00:00:04
Speaker 1: This is In the Locker Room with Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon on Steelers Nation Radio, brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop.steelers.com. And by your neighborhood Ford store, the F-150 is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: That's right, chugging along on a Wednesday here, moving down the football highway as we prepare for a match down south in the Bay of Tampa, Tampa Bay. Or as I know it, it is I-4 West as I'm from Orlando. You just take I-4 West and you bump your head right into Tampa.
00:00:59
Speaker 3: So that was one. Orlando.
00:01:03
Speaker 2: So it goes I-4, goes horizontal across the state, Daytona Beach, all the way to Tampa.
00:01:10
Speaker 3: Right there, I-4, right there.
00:01:12
Speaker 4: How far is it from Tampa to Orlando? Hour and a half?
00:01:15
Speaker 3: About two hours.
00:01:16
Speaker 4: Two hours?
00:01:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, almost two hours, yeah. Go through Haines City, go through Lakeland, a.k.a.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: Marquise Pouncey and Mike Pouncey Country, Dreadnought Country as we know it because that's the Lakeland High School mascot. Um, and then boom, you hit Tampa Bay. And then of course you got like Sarasota and all those St. Petersburg, all that up and down the coast.
00:01:35
Speaker 4: Um, but yeah, the football game, you have a college game on Saturday.
00:01:39
Speaker 1: No.
00:01:39
Speaker 3: Cause I have the, uh, the illustrious, uh, what is it? Steelers, um, beach party. Oh, that's right.
00:01:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right.
00:01:47
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:47
Speaker 2: All right.
00:01:48
Speaker 6: Exactly.
00:01:49
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:49
Speaker 3: The commercial.
00:01:50
Speaker 2: So yeah, me and Willie Parker will be there Saturday. Um, don't ask me where exactly it is. Is that a resort?
00:01:57
Speaker 3: Um, On the beach.
00:01:58
Speaker 4: That's a pretty good way to go. Okay, so recapping our power rankings, which you look at on Wednesdays with a little bit of a digression on who should have blocked two on that sack. The lone sack the Steelers gave up. Okay, San Francisco 49ers 1, Chiefs 2, Bills 3, Vikings 4, the Jaguars 5, Seattle Seahawks 6, the Ravens Seven. The Patriots, eight. The Broncos, nine. The Crimson Tide, ten. Chicago Bears at 11. Detroit Lions at 12. They got molly whopped by Green Bay. Cincinnati Bengals at 13. Three, three, and two teams. Bears, Lions, Bengals.
00:02:49
Speaker 3: Bears need to be at the bottom of that list. They got destroyed by Green Bay.
00:02:53
Speaker 5: Yeah, they got picked apart.
00:02:55
Speaker 3: It was embarrassing. Yeah.
00:02:58
Speaker 4: So I agree with you. I will say this. As a person who was, as I've said many times in this era, thought the Bears might be a regression candidate team, you know, you can only hang on there so long without your quarterback. And Caleb Williams is coming back soon. But, yeah, that's okay. So they're 11. Lions are 12. I think the Lions were my overrated team. last week they got beat by the they beat the Cardinals 45 to 21 they got a bye coming up their wins are over the Saints Jets and Cardinals I still got it I'm calling the Missouri Cardinal Lions you got to show me yeah 13 the Bengals I don't have any real problem with that again You know, this is based on what people think.
00:03:51
Speaker 3: Who have they lost to again?
00:03:54
Speaker 4: I know. The Steelers? I know. The Bengals? Well, I know. Especially when the discrepancy is factored in. That's what gets me. We'll get to the discrepancy. We're nearing a discrepancy. Their wins are over the Buccaneers. Okay, Steelers are going to play them this week, so we'll find out. The Texans, who are mysterious.
00:04:13
Speaker 3: Just got their first win against the winless Titans.
00:04:16
Speaker 4: Yep.
00:04:17
Speaker 3: And the Dolphins.
00:04:19
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:04:20
Speaker 4: But you know what? This is a matter of perception. Dolph is still searching for a win. So, this is like, again, this is like college football, Willie.
00:04:30
Speaker 3: Right?
00:04:30
Speaker 4: They were ranked already. You know? Since they were ranked. Like, they should not do power rankings until like four or five weeks in. Since they were ranked, they can't fall down that. You know what I mean? It's like when you started out, this is the Alabama thing. When you started out number one, then you lost and you're number four. Then you lost again and you're number eight. He lost again to your number 11. Well, if you'd started out one and three, you wouldn't be ranked, right?
