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BONUS EPISODE: Pgh Sports Current Events - December 11, 2025 · Pittsburgh Sports Memories

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to another edition of Pittsburgh Sports Memories Current Events.
0:05
SPEAKER_00: Uh we're still in December here, Tim.
0:08
SPEAKER_00: As usual, I'm your co-host, Steve Wert, and I'm joined by the aforementioned Tim Hannon.
0:14
SPEAKER_00: Nice.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: So we'll start off with the Penguins as we have been doing.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: And um but the Penguins are kind of like steady as she goes here.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: They're in last playoff position still, but they're playing tougher teams right now.
0:28
SPEAKER_00: So this will kind of like sort things out.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: Um so the Penguins, um, I was saying, was that Friday or Saturday?
0:34
SPEAKER_00: They beat the Lightning 4-3 in Tampa.
0:37
SPEAKER_01: Got some help from the refs.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be a theme this week in Pittsburgh sports.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that was kind of the theme of the weekend, wasn't it, Tim?
0:45
SPEAKER_00: Uh I if I ever complain about the referee screwing us remind me of uh this weekend, huh?
0:51
SPEAKER_00: Um so uh the penguins were leaving leading four to three in Tampa, and one of the Tampa players shot, or no, it was one of the one of the penguin players shot it around the like the boards, right?
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the guy from Tampa kind of hit the puck with his hand just to keep it in the zone, I thought.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I guess you can't divine intent, right?
1:17
SPEAKER_00: And so when he did that, as he tipped it, it went right to another guy for Tampa, and he kind of that was Gensel.
1:25
SPEAKER_01: It was the other guy that it was.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Okay, it was Gensel, yeah.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: And then he passed it to like three other people and then they scored.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't like it led directly to the goal, but they challenged it and they said, well, you can't have a hand pass in an offensive zone.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: So by a strict interpretation of the rules, they were correct.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: And it really wasn't Jari's fart fault on that goal or fart on that goal.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, it really wasn't because they he kind of got yeah, they kind of passed the puck between the point and the wing a couple times, and I don't think there was much he could do on that one.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: I won't fault him for as much as I rip on Tristan Jari, he's actually been playing well lately.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: Um so it you know it got overturned.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: The Penguins win.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: Yay.
2:15
SPEAKER_00: Then the Penguins played on uh Sunday night and they lost in the shootout to the Dallas Stars.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, like I said, we're still in that plus playoff position.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: Um I did see a rumor, and this is just a rumor.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if once again Edmonton, like every year it seems like Edmonton might trade for Jari.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: And but Dubas, I guess, wants the Oilers to take all of the five million dollar salary.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see what happens there, Tim.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: What are your thoughts on the Penguins?
2:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, cool that they had a three-game road trip and they got five out of the six points.
2:50
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's huge.
2:51
SPEAKER_01: And now that now they have, like you said, some tough games ahead, but they're all at home.
2:55
SPEAKER_01: So they have a huge homestand coming up for the holidays.
2:57
SPEAKER_01: That's cool.
2:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that type of game, it it man, that was fortunate because you're right, by the strictest interpretation of the role, it was a hand pass.
3:06
SPEAKER_01: But I think honestly, it was just like a defensive, like refle reflexive action.
3:12
SPEAKER_01: Like the puck was coming in his body, so he just kind of like uh like put his hand up and it went off.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: I think it would have been one thing if he would have grabbed it and like thrown it to get it.
3:21
SPEAKER_01: Or even directed it to get he literally just hit off his hand, basically.
3:26
SPEAKER_01: So I mean that was hey, we'll take it again.
3:29
SPEAKER_01: It wasn't like you said, it was not the um the first the last time that weekend that you were gonna get some uh some help from the old rule book.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean it's kind of one of those ones like how strict do you want to interpret the rules?
3:43
SPEAKER_00: And I guess you can't really divine intent.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure if we were if it happened against us, we'd be like really annoyed, but what are you gonna do?
3:53
SPEAKER_00: These these breaks seem to like even out, so I'm sure the penguins will have a call go against them somewhere in the near future.
4:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, so uh here we go.
4:05
SPEAKER_00: Football Palooza, Tim.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: Yay! Yeah, yeah, yeah.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: A lot going on for uh college football, even though like we're technically in the kind of the postseason-ish for some teams.
4:20
SPEAKER_00: And um, so the call of college football playoff has been set, Tim.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: So uh number one is Indiana, number two is Ohio State, number three is Georgia, and number four is Texas Tech.
4:33
SPEAKER_00: And all those teams have a first round bye.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: So that leaves us with number five, Oregon, playing James Madison, that's in Oregon.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, I just listed these teams by their by their like seating, so it's kind of confusing.
