Latest / The Steelers Report / HR 1: Steelers Terrible Takes: Week 9

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HR 1: Steelers Terrible Takes: Week 9 · The Steelers Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: This is the Steelers Report with Brian Batko and Ed
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Truth on Steelers Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Audio Network.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Welcome into the weekend edition of the Steelers Report. We
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: hope everyone is doing well and getting set for a
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: November weekend in southwestern Pennsylvania that Brian Batko, for the
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: first time in a long time, it looks to be
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: actual Mid to late fall weather. A little crisp around
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: 50 degrees, a little cloudy. Starting to feel more like
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: that time.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: Of the year.
• 0:42
  Speaker 4: Driving around yesterday, at least here in Pittsburgh, I know
• 0:45
  Speaker 4: we've got listeners from all over on SNR. I don't
• 0:48
  Speaker 4: know about you, Ed, but when I left the studio yesterday,
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: I feel like the leaves were getting blown all over
• 0:52
  Speaker 4: the place. It was kind of windy. The weather was ominous.
• 0:55
  Speaker 4: Had a little bit of rain, but it wasn't too bad. Yeah,
• 0:58
  Speaker 4: this weather is, can't complain. No, can't. We went so
• 1:02
  Speaker 4: long without it. And now it feels like fall is
• 1:05
  Speaker 4: supposed to feel, and I'm good with that. It's hoodie season.
• 1:08
  Speaker 4: We had like a brief, we had a false start
• 1:12
  Speaker 4: on hoodie season, and now it's back.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: We did have a false start. We got penalized there.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, you mentioned the leaves everywhere too. Boy,
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: it's really been a beautiful fall. I think the rain
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: that moved in here in southwestern PA last evening was
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: the first time it rained as far as a consistent rain.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: We had a few raindrops here or there, but a
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: consistent rain in like 17 days. We went through like
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: a 16- We're 17 day in a row in the
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: month of October with just spot on weather. Like you said, Brian,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: it's very uncommon in southwestern Pennsylvania, even the middle of
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: summer to go through a stretch like that.
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah, no doubt. It's football season, though. It's ramping up.
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: What else do we got here? I mean, hockey season underway,
• 1:52
  Speaker 4: basketball season.
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: Basketball underway.
• 1:55
  Speaker 4: They have another game tonight.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: It's exciting.
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: Thursday night against the University at Buffalo. That's right.
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: Make sure you get the at in there.
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: Talked about that with Tom Offerman yesterday. Can't even remember
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: if that was on or off the air.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: I might have been off the air.
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: But he got all fired up.
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: We did.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: He wasn't happy when I asked him about Pitt football
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: there at the tail end.
• 2:12
  Speaker 4: He was kind of just like, how much time do
• 2:13
  Speaker 4: you have? Yeah, that's right.
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: To get into that.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Speaking of time, we are going to start the show
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: off the right way today with our Terrible Takes segment
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: right off the bat. One of our most popular segments
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: we do each and every week, Brian, is the Terrible
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Takes where I give you a hot take and overreaction
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: or not on the Pittsburgh Steelers season so far. Sometimes
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: there's ones in here that are purposely to get a
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: reaction out of you.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: Sometimes they're not.
• 2:38
  Speaker 4: That's inherently baked into using the word take, right? That's right.
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: I was thinking about this last night, given that I'm
• 2:45
  Speaker 4: always constantly thinking about either this show or what I'm
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: going to write next for Steelers.com. Just kidding. I think
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: my wife would probably leave me if that were the case.
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: You're like, what do you want for dinner tonight?
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: Well, hold on. Let me think about what Ed's going
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: to talk about on Terrible Takes.
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: No, but I was thinking a take implies something a
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: little more than just an opinion. I don't think they're
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: fully synonymous with each other an opinion can be harsh
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: or it can be very mild i feel like a
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: take is naturally a word for something that's a little
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: bit edgy you know there's got to be something to
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: a take it takes going to be a little crazy
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: but nonetheless some of them will be terrible some will
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: will not And we'll see where it goes.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: And the goal is always to try to get more
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: terrible takes than not.
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: People know we're not a hot take show.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: We're not.
• 3:29
  Speaker 4: If you're a loyal listener, we thank you. And we
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: try to be thoughtful more than fly off the handle.
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: But this is our opportunity each week to traffic in
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: a little takery.
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: In 2026. Is that a word?
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: Takery?
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: Uncle Tommy word.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: Of the day right off the bat. I don't think
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: that's even a word. Oh, okay.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Well, so he's going to be texting you later, throwing
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: something at you, saying you got to use a better
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: word than that.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: Look, you're exactly right.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: In 2026, if you want a hot take in sports media,
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: you can find it at any corner you want. But
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: here on the show, we're a little bit different. We're
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: giving you some factoids along the way. of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: But let's get into our Terrible Takes, Brian. And a
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: special note, you're actually in studio with me this week,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: which has been exciting.
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm usually not for the Terrible Takes.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: For the second half of the week, because you're usually
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: on the south side at the facility for practice.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: You start the week with me. You end the week.
• 4:13
  Speaker 4: It's been a nice little bi-week staycation.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: But you're in person for me to do a terrible take,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: so you can actually throw something at me. Ed, that's
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: a terrible take, and just throw it at me.
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: I've never wanted to do that, even via the phone.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: You didn't want to get out like a blocking pad
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: in the south side. When Brian is on the south side,
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: you're usually in the indoor facility hanging out. Yeah.
• 4:35
  Speaker 4: To do this show. Well, sometimes I sit outside, but
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: those days might be coming to an end. Those days
• 4:40
  Speaker 4: are dwindling. Weather.
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: And then we get the train in the background. That's
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: always fun.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: You guys remember when we had Ashley Bastock from Cleveland on,
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: you guys had dueling trains going on.
• 4:48
  Speaker 4: That was pretty cool.
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: At least I thought.
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: No, there definitely was. There was a train going around
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: by where they are in Cleveland, and then there was
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: one right behind me. Speaking of Cleveland, I mean, Shador Sanders'
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: interview yesterday, some clips were going viral. I didn't see that.
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: What did he say? Somebody asked him, I guess they
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: hadn't talked to him since Deshaun Watson was named the starter, essentially,
• 5:10
  Speaker 4: because why would you? He's been the backup. Someone asked
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: about him getting an agent. I guess he didn't have
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: a true, proper agent. He's like, wait, what does this
• 5:18
  Speaker 4: have to do with this game this week? And the
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: guy was like, nothing. And he's like, oh, I'm just
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: thinking about this game, which I thought that was a
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: fine answer. Some people are ripping him for that, but
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: he's right. It doesn't have anything to do with him
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: potentially starting Sunday. But then the one that really got
• 5:30
  Speaker 4: him in hot water was someone asked a very boilerplate
• 5:33
  Speaker 4: innocuous question, what do you see from the Saints defense?
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: And he just sort of said, he just like smiled
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: and didn't want to answer it.
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: Oh boy, that's not good for Cleveland.
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: Well, I think what he was implying was kind of like,
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: he doesn't think the Saints defense is good, but he's
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: not going to say that because then his answer was like,
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: I'm growing, I'm maturing, I'm not going to say, I'm like,
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: that's where you just, a real, if you're really growing
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: and maturing as a quarterback and a spokesperson for a
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: team in this league, You just do the typical thing of, yeah,
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: they're good up front, good linebackers. Secondary's pretty tough. They're
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: going to be a challenge. You keep it pushing.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Like I said, not good news for Cleveland if that's
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: his reaction. Either being overconfident, thinking that the Saints defense
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: isn't great, or not knowing what the Saints defense is
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: at this point in the week.
• 6:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I get it. He's got so many
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: eyeballs on him. Anytime he opens his mouth and does
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: a presser, there's going to be people that love it
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: and hate it. He's such a polarizing, hot-button guy, but
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: That happened yesterday, and then so did after we recorded
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: Jacoby Brissett.
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: How about that?
• 6:34
  Speaker 4: To the Baltimore Ravens.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: That's a big move for the Ravens.