00:04:54
Speaker 3: Correct.
00:04:54
Speaker 4: Correct.
00:04:55
Speaker 3: Exactly.
00:04:57
Speaker 4: They're 13. 14, another three and two team, the Green Bay Packers. Remind me, Justin Miller, was that my upset team of the week? Remind me. Did I pick them for the upset? Oh, that's right. No, that's right. Justin talked me out of it. I forgot. That's right. That's right. Justin talked me out of that. I had to remind myself that I talked you out of it. Uh-huh. They're number 14.
00:05:22
Speaker 2: Even though there was like five other choices that he did not talk you out of, you're going on the one that he talked you out of of the five choices.
00:05:31
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:05:31
Speaker 4: I got to tell you this. Like for a couple of years.
00:05:34
Speaker 3: Don't mess with my man Jay like that.
00:05:35
Speaker 4: For a couple of years, my mother would call me on like a Saturday and I wouldn't pick up the phone because here's what was going on. She got into one of these pools right where you pick the teams. So one year. One year she actually won the pool, but I will tell you this. In week 17, she was still asking me, now what does this mean when somebody is plus four and a half or minus three and she won the league? I'm not exaggerating. She won the league. But if she calls you for three picks on Saturday, right, and you get two of them right, you get the callback on Monday morning, and you know what you get? I knew I should have gone with the Packers. My gut told me to go with the Packers. What about the two I got right, Mom? Never remembers that. Never.
00:06:22
Speaker 5: Right?
00:06:22
Speaker 4: You know what I'm saying? Nobody ever remembers that stuff. Except me, Justin. I'm going to remember that Green Bay Packers thing all season long. Okay. Green Bay's 14. Carolina is 15.
00:06:31
Speaker 2: You knew how that felt with your mom, and you still are exacting your mom's vengeance.
00:06:38
Speaker 3: Okay. Got it.
00:06:39
Speaker 4: Go ahead.
00:06:40
Speaker 3: Go ahead.
00:06:40
Speaker 4: 14. Okay. 15 is Carolina at 2-2.
00:06:45
Speaker 3: What?
00:06:46
Speaker 4: I'm right there. There's my overrated team right there.
00:06:49
Speaker 6: Oh.
00:06:50
Speaker 3: You don't like the Panthers?
00:06:52
Speaker 4: At 15?
00:06:53
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:06:55
Speaker 1: No.
00:06:56
Speaker 4: I don't. No. I don't.
00:06:59
Speaker 2: I don't mind them being right after us, but I can't go before us.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: I can't.
00:07:06
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:07:06
Speaker 3: I can't.
00:07:08
Speaker 4: I think I would have them behind the next four and maybe the next five.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: The Lions should have been out of it. The Bears should have been out of it. Who did we just say?
00:07:21
Speaker 3: Green Bay. All those teams that we've listed in front of us right now.
00:07:26
Speaker 2: I could see the Panthers being there, but I would need other teams in front of them that are currently being.
00:07:32
Speaker 3: Held by teams that should not be up there. But I digress. The Bengals. Anyways, go ahead.
00:07:37
Speaker 4: Justin Miller, it's time for your Buddy Rich impersonation. Number 16, the Pittsburgh Steelers. By the way, this is far and away. I looked at three polls. I'm going to get to the other polls here. Far and away the highest ranking for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Far and away.
00:07:58
Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
00:07:59
Speaker 4: And number 16.
00:08:01
Speaker 3: What were the– well, you said you were going to get to it.
00:08:04
Speaker 4: I'll get to it.
00:08:04
Speaker 3: Jump the gun there.
00:08:05
Speaker 4: Yeah. I'll get to it. All right, they've beaten the Falcons, the Bengals, the Colts. Wait, let me scroll back up here. The Bengals are 13. Where did we say the Steelers were, Max? 16. Yeah. Let me see again. Who have you beaten? Falcons, Bengals, Colts.
00:08:30
Speaker 6: Hmm.
00:08:31
Speaker 4: Behind the Bengals. Okay.
00:08:34
Speaker 3: Still behind the Bengals.
00:08:34
Speaker 5: Yep, exactly.