4:48
SPEAKER_00: When I say the first team, that'll be the home team.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: So um Ole Miss without Lane Kiffen, I guess, will play Tulane.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: Wouldn't that be funny if they lost to Tulane?
4:59
SPEAKER_00: I I I would love that because then the SEC would just mean war, wouldn't it, Tim?
5:04
SPEAKER_00: But then they would have a built-in excuse.
5:06
SPEAKER_00: Well, they didn't have Lane Kiffin.
5:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: But anyway, Texas AM is playing.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: Wow, both Texas Tech and Texas AM are in the playoff, but no Texas.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's odd, huh?
5:21
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: Boy, uh, two out of the three Texas schools have made it.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: And they're playing Miami.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: Um, Texas AM, I think I saw, or was that Texas Tech?
5:30
SPEAKER_00: I saw Texas Tech play.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: I haven't haven't seen much from AM.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: I know they've been kind of like they sometimes they fall behind and don't take teams seriously.
5:39
SPEAKER_00: If they don't take Miami seriously, having seen Miami up close and personal, uh that that that's that's a you know upset.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: That wouldn't be that much of an upset.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: Um then Oklahoma, who's had a decent season versus Alabama.
5:53
SPEAKER_00: And um gee, Tim, uh I guess uh James Madison and Tulane um over Notre Dame.
6:02
SPEAKER_00: I know you're gonna argue with me, say that's not the case, but it's not the case.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: It is the case.
6:08
SPEAKER_01: It's James Madison and Tulane over Duke.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: It's Miami and Alabama over Notre Dame.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: So Well, still, I mean, so Alabama loses in their championship game and gets in.
6:19
SPEAKER_01: Miami didn't even play in their championship game and gets in.
6:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
6:23
SPEAKER_01: It's not a perfect system.
6:24
SPEAKER_00: Well, they gotta they're gonna add more teams, I guess.
6:27
SPEAKER_00: I I said you just gotta you have to make it where you win your conference and you're in.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: And whether that's the SEC or the Sun Belt or the Mac, what does it matter?
6:37
SPEAKER_00: Well just everybody, if you win your conference, get in, and then you know, Notre Dame either join a conference or take your chances every year with being high enough ranked to make an at-large bit for the independence.
6:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
6:51
SPEAKER_01: I I that would be fine.
6:52
SPEAKER_01: I I like that idea, Steve.
6:54
SPEAKER_01: It's just that they'd have to add a lot more teams because there's there's uh what 10 FBS conferences.
7:00
SPEAKER_01: I think.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, I mean, they're gonna go to 16 teams anyway.
7:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: I mean that would be that would be fair.
7:06
SPEAKER_00: I mean, like in in and if it if old miss doesn't like it, join the Sun Belt, you know.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: If Pitt doesn't like it, join the Mac conference.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the the real solution, as I keep saying, because they're so close to fixing college football, is to go to like that Super League format, just do away with conferences, have divisions, relegate team schools up and down from from the the subdivision, and just have divisions.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: You have the you know, like you have in the NFL East Division, the South Division, the North, the Central, whatever you want to call them.
7:43
SPEAKER_01: That would be the best system.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Do away with the conferences, do away with the silly pit flies out to play Stanford or Cal every year.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: But Tim, it just means more.
7:51
SPEAKER_00: It just means more.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: And then I won't get the chant SEC when they win and be really proud because I'm sure really Kentucky fans are really proud that you know who won the SEC this year, Georgia.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, who the F cares if you're I don't understand why Vanderbilt well people are complaining Vanderbilt didn't make it.
8:10
SPEAKER_00: Vanderbilt's finally good.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: Like Vanderbilt had their once every 10 years good team.
8:16
SPEAKER_01: But but like you said, it's if you don't win your conference, you can't complain.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: It's just like it's just like the basketball tournament.
8:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, hey, if you really want to be in, win the tournament.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: If if you don't win or win your conference, and if you don't win your conference, then it's it's gonna be a subjective thing.
8:33
SPEAKER_01: There's no other way to do it.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: So uh and then if you're Notre Dame, like I know Notre Dame's like Notre Dame won't they're boycotting even going to a bowl now.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: They're not the only team, Tim.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: That that's that I mean it it just looks bad because they were such a high-ranked team and there's they're one of the better teams in the country.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: There was like five teams.
8:55
SPEAKER_00: I just saw Rutgers, I was just reading Rutgers isn't going to a bowl game.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: But but Notre Dame's like vocally, like they're using words like gut punch and you know, things that are a big draw, too.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: That's what's crazy, is they are like a big money draw.
9:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, you know, you know what, you know what would have fixed that, Steve?
9:14
SPEAKER_01: Joining a conference.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: They're never gonna join a conference, they have too much money.
9:19
SPEAKER_01: They would have run away with the ACC this year?
