seen anything quite like that.
6:51
SPEAKER_02: Lavelle Wright had 14 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.
6:55
SPEAKER_02: Um, the defense got two pretty good interceptions to lock it up.
7:00
SPEAKER_02: Um, they did have trouble stopping the run, but that's because the offensive line of Syracuse is like the size of like the Steelers or the Dallas Cowboy.
7:11
SPEAKER_02: And they just kind of lean on you, and that's that's hard to stop.
7:15
SPEAKER_02: Like, especially Pitt doesn't really like I've noticed Narduzzi definitely goes with smaller defensive linemen.
7:21
SPEAKER_02: He seems to believe in quick defensive linemen, not really big guys.
7:25
SPEAKER_02: I mean, they've had their big guys.
7:26
SPEAKER_02: It was it's kind of like playing navy.
7:29
SPEAKER_02: As long as you aren't tied or behind, like the Syracuse running game really can't hurt you.
7:34
SPEAKER_02: And that's kind of what happened to Syracuse, is they got behind and they couldn't they couldn't really execute their game plan that they wanted to play, was like protect your quarterback and just run the ball and throw the ball and like you know, when Pitt wasn't looking for it.
7:48
SPEAKER_03: So Steve, is it time to push the panic button yet on Pitt Mason?
7:56
SPEAKER_02: Uh I'm kind of becoming concerned.
7:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm wondering, like, I uh not just him, but Cade Bell.
8:02
SPEAKER_02: Like has it seemed like Cade Bell has maybe hit a ceiling?
8:06
SPEAKER_02: Like because like I I know you weren't too like concerned after the bowl game, but like it's just it seems like they just they can't beat like a quality opponent.
8:17
SPEAKER_02: And he like yells at Heichel.
8:19
SPEAKER_02: Like, did you watch any of the game on Thursday, Tim?
8:21
SPEAKER_02: Or did you just see like after every third down incompletion, he's like yelling at Mason Heichel?
8:26
SPEAKER_02: Like, it's like, what's going on here?
8:28
SPEAKER_02: Like, I I didn't understand, or is Heichel just another flash in the pan?
8:33
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's not like Eli Holstein is starting for Virginia.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: I don't think he is.
8:38
SPEAKER_02: No.
8:38
SPEAKER_02: Although Virgin Virginia got blown out by West Virginia.
8:41
SPEAKER_02: Did you see that?
8:42
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, and they were supposed to be like the cream.
8:45
SPEAKER_03: Pretty good.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they were supposed to be one of the top five teams in the ACC.
8:50
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that honestly, my concern is less Cade Bell and more like what happened to Eli because Eli had that same um trajectory where he had that really strong freshman year, and you're like, well, if he was that good as a freshman, imagine how good he'll be as a sophomore, and then he just collapsed.
9:07
SPEAKER_03: And then Heinchel came in last year, and then he was really good as a freshman, and now I'm worried that maybe he's he's starting to fall.
9:16
SPEAKER_03: Now, like Eli lost his job because he kept throwing like disastrous zone interceptions.
9:21
SPEAKER_02: Heinschel doesn't do that, so he has that going for him, but he does it, but he's not productive either.
9:27
SPEAKER_03: So right, right.
9:29
SPEAKER_03: And now, to be fair, the Central Florida game was like a monsoon.
9:33
SPEAKER_03: You really can't count that.
9:34
SPEAKER_03: The Syracuse game was like literally four days later.
9:37
SPEAKER_03: It was a short week.
9:39
SPEAKER_03: They they were running the ball well, like you said.
9:42
SPEAKER_02: Syracuse seems like it has a decent defense.
9:44
SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't think their defense is terrible.
9:47
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so so I'm not pushing the panic button yet, but I am like kind of staring at the panic button, like thinking about like hmm, another game or two, and it might be time to push it.
10:00
SPEAKER_03: I I just I just I had a lot of hope for Heinzul, and like I really do think that this season it's gonna go as far as he can carry them.
10:10
SPEAKER_02: Well, guess what?
10:12
SPEAKER_02: Pitt has another tune-up game for no apparent reason against Bucknell on the 26th.