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: We talked about potential trades with Tom Offerman at the
• 6:40
  Speaker 4: end of the show. None of us mentioned, I don't
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: think we did mention Brissett. I think we mentioned Kirk
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: Cousins maybe being on the block, or Tom did. I
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: think there was somewhat flack. I mean, I guess flack
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: goes always in case of emergency break glass quarterback, but
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: Brissett now gets that, and we'll see if we encounter
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: him in pittsburgh baltimore part one or part two this
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: season but i think the ravens had to do it
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: i mean you got to at least give yourself a
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: puncher's chance.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: Here yeah and especially what happens after thursday night football
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: in which by the time you hear this if you're
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: listening to it oh right live then that game hasn't
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: taken place but if you're listening to the replay over
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: the weekend here on snr or the podcast.
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: Trade not official yet yeah It's on its way, though, probably.
• 7:21
  Speaker 4: They've got to process it and all that stuff.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: And he'll have 10 days in between the Thursday night
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: game and the next Ravens game, right?
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: So he'll have plenty of time to get acclimated if
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: they do indeed want to go with him as the
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: starter moving forward.
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: As far as we know, it's still going to be
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: Joe Fagnano tonight.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: I heard during his press conference he spent some time
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Telling the media how to pronounce his last name.
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: Which is important.
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: That's important. You've got to get that right. I'm going
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: to yield to you every single time to say the pronunciation, Brian.
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: There you go.
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: But it's tough because there's a silent G in there. F-A-G-N-A-N-O.
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: Watch him go out there and light up the Jags.
• 7:55
  Speaker 4: Maybe we'll really have to know his name. You know
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: he played eight years of college football.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: He only played eight years or he played eight years?
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: I thought you said only there for a second.
• 8:06
  Speaker 4: He had, I think, four years at Maine and four
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: years at uconn somehow i guess there was probably.
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: It's much like tyler shuck he played a bunch.
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: I know i think he even outdoes him i'm sorry
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: seven years four years at main three at uconn i'm
• 8:19
  Speaker 4: sure there was a a red shirt year in there
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: maybe an injury year or two the covid year that
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: everybody got back.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Amazing i mean i'm not gonna lie though when i
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: was wrapping up my college 25 though i didn't really
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: want to leave college when i.
• 8:31
  Speaker 4: Was done neither did joe finiano i.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: Would have stuck around for a few more years on
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: the college plan of life so but That didn't work.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: It was like, hey, your loans are due, Mr. Troop,
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: in about two or three months here.
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: Get working.
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: Get working. You can't hold a clipboard. Boy, that would
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: have been nice on a college football sideline for a
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: few years.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: Okay, Brian, let's get into our terrible take segment.
• 8:53
  Speaker 4: As Yogi Berra said, a nickel ain't worth a dime anymore, Ed.
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: Not at all. Good reference there. Uncle Tommy reference of
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: the day.
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: He's probably a Yogi Berra fan.
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: I'll guarantee you.
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: I'll probably see him this weekend with some family.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: Give him a shout out. I never got you that T-shirt.
• 9:07
  Speaker 4: It's all right.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: No, maybe a hat. I don't know. I got to
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: do something. Maybe a koozie. There's a bunch of WDV
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: koozies in around.
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: I'll take a hat.
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: You know, I know you're a guy. You got your
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: Dublin game one on.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: Yeah, because I'm pumped up because the international games continue
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: this week in Madrid. Falcons, Bengals. My son really wants
• 9:24
  Speaker 4: to watch that one because he loves Bijan. He likes
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: Joe Burr, as we call him in our house. And
• 9:29
  Speaker 4: then three, he's a big Real Madrid fan and it's
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: at their stadium.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: He's a soccer fan, so that's probably the connection there, right?
• 9:35
  Speaker 4: Yeah, there's a lot that adds up to this being
• 9:37
  Speaker 4: an exciting game for him.
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: And it's early in the morning.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: That's perfect timing for a little guy there to jump
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: on the TV.
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: Oh, I mean, he's already lived six lives by 9.30 a.m.
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: He's been up for four hours probably. He's a ball
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: of energy. Got parent-teacher conference later today. Wish us luck.
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: Oh, good luck, yeah.
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: Hopefully that energy is being uh directed in good ways harnessed.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: I'm sure you'll get some good remarks my friend there
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: so uh terrible takes stealer hot takes or not we'll
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: start with this the stealer should trade and move on
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: from dk metcalf by next week.
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: That's a terrible take right off the bat i agree
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: i agree not oblivious to the struggles of dk metcalf
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: this season obviously but First of all, I mean, you'd
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: be selling low on an asset, which is never really
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: what you want to do in sports, real estate, stocks, anything.
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: But two, I mean, I don't think this offense would,
• 10:31
  Speaker 4: I mean, this offense at least still has an upside
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: with DK Metcalf because, you know, if he does start
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: to play better than he has, he's one of one
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: in your receiving core. I mean, he's the only guy
• 10:44
  Speaker 4: really who can do what he does as the Steelers
• 10:46
  Speaker 4: roster is currently constructed and assembled so no i i
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: still think that there's too many banked reps there's too
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: much shared history too much invested with the aaron rogers
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: dk metcalf relationship you just got to keep working it
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: i hope it gets better and uh keep having confidence
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: in him and hope he has the same in himself
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: so i'm not entirely opposed to adding a receiver but
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: i don't think that doing so and taking dk metcalf
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: out of the equation is the answer.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: I'm with you brian And, you know, DK throughout the
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: first half of the season, 65 targets, 33 catches, 378 yards,
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: a touchdown. He's on pace for a 799 in only
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: two touchdown seasons.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: So he has to get better in the second half.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: And the Steelers, well, it's on them, too.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: They've got to figure out a better way to use
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: DK Metcalf in the second half, too, to try to
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: figure this out because he's too good of a player
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: not to be putting up bigger numbers than that. Our
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: second terrible take of the day or not is the
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Steelers will trade for a wide receiver by next week
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: before the 11-10 deadline.
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: Not a terrible take. To me, as long as it's
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: a good value and you're not mortgaging too much of
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: the future, I'd be okay with throwing another guy in
• 11:58
  Speaker 4: there and see what he's got. Like right now, and
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: no disrespect to these two guys, but they were on
• 12:05
  Speaker 4: the outside looking in when this season started of the
• 12:08
  Speaker 4: Steelers and of the NFL team. collective of 53-man rosters,
• 12:12
  Speaker 4: but Brandon Smith and Brandon Johnson have been active for
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: this team in recent weeks. And we know that's partially
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: because of Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson and Ben
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: Skoranek all being banged up. But you also are taking
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: a leap of faith that all three of those guys
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: are going to return and be able to slot right
• 12:30
  Speaker 4: back into this thing. And even if they do, that
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: gives you five receivers plus Caden Weegean, who we know
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: has not been used as a true receiver. I don't
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: think it's the the worst idea in the world to,
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: you know, get somebody else in there. Even if you
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: only use them sparingly in a very specific role, I
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: can understand it. And if they go that route and
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: they know better than me, this is how I always
• 12:53
  Speaker 4: frame this discussion too. They know better than me or
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: we about Michael Pittman jr's long-term prognosis with the foot
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: Roman Wilson's long-term prognosis with, and.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: The public's not going to know about the injury part.
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: Hand, hand, finger, thumb. You ever read that book with
• 13:07
  Speaker 4: the kids back?
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah.
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah. That's an, that's an oldie, but goodie.
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: Um, If it's a late round pick, is all you
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: have to flip for somebody? If he helps you move
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: the ball at times, I'm okay with it. I don't
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: think it's a terrible take. I don't think it's a
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: must either, though. That's the flip side of it. There's
• 13:27
  Speaker 4: some people who are going to give you the take
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: that the Steelers need to add a receiver. I think
• 13:31
  Speaker 4: that's a little too strong.
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: If it's a good deal, and as you said, you're
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: not mortgaging the future, you go for it.