00:08:35
Speaker 4: Still behind the Bengals. 17, the Raiders dropped from 13 to 17, the Eagles at 18, the Giants at 19. I think I would have Carolina behind all three of those teams. That's just me. That's why I got them as overrated. So any complaints with any of those?
00:08:57
Speaker 3: No, I'm actually fine.
00:09:00
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't know.
00:09:03
Speaker 5: This thing drives me crazy because I'm always trying to get emotional about it, but some of the teams that we just selected that were higher don't belong there, and the teams that are lower I feel like need a bump, so I'm always caught in the middle.
00:09:15
Speaker 4: I agree. I agree.
00:09:16
Speaker 2: I would say I would be okay with that order of the last four that you read if you took the lines and put them behind them. You could probably slot the Bengals probably maybe in front of the Giants.
00:09:33
Speaker 3: And– um.
00:09:36
Speaker 2: Chicago should definitely be back there you don't currently have your quarterback you can't go off of when he comes back right like he's not there you got an embarrassing loss boom i i don't know how you're in the top 20 um.
00:09:49
Speaker 3: As bad as you got beat by a green bay team that where's green bay ranked.
00:09:53
Speaker 4: Uh they are i'm scrolling back up again this is a problem with doing it on my phone. I must have passed them. Hang on a second. Let me go back again. Green Bay Packers are 14.
00:10:06
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:10:07
Speaker 3: And where were the Bears ranked?
00:10:11
Speaker 4: The Bears are ranked 11.
00:10:15
Speaker 3: Yeah. Problem right there.
00:10:19
Speaker 2: And that's actually 14 based after they beat them. So if we had to go back to last week's poll, I want to say that the Packers were even worse and the Bears were even higher. So, yeah, this is a post result that is 11 to 14. But yet the Packers beat them and there are three spaces behind them.
00:10:38
Speaker 3: So any who.
00:10:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the frustrating part about looking at these power rankings because you're still basing it on potential like like.
00:10:47
Speaker 4: Yes, that's right.
00:10:48
Speaker 3: The Alabama Rams, a.k.a.
00:10:53
Speaker 2: The Los Angeles Crimson Tide, still get ranked up there because I guess they're assuming that Miles Garrett is going to be back and he still gets a residual vote of confidence.
00:11:01
Speaker 3: But you're a 2-3 team. They're below.
00:11:04
Speaker 2: 500.
00:11:04
Speaker 3: And where are they ranked, Rob?
00:11:06
Speaker 2: At number 10 as a below. 500 team. The only below. 500 team in the top, what, top 19?
00:11:14
Speaker 4: I think you have to get to the Eagles at 2-3 at number 18.
00:11:19
Speaker 3: Okay, 18. Out of 18, they land that high.
00:11:23
Speaker 4: So I'm going straight up spoiler rank. By the way, the Cowboys at 20, the Texans at 21, and the Jets at 22. The Browns at 23, at 3-2. Falcons at 24. The Colts are 25. They dropped six spots after losing to the Steelers, which tells you what they– what people think about the Steelers. You lost to the Steelers? Oh, my goodness. And, by the way, the 16th ranked. The Steelers moved from 20 to 16. Now, let me jump to two other power rankings for you. ESPN has the Steelers ranked 20th.
00:12:02
Speaker 3: 20th?
00:12:04
Speaker 5: 20th?
00:12:04
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's disrespectful. You know, they started us off kind of in the barrel anyway.
00:12:12
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:12:14
Speaker 6: Yep.
00:12:14
Speaker 3: So I'm not surprised they kind of put us down there. They haven't.
00:12:21
Speaker 5: Been fans of what the Steelers are capable of or what they've been able to do thus far.
00:12:24
Speaker 3: So I'm not surprised they kind of put us down there. It's all right. Extra motivation. Exactly.
00:12:31
Speaker 4: I'm astonished. And so I didn't look at the NFL rankings, NFL.com rankings last week. NFL.com had the Steelers last week. Two and two Steelers, they had them ranked 25th. 25th in the NFL. After this week, they have them ranked at 22nd. The worst three and two team in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers. 22nd, guys.
00:13:04
Speaker 2: Now, that's just haterism right there. You know why?
00:13:09
Speaker 3: Because NFL.
00:13:11
Speaker 2: has been pissed that they have gotten us wrong for the last, like, nine years.