10:17
SPEAKER_02: So why are we playing this game in this late in September?
10:21
SPEAKER_02: I I hate when they do this.
10:23
SPEAKER_02: What actually, which is worse, you you know how the SEC always plays those late November Patsy games.
10:29
SPEAKER_02: It's like, what what is this?
10:31
SPEAKER_02: Like it'll be like Alabama will play like Wagner or something like November 15th.
10:36
SPEAKER_02: It's like, what is going on?
10:38
SPEAKER_02: Like, why are we playing this game at this point in the season?
10:41
SPEAKER_02: This is stupid.
10:42
SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, the fun begins after Bucknell, which I can't imagine they lose, but hey, I I don't see p Marduzzi doesn't lose these kind of games.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Right.
10:55
SPEAKER_02: And uh then the fun begins because the next two games are Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: And do you know who the coach of Virginia Tech is?
11:05
SPEAKER_02: Our uncle buddy James, buddy.
11:09
SPEAKER_02: And then Belichick, I mean, Mr.
11:12
SPEAKER_02: Belichite.
11:13
SPEAKER_02: So that that's always fun.
11:14
SPEAKER_02: That's although he that like that that North Carolina's kind of in trouble.
11:19
SPEAKER_02: Like he had the his son, Steve Belichick, had to resign because of like I what was the scandal?
11:26
SPEAKER_02: Was it like women or something?
11:28
SPEAKER_03: No idea.
11:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there was some scandal, and then they had a they had like a 14-point lead against Clemson, and I was watching that game because I wonder, I was like, come on, Clemson, you can pull this out.
11:39
SPEAKER_02: And then like that stupid weather delay, it's like I just like I'm not coming back after this weather delay.
11:46
SPEAKER_02: I was like, sorry.
11:48
SPEAKER_02: So it should you will know if Heinzel's a flash in the pan, how far Pitt's gonna go after the Virginia Tech and North Carolina games.
11:58
SPEAKER_02: I think that's you'll you'll kind of know what to make of Pitt.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
12:04
SPEAKER_02: Moving on to the pro game that Belichick is not a part of anymore.
12:09
SPEAKER_02: Um the Steelers played Bill Belichick's old team, the New England Patriots, and they lost 20 to 3.
12:16
SPEAKER_02: What a shocker.
12:17
SPEAKER_02: Going to Foxboro and getting blown out.
12:20
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
12:22
SPEAKER_02: I mean, okay, Tim, I have some questions.
12:25
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I'll say that I'll say this.
12:28
SPEAKER_02: What is different about this Steeler team than the last five years?
12:33
SPEAKER_03: They have a new coach, and I was told by Steeler fans on the internet that that was the uh the problem that was going to fix everything, the solution that was gonna fix everything.
12:41
SPEAKER_03: Are you saying that it hasn't?
12:43
SPEAKER_02: Well, let's see, they can't run the ball.
12:46
SPEAKER_02: It looked exactly like the Texans game where the defense held up for the first half, had a a not very good quarterback literally falling to pieces again and couldn't take any advantage of it.
12:58
SPEAKER_02: Why can't the Steelers receivers get open?
13:01
SPEAKER_02: Like, this has been since Deontay Johnson left.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: Like, no one, I've never seen an offense where no one's ever open.
13:07
SPEAKER_02: Everything is a combat catch.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: There's like you watch other games, you watch the Rams, you watch the Bengals, you watch even the Saints.
13:15
SPEAKER_02: Like, what's his name gets open from time?
13:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, Olave.
13:19
SPEAKER_02: Like, Olave will get open.
13:21
SPEAKER_02: You watch the Bears.
13:22
SPEAKER_02: I I realize that's a Ben Johnson is probably the best offensive coach in the NFL right now.
13:29
SPEAKER_02: But like, come on.
13:30
SPEAKER_02: Like, it's just frustrating.
13:33
SPEAKER_02: It's very frustrating.
13:34
SPEAKER_02: The offensive line is mediocre if it's playing well.
13:38
SPEAKER_02: If it plays to its talent, it's terrible.