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: I also think that specifically with Aaron Rodgers, adding a
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: guy mid-season is probably a challenge because that's a lot
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: you need to catch up on. Anybody who would come
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: in here via trade, it's a good point. They'd be
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: drinking from the proverbial fire hose. You know, they've got
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: Marquez Valdez Scantling on the practice squad. Obviously there's a
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: ton of familiarity there. Brandon Johnson, while he wasn't with
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: the team in training camp, he had, he was last season.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: So he knew the ways of Rodgers. If you bring
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: in a Josh Downs or a Brian Thomas Jr., Even
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: a Keenan Allen, he's never played with him. I mean,
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: he's a vet, so he might be able to get up.
• 14:14
  Speaker 4: He'd be like an Adam Thielen last year. Thielen had
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: never played with Rodgers. But if there's anybody that you
• 14:18
  Speaker 4: would feel confident in, cerebral, football IQ, been around the block,
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: it was probably Thielen. And maybe that's why that dynamic
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: worked at least a little bit. But bringing in a
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: young player who has never worked with Rodgers, let alone
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: in Mike McCarthy's offense, you might be asking a lot
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: of that guy, even over the course of 10 weeks here.
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: That'd be kind of their runway to contribute.
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: I agree with you, Brian. I'm with you there, too.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: But I do think that if the right deal presents
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: itself for Omar Khan between now and next Tuesday, November 10th.
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: Specifically a wide receiver. We'll talk about defensive back later.
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: I don't know where all this chatter about a defensive
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: back's coming from because I think they're in a good
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: spot with their defensive backs as long as they stay healthy.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: But I don't know, you twitched on me, Brian Backo.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: I don't think you agree with that take. If that's
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: going to be a later take, then we can address
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: it then.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: Yep, let's hold off.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: Maybe that's coming back. Whenever we come back on the
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: other side of the break, maybe that's the one we
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: start with.
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: He's Brian Backo.
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: I'm Ed Troop.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: We are just starting the Terrible Take segment. We know
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: you love it. You wait for it every week. Our
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: fan base out there, we are involved in it right
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: off the bat this week. Coming up in the second
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: hour today, Ben Roethlisberger joined SNR this week.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: He was on the locker room.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: With Max Starks and Willie Colon, his two former offensive linemen,
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: and Rob King at that door in the 3 o'clock hour.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: And Matt Williamson from SNR's The Drive will also join
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: us in the second hour.
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: It's a big show.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: It's the weekend edition of the Steelers Report, and we're
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: glad you found us right here on Steelers Nation Radio,
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: part of the Steelers Audio Network.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: This is the Steelers Report with Brian Bacco and Ed
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: Truitt on Steelers Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Audio Network.
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: Double B, you mentioned you and your wife have to
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: go to your son's.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: Parent-teacher conference here this week. Did your parents participate in
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: that when you were a kid?
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. Yep.
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: They were present?
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: Did you get good remarks?
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: What type of student was Brian Backo back in the day?
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: I think when I was around the same age as
• 16:19
  Speaker 4: my current children, no. I think as I got older
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: and grew up and matured, all was well.
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you did well. Pitt graduate. Something to be said there, right?
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I was good in elementary school. I think it
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: was more of like the kindergarten years. I was probably
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: like my own son. They say the apple doesn't fall
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: far from the tree. There you go.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: That is what they say. My, my, my, both of
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: my sons, both of my sons still have hair.
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: Thank goodness. So maybe that apple hasn't fallen.
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: Maybe they'll take after their grandfathers who both have a
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: nice head of hair late age. So that's a good,
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: that's a good thing there. My parents went to a
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: few conferences here or there, but I didn't have the best.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: I mean, I was a good student.
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: Like I was a good part, you know, but grade wise,
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: I had my struggles through school. I will admit that,
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: but I got through, I got through maybe just, you know,
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: with a C here or something, you know, some, there's
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: some teachers out there listening right now, but they always
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: liked me.
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: I always had that likability. And I think that's why
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: they were like, ah, should we, should we fail this kid.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: Or pass him? Well, he knows a lot about sports,
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: so that's good. Let's push them through.
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: C's get degrees, right?
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: That's it. Yeah, exactly.
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: And these are routine. We weren't, we weren't called in
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: for any, uh, right. Behavioral issues.
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: Exactly.
• 17:26
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah. And also we have one for my daughter
• 17:28
  Speaker 4: too in preschool.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: My wife's a teacher, so when she goes into these,
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: sometimes I've got to pull her back a bit because
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: she's on the other side of the fence. So she
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: has to be the teacher that has to deal with
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: the parents and her line of work, and then she
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: flips the role so she gets a little bit more
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: aggressive sometimes.
• 17:44
  Speaker 4: I would say from a parent's perspective, I do want
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: the teachers to be honest. If there are things that
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: my kids are falling short in, it might be hard
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: to hear. Uncomfortable conversations, as they say, but I'd rather
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: know the truth than get the wool pulled over my eyes. Yeah, no.
• 17:59
  Speaker 3: You need to. You absolutely need to. We are going
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: through our terrible takes here on the show today.
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: After week eight, Steeler hot takes or not, overreactions or not,
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: we are two in, and we're one for one. We've
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: had one Steeler terrible take, and we've had one that wasn't.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: Number three is this. Aaron Rodgers will pass for 4,000
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: yards or more in his final season. So through eight games,
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: Double B, he has thrown for 1,871. 13 touchdowns, 6 interceptions,
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: but we're not talking about touchdowns or interceptions. He is
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: averaging 234 yards per game passing. That's on pace just
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: short of 4,000 at 3,978. Last season, his first year
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: here in Pittsburgh, just over 3,300 yards passing. The terrible
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: take for you is he will surpass 4,000 by the
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: end of the season.
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: I don't think so, but I don't want to completely
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: rule it out. I'll say not a terrible take. I
• 18:51
  Speaker 4: don't necessarily agree with it, but I'm not going to
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: say that there's no chance that that he can't get
• 18:58
  Speaker 4: there i i do think that with the way this
• 19:01
  Speaker 4: run game is humming that's probably gonna hurt the uh
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: overall statistics for rogers the efficiency hopefully will be be
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: good and even better as the season goes along no
• 19:12
  Speaker 4: more no more dome games left right i always tend
• 19:16
  Speaker 4: to think that the passing game is going to be
• 19:17
  Speaker 4: better i don't think so Better when you're indoors.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 19:20
  Speaker 4: Actually, do they have any dome.
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: Games this year? I don't think they had any because
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: the Saints game was over in Paris.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: That would have been their only one if it was
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: in New Orleans. So, yeah.
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: Jacksonville should be okay weather-wise in December. But, I mean,
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: you know it gets squirrely in the AFC North. Yes.
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: Still got to go to Cincy. I mean, God forbid
• 19:37
  Speaker 4: we have snow in Cincy in a couple weeks.
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: You never know.
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: And Tennessee in January could be cold, but probably no snow.
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: Yeah. As long as there's, I mean, but you can
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: never predict there could be a monsoon rain game like
• 19:50
  Speaker 4: they had in Tampa. I don't think he gets there,
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: but I don't think it's a terrible take because maybe
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: they do add a receiver. Maybe DK Metcalf gets going.
• 19:58
  Speaker 4: Maybe Roman Wilson returns and picks up right where he
• 20:01
  Speaker 4: left off.
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it should be noted that he's put up these
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: numbers through the first eight games with really lack of
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: production from a wide receiver room. This has been the
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: tight ends and Jalen Warren and Rico Dowdle, you know,
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: a few spots here or there with the wide receiver room.
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: But for the most part, it's been finding the non-traditional
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: ways to get your passing game going each week.
• 20:19
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and I don't, I'm not necessarily afraid of a
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: lot of the secondaries still left on the schedule. So
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: if a team like the Bengals or the Ravens sells
• 20:28
  Speaker 4: out to stop the run against the Steelers, given what
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: they've been doing lately, Rodgers might have to fling it around.
• 20:34
  Speaker 3: Dink and dunk. Worked for Tom Brady for a number
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: of years.