00:13:15
Speaker 3: So they can't wait to bag on our squad.
00:13:18
Speaker 2: Because I remember we used to always have a crappy ranking with them, and then we'd be in the playoffs, and the teams that they picked to be in the playoffs aren't there. And then all of a sudden they'd have a hissy fit.
00:13:28
Speaker 3: So it's par for the course.
00:13:32
Speaker 4: So NFL.com has them. I believe they're the lowest ranked three and two team. Yeah, they're the lowest-ranked 3-2 team. According to ESPN's ranking, I think the Steelers are ahead of two teams that are 3-2. I believe they're ahead of the Browns, I believe. Let me make sure I have this correct. They're ahead of the Browns at 3-2. That's the only 3-2 team they're ahead of. So the team that's got them ranked the best, the highest, is the Athletic at 16. They have them ahead of the 3-1-1 Giants. They have them ahead of the 3-2 Raiders. They have them ahead of the 3-2 Browns. Just again, so everybody knows how the Steelers are perceived around the NFL. Stick around. Jim Wexel is going to be joining us next as we dive back into the Steelers specific when we continue in the locker room here on the Steelers Audio Network.
00:14:30
Speaker 1: This is In the Locker Room with Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon on Steelers Nation Radio. Brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop.steelers.com. And by your neighborhood Ford store. The F-150 is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:14:52
Speaker 4: Uh-oh, guess what day it is. Guess what day it is. Huh? Anybody? Julie, hey, guess what day it is.
00:15:01
Speaker 1: Oh, come on.
00:15:02
Speaker 4: I know you can hear me. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. What day is it, Mike? Leslie, guess what today is.
00:15:08
Speaker 5: It's hump day.
00:15:14
Speaker 4: Oh, it is Mike the Camel invoking friends of our good buddy, evoking memories of our good buddy, Craig Wolfley. But you know what day it is, Max Starks. You know the introduction that needs to be made for our man.
00:15:31
Speaker 3: It is Wex Wednesday.
00:15:33
Speaker 2: And that is, of course, when our good friend Jim Wexel, Steel City Insider, Editor-in-Chief, also famed author of the Three River Country. And I'm staring at. Three different Jim Wexel books on my bookshelf right now. And of course, the most recent, If These Walls Could Talk. Of course, we know this is a Craig Wolfley story. We know the also self-informed mentioned Palamalu biography. Of course, On the Clock and numerous other tales of Steeler lore as so expertly pinned by the one, the only Jim Wexel.
00:16:14
Speaker 3: How are we doing today, Jim?
00:16:16
Speaker 6: Really good, really good. Max, you've got to get the Steelers historical timeline, the coffee table book, with pictures. I'm not sure if your picture's in it, but you are mentioned. You're a Super Bowl tackle.
00:16:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's one that's missing from the collection. I've got to order that one. So I'm one shy on my Wex collection.
00:16:40
Speaker 6: Well, you used to see that book behind Cam Hayward when he did his podcast. It was on his shelf. And so ever since I noted that on Twitter, he has taken it down.
00:16:51
Speaker 4: Oh, no.
00:16:57
Speaker 5: Oh.
00:16:58
Speaker 3: I guess no free meals. He had no free meals.
00:17:02
Speaker 4: We were going over the power rankings as we do every week, not only to look at the Steelers, but look at the rest of the league and kind of our our perceptions of what's going on around the rest of the NFL. Steelers ranked 16th by The Athletic, 20th by ESPN, 22nd by NFL.com, which had them ranked 25th before this win over the Colts. I know there's still a lot to prove and a lot of games to play, but it's baffled me over the last several years that the perception of the Steelers has constantly been less than what they've been able to achieve on the field. Does this narrative of this team being ranked that low, or maybe you think they're proper rankings? What do you think of rankings like that when you see them?
00:17:55
Speaker 6: Well, I'll tell you what, Rob. With the explosion on Twitter of anonymous hate, I pretty much don't listen to narratives anymore. I'm really looking at this team, I mean, I feel like a coach, you know, when they said, we don't care so much about what the other teams are doing. You've got to worry about what we're doing. I always liked that. And you, you do have to look around when you have a matchup coming up, but I, I, then the one narrative that I, I thought might've been debunked last week is that this is an old team in need of a tear down a complete tear down.