13:42
SPEAKER_02: Um, just such a frustrating game.
13:44
SPEAKER_02: You knew when I forget what point, like I think New England went up 13 to nothing.
13:49
SPEAKER_02: I turned on the Red Zoe channel because I was like, this game's over.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: They're never scoring 14 points.
13:54
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's the way it felt, too.
13:56
SPEAKER_03: You're right.
13:56
SPEAKER_03: It was it was and you're right about the receivers.
13:58
SPEAKER_03: And this has been, you're right, this has been years.
14:00
SPEAKER_03: This has been a whole bunch of different guys, too.
14:03
SPEAKER_03: And you're right, they're they're like, they don't get open.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: Or like that stupid interception where the like literally I know he's a rookie, but it bounced off him and went right to the that's not on Aaron Rodgers.
14:15
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and we we talked last week, you know.
14:18
SPEAKER_03: I I got flack for saying this last week from people on on our Facebook feed that that I was losing patience with deep game at cap.
14:25
SPEAKER_03: They're like, it's one game, settle down, and I'm like, okay.
14:28
SPEAKER_02: Well, he had four catches for 27 yards.
14:31
SPEAKER_02: It like he dropped a bunch more and a bunch of drops, and he doesn't get open.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: Right.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: He's never open.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: Like, well, you had that Christian whatever Gonzalez, yeah.
14:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, every once in a while you gotta beat a good player.
14:44
SPEAKER_02: If you're supposed to be this great one, yo, you gotta be the better player every once in a while.
14:49
SPEAKER_02: Right.
14:50
SPEAKER_03: Like yeah, or catch the ones where it like hits you in the hands.
14:54
SPEAKER_03: And and the offensive line, I mean, that shot that Rogers took, I I can't believe he even got up from that.
15:01
SPEAKER_03: If he can't take too many more of those, or that's gonna be the end of Aaron Rodgers.
15:05
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be Mason Rudolph time.
15:08
SPEAKER_03: Well, I mean, seriously, like how many and and he was running for his life all game.
15:11
SPEAKER_03: See, the the problem now is we're very easy to scheme against because you just pressure Rodgers.
15:18
SPEAKER_03: He can't move, he can't, you know, he's old, he can't, it's not like he's mobile.
15:22
SPEAKER_03: And the opposite.
15:23
SPEAKER_03: And they can't run the ball.
15:25
SPEAKER_03: They can't run the ball.
15:26
SPEAKER_02: So it's like if they need to be able to run the ball and have Rogers just play action, sit back there and yeah.
15:33
SPEAKER_03: Right, or have a quarterback that's mobile so you can roll him out, you can do other things.
15:37
SPEAKER_03: They don't have that.
15:39
SPEAKER_03: That's what I'm saying.
15:39
SPEAKER_03: So it's very easy to scheme against them right now.
15:42
SPEAKER_03: And I think I said it last week, I'll say it again.
15:44
SPEAKER_03: Uh, Dylan Cook has to lose his job at some point.
15:47
SPEAKER_03: I know that's not necessarily like all his fault, but you have to put it Max Honitor in there.
15:54
SPEAKER_03: I know he's a rookie, I know he missed a whole bunch of time in training camp, but it's like at this point, you really can't get much worse.
16:01
SPEAKER_03: So you got to do something to stabilize the line because Rogers can't, again, he's 42 years old.
16:06
SPEAKER_03: He can't he can't get hit like he got hit on Sunday.
16:10
SPEAKER_03: That was brutal.
16:11
SPEAKER_03: I that hit that he took.
16:13
SPEAKER_03: And then, you know, he fumbled the 10, they they I know you said they weren't gonna score points, Steve, but it literally cost them uh 10 points on Rogers' fumbles because the one was the the fumble where they were in field goal range and then the ball bounced backwards and it was like fourth and forty-two or whatever.
16:33
SPEAKER_03: Right.
16:33
SPEAKER_03: And then the other one was the one that they scooped up and scored a touchdown.
16:36
SPEAKER_03: So that was literally 10 points in the game, one way or the other, on them blitzing Rogers and making him fumble.