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: Dink and dunk or uncork some, and hopefully you get
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: some playmaking down the field more than you've had thus far.
• 20:41
  Speaker 3: Take a shot.
• 20:42
  Speaker 4: Although if you get a DPI call, that's going to
• 20:44
  Speaker 4: help the offense. It won't help that passing yardage statistic
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: that we're debating at the moment. Though I feel.
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: that Aaron Rodgers has taken some deep shots more this
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: season than he did last season. They just haven't connected.
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: I mean, they've been close a few times, but I
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: feel like he has unwound.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: And his arm's fine.
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: His arm strength, no worries there at age 42. You know,
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: later on in Peyton Manning's career, that was an issue.
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: He couldn't throw the deep ball anymore. So they found
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: a way with a running game and him converting the
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: short passes, and they won a Super Bowl, did the
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: Peyton Manning era of Denver Bronco football.
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: For Rodgers, throwing the ball deep downfield, not so much
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: of an issue. so far.
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: Okay, next up for our terrible takes or not, the
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: Steelers should make a change at kick return for the
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: second half of the season. They are currently number 28
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: on kickoff returns and number 29 on punt returns. We
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: talked about this yesterday. Should they change who their returner is? No,
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: I'm going to go terrible take on that one.
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: I'm good with Caden Weege and back there to keep
• 21:42
  Speaker 4: taking some more swings at the pinata, and hopefully that
• 21:45
  Speaker 4: thing will break on you. And I don't think it's
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: just on him. I mean, I think the blocking... can
• 21:49
  Speaker 4: be better. It's probably a whole 11 there to get
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: it going. And, and, you know, I don't think Devin
• 21:54
  Speaker 4: Hester's walking through that door, uh, to, to elevate that
• 21:58
  Speaker 4: overall unit. So I still think Legion is the best
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: option on the roster. I don't even know what else
• 22:03
  Speaker 4: you do. I guess you could say, Hey, put, put
• 22:06
  Speaker 4: Eli Heidenreich back in uniform and, you know, see if,
• 22:09
  Speaker 4: see if he can break one.
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: But now he's taking a spot on game day.
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: Just to return kicks.
• 22:14
  Speaker 4: I mean, Lou Nichols is the other guy currently. Yeah.
• 22:17
  Speaker 4: with Heinreich and I'm, or excuse me with weed. And Hey,
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: you could go a full on, you like go video game,
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: Madden mode, put Jalen Warren back there. You know, his
• 22:26
  Speaker 4: break tackles 99. His speed is 94. You know, he
• 22:30
  Speaker 4: gets hurt.
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: No worries.
• 22:32
  Speaker 4: Right. I'm just joking. You're not going to put him
• 22:34
  Speaker 4: back there to return kicks. He's done it in the past,
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: but yeah, he really had a big kick return, which
• 22:38
  Speaker 4: is sort of odd, right? Given that Warren, the way
• 22:41
  Speaker 4: he runs, he does.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 22:42
  Speaker 4: The way he does, uh, get through holes, vision, open field, uh, But,
• 22:46
  Speaker 4: you know, that's a different skill set, obviously. It's a
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: very different thing, but there's overlap, there's similarities. But that's
• 22:54
  Speaker 4: what Weijin is here to do. Correct. Now, I think
• 22:59
  Speaker 4: a slightly different discussion is, has Weijin been as advertised,
• 23:03
  Speaker 4: what you're hoping? Maybe not necessarily, but I still think
• 23:06
  Speaker 4: he's the best option on this roster to return kicks
• 23:08
  Speaker 4: and punts.
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: They invested a lot in Caden Weijin.
• 23:11
  Speaker 4: Fourth round pick.
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: Fourth round pick.
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: So the expectations are a lot higher than a normal...
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: you know, late round, mid round, you know, draft pick
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: that you want to return kicks.
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: As you said, Brian, he was brought in here for
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: a reason. I'm with you.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: And I think here's my most important takeaway. The Steelers
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: in previous years, as early as last year with Caleb Johnson,
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: have had some head scratchers on kick returns.
• 23:31
  Speaker 3: They've fumbled.
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: They haven't covered the football. You know, there's been some
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: critical plays that have happened. So Weejan, from that standpoint,
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: knows what he's doing so far. He's protecting the football.
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: Knock on wood as we say that. And hey, at
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: the end of the day, that's a lot better than
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: coughing up the ball or making a decision like Caleb
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: Johnson did last year and letting a free ball go
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: in the end zone for a touchdown.
• 23:50
  Speaker 4: I was just going to say in Legion's defense, I
• 23:51
  Speaker 4: know we all want him to be a human joystick
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: out there and break people off like we saw in
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: the college highlights. But you also don't want him pressing
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: and doing too much because that's also where you can
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: get in trouble. So I'm sure he's trying to walk
• 24:01
  Speaker 4: that line and find that balance with every return.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: Next up, middle linebacker Peyton Wilson is the best Steelers
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: defensive player after eight games. Let me give you his
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: stats before you make that call, whether it's a terrible
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: take or not. 69 tackles leads the team. He has
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: a sack, seven tackle for losses, three pass deflections, an interception,
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: and a fumble recovery.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: Yesterday on the show, we did our hits and misses.
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: A big part of our hits was Peyton Wilson and
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: Patrick Queen combined in the middle of.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: The football field.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: But terrible take or not, Wilson's been the best defensive
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: player through the first half of the season.
• 24:35
  Speaker 4: Have we done this one before? I feel like we
• 24:37
  Speaker 4: might have.
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: It's a repeat. A repeat terrible take. Well, I'm bringing
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: it up again.
• 24:42
  Speaker 4: Because I think I said it was a terrible take
• 24:44
  Speaker 4: because TJ Watt exists. So I think maybe I'll stick
• 24:48
  Speaker 4: with that. I'm not trying to denigrate Peyton Wilson in
• 24:51
  Speaker 4: any way. And there's no accounting for taste, obviously. But
• 24:55
  Speaker 4: I think that's a bit of a hard sell for me.
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: I think with what TJ is doing from a position
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: where you can wreck games a little bit more. I'd go.
• 25:04
  Speaker 4: And also we're talking totality of the season thus far.
• 25:08
  Speaker 4: TJ basically won them the season opener against the Falcons
• 25:11
  Speaker 4: with the pick six. And yeah, I don't think I can,
• 25:15
  Speaker 4: I don't think I can get on board with that.
• 25:17
  Speaker 4: Although Peyton Wilson has been very good each.
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: And every week, Brian back. Oh, I delete the previous
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: terrible take. And I started the fresh list.
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: So there is a possibility that they could repeat.
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: Cause I don't keep a record, but it's updated.
• 25:28
  Speaker 5: He's out.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: He's at another week, another game, but you're right. I
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: think we did talk about this in previous weeks and,
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: You stood by the team and tackles.
• 25:36
  Speaker 4: He has a sack. He has seven TFLs. He has
• 25:38
  Speaker 4: two quarterback hits, a pick that sort of helped, you know,
• 25:42
  Speaker 4: giving TJ a lot of credit for his pick against Atlanta.
• 25:45
  Speaker 4: Peyton Wilson's pick against another NFC South team was a
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: complete game changer. It was three PBUs, a fumble recovery.
• 25:54
  Speaker 4: Maybe I'm talking myself into this not being a terrible take.
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: Well, my thing with Peyton Wilson, why I think he
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: has been the best defensive player through the first eight
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: games is his consistency. Each game and each, I mean,
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: every game he has shown up from a coverage standpoint,
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: making the play in the middle of the football field.
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: I just like his consistency.
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: And I think that was the problem with Peyton Wilson
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: in previous seasons was the lack of consistency.
• 26:16
  Speaker 3: Well, now I feel like he's put together game in
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: game out. He's all over the football field.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: He's truly being that middle linebacker that quite frankly, Brian,
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: the Steelers need him and queen both to be. And
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: they definitely have put it together the last few weeks.
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: Is there a big reason between why this four-game winning
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: streak has happened and why it hasn't?