00:18:37
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:18:38
Speaker 6: While they've been building both lines, foundationally, that's where they're starting. Yes, they missed some playmakers, but then they got a second rounder, Jeremy Bernard, who's now going to play a key role. So even the playmakers have to start coming on, but the lines. Now, I think against the Bengals, we saw how a haunted Jordan Hoffman fit right in. I really like Dunker, so he's behind that in the developmental thing. regarding the right guard position, and maybe Hoffman holds him off, whatever. But I was pretty confident then that the offensive line was done. Last week, I thought the defensive line really, really stood out without Derek Harmon. And down in goal to go, they were without Cam. So these young guys, Black and Benton, we know about, but Black finally was started at nose tackle. He pushed Benton totally over to a more comfortable position, I believe, for him, a better position for him. And Rubio stepped in, did a great job. And Sebastian Joseph Day, those were the goal line. Those were the goal-to-go guys. the Colts had 10 goal to go plays and gained one yard you know there were four incompletions and Taylor took a two yard loss but man they did score one touchdown that was a fourth and one it was a misdirection handoff to the tight end playing fullback. So a bit of trickery was needed. And he barely got in.
00:20:14
Speaker 3: And by the.
00:20:15
Speaker 4: Way, Jim, old school football, like where you weren't allowed to push the guy, I don't think Warren scores there. I think that's a goal line stand. I don't think he got in until the second search.
00:20:27
Speaker 6: That's a great point. But even in today's game, those guys, without Cam, without Harmon– Really, look at the rushing stats. Look at Jonathan Taylor's total. All of that really made me feel good about the foundational part on the other side of the ball. So now both lines, I think, have been built. I'm not saying they won't draft anymore, but I can really focus on the playmakers on both sides of the ball. And I just don't think it's an old team in need of a teardown. I know Rodgers is the face of the team and TJ and Cam. Everybody thinks, well, because they're old, the team's old. But they're proving that's not the case. And I'm really excited about both lines now.
00:21:21
Speaker 4: Couldn't agree with you more. I couldn't agree with you more.
00:21:25
Speaker 2: And I think you're right, Jim, that a lot of people– kind of look at it and, you know, like you said, you, you make these face assumptions. And I think, you know, as we look at these kinds of power rankings, they don't look at actually what the team's been, been doing. I mean, you know, they've been putting up 24 points or better the last three games. And where was that departure? You know what, what we were arguing about that for what, five years, Jim, these airwaves about how they can't score. And then we get a team that does score. And then all of a sudden, no, it's still not good enough yet. Um, You know, Jalen Warren, of course, recently awarded the offensive player of the week.
00:22:03
Speaker 3: You just talk about just, you know, where we're at with him.
00:22:06
Speaker 2: And are we really ready to say he is the lead back for this team? He is a number one back in this league. Or people still have questions about what Jalen Warren can or can't.
00:22:20
Speaker 3: Do because he did it. He literally did it. like a delivery man.
00:22:24
Speaker 2: He did it on the ground, and he also did it in the air. He just can't do C because we don't play on water. We play near water, but.
00:22:30
Speaker 3: Not on it.
00:22:32
Speaker 6: You know, Jalen, when he first came here, he signed out of Oklahoma State, and he'd only been there a year. And I looked up before I talked to him in the spring or summer when he signed as an undrafted guy. There was some buzz about this guy from Oklahoma State, looked pretty good in the Big 12. And so I did some research. He had 3,000 yards rushing in his senior year of high school. And I asked him, why didn't that get you a scholarship? And he said, all five of my linemen got major college scholarships, and everybody thought it was them and not the little guy in the backfield. And so he finally goes to junior college, and then he goes to Utah State, and then he goes to Oklahoma State. And he's undrafted. So he's really used to not having anybody believe in him for the most part. And then he was stuck behind Najee, even though he would, he would, he would show this explosion every now and then. I remember you look back, he has long runs, really long runs leading up to this. And, but anyway, I asked him, I said, you went to high school in Utah, but you were born in Clinton, North Carolina. I said, there's a, there's a famous running back from this organization. He goes, yeah, Willie's my cousin. Willie Parker's his cousin. And then when Jalen made the team, I walked over to his locker, his new locker with his name plate. And I said, you know, this was Willie's locker. Did you know that? He goes, no. I go, did any Rogers, Bri Vogel, the equipment manager was gone. So nobody knew that that was Willie's locker. And then, A couple years later, last year when Jalen got his contract extension, I said, you're the first running back here to get a second contract since guess who? He goes, Willie? I mean, it's just following in order with this guy. And so when McCarthy the other day almost said, he said in other words, but he almost said, we're going to run him until the wheels come off. I remember Tomlin saying that in 2007, and the wheels did come off of Willie Parker. So that's why I hesitate with Jalen. I know it's a long story, but this is where the comparison I hope would end because as much as I want to see him get the ball, at least he's now lead dog and everybody knows it, but he's still going to need that rest. Don't run him until the wheels come off in week five. I mean, stick with your hot guy, but get Rico in there when you can and try to give him some rest so Jalen is strong down the stretch. where his cousin wasn't.