16:43
SPEAKER_03: Just like you said, just like in the playoff game.
16:46
SPEAKER_03: That's that's what broke the playoff game wide open when the defense, like you said, was kind of hanging in there, hanging in there.
16:51
SPEAKER_03: Same thing.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: Do you want to hear so Rodgers was 23 of 39, 187 yards and interception, Jalen Warren was 11 carries for 43 yards.
17:03
SPEAKER_02: I think Rico Dowdle was even worse.
17:06
SPEAKER_02: Um, DCA Metcalf, like I said, four catches for 27 yards.
17:11
SPEAKER_02: Um Rogers for his uh for his part said as players we've got to take ownership.
17:17
SPEAKER_02: My performance wasn't good enough, and a lot of guys on offense weren't good enough.
17:22
SPEAKER_02: We've got to start by looking at ourselves, not point the finger.
17:28
SPEAKER_02: Maybe give yourself the finger, I don't know.
17:33
SPEAKER_03: I mean, it it's two games and McCarthy, you know, it's a different offense, it's a different system.
17:39
SPEAKER_03: It's it's everybody's still going.
17:43
SPEAKER_02: Unless this offensive line like makes a major step forward.
17:47
SPEAKER_02: Like maybe Broderick Jones wasn't the problem.
17:50
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
17:50
SPEAKER_03: Well, yeah, that's what I'm saying.
17:51
SPEAKER_03: You gotta you gotta use something to stabilize that line.
17:54
SPEAKER_03: But but one thing I've learned one thing I've learned, Steve, recently, like very recently, as a football fan, is I think NFL offense is so um dependent on rhythm.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: Like if you see it in games, it's like when an offense is clicking, like they have rhythm, like they Well, that's why like people like, oh, they suck for all the whole first half, and then all of a sudden in the two-minute drill, they get going.
18:18
SPEAKER_02: Because like even I was as much as I'm not a big fan of Tom Brady, he he makes a good point.
18:24
SPEAKER_02: Like, when you complete a couple first downs, the the pass rushers get tired.
18:30
SPEAKER_02: And then the reads become a lot easier.
18:33
SPEAKER_02: When you don't have a pass rush, it becomes a seven-on-seven drill.
18:37
SPEAKER_02: And unless you're like a completely crappy quarterback, you know, right?
18:43
SPEAKER_02: Unless you're Cooper Rush or you know, somebody like that, you're gonna be okay.
18:49
SPEAKER_02: So So Tim, you uh how how do you want to blame Mike Mike Tomlin for this loss?
18:55
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
18:56
SPEAKER_03: So so so I I wanted to present a little feature here because I I know there's gonna be a lot of Steeler fans struggling this week because the the they they thought that Mike Tomlin was the problem, and if we just got rid of Mike Tomlin, everything would be fixed, and I know people are gonna be just beside themselves.
19:13
SPEAKER_02: I would say he was a problem.
19:15
SPEAKER_02: He was an integral part of the problem, but he wasn't the whole problem.
19:21
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but you do understand that a lot of people did think he was the whole problem.
19:25
SPEAKER_03: So for those folks, I I want to give you five creative ways that you can still blame Mike Tomlin for this loss.
19:32
SPEAKER_03: Okay, ready?
19:33
SPEAKER_03: Number one, these are Mike Tomlin's players.
19:36
SPEAKER_03: You know, he drafted them, even though the Steelers have a general manager and an owner and scouts and all that stuff.
19:43
SPEAKER_03: But Mike Tomlin was single-handedly responsible for every trade, every draft pick, everything that ever happened.
19:49
SPEAKER_03: So these are his guys.
19:50
SPEAKER_03: Even the guys we traded away, like George Pickens and Yeah, or even the guys we drafted this year, his fingerprints are still all over that.
19:58
SPEAKER_03: Oh he wasn't there.
20:00
SPEAKER_03: You know, and and just the the only thing here is that if they start winning, then you need to make sure you conveniently forget that he's these are his players and give all the credit to McCarthy.
20:12
SPEAKER_03: Number two, he's he's still mentally coaching these guys, right?