• 26:32
  Speaker 4: Only one player in the NFL has more tackles for
• 26:34
  Speaker 4: loss against the run than Peyton Wilson. And that's Kyle
• 26:37
  Speaker 4: Hamilton for the Ravens. I'm glad you asked me that.
• 26:40
  Speaker 3: He has seven.
• 26:40
  Speaker 4: Peyton Wilson has six. Tied with Kyle Van Nooyen.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: Next up, running back Jalen Warren.
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: Now, we talked about Aaron Rodgers on pace for close,
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: just under a 4,000-yard passing season.
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: Well, Jalen Warren, and.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: We brought this up yesterday, too, is close to 2,000
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: all-purpose yards on the season, being from a rush and
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: receiving standpoint, has a 704 yards rushing so far this season,
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: 294 receiving. That's 998, just under 1,008 games. So will
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: he cross over the 2,000? My terrible take for you
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: is that he will. He will get over that 2,000
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: mark by the end of the season.
• 27:15
  Speaker 4: I don't know that he's going to get there, but
• 27:16
  Speaker 4: I definitely can't call it a terrible take. I mean,
• 27:20
  Speaker 4: the way he's playing right now, and it seems like
• 27:23
  Speaker 4: he's getting better every week.
• 27:24
  Speaker 3: He's on pace.
• 27:26
  Speaker 4: I mean, you talk about human joystick. I use that
• 27:29
  Speaker 4: term with Caden Weege, and Jalen Warren is like a
• 27:32
  Speaker 4: pinball out there. That long run on third down against–
• 27:37
  Speaker 4: The Browns was even Jalen said afterward, he's like, I
• 27:41
  Speaker 4: don't know. He was like trying to explain how he
• 27:44
  Speaker 4: was running on that play and feeling defenders out. He's like,
• 27:46
  Speaker 4: it probably looked really weird. Like I think there's honestly
• 27:49
  Speaker 4: sometimes where if he just trusts his speed a little
• 27:53
  Speaker 4: more and takes the outside lane, he might be able
• 27:57
  Speaker 4: to rip off even more, but he's so good at
• 28:00
  Speaker 4: just navigating in the phone booth and, making a guy miss,
• 28:05
  Speaker 4: getting their feet tripped up, and he keeps his feet moving.
• 28:08
  Speaker 4: That was funny, too. Somebody asked him after the game, basically,
• 28:13
  Speaker 4: how are you doing this every week, or what's the
• 28:16
  Speaker 4: key to your running style? And it was a very, yeah,
• 28:23
  Speaker 4: somebody said, do you consider yourself an explosive back with
• 28:26
  Speaker 4: the big plays? Is there any secret to that? Jalen Warren,
• 28:29
  Speaker 4: just keep your legs moving. That's pretty much it. Yeah.
• 28:32
  Speaker 4: I mean, that is the definition of running. So it's
• 28:36
  Speaker 4: working for him to say the least.
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: It's working for him in a big, big way.
• 28:39
  Speaker 4: Keep your legs moving to the tune of 2000 yards.
• 28:42
  Speaker 3: And Brian, correct me if I'm wrong. Yesterday, I think
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: you did the research.
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: The Steelers, former players that have crossed over the 2000
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: all yard mark.
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: Was Le'Veon Bell. Did he do it once or twice?
• 28:53
  Speaker 4: Just once.
• 28:53
  Speaker 3: Just the one time.
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: And then Barry Foster was the other one back in
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: that 1992 season, which back then, credit to Foster, there
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: wasn't as much receiving as rushing.
• 29:03
  Speaker 4: Plus 16. Well, I guess Le'Veon had 16 games too.
• 29:05
  Speaker 4: But yeah, I mean, the way they were using him
• 29:07
  Speaker 4: as a running back slash receiver in those years lent
• 29:10
  Speaker 4: itself to piling up yards from scrimmage.
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: The biggest part of Jalen Warren, I think, getting over
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: that 2,000-yard mark too will be the health part of this.
• 29:19
  Speaker 3: Because he runs so hard.
• 29:21
  Speaker 4: That's why they tell you that any time you're looking
• 29:24
  Speaker 4: at over-unders for season long and stuff, just be wary
• 29:28
  Speaker 4: of taking the over because a lot can happen. One
• 29:32
  Speaker 4: injury and your guy's derailed.
• 29:34
  Speaker 3: Health is a big part of it, that's for sure.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: But you do have Rico Dowdle now in that mix
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: that can relieve Jalen Warren.
• 29:39
  Speaker 4: For the win. sword because if it's relieving him and
• 29:41
  Speaker 4: keeping him fresh It's going to be a little fewer touches.
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: To get to 2,000. Oh, look at you. See? Maybe
• 29:48
  Speaker 3: the take should be, will Rico Dowdle.
• 29:50
  Speaker 4: I'm not going to count them out, though. That's for sure.
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: Will Rico Dowdle and Jalen Warren combined get over... Well,
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: you'd have to bump that number up from 2,000 maybe
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: to 3,000.
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: I don't know. That seems a little aggressive.
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: Boy, that'd be great for the Steelers' offense if the
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: two of them could get more than 3,000 yards receiving
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: and rushing combined by the end of the season.
• 30:07
  Speaker 3: The Steelers are in a good, good place with this offense.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 30:10
  Speaker 3: As they move forward in the second half of the season.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: Whenever we come back, we have a few more terrible
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: takes to get to before we wrap up our first hour.
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: Hour number two, Ben Roethlisberger joined SNR this week. We'll
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: have that for you, as well as Matt Williamson, who's
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: up next later on this afternoon at 4 o'clock with
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: our good friend Wes Euler. But Matt joined our show
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: as well here this week to talk some Pittsburgh Steelers
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: football with both myself and Brian Bacco. It is the
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: Steelers Report right here on Steelers Nation Radio, part of
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: the Steelers Audio Network.
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: This is the Steelers Report with Brian Batko and Ed
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: Troup on Steelers Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: Audio Network.
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: Wrapping up the first hour here on the Steelers Report,
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: it is the weekend edition of the Steelers Report.
• 31:09
  Speaker 3: Double B and myself off on Friday. We'll be back
• 31:12
  Speaker 3: at it on Monday. We do have the Mike McCarthy
• 31:15
  Speaker 3: press conference on Monday.
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: Things will start to get back to a normal work
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: week for the Steelers and all of us in and
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: around the team.
• 31:22
  Speaker 3: After the bye week on Monday.
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: So we'll have the lead into the Mike McCarthy press
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: conference on Monday.
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: Double B and I will spend some.
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: Time looking back on week nine that it will be
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: underway officially here tonight on Thursday night football between the
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: Jaguars and Ravens. We already spent some time on the
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: Ravens quarterback situation. Jaguars on the road in Baltimore.
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: Hopefully it'll be a good one.
• 31:43
  Speaker 4: I don't know.
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: I'm going to watch for sure, Brian, because I'm anxious
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: to see this whole quarterback dynamic situation with the Ravens.
• 31:50
  Speaker 4: Anxious or eager?
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: Both.
• 31:53
  Speaker 3: I don't know.
• 31:53
  Speaker 4: What would I be? See, this is where your wife
• 31:55
  Speaker 4: hopefully will enjoy this part of the show.
• 31:57
  Speaker 5: Anxious.
• 31:58
  Speaker 4: Anxious means at least in the most. Yes, correct. In
• 32:01
  Speaker 4: the most.
• 32:02
  Speaker 3: Well, then I'm not nervous. I'm not anxious because I
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: could care less.
• 32:04
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 32:05
  Speaker 3: At the end of the day.
• 32:06
  Speaker 4: Or couldn't care less.
• 32:07
  Speaker 2: Oh, man.
• 32:09
  Speaker 5: I'm punting brian people do use those terms interchangeably and
• 32:12
  Speaker 5: i think by the strict definitions of them yeah anxious
• 32:15
  Speaker 5: means you're you're nervous about something that's i'm not nervous
• 32:18
  Speaker 5: eager is like you're excited i am about it so
• 32:21
  Speaker 5: there you go so it's like let's see this is
• 32:22
  Speaker 5: the the pedantic uh grammarian.