00:25:13
Speaker 3: Wow, I didn't know that.
00:25:14
Speaker 4: That's fascinating. Great stuff.
00:25:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's good. Great job, Jim.
00:25:19
Speaker 5: Can you talk about the production of our tight ends this past Sunday, and should the Steelers now focus on leaning more into the heavier personnel since that was so productive against the Colts?
00:25:33
Speaker 6: That's a great point, especially for the game coming up. Now, Tampa... really rugged. They got Vita Faye in the middle. They won their first game 10 days ago. They saved their season. Now they're coming home. This rookie quarterback's not playing that bad. They had like 260 rushing yards. This is going to be, this is going to be a problem. This is going to be a tougher game than people think. You know, 10 days rest, Seals coming off a win, probably a little, feel a little fat about themselves, but can they run on Tampa Bay? And should they use 12 personnel, two tight ends? And Tampa Bay, one of their weaknesses is covering tight ends. So that could be the matchup for the Steelers. You know, concentrate on a lot of 12. You have a lot of receivers injured right now, a couple receivers, even though I want to see more Germany for sure. But they've got, what, three wide receivers injured. So it would behoove them, I think. I think using two tight ends, a lot of 12 personnel, I liked what Friar Muth was saying. He said, you know, while Washington came here as a blocker and he's learning how to be a receiver, I came here as a receiver and I'm learning how to be a blocker. And he explained that, and you guys know this, it's basic football, but there's no key now. When Friar Muth and Washington are in the game, you don't know if they're going to run or pass. Before, when Washington would come in, it would be a tip that, yeah, they're going to run the ball. So now they have two tight ends that are pretty balanced in their games. Fire Moose is doing a lot better job blocking. And, of course, Darnell is becoming an offensive force. So I agree with you, Willie. I think that's the way to go. I think attack them also through the air with those two tight ends.
00:27:24
Speaker 4: Yeah, and that is– I'm glad you pointed it out because that is a weakness of Tampa Bay. And then also when you think about the personnel– Jim, you know, your Brandon Smith right now is your third receiver. He was signed off the practice squad. Probably, barring any other moves, going to go reach into the practice squad for a couple of more guys. So those tight end guys are guys you know are good quality players and have been around. And I'm really glad you hit on this narrative that has kind of driven me crazy. Now, look, I will say this. You know, the narrative of the team is old because you pointed out, look, Jalen Ramsey, T.J. Watt, cam hayward um aaron rogers they're they're over 30 i understand that um they're also your best players so you know on the other on the other hand you do need some of these younger guys to merge as like like i've said the only caveat i have with this uh my kind of decrying this this notion that the steelers are getting old is that now the players do have to pan out they're showing sign to that but at some point you know say at the end of this season or beginning of next season when pff or whoever ranks the top 10 offensive lines steelers need to be in that or in that conversation steelers defensive line needs to be in that or in that conversation but as we sit here today jim those things and i just wanted to drive home that point because i thought it was a good one by you those things seem to be trending in the direction that.
00:28:50
Speaker 6: You want well also look at those four guys i i don't know as much about ramsey He was offended by the insinuation that he mentored Joey into faking a back injury and getting out of here. And he shouted out against that on Twitter.
00:29:08
Speaker 3: Great.
00:29:09
Speaker 6: Okay, that was a nice first step for him. But I know the other three, for sure, are mentors to all these young guys. You see Rodgers talking to young cornerbacks.
00:29:21
Speaker 7: Absolutely.