9:21
SPEAKER_00: Probably, yeah.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: Well, uh I mean, unless my I mean, didn't they lose to Miami?
9:26
SPEAKER_00: No or no.
9:27
SPEAKER_01: No, they Oh, they did lose to Miami.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: You're right.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
9:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but that was their only that would have been their only in conferences.
9:33
SPEAKER_00: They probably they probably would have played Miami again in the if see the the the ACC needs to go back to uh divisions.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: They they really do.
9:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but that's that's dodgy too, because the the reason they did away with the division because of the coastal, yeah.
9:51
SPEAKER_01: Well, and you had like you know, the one year Pitt played Clemson, Pitt wasn't real good, but they won the coastal.
9:58
SPEAKER_01: So the whole point was like, hey, now we're now we're just gonna have the top best two teams.
10:03
SPEAKER_01: But that didn't work this year.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: It didn't, but you're not always you're not always gonna like it's not always gonna work out perfectly.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: No, it's not.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: But but but but going back to Notre Dame, I like Notre Dame.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: I'm not I know you hate you hate Notre Dame.
10:17
SPEAKER_01: I really don't.
10:18
SPEAKER_01: I I generally like Notre Dame.
10:20
SPEAKER_00: I would say Notre Dame probably lost to a little better teams.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Louisville and SMU are okay, but nothing special.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: Louisville has I guess Louisville has eight wins, and so SMU has nine or ten.
10:33
SPEAKER_01: So but but then they would have had to put in Notre Dame over Miami, who lost to Miami.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: So that's I think that's what the tiebreaker was in their minds was well, if it's between these two teams and they played each other, we know who won.
10:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: So it it's never gonna be perfect again.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: If you're Notre Dame and you're feeling backstabbed or gut punched, then then stop doing this garbage where, well, we're kind of part of the ACC, we're part of the ACC in other sports, and and we're kind of a fringe ACC team, but we're not really in the ACC.
11:04
SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, tough.
11:05
SPEAKER_01: You don't get an automatic bid then.
11:07
SPEAKER_00: They were like this in the Big East, too.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: Remember that?
11:09
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: They did they would just all the the most they ever contributed to the Big East was stealing a bowl bid from Pitt.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
11:17
SPEAKER_00: If Pitt didn't win like eight or nine games, Pitt wasn't getting a bowl.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: So I I just don't feel bad for Notre Dame.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: Join a conference.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: If you're upset about it, join a conference.
11:26
SPEAKER_01: Or better yet, like I said, create divisions and make it a league and stop with the silliness of the city.
11:32
SPEAKER_01: They're never gonna do that, too.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because that would make too much sense and it would make too much money.
11:37
SPEAKER_01: I I don't know why anybody would want to make money.
11:39
SPEAKER_00: That's I think it will make more money than like having to play like the lower tier teams in the conference.
11:46
SPEAKER_00: I I think it needs to be like the top 40 teams are in one division, and the next 40 in another, and the next 40 are in another.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: I've thought this for years that you really need three divisions in FBS.
11:59
SPEAKER_00: And then you can move up and down.
12:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I would that would be fine.
12:02
SPEAKER_01: I could I could live with that.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: And I said you only have to play eight games in that among those 40 teams.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: So and those 40 teams, you divide them up into whatever, north, east, west, south, and then you do that three times, and then you leave four games open for the colleges to schedule whoever.
12:20
SPEAKER_00: But if you schedule like a lower T tier team, like it, you know, I don't know.
12:25
SPEAKER_00: I guess as long as it's within those three divisions, I think it should still count.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: But if you're scheduling like Youngstown State, then it shouldn't count.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: But I I just think that way you could still have Missouri, Kansas.
12:37
SPEAKER_00: You could have Pit Penn State, you could have Pit West Virginia, you could have you know Auburn, Alabama, uh, you could have all the rivalry games, Texas, Texas AM, um, who else?
12:49
SPEAKER_00: Oh Missouri and Kansas.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: I've already written Missouri, Missouri, Nebraska.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: There's another one that's gone the way of the dodo.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, uh, whatever.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, uh, let's get back to bowl game silliness.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: Um, the ACC is horrible.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: I hate it.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: I can't stand it.
13:07
SPEAKER_00: I just can't express my hate for this conference.
13:13
SPEAKER_00: Pitt is eight and four, right?
13:15
SPEAKER_00: And so is uh I think uh Clemson is what seven?
13:20
SPEAKER_00: They have seven wins, I think.
13:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't think Clemson is eight wins.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: No, right?
13:24
SPEAKER_00: And Penn State got six wins.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: So because Pitt is eight wins, they for some reason have been sent to the military bowl, which is a nice bowl.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: I went to it myself when they played Navy, which was an odd matchup because Navy at their own stadium, which Pitt lost, that was Narduzzi's first year, and it's a nice trip.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: It's an easy trip, but you know what's also an easy trip?