• 32:26
  Speaker 4: I guess in me that that could be the word
• 32:30
  Speaker 4: of the day right there mary i think you got
• 32:33
  Speaker 4: it man now we're really uh navel gazing here on
• 32:36
  Speaker 4: the show but sometimes when I hear coaches and players
• 32:39
  Speaker 4: say like yeah I mean I'm anxious to get out
• 32:41
  Speaker 4: there it's gonna be a huge game I'm like you're
• 32:43
  Speaker 4: not anxious really you're eager but I got you. Anyway.
• 32:47
  Speaker 4: Maybe that's where I got it from. I got that
• 32:49
  Speaker 4: football coach type brain going on. People probably absolutely hate
• 32:51
  Speaker 4: when I get on these soapboxes. No, I think they're good.
• 32:55
  Speaker 3: I enjoy them.
• 32:56
  Speaker 4: Or there's that one, 99% of the people hate it.
• 32:59
  Speaker 4: Then there's that one person who's like, wow, Batco taught
• 33:01
  Speaker 4: me a new thing about words. This is great. I'm
• 33:04
  Speaker 4: going to start saying eager instead of anxious.
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: I had a boss in a previous job whose name
• 33:09
  Speaker 2: will go unnamed who told me once, hey, Ed, do
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: you want to go out to lunch at that Chick-fil-A?
• 33:15
  Speaker 3: And I said, I said, Chick-fil-A. What's Chick-fil-A? Chick-fil-A.
• 33:18
  Speaker 4: Oh, Chick-fil-A.
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: But it was my boss. I didn't really want to
• 33:21
  Speaker 3: call him out. So I went, oh, yeah, that sounds good.
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: So now that's like the ongoing joke in my household
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: for 20 some years now with the boys and stuff.
• 33:28
  Speaker 3: Hey, you want to go to Chick-fil-A?
• 33:30
  Speaker 4: Chick-fil-A. Nice. Chick-fil-A is a real Mandela effect thing. Are
• 33:35
  Speaker 4: you familiar with that?
• 33:36
  Speaker 3: I don't know. Fill me in.
• 33:37
  Speaker 4: We're going off the record. the rails. Now this is
• 33:40
  Speaker 4: a weekend.
• 33:41
  Speaker 3: Is this the spelling of it?
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 33:43
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: I've seen this like Bernstein bears, like the matrix type thing, right?
• 33:47
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Well, it's basically the Mandela effect is, I think
• 33:49
  Speaker 4: it has to do with people thought Nelson Mandela had
• 33:53
  Speaker 4: passed away and he was still alive for a long time.
• 33:55
  Speaker 4: But anyway, yeah, it's the Mandela effect is when you
• 33:59
  Speaker 4: are so convinced that your brain is convinced that something
• 34:01
  Speaker 4: was spelled a certain way. But then when you look
• 34:04
  Speaker 4: it up, it never was, but why, but it's like
• 34:06
  Speaker 4: a widespread thing. And I think a lot of people
• 34:08
  Speaker 4: out there always thought Chick-fil-A was C-H-I-C-A-F-I-L, or C-H-I-C-F-I-L-A. But
• 34:17
  Speaker 4: there's always been a K in it.
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: I always thought it was C-H-I-C-F-I-L-A.
• 34:24
  Speaker 4: Right, that's what I'm saying. I think a lot of
• 34:27
  Speaker 4: people did. So then it leads to, like, did they
• 34:29
  Speaker 4: change it at some point?
• 34:30
  Speaker 3: So what is the official?
• 34:32
  Speaker 4: C-H-I-C-K.
• 34:33
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 34:33
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 34:35
  Speaker 4: And then F-I-L-A. But I'm talking about the first part
• 34:37
  Speaker 4: of it. Just like Bernstein bears.
• 34:39
  Speaker 3: I got you.
• 34:40
  Speaker 4: People think that it was Bernstein, S-T-E-I-N at the end.
• 34:45
  Speaker 4: It's actually Bernstein bears. It's always been that way. But
• 34:48
  Speaker 4: why do all of our brains, why did we all
• 34:51
  Speaker 4: think that?
• 34:51
  Speaker 3: I don't know. It's like, is it?
• 34:54
  Speaker 2: Is it Washington or Washington? Is it Latrobe or Latrobe?
• 34:57
  Speaker 4: Well, that's more of a pronunciation thing.
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: See, I was trying to reel it back into something
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: football related.
• 35:03
  Speaker 4: Now I'm going to go down a rabbit hole of
• 35:05
  Speaker 4: looking up Mandela effect examples.
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: While you spend time on that, Double B, we will
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: wrap up our first hour with some more terrible takes.
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: So far, let's see. We got one, two, three, four, five, six,
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: and we are three for three. So we're rated 500,
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: which kind of has been the theme this season. We
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: haven't had too many non-500 go one way or another
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: on these terrible takes with you. So let's get to
• 35:27
  Speaker 2: four more here before we wrap it up and see
• 35:29
  Speaker 2: where we are at the end of the 10.
• 35:31
  Speaker 3: We should say, by the way, these are 10 terrible takes.
• 35:35
  Speaker 3: The Steelers will trade for a corner by next week.
• 35:38
  Speaker 4: Here you go.
• 35:38
  Speaker 3: This is the one you teased to start to show
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: out today.
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: The Steelers will trade for a defensive back corner by
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: next week before the 11-10 deadline.
• 35:48
  Speaker 4: Not a terrible take. So I guess that's where I
• 35:50
  Speaker 4: sort of disagree with you on that one, Ed, because
• 35:53
  Speaker 4: I think to me it's more of a depth discussion.
• 35:56
  Speaker 4: I'm good with, I'm not saying the Steelers need to
• 35:59
  Speaker 4: replace or supplant Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., or even
• 36:03
  Speaker 4: Daylon Everett, for that matter, as the top guy off
• 36:06
  Speaker 4: the bench at the moment. But if any of those
• 36:08
  Speaker 4: guys incur an injury, you're going to be kind of
• 36:12
  Speaker 4: up against it because then it'll be, you know, Dean
• 36:15
  Speaker 4: and Samuel with, you know, Echols as the top backup,
• 36:19
  Speaker 4: and Brandon Echols is dealing with a hamstring injury at
• 36:22
  Speaker 4: the moment. Or, you know, Dean and Everett, and, you know,
• 36:28
  Speaker 4: then you'd be asking a rookie to to play a
• 36:30
  Speaker 4: whole heck of a lot. So I think having one
• 36:33
  Speaker 4: more player in there, cause remember right now to Sean Murphy,
• 36:36
  Speaker 4: Bunting and Terrell Smith are on the 53 man roster
• 36:39
  Speaker 4: and they were signed off practice squads. Maybe those guys
• 36:42
  Speaker 4: are up to the task. Maybe they were brought here
• 36:44
  Speaker 4: for a reason that the scouting staff, the coaching staff
• 36:47
  Speaker 4: believes in them as the best options in case there
• 36:50
  Speaker 4: is attrition that hits. But if not, I think that
• 36:54
  Speaker 4: could be a sneaky position where much like my thoughts
• 36:56
  Speaker 4: on receiver, uh, You're not going to do anything crazy,
• 36:59
  Speaker 4: get out over your skis, and give up real valuable
• 37:02
  Speaker 4: draft resources at this point in the year. I don't
• 37:05
  Speaker 4: think the roster hole is anywhere close to that big.
• 37:08
  Speaker 4: But if you get a good deal, if something presents
• 37:10
  Speaker 4: itself to fortify your roster, any time that you hear
• 37:14
  Speaker 4: from Omar Khan publicly, you don't really hear from him
• 37:17
  Speaker 4: in season. But it's always about we're just trying to
• 37:19
  Speaker 4: improve the roster anywhere we can, from top to bottom.
• 37:23
  Speaker 4: Any position group we see that we can improve, and
• 37:26
  Speaker 4: we have an opportunity to do that, let's do it.