00:29:21
Speaker 6: Rodgers gets this. And he wants to win this in his last year. He's patching his team together. He's talking to kids. He's teaching Aller. He's teaching Howard. And Cam has been doing that on the defensive line for years. And TJ, of course, with Herbig. Herbig came from his school. Talk about a mentorship there. But he's doing the same with Sawyer. And, of course, Alex Heisman probably doesn't need as much mentoring now. He's doing it. But these guys are more than valuable as old star players. They're just so much wisdom. That's just how you perpetuate winning. You don't break it down and rebuild. Then you learn how to lose. And then most times you don't come out of that. For years you're down there. So this tear it down idea is really lost on me. I really think they have a good thing going. Omar's doing a better job than he's getting credit for. He's putting together two lines. Jeremy Bernard is now going to be a guy to come on. And even Everett. third round quarterback looks like a good player too. So yeah, you have to be happy, but then again, next week awaits.
00:30:37
Speaker 4: Right. That's right.
00:30:42
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:30:42
Speaker 2: Um, as I kind of look at, you know, where we're at a lot of young guys and we, you know, we intimated Everett. We talked about how different guys have kind of filled these roles.
00:30:57
Speaker 3: Um, as I'm kind.
00:31:00
Speaker 2: Of like looking at this, Wex, and I just wanted to kind of know where you were with this was, you know, was the emphasis of these rookies and now, you know, you see a guy like Landon Roberts gets re-signed and knowing that there are some, you know, some discrepancies about what the linebacker role should and shouldn't be. I mean, why didn't they just keep him at the beginning, right? Why did they just keep the guy that we were thinking was going to be the fourth linebacker? Why didn't they just keep a Landon Roberts earlier and opted for younger skilled guys where sometimes maybe that tried, trusted, and true old guy was the right choice?
00:31:45
Speaker 6: Well, I wasn't so sure it was the right choice. I actually had him getting cut and I'm glad he signed back, but there's guaranteed contracts for the year if you keep a I believe, over fourth year. So I'm pretty sure that played a big part in it. Also, they don't want to lose Carson Bruner. I really would like to see him play. I think he's a natural-born tackler. I know he's not as big. He's about as big as Larry Foote. Was he a tackler? Yes. So I would have liked to have seen him, but I have a feeling that Roberts was brought in for Tampa Bay. I don't know what happens after that. But I mean, Tampa Bay is going to run the ball. They, what, 267 last week, I believe, against the Cowboys. So I like this. Maybe they feel they've given Queen and Wilson more of a chance to be run stuffers, and maybe they're not happy. I'm unsure. of the answer there, but there are a lot of injuries. And so they didn't have to lose one of 11 rookies that made this team, this old team, 11 rookies made it. So maybe Roberts was in the way of one or two guys. I'm not sure, but they got them back. You know, Mason McCormick, the first day Roberts came back, Roberts was blowing everything up. And McCormick was hot. McCormick was the guy that started the brawl when Roberts blew up Justin Fields in practice, quarterback running downfield. Roberts hit him, and Mason McCormick came flying and began a whole field brawl. So Mason and Landon go way back. And when Landon came back this week, Mason kept yelling, you know, that's your teammate.
00:33:47
Speaker 1: What are you doing?
00:33:48
Speaker 6: You know, he's yelling, yeah, you got fresh legs. We see that. Good for you. You know, I'm like, McCormick, I didn't know you were crazy.
00:33:57
Speaker 7: As the last few weeks have unraveled, we've seen he is crazy. So Roberts was getting chewed out by– and almost another brawl almost happened with McCormick. McCormick, he wasn't having it. He didn't seem like he liked him very much. And so– he was giving him the fresh legs saying, you know, this is why you're making all these plays and things like that. So there was, there was another comment that Roberts that McCormick made that made sense to me. And it was on the field and maybe that's why Roberts is so fresh and blowing people up. And, but so he, you know, he got cut and nobody else picked them up. So maybe McCormick was right on. So, I'm going to defer to him. I'm going to go in there and talk to him about Vita Bay, see if he's going to use the same techniques he used on Dexter Lawrence.
00:34:50
Speaker 4: Yeah, another Vita.
00:34:53
Speaker 7: Lifting the, what was his femur?
00:34:55
Speaker 4: I don't know.
00:34:56
Speaker 6: I don't know what he called it.
00:34:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, lift of the upper leg.
00:34:58
Speaker 4: I've got to find out. Bit of a forklift. Hey, Jim, always appreciate the insight, my friend. Thank you so much for being on with us.