13:51
SPEAKER_00: New York City for Pitt fans, and that was the whole thing.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: Oh, Pitt fans don't travel, Pitt fans don't travel.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: There was a lot of them at that military bowl, and so Pitt is now stuck playing East Carolina in the military bowl, where Penn State did go to the pinstripe bowl, and they're playing Clemson in the battle of teams that were ranked in the top five, but ended up barely making full eligibility.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: It's the classic, like I've said, the ACC as a conference works for four teams.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: I've said this how many times have I said just like the other idea?
14:28
SPEAKER_00: This is the I've said this point for the in the four teams are Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State.
14:34
SPEAKER_00: If you aren't one of those four teams, the conference really doesn't matter.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: It's just like the Big Ten.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: The Big Ten works for two teams, Ohio State, Michigan.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: If you aren't Ohio State and Michigan, you don't matter.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: The SEC is maybe a what?
14:50
SPEAKER_00: Alabama in Georgia?
14:54
SPEAKER_01: Florida and Tennessee, I think.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's about it.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: If you aren't those four teams in the SEC, good luck.
15:00
SPEAKER_00: Missouri, do you think they give a crap about what Missouri wants or what's good for Missouri?
15:05
SPEAKER_00: No.
15:06
SPEAKER_00: And this is exactly like, oh, Pitt fans don't travel, pit fans don't this.
15:10
SPEAKER_00: So you're gonna tell me that this game is gonna get any kind of ratings, Pitt playing an East Carolina team.
15:18
SPEAKER_00: I the only argument I could see is Clemson did want to play East Carolina because that's a little too regional.
15:25
SPEAKER_00: And I guess you could say Pitt Penn State is regional, but that's a traditional rivalry that would get all kinds of ratings, all kinds of hype.
15:34
SPEAKER_00: Why would you ever want to do that?
15:36
SPEAKER_00: College football, it's just the constant sport where the fan is always wrong.
15:40
SPEAKER_00: What the fans want, they won't get just because we don't want to give them.
15:44
SPEAKER_00: And the ACC, I understand it's money and all that, and uh free trip to the you know, if you win it, you get you know, you can go to the college football playoff, but it it's just I would I I I just wish Pitt would go back to being independent.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: Uh and screw it.
16:01
SPEAKER_00: Screw it.
16:01
SPEAKER_00: Just try it, you know.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: You don't I they probably wouldn't make enough money.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: It's probably Pitt probably isn't strong enough to be an independent, but there's no way they'll ever be an independent.
16:11
SPEAKER_01: They have to be in the ACC.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: They have to be.
16:14
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if they have to be in the ACC, but they well, uh unless unless they want to lose millions and millions and millions of dollars.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: They want to it would be nice if they could be in a conference where they're in a conference with their geographical rivals.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: But that's no that's nobody now.
16:30
SPEAKER_00: Right.
16:30
SPEAKER_01: I mean the the the the the other Power 4 conferences are the same ridiculousness.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: UCLA's in the Big Ten for God's sake.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: West Virginia's in the Big 12.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Right.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Right.
16:40
SPEAKER_01: They they had the they had it was musical chairs, they got a chair, they're happy to have a chair.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: That's all that matters to them.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: And now with the now with the NIL stuff and everything else, you have to have money.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: You have to have money.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: And so there's no way Cade Bell would be there, there's no way Nerduzi would still be there.
16:57
SPEAKER_01: There's no way they'd get people like Mason Heinchel.
16:59
SPEAKER_01: Or if they got Mason Heinchel, he'd be out of here so fast.
17:03
SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
17:04
SPEAKER_01: So there's there's just no um it's it's either they're in the ACC or they're they're you know, they're not a they're not really a football program.
17:14
SPEAKER_01: They're they're like a uh a Marshall or somebody like that or another.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: Well, yeah, a Mac school or something.
17:21
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
17:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that's that's so that I I know, I know, I'm with you on the ACC.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: It stinks, but that's the only option.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: That's why, again, the Super League is a good idea.
17:34
SPEAKER_00: It's you know, what do you say when when do you play a crooked roulette wheel when it's the only game in town?
17:39
SPEAKER_01: So absolutely.
17:42
SPEAKER_00: Uh so that brings us to professional football, the guys that get paid lots of money um to do this.
17:48
SPEAKER_00: And um, the Steelers, they're gonna play Baltimore.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: I remember everybody's saying they're gonna get blown out, they're gonna get blown out, they're never gonna win, Tim, right?
17:55
SPEAKER_00: So, what do the Steelers do?