20:16
SPEAKER_02: For like his NBC studios, he's like, oh.
20:20
SPEAKER_03: Well, he's just he's just living in their brains and their memories, right?
20:24
SPEAKER_02: So he's the he has them living in their fears.
20:27
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
20:27
SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
20:28
SPEAKER_03: The current coaches are trying to tell him the, you know, hey, we need to play this way, and they're just so brainwashed from all the years of Tomlin that they just can't get the message.
20:37
SPEAKER_03: Uh number three, he didn't quit early enough.
20:40
SPEAKER_03: So if he were to resign two years ago or three years ago, we could have Ben Johnson, who you just said is the best offensive coach in the league.
20:47
SPEAKER_03: We could have Mike Frabel, we could have Mike McDonald.
20:50
SPEAKER_02: Maybe I should take that back since the Bears only scored three points last week.
20:54
SPEAKER_02: But but I really I still think he is the best.
20:57
SPEAKER_03: Oh, he's he's great.
20:58
SPEAKER_03: And we and he could he would be the head coach of the Steelers right now instead of Mike McCarthy, who we're stuck with because he's just a local guy we had to hire.
21:06
SPEAKER_03: You know, if Tomlin would have quit earlier.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: You know, Mike Vrabel, we'd really have the inside scoop on all our affairs.
21:17
SPEAKER_02: Would we have our affairs in order, Tim?
21:22
SPEAKER_03: So that's that's Tomlin's fault.
21:24
SPEAKER_03: Uh number four, Tomlin beat the Patriots at New England last year and it made them mad.
21:29
SPEAKER_03: So that's why that's another reason we lost, is because Tomlin messed up by beating him last year.
21:34
SPEAKER_02: I blame Mike Vrabel getting busted and not having an affair anymore.
21:38
SPEAKER_02: So now he he he had he had more time to focus on just the Steelers instead of like his wife and his mistress.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: He you know, because that's where that's a lot of uh ball, you know, the juggle per se.
21:50
SPEAKER_02: You know, gotta keep the wife from the mistress and the mistress from the wife.
21:54
SPEAKER_03: And sorry sorry, Steve.
21:56
SPEAKER_03: That that that doesn't that doesn't pin any of the blame on my comment, so that's not an Acceptable reason.
22:01
SPEAKER_02: Wrong Mike, sorry.
22:02
SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
22:02
SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
22:03
SPEAKER_03: Okay, and and number five, uh Tomlin imposed a curse like Babe Ruth did to the Red Sox or Bobby Lane did to the Lions.
22:10
SPEAKER_03: He just didn't say it out loud.
22:11
SPEAKER_03: What about the goat?
22:12
SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah, the Billy Goat.
22:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, some of that too.
22:17
SPEAKER_03: So there you go.
22:17
SPEAKER_03: There's five creative ways that you can still blame Mike Tomlin for this loss.
22:21
SPEAKER_03: You are welcome.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Tim.
22:23
SPEAKER_02: That's that's um that's some fine code.
22:29
SPEAKER_02: Uh um, anyway, so what's next, Tim?
22:34
SPEAKER_02: What's next for the Steelers?
22:35
SPEAKER_02: Do you know who's coming to Pittsburgh this next week?
22:38
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm going to Sunday.
22:39
SPEAKER_03: It's the Cincinnati Bengals.
22:42
SPEAKER_02: Who I think are gonna the I thought before the season they would probably be the best team in the division, and I am being proven right.
22:49
SPEAKER_02: All Cincinnati had to do was have a mediocre defense, not a terrible one.
22:54
SPEAKER_02: Not even a historically, like it was historically terrible.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: Just mediocre, run of the mill.
23:01
SPEAKER_02: Like nothing special.
23:03
SPEAKER_02: And it seems like they have accomplished.
23:05
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and there you go.
23:07
SPEAKER_02: They're gonna win games.
23:08
SPEAKER_02: They're probably gonna win the division.
23:10
SPEAKER_03: Cue the clip of Adam Sandler going, uh-oh, it looks like Happy learned to punch.
23:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:16
SPEAKER_02: Looks like the Bengals learned how to play defense.
23:20
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, that I mean, that's gonna be bad because, like you said, their defense is better.
23:27
SPEAKER_03: They have Burrow and Case and T.
23:30
SPEAKER_03: Higgins, and all these guys are firing on all cylinders so far.
23:34
SPEAKER_03: So it it's it's gonna be one of those games.
23:37
SPEAKER_03: I mean, like you said, Steve, our defense has been pretty good, pretty solid.
23:41
SPEAKER_03: So our defense has to step up, but we can't not score any points again.
23:46
SPEAKER_03: Like we have to be so so you're saying the Bengals defense has to be mediocre.
23:50
SPEAKER_03: Our offense has to be at least mediocre to even have a chance in this game.
23:54
SPEAKER_03: This this is not gonna be like a oh, it's only 10 to 3, it's only 13 to 3.
23:58
SPEAKER_03: We're hanging in there, we're hanging in there.
24:00
SPEAKER_03: Like, that's not gonna work this week.
24:02
SPEAKER_02: No, they're gonna score a 20 like the Bengals score a minimum of 24 points, and that's if the defense plays well.
24:09
SPEAKER_02: If the defense plays well and holds them to 17 points, I'll be happy.
24:13
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
24:14
SPEAKER_02: So, I mean, do the Bengals win the division.
24:16
SPEAKER_02: What they do in the playoffs, I don't know if they'll be good enough to do anything in the playoffs, but we'll try that's a long way away.
24:23
SPEAKER_02: That's 15 weeks away.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: Right.
24:27
SPEAKER_02: So um the Steelers could be one and two going in a game against the Browns v Browns, which did you see uh the coach of the Browns got pissed off about thank that now you can blame Mike Tomlin for that for sure.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
24:43
SPEAKER_02: Maybe Tampa should play Mike Tomlin for firing them up.
24:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I love how Mike Tomlin is somehow living in their heads.
24:51
SPEAKER_03: I mean, what are that's that's that's the sign of a but it inspired them to win.
24:57
SPEAKER_03: They and uh another rain delay game, but yeah, that's pretty sad that that's what inspired them to win.
25:05
SPEAKER_03: But whatever.
25:06
SPEAKER_03: Hey, the the Browns, Ravens, and Stewart's all have the same record, believe it or not.
25:11
SPEAKER_02: Uh well, how about some odds and ends, Tim, to wrap this up?
25:16
SPEAKER_02: You and I have gone back and forth about this guy like for a long time.
25:21
SPEAKER_02: Not a long time, but at least a year.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: Drake May stinks, Tim.
25:25
SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry.
25:26
SPEAKER_02: 14 for 20, 200 yards and an interception.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: Does not a great quarterback.
25:32
SPEAKER_02: Is that even good in fantasy?
25:34
SPEAKER_02: Is that even like how many points, how many fantasy points did he get somebody?
25:38
SPEAKER_03: He he had a terrible fantasy game.
25:41
SPEAKER_03: Um, but that doesn't necessarily matter for real life.
25:45
SPEAKER_03: I mean, I'm not gonna say that the guy that finished second in MVP voting last year and took his team to the Super Bowl is stinks.
25:53
SPEAKER_03: I I think it's fair to ask, is he overrated or is he, you know, remember CJ Stroud that one year was just so good, and it's like, well, you know, the finally an Ohio State quarterback's gonna be a star in this league, and then he's just slowly declined ever since.
26:10
SPEAKER_03: Um, I think Jaden Daniels, I know he got hurt last year, but I wonder if he's gonna start doing that.
26:16
SPEAKER_02: I think I think he got hurt again this week against Dallas.
26:19
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he yeah, I think he did.
26:21
SPEAKER_03: So so it's like that that that happens sometimes to young quarterbacks.
26:25
SPEAKER_03: It's like they look really good.
26:26
SPEAKER_03: They look like, man, this is gonna be the franchise quarterback for the next decade, and then it's like, no, doesn't happen.
26:35
SPEAKER_02: Here's a fun thought experiment.
26:37
SPEAKER_02: Put Aaron Rodgers on the New England team.