• 37:28
  Speaker 4: It's strengthening depth competition, all of that stuff. So that,
• 37:32
  Speaker 4: that to me is how you always have to approach
• 37:34
  Speaker 4: the trade deadline. At least when you don't have a
• 37:37
  Speaker 4: glaring weakness, which I don't think the Steelers do in
• 37:39
  Speaker 4: my mind. Now, if you're a team like, like the
• 37:41
  Speaker 4: Ravens just now had a quarterback, then yeah, you probably like,
• 37:44
  Speaker 4: we absolutely have to trade for a QB. It's just
• 37:47
  Speaker 4: a matter of finding the best fit, the best value,
• 37:49
  Speaker 4: the best bargain. I think the Steelers have the flexibility, the,
• 37:53
  Speaker 4: the luxury of, We don't have to go out and
• 37:56
  Speaker 4: get anybody or any position, but there's a few spots
• 38:00
  Speaker 4: where if something makes sense, it could help us in
• 38:03
  Speaker 4: the long run.
• 38:04
  Speaker 2: That's the key right there, if it makes sense. You're
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: not in a position where you absolutely have to make
• 38:09
  Speaker 2: a move, but if something presents itself, it makes sense
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: for the team, go for it. I just don't know
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: where all the chatter is about defensive backs because we
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: talked about it on the show earlier this week about
• 38:18
  Speaker 2: the Steelers trade Joey Porter Jr., their top corner that
• 38:22
  Speaker 2: they couldn't get the contract done with, and we won't
• 38:24
  Speaker 2: spend more time on debating That whole situation. But I
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: don't want to say they've gotten better, Brian, but they've
• 38:30
  Speaker 2: ridden the wave. They've done just fine without Joey Porter Jr.
• 38:33
  Speaker 2: And if you would have told me that before the
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: start of the season, like earlier in June or July,
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: I would have said you were crazy.
• 38:37
  Speaker 4: But they never really backfilled there, unless you count Sean
• 38:40
  Speaker 4: Murphy bunting, I suppose, would be the next player who
• 38:45
  Speaker 4: kind of took that up. Because we were going into
• 38:47
  Speaker 4: the season thinking, hey, what a really strong top four
• 38:50
  Speaker 4: of Porter, Dean, Samuel, and Everett. Now, obviously... the Porter's
• 38:57
  Speaker 4: out of there and the other three are still there,
• 38:59
  Speaker 4: but who's your number four, right? I guess it could
• 39:01
  Speaker 4: be Brandon Echols could be Sean Murphy. Bunting could be
• 39:04
  Speaker 4: Terrell Smith. I think that's an area where if somebody's
• 39:08
  Speaker 4: dangling a corner out there, maybe take a look if
• 39:12
  Speaker 4: it's reasonable and then you, you let the chips fall
• 39:15
  Speaker 4: where they may.
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: Next up, TJ Watt. He will surpass 20 sacks this season.
• 39:20
  Speaker 2: So right now he's currently at seven and a half
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: through eight games tied for the NFL lead. That pace
• 39:25
  Speaker 2: would currently put him at 16. So he's gonna need
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: to like double his pace yeah double up a couple
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: times if he wants to get past 20 I think
• 39:32
  Speaker 2: he'll do it but is that a terrible take or
• 39:33
  Speaker 2: not I don't.
• 39:34
  Speaker 4: Think he'll do it but it's kind of like the
• 39:36
  Speaker 4: Jalen Warren thing for me I don't want to count
• 39:38
  Speaker 4: him out I don't I don't want to speak in
• 39:39
  Speaker 4: absolutes when it comes to guys who are at the
• 39:42
  Speaker 4: top of their craft and uh you know with TJ
• 39:45
  Speaker 4: I think one thing that'll hurt him in terms of
• 39:49
  Speaker 4: meeting the statistic, the quantitative statistical numbers is that they
• 39:54
  Speaker 4: are splitting it up a bit more with Alex Highsmith
• 39:56
  Speaker 4: and Nick Herbig and less is more. I think Jack
• 39:59
  Speaker 4: Sawyer is up to the challenge too, of, of even
• 40:01
  Speaker 4: playing more than he's, than he has to this point,
• 40:04
  Speaker 4: if need be. So I don't think they want to
• 40:07
  Speaker 4: run the wheels off of TJ and that's less pass
• 40:10
  Speaker 4: rushing opportunities, but you hope that you're fresh for the
• 40:13
  Speaker 4: stretch run and that he can still be ascending when
• 40:16
  Speaker 4: they get into the postseason, if they do indeed get
• 40:19
  Speaker 4: into the postseason.
• 40:20
  Speaker 3: So it is a terrible take.
• 40:22
  Speaker 4: No, like I said, I don't want to say it's terrible,
• 40:23
  Speaker 4: because it's TJ Watt that we're talking about here. Mike
• 40:26
  Speaker 4: Tomlin once said he's not from this planet, he's just visiting.
• 40:29
  Speaker 4: So he could, even with fewer opportunities, but that's where
• 40:34
  Speaker 4: I don't think it's going to happen, but I won't
• 40:36
  Speaker 4: say it's terrible.
• 40:37
  Speaker 2: Next up, we've got two more to go. If the
• 40:39
  Speaker 2: Steelers win the AFC North Double B... And they make
• 40:43
  Speaker 2: it to the NFL Final Four. So that's the scenario.
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: The Final Four meaning the AFC Championship game. Mike McCarthy
• 40:49
  Speaker 2: will be the NFL Coach of the Year. You said
• 40:54
  Speaker 2: Final Four in the NFL, not the AFC.
• 40:57
  Speaker 3: NFL, so beyond the divisional round.
• 40:58
  Speaker 4: Don't they do the voting before that?
• 41:00
  Speaker 3: Oh, do they?
• 41:01
  Speaker 4: I think it might just be a regular season award. Oh, really?
• 41:04
  Speaker 3: I didn't know that.
• 41:05
  Speaker 4: At least for AP.
• 41:06
  Speaker 3: Okay, I didn't know that. I stand corrected.
• 41:09
  Speaker 4: Which, we could have a discussion about that. Is that right?
• 41:12
  Speaker 3: I don't think it is.
• 41:14
  Speaker 4: I think they do that for everything, though. MVP, Rookie
• 41:16
  Speaker 4: of the Year. Do you say O-Poy and D-Poy? Or
• 41:20
  Speaker 4: do we go D-P-O-Y?
• 41:21
  Speaker 3: I do the abbreviation, what you just said.
• 41:25
  Speaker 4: As you do with W-P-I-A-L. Playoffs start tomorrow night. Yep,
• 41:28
  Speaker 4: they do.
• 41:29
  Speaker 3: I'll be at Little California in that. Northgate, California. Single A.
• 41:33
  Speaker 4: California High School here in Western PA in Pittsburgh.
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 41:38
  Speaker 4: The Trojans. I was trying to think of their nickname.
• 41:40
  Speaker 4: I didn't have that one. The Vulcans are the college.
• 41:42
  Speaker 4: I know. I know the Vulcans. I know a lot
• 41:44
  Speaker 4: of whippy old nicknames. Well, do you know Northgate? Northgate's
• 41:47
  Speaker 4: a fun one. Oh, they're the Flames. That's a fun one.
• 41:48
  Speaker 4: Shout out to my neighbor, Jason. He's a teacher at Northgate.
• 41:50
  Speaker 3: Oh, there you go. Yeah, they're a fun team.
• 41:51
  Speaker 4: I wonder if he's going to the game. Honestly, he's
• 41:53
  Speaker 4: probably not driving to California.
• 41:54
  Speaker 2: Okay, honestly, we're getting off subject, but that's a great community.
• 41:57
  Speaker 2: Shout out to the Northgate community. I've done games there
• 41:59
  Speaker 2: on Friday nights.
• 42:00
  Speaker 4: Bellevue, baby.
• 42:00
  Speaker 3: It's a great place to do a game.
• 42:02
  Speaker 4: They shut down the whole town.