17:57
SPEAKER_00: They go and beat Baltimore in Baltimore.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, Aaron Rodgers, this is the best he's looked since I would say, I don't know, the Jets game.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: That's probably that's maybe a little too far, but this is the best he's looked in a long time.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: And I I think really what's kind of set the tone for the game was the first play of the game.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: He hit a deep pass to DK Metcalf.
18:19
SPEAKER_00: And that was I think that was I heard that's the first pass over 50 yards this season.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: Like actually in the air, not just like a dink and dunk where somebody ran for a bunch of yards.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: Um DK Metcalf had a great game, seven receptions for 148 yards.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what got into him.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: That was that's that's so weird targeting the guy that you traded a second round pick for and gave all that money to, actually throwing him the ball.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: I I who could have guessed that could have worked.
18:49
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: The Steelers defense did shut down Baltimore in the first half, but then in the second half, the defense remembered that they're old and decrepit, and Baltimore screwed scored on the four of its last six drives.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: And the Steelers, quite honestly, I thought they were really gonna lose that game in the second half.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: Like when Aaron Rodgers had that, whatever that was, like that he threw that pass and it bounces around.
19:12
SPEAKER_00: If he just doesn't touch it, it's an incomplete pass.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: But then like he tries to catch it, he gets punched in the face.
19:19
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and the Steelers, you know, they got two calls late in the game.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, the fumble one wasn't as egregious.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, you could at least see, well, maybe they could call it down.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: It could have gone the other way just as easy, and you really couldn't have argued it.
19:33
SPEAKER_00: And then the other one was much worse.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: Um, that was a touchdown, Tim.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: The catch by Isaiah Lakely.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, the guy caught the ball, took two steps, the ball wasn't moving around, and on his third step, Joey Porter finally like knocks the ball out of his hands.
19:51
SPEAKER_00: That's a catch.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: Uh I he wasn't like it wasn't like one of those Jesse James where he went to the ground and was rolling around on the ground or anything.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't understand.
20:00
SPEAKER_00: Like, he didn't have to survive the ground.
20:02
SPEAKER_00: Or did they get rid of surviving the ground, or is that still a thing?
20:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they they said football move.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: They brought back football move.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: Is that it?
20:10
SPEAKER_01: It there's three acts.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna even attempt to try to dissect this, but there's like three acts that the guy has to do when he catches the ball and he didn't do the third one.
20:19
SPEAKER_00: It's like catch the ball two feet down, football move, right?
20:23
SPEAKER_00: Or something, something to that effect.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: And and he didn't do the third one.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: He didn't make a football move.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: Going back to the Penguins Lightning game, by the strict interpretation of the rule book, the refs made the right call.
20:36
SPEAKER_01: It's just like the Jesse James call, where the the the it's not the refs' fault, it's the role's fault.
20:43
SPEAKER_01: And and that's the role.
20:45
SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, hey, Steve, I was at the Jesse James game, and I still catch I'll never live that down.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: I I've never been more beside myself in my entire life as a sports fan.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: So if the Ravens got hosed, so be it.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: But well, that's karma, huh?
21:06
SPEAKER_01: You know, you know, here's another thing, Steve.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: And and I'll even I'll even stop being a homer for a second because you could say the same thing about the Jesse James game.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: Guess what down that was when Isaiah likely caught that pass?
21:17
SPEAKER_00: It was like they had like four more plays because somebody got a penalty.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: It was first down.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: They had a bunch more plays.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: So they had plenty of opportunity to still score.
21:26
SPEAKER_01: In fact, I thought at one point that might have been bad because it gave them a chance to run.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: Because the Steelers had to start using timeouts at that point.
21:35
SPEAKER_00: Well, because yeah, because it was under three minutes, wasn't it?
21:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:38
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so so if they would have if they would have ended up scoring a couple of plays later, the Steelers would have been less time.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: And the Stewarters would have had to use timeouts.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: So they still had time to score.
21:48
SPEAKER_01: Um and and same with the Jesse James play.
21:51
SPEAKER_01: That was first as egregious as that was, that was first down.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: And Ben ended up throwing an interception a couple of plays later.
21:59
SPEAKER_01: So Um, it doesn't mean you can't you can't still score.
22:03
SPEAKER_01: That wasn't the last play of the game.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: Uh but hey, I mean, like I said, honestly, you know what I thought was more egregious was that field goal that they took that we kicked the field goal.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the NFL apologized for that.
22:16
SPEAKER_01: I saw that, yeah.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: That was more egregious because that was that was not a penalty.
22:21
SPEAKER_01: And that took that turned a field goal into a touchdown, which ended up being the difference in the game in terms of points.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: I know that happened in the first half, but if that was a field goal instead of a touchdown, then then all Baltimore needs at the end is a field goal rather than the Isaiah Lakely non-touchdown.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: So I think I thought that was the worst call.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: Uh defense better, Tim, kind of.