26:42
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I'm telling you, they're they're they're they're a Super Bowl contender, they just don't have a quarterback.
26:49
SPEAKER_03: Well, they were they were in the Super Bowl last year.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: I know, I know, but they didn't play anybody.
26:54
SPEAKER_03: I know.
26:55
SPEAKER_02: I I yeah I when they played like Sam Darnode, who's not exactly a Hall of Famer, they lost.
27:01
SPEAKER_03: So Yeah, I th I think that I think I think that story still has to be written.
27:05
SPEAKER_03: But I mean, you you're not wrong that I mean he hasn't looked good the second kind of the even in the playoffs and obviously in the Super Bowl, and then the first part of this season, he he doesn't look like this great, you know, MVP quarterback that I think everyone's he doesn't even look like a mediocre one yet.
27:22
SPEAKER_02: I think if he was at least like a Brad Johnson or like a what a Trent Dilfer, like they'd probably have won both games.
27:30
SPEAKER_02: Well, they did win the Steelers.
27:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I was gonna say I think he did just fine enough to win this game.
27:35
SPEAKER_03: But like you said, it was it was a lot of points off of you know turnovers and there's their defense, their defense won that game.
27:43
SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
27:44
SPEAKER_02: Um college football sucked over the weekend.
27:48
SPEAKER_02: Too many patsy games.
27:49
SPEAKER_02: I'm so sick of like there was just not a lot of good games on, like just a lot of like crap teams, like teams playing teams they never should.
27:58
SPEAKER_02: Like I there's so many teams doing that.
28:02
SPEAKER_02: Um too many rain delays in football.
28:04
SPEAKER_02: When did football become baseball?
28:06
SPEAKER_02: Play in the frickin' rain.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: Like they oh, it's lightning.
28:09
SPEAKER_02: No, it isn't.
28:10
SPEAKER_02: It just rained real hard.
28:11
SPEAKER_02: That was that that delay in Tampa was over an hour because it rained.
28:15
SPEAKER_02: That Cleveland, Tampa game.
28:17
SPEAKER_03: Well, but there was th I thought there was thunder in the game.
28:19
SPEAKER_02: No, there was, but then it was just, oh, look, it rained.
28:21
SPEAKER_02: But because like the picture of Adam Schefter was like a picture of their end zone all flooded.
28:26
SPEAKER_02: So what?
28:28
SPEAKER_02: So what?
28:29
SPEAKER_02: It's football, not baseball.
28:31
SPEAKER_02: You can play football in the rain.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: Same thing with Florida State and Alabama.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: Clemson and North Carolina.
28:37
SPEAKER_02: Like, I when they stopped the Clemson North Carolina game, there literally was I don't think there was even a cloud in the sky.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: It was just like whatever.
28:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the I mean they the they're terrified.
28:51
SPEAKER_03: It's an open stadium.
28:53
SPEAKER_03: People are sitting up high.
28:55
SPEAKER_03: It's it's everybody's afraid of liability.
28:57
SPEAKER_03: So God forbid somebody gets hit by lightning in the crowd.
29:00
SPEAKER_03: It would be national news for for then I'd look like a real idiot.
29:05
SPEAKER_02: Steve wants fans fans to die.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: You're like there.
29:10
SPEAKER_02: I I I I I said it earlier.
29:12
SPEAKER_02: I gave up on the North Carolina Clemson game because of the rain delay.
29:16
SPEAKER_02: And uh at least at least a defensive genius couldn't figure out how to stop uh you know Clemson, preserve a 14-point lead.
29:24
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's it for uh this week's edition of the uh sports uh sports memory current event.
29:32
SPEAKER_02: Um you can always chime in on Facebook and tell me how Drake May is the greatest thing to stop ready in New England, or it can agree with me.
29:40
SPEAKER_02: Or maybe you like rain delays in football.
29:42
SPEAKER_02: You like to pretend you're a baseball game.
29:45
SPEAKER_02: But uh as usual, follow us on Facebook, check us out on the uh on our website, um, whatever other way, give us a good rating and uh work about it.