• 42:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, right over the hill from you. They shut down
• 42:06
  Speaker 2: the town. Everybody comes out. It's a great atmosphere at
• 42:08
  Speaker 2: that stadium. So shout out to Northgate. It's been a
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: long time since I've been there, five, six years ago.
• 42:12
  Speaker 3: But, yeah, anyhow. Where were we?
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: Coach of the year, Mike McCarthy? Yeah, so it's a
• 42:16
  Speaker 2: terrible take or not. Will he win AFC or AFC?
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: Will he win NFL Coach of the Year if the
• 42:20
  Speaker 2: Steelers make it to the championship game?
• 42:22
  Speaker 3: But I guess if they're voting beforehand, double A.
• 42:25
  Speaker 4: Well, yeah, no, I think this is another one where
• 42:26
  Speaker 4: he's absolutely put himself in contention regardless of regular season
• 42:30
  Speaker 4: or postseason. You know, the way that this team has–
• 42:35
  Speaker 4: rebounded from a shaky start.
• 42:37
  Speaker 3: Other contenders would be like John Harbaugh.
• 42:38
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and this is ultimately, this has been a theme,
• 42:41
  Speaker 4: I guess, with the terrible takes today. I don't think
• 42:43
  Speaker 4: he's going to get it, but I wouldn't rule it out.
• 42:47
  Speaker 4: I just don't think it's going to happen because I
• 42:49
  Speaker 4: think generally voters would probably say this was a veteran
• 42:54
  Speaker 4: team in which it was, in your line of work,
• 42:57
  Speaker 4: this was a turnkey squad. Very nice.
• 43:00
  Speaker 3: Nicely done.
• 43:01
  Speaker 4: Mike McCarthy comes in here. He's got veteran experience. He's
• 43:04
  Speaker 4: got a ton of players who have been there, done
• 43:07
  Speaker 4: that in the league. So I don't think he would
• 43:09
  Speaker 4: get as much credit as a, yes, a John Harbaugh
• 43:12
  Speaker 4: who the giants had really been on tough times before
• 43:15
  Speaker 4: they hired him or who else? I mean, Todd Munkin,
• 43:19
  Speaker 4: if the Browns find a way to, to creep into
• 43:22
  Speaker 4: the playoffs, it might be tough to get coach of
• 43:24
  Speaker 4: the year if you don't make the playoffs, but I
• 43:26
  Speaker 4: don't know. What if the Browns go nine and eight
• 43:29
  Speaker 4: after what people expected them to be this year? What
• 43:31
  Speaker 4: if the Raiders go nine and eight?
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 43:33
  Speaker 3: There'd be two coaches.
• 43:34
  Speaker 4: I mean, I thought they were going to be horrendous.
• 43:36
  Speaker 4: So those are two that like, I think generally those
• 43:40
  Speaker 4: are the types of coaches who get more coach of
• 43:43
  Speaker 4: the year buzz than your Mike McCarthy's or who, who
• 43:47
  Speaker 4: else is in this situation? Like Joe Brady in Buffalo.
• 43:50
  Speaker 4: I know he's a first year head coach, but give
• 43:52
  Speaker 4: me that roster, Brian.
• 43:53
  Speaker 3: I'll win 10 games.
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 43:54
  Speaker 4: And I think a lot of people would view the
• 43:56
  Speaker 4: Steelers in the same way. I should say, however, we
• 43:59
  Speaker 4: here in Pittsburgh particularly can appreciate. Yep. The job that
• 44:02
  Speaker 4: he's doing, how thorough he's been, how detailed he's been
• 44:05
  Speaker 4: in everything. And he was on with Mark Madden yesterday, right?
• 44:09
  Speaker 4: I heard that. On The X.
• 44:12
  Speaker 3: Good interview.
• 44:12
  Speaker 4: One of our sister stations, right?
• 44:15
  Speaker 3: If I was coaching the Bills and I had a
• 44:16
  Speaker 3: call sheet. It'd be pretty simple. Hey, Josh Allen, sneak
• 44:19
  Speaker 3: the football.
• 44:20
  Speaker 4: Josh Allen left, Josh Allen right, Josh Allen up the middle.
• 44:23
  Speaker 3: It's fourth and one at the goal line. Josh, take
• 44:25
  Speaker 3: the football. Oh, I'm coach of the year. Congratulations. Okay,
• 44:28
  Speaker 3: last one.
• 44:29
  Speaker 2: The Steelers will need to go at least five and
• 44:32
  Speaker 2: four in the second half of the season. That would
• 44:34
  Speaker 2: put them at 11 and six to win the AFC North.
• 44:37
  Speaker 2: They got at least went five of these last nine
• 44:39
  Speaker 2: games to get the North crown. Maybe this is more
• 44:43
  Speaker 2: of a Monday discussion when we look ahead. but I'll
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: throw it out.
• 44:47
  Speaker 4: There to you now. I'm going to go terrible take.
• 44:48
  Speaker 4: I think there's too much variance in this division right now. Bengals,
• 44:52
  Speaker 4: I'm real concerned about their defense turning back into a
• 44:56
  Speaker 4: pumpkin as we come into November. Ravens, need I say
• 45:00
  Speaker 4: more about their quarterback situation? And Browns, they didn't show
• 45:07
  Speaker 4: up in the biggest game of the year so far
• 45:08
  Speaker 4: for them Sunday, so I'm fading them a bit. So
• 45:12
  Speaker 4: to answer the question, to evaluate the take, I'll say
• 45:15
  Speaker 4: it's a terrible take because I– I think there's more
• 45:16
  Speaker 4: wiggle room than that for the Steelers because there's just
• 45:19
  Speaker 4: so much– there's so many games left to play, and
• 45:21
  Speaker 4: there's so much uncertainty in what could still go on
• 45:23
  Speaker 4: in this division.
• 45:24
  Speaker 3: That's why going 6-2 in these first games– Yeah. First games.
• 45:27
  Speaker 4: Get the hay in the barn.
• 45:29
  Speaker 2: Was good because now if you go sub-500 in the
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: second half, 4-5, you're under 500, you're still at 10 wins.
• 45:34
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and nobody wants to see that, obviously, and I'd
• 45:36
  Speaker 4: be honestly pretty surprised if that happens. And I think
• 45:39
  Speaker 4: next week we're going to get into– Yes. Maybe Monday
• 45:42
  Speaker 4: we'll rank Steelers opponents– by difficulty, which we're going to
• 45:46
  Speaker 4: have a lot more data points for that come Monday,
• 45:48
  Speaker 4: because we're going to see what the Ravens do tonight
• 45:53
  Speaker 4: against the Jaguars. That might be a moot point because
• 45:55
  Speaker 4: if Joe Fagnano goes out there and stinks it up,
• 45:57
  Speaker 4: it's like, okay, obviously Brissette's getting the ball and we
• 46:00
  Speaker 4: still won't know what the Brissette led Ravens will look like,
• 46:03
  Speaker 4: but then we'll see the Bengals Sunday morning against the
• 46:05
  Speaker 4: Falcons in a big spot in Madrid. If their defense
• 46:08
  Speaker 4: has any sort of resistance to, to the dirty birds
• 46:12
  Speaker 4: and we're going to see Joe Milton start for the Eagles.
• 46:15
  Speaker 4: on Sunday instead of Tanner McKee. So we'll have a
• 46:18
  Speaker 4: little bit better idea of what awaits across the turnpike
• 46:22
  Speaker 4: in a couple weeks.
• 46:22
  Speaker 3: If you know those names that Double B just spoke to,
• 46:25
  Speaker 3: you've done your homework, folks. Terrible takes lose badly, 6-4.
• 46:30
  Speaker 4: They got wiped up.
• 46:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, 6-4. The no terrible takes take it this week.
• 46:35
  Speaker 2: Whenever we come back, kick the 3 o'clock hour off
• 46:38
  Speaker 2: with Ben Roethlisberger. who was on SNR this week. That
• 46:42
  Speaker 2: and lots more to get to here in the second hour.
• 46:44
  Speaker 2: He's Brian Bacco, Ahmed Troop, right here on the Steelers
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: Report on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network.