22:44
SPEAKER_01: Maybe here's here's what I'll say about the defense.
22:47
SPEAKER_01: Because so, first of all, you said about Rogers.
22:50
SPEAKER_01: That was for sure the most encouraging thing because the last three weeks, he's really yeah, I mean He took snaps under center, Tim.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: Well, he he switched from a hard cast to a soft cast, I guess.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: But but the last three weeks between him and Rudolph both playing, it was like, oh my gosh, this it just felt like the end of last year, where it doesn't even matter what the defense does because we can't move the ball, we can't score points, we can't get first downs.
23:20
SPEAKER_01: And and last week, all everybody said, well, the defense got gassed for the most rushing yards ever.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: They were on the field for 45 minutes.
23:28
SPEAKER_01: Like, of course they got gassed.
23:31
SPEAKER_01: And then and then, you know, this past week they kind of got gassed again, but you know, Lamar, he's hard to it's hard to it's hard to guard against that because you don't know if he's gonna pass, you don't know if he's gonna run, you know if Henry's gonna run.
23:46
SPEAKER_00: That fourth down, they did let him drive the field to like the 30, but then Highsmith made a nice sack to secure the win.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: And that was that was encouraging.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: It was.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: And I think the defense, like the other thing that no one's mentioning about them getting gassed, is they're missing the whole middle of the defense right now.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: I think they were down to like five defensive linemen.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: They they had like nobody.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: And then somebody got hurt too, I think, during the game.
24:11
SPEAKER_01: And Patrick Queen got hurt and and Duggar was was out.
24:16
SPEAKER_01: Elliott's already been out.
24:17
SPEAKER_01: And and what's that stat about I I think I put it in our notes, Derek Harman.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like a hundred-yard difference.
24:24
SPEAKER_00: He's worth a hundred yards rushing every time.
24:26
SPEAKER_00: He's coming back this week, thank goodness.
24:28
SPEAKER_01: Well, maybe there.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: I I think that I think that's still a maybe.
24:31
SPEAKER_01: He's gonna practice this week, I think, is all Tomlin said so far at the time that we're recording this.
24:36
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, it's you're right, it's literally a hundred-yard difference in rushing.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: So the defense is good enough.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: It's not good, but it's good enough if the offense can produce, and that's what we saw last week.
24:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Baltimore's not that good.
24:52
SPEAKER_01: They really are.
24:53
SPEAKER_01: No, and Lamar's broken, man.
24:55
SPEAKER_01: He he I mean, I know he always plays real not great against the Steelers, but he just looks he looks like he's playing through injury.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
25:05
SPEAKER_00: So uh the AFC North is not that good.
25:08
SPEAKER_00: Uh I think this is like a two-horse race now.
25:11
SPEAKER_00: Whoever the only team coming out of this division to make the playoffs is either the Steelers or the Ravens.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Whoever wins the division makes the playoffs.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: Whoever doesn't, I think stays home.
25:21
SPEAKER_01: Agreed.
25:22
SPEAKER_01: And the Bengals are still mathematically alive.
25:25
SPEAKER_00: How?
25:25
SPEAKER_00: They lost to Buffalo.
25:26
SPEAKER_00: I thought, because I thought that too.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: They were winning against Buffalo.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: I thought, well, if they can win against Buffalo, that they can be right back in the mix.
25:35
SPEAKER_01: They they'd have to have a lot bounced their way, but they're mathematically in it, and then they play Baltimore this weekend.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: The Bengals, the Bengals just could have beat the Jets and the Bears.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: They'd be sitting pretty.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: They would.
25:46
SPEAKER_01: They actually would.
25:47
SPEAKER_01: They'd be in really good shape.
25:48
SPEAKER_00: But but they The Jets and the Bears.
25:50
SPEAKER_00: Well, I guess the Bears are better than we thought, but they're justn't so much that they lost to the Bears.
25:54
SPEAKER_01: It's how they lost to the Bears.
25:56
SPEAKER_00: Well, they had them beat, yeah.
25:57
SPEAKER_01: They had them beat, yeah.
25:59
SPEAKER_01: So, but that's but they but they're not very good either, Steve.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: They don't have a defense.
26:03
SPEAKER_01: That's why they that's why they and then even when the defense, you know, even when the defense does well, Burrow, you know, throws that interception to the defensive lineman.
26:12
SPEAKER_01: They're just they're not good either.
26:14
SPEAKER_01: The whole division's bad.
26:15
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Cleveland, Cleveland scored 28 points.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh my gosh, the offense finally scored 20 points.
26:22
SPEAKER_01: And then they lost.
26:23
SPEAKER_01: And their defense gave up 30 points to Tennessee.
26:27
SPEAKER_01: It's like their defense, the all year, their defense.
26:29
SPEAKER_01: Defense has been playing lights out.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, lights out.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: It's like, my God, we only gave up, you know, 10 points and we lost because we can't score points.
26:38
SPEAKER_01: And then finally they're like, no, we can do it this week.
26:40
SPEAKER_01: And then Tennessee.
26:41
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, the AOC North is hot, hot garbage.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: But hey, we're in good shape right now.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: I mean, if you do you look at Baltimore's schedule.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: Uh, yeah, I see you posted that.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh, okay, who they got?
26:55
SPEAKER_00: Cincinnati coming up.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: On the road.
26:59
SPEAKER_00: On the road.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: Then New England.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: That game's gonna mean something still, so they can't plan on that.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: And then Green Bay, who I think is Green Bay on top of their div No, they're behind.
27:11
SPEAKER_01: No, they beat Chicago last week.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: So they're in first place.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: Oh, they are in first place.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: But they're gonna I think those new because like sometimes these late season games cannot mean anything.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: That New England and Green Bay game are gonna mean a lot to New England and Green Bay.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: So and then of course the Steelers at the end of the season.
27:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:31
SPEAKER_00: Which normally, in as tradition goes, that game doesn't mean anything.
27:35
SPEAKER_00: Hey, maybe that'll be a play-in game for the playoffs, Tim.
27:39
SPEAKER_01: Well, I mean, the Steelers have a golden opportunity because I don't think Baltimore's gonna win all three.
27:46
SPEAKER_00: I think they said they have the second easiest schedule in the AFC.
27:50
SPEAKER_00: I think the Bengals have the easiest, and the Steelers have the second easiest.
27:55
SPEAKER_00: But I which I don't understand because um Miami, the Dolphins, next Monday night.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: The Dolphins have won four in a row.
28:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're red hot.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: The Dolphins beat, I know it was I saw the Commanders on there.
28:10
SPEAKER_00: The Jets.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: The Jets, the Saints.
28:12
SPEAKER_00: The Bills.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: But they did beat the Bills.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: I mean, those Commanders, Saints, Jets, Saints and Jets are terrible.
28:19
SPEAKER_00: Commanders are just having a bad year.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: The Bills, that that's a solid win.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: So and they're I guess they're back in the playoff hunt, huh?
28:28
SPEAKER_01: They are.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: They are.
28:29
SPEAKER_01: And you gotta give them credit, man, because Mike McDaniel was.
28:31
SPEAKER_00: I thought they were dead in the water, yeah.
28:33
SPEAKER_01: And and they they really played for him.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that says something about that guy as a coach, I think.
28:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: Uh, but but we talked about like Derrick Harman and the and the rushing defense giving up all these yards the next two games.
28:47
SPEAKER_01: Miami has a Devon Achan who's lights out, and then the week after that is Detroit and Jameer Gibbs is is even more lights out.
28:55
SPEAKER_01: So we were we were literally face arguably the two best running backs in the league the next two weeks.
29:02
SPEAKER_01: Yikes.
29:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yikes indeed.
29:05
SPEAKER_00: And is the Detroit games in Detroit, right?
29:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
29:10
SPEAKER_01: We we we we could really use Cincinnati doing us a solid on Sunday.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: And then us winning on Monday, and then we'd have a two-game lead plus a game in hand.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: And then and then if we had that, you have Baltimore playing New England and Green Bay the next two weeks.
29:27
SPEAKER_01: So we would be really in really, really good shape.
29:30
SPEAKER_01: Now, is it gonna play out like that?
29:32
SPEAKER_01: Probably not.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: Well, the Steelers probably lose to Miami and Baltimore beats to get tied, so we're tied again.
29:40
SPEAKER_00: I just uh something tells me it normally doesn't, but that that last game of the season, I think that's gonna be a play-in game for the playoffs.
29:48
SPEAKER_00: I could be wrong, but there's a there's still a lot of football.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it might be.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: I mean, this whole season, Steve, is just drunk.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: This whole NFL season is drunk.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: Well, the the Chiefs are pretty much out of it.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're dead.
30:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
30:01
SPEAKER_00: Because what they're behind what the the um Chargers and the Broncos.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the Broncos have 11 wins already.
30:08
SPEAKER_01: Broncos are the number one seed if the season ended today.
30:11
SPEAKER_00: How do they but they like because New England has 11 wins too, so I don't know how they I guess they win the tiebreaker or whatever.
30:18
SPEAKER_00: There's still four games left, so that's that's to be determined.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: But but but you know, Jacksonville's in first place.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: Uh the Colts might be done.
30:29
SPEAKER_00: Danny Dimes.
30:29
SPEAKER_00: Danny Dimes.
30:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, towards Achilles.
30:32
SPEAKER_01: So well, did you see who they signed?
30:35
SPEAKER_00: Who'd they sign?
30:36
SPEAKER_01: Philip Rivers.
30:38
SPEAKER_00: What?
30:38
SPEAKER_00: No, they didn't.
30:39
SPEAKER_01: They didn't.
30:40
SPEAKER_01: He's on they just signed him to the practice.
30:42
SPEAKER_00: No, this is not a no, they was Ben Rothelsberger and Eli Manning not available.
30:49
SPEAKER_00: Um I kid you not.
30:51
SPEAKER_00: No way.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: I kid you not.
30:52
SPEAKER_01: They signed Philip Rivers.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: Oh, why not Ben Rothelsberger?
30:56
SPEAKER_00: Ben Ben had more in the tank than Philip Rivers.
30:59
SPEAKER_00: I bet they called Ben.
31:01
SPEAKER_00: I five bucks Ben got a call this week.
31:06
SPEAKER_00: What what about uh what about uh uh Terry Bradshaw or uh Jim Jim Harbaugh?
31:13
SPEAKER_00: His autogram still alive.
31:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: Norm Van Brock.
31:20
SPEAKER_00: So so yeah, so that yeah, the Colts man did they trade Anthony Richardson or is he just hurt?
31:27
SPEAKER_01: He's hurt.
31:28
SPEAKER_01: So they're down to like the sixth round, this guy kid that they drafted in like the sixth or seventh round, and he's no good.
31:35
SPEAKER_01: So they're desperate.
31:36
SPEAKER_01: So that's why they went out and sign rivers.
31:39
SPEAKER_00: Duck called the duck.
31:41
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, they're they're they're like it's amazing how fast the NFL comes at you because just when then when they were here to play the Steelers, they were the best team in the conference, yeah.
31:51
SPEAKER_01: They were flying high, and then ever since their bye week, you know, they've they because even before Jones got hurt, they were starting to really fall off a cliff.
32:00
SPEAKER_01: I know because my I just got eliminated from my fantasy playoffs this week thanks to three crap games in a row from Jonathan Taylor.
32:09
SPEAKER_01: Uh but but yeah, like this, like I said, this season's drunk.
32:13
SPEAKER_01: At this point, Steve, my prediction for Super Bowl 60 is Houston versus Carolina.
32:19
SPEAKER_00: Well, see, Carolina's an interesting team.
32:22
SPEAKER_00: There's they're they're like the Jekyll and Hyde.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: There's Road Carolina, which stinks, and then there's Home Carolina, which is like the 1985 Bears.
32:33
SPEAKER_00: So take your pick.
32:35
SPEAKER_00: If they're at home, you don't want to play Carolina in Carolina.
32:39
SPEAKER_01: They're tied for first place right now.
32:41
SPEAKER_01: And Houston, Houston is.
32:43
SPEAKER_01: Houston's back from the dead, too.
32:45
SPEAKER_01: Well, they're one of the team.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: I think Houston is going to be the team that probably makes us who roll the AFC.
32:50
SPEAKER_00: Because they have a quarterback and a defense.
32:52
SPEAKER_01: I agree.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: That's exactly what I was thinking, Steve.
32:55
SPEAKER_01: It's it's it's that's exactly the formula.
32:58
SPEAKER_01: A really good defense and a in a not in a not a top five elite quarterback, but a very, very good quarterback.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: That's a perfect formula to make a playoff run.
33:09
SPEAKER_01: Also, no Kansas City.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: No, they finally beat them.
33:14
SPEAKER_00: They finally beat Kansas City.
33:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but not in the playoffs.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: But that's all right.
33:19
SPEAKER_01: You know, Buffalo's gonna get that free shot, too.
33:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
33:22
SPEAKER_01: Uh to actually go through the playoffs without Kansas City.
33:25
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what's wrong with Buffalo.
33:27
SPEAKER_00: Something's wrong with Buffalo.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: They keep losing like stupid games, and I don't trust Sean McDermott.
33:32
SPEAKER_01: So well, if they can't make the Super Bowl this year, then I don't I'm not sure they'll ever make a Super Bowl.
33:38
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
33:40
SPEAKER_00: Well, on that note, uh we thank you all for tuning in, and uh we'll tune in to see that uh Houston and Carolina Super Bowl.
33:51
SPEAKER_01: Can't wait.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: But we'll we'll it will be interesting coming down the it definitely won't be the Steelers.
33:58
SPEAKER_00: I I don't even know if they'll make the playoffs, but I digress.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: But we'll have to see how the season plays off.
34:03
SPEAKER_00: We thank everybody for uh for tuning in and uh check us out on Facebook and Spotify and all our great uh podcast services, give us a good rating, and uh thank you.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: We'll catch you next time.