00:35:05
Speaker 6: Okay, guys. Hey, thanks for having me on. Have a good day, boys.
00:35:08
Speaker 4: It's a hump day, headline day with Jim Wexel, our buddy. who joins us to give us his, you know, always fun to hear those stories, those things about Willie Parker that I did not know. Very, very cool.
00:35:18
Speaker 3: I had no idea. That's amazing.
00:35:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, great stuff. Great insight from Jim. Stick around. Much more to get to when we continue here in the locker room on the Steelers Audio Network.
00:35:33
Speaker 1: This is In the Locker Room with Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon on Steelers Nation Radio. Brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop.steelers.com. And by your neighborhood Ford store. The F-150 is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:35:57
Speaker 3: All right, we have had a fun, entertaining show. Kind of went over... Power rankings. Who likes us? Who doesn't?
00:36:06
Speaker 2: Player of the Week honors for Jalen Warren. We had the great Jim Wexel on for Hump Day Headlines. We've talked everything. This show's just been chock full of everything, Rob. Nuts, Vichyssoise, everything. We've kind of gone around the du jour of topics, so.
00:36:26
Speaker 2: I am going to leave this up to you to, uh, to guide the ship into the final, uh, final lap here as only a King can do.
00:36:39
Speaker 4: Willie, it's good to be on the, uh, the right side of one of those Max Starks, uh, introductions.
00:36:45
Speaker 3: It's a thing.
00:36:50
Speaker 4: It is definitely a thing. Um, You know, I do think that, you know, Jim gave us a lot to chew on, and we're going to get into the matchups tomorrow. We're going to be joined by Jerry Dulac, who will get us caught up on the latest news. Of course, the team is out practicing now, so any kind of injury updates or whatever we should be able to get, you know, sort of through Wednesday's practice, through today's practice. And Tony Castricone, the play-by-play guy for Tampa Bay, is going to be joining us as well. But, you know– I thought it was an interesting point about a landed Roberts Willie that, that this could be a sort of, um, specific to this kind of game, a veteran guy that you could call up in the practice squad, uh, you know, hopefully fresh legs playing a lot of minutes and a lot of snaps to help control the running game. And Bucky Irving, who had a huge game, you would think with a younger quarterback, who by the way, uh, does a pretty good job running himself that stopping the run would be good. And, you know, your call for the tight ends, uh, you know, I do a show called the matchup with, uh, with Missy Matthews and Matt Williamson on Thursdays. And my key is the tight ends because Tampa Bay does not do a great job covering tight ends. And we know we've got two good ones. And Robert Tynan is a pretty good one too, who just hasn't played a lot as opposed to three guys. You're going to be, you know, probably three wide receivers. You'd be bringing up off the practice squad to play in this game.
00:38:15
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's a, it's, it's a multitude of things.
00:38:19
Speaker 5: I think one, bringing E-Rob in is beneficial because I think if there was one aspect of the defense that's kind of underperformed to some degree has been.
00:38:29
Speaker 3: The linebacker core.
00:38:30
Speaker 5: And I know there's been speculation with the trade deadline coming close that we're approaching the trade deadline, so to speak. Now there's talks that Patrick Queen may be the guy who may be on deck if there was a move to be made. With all that said, I think E-Rob just brings a level of physicality that's needed this time of year when you have to start to form your identity on both sides of the ball. You know, Jim did a great job of talking about the impact our defensive line had in the game against the Colts. Well, there's going to be another big task at hand because the Tampa Bay Bucs cannot throw the football, right? They can only run the football, and they run it well, and they play behind their defense.
00:39:12
Speaker 3: That kind of has that bend but don't break.
00:39:14
Speaker 5: But they also blitz at a high tune as well. So you're going to need some linebackers who are short tacklers and physical. And, you know, there's going to be a lot put on that young undrafted free agent, was Jamel Dean. It was a Jalen Dean Daniels, excuse me, for Tampa Bay. And, you know, they have Ted Johnson's and they got a book and they got a bunch of guys that can are worthy receivers, man. But they don't want they don't want that young quarterback throwing the ball more than 20-something times a game.
00:39:45
Speaker 4: You know, they want to run the ball.
00:39:47
Speaker 5: And be in control of the clock and be efficient. So with all that said, man, it's imperative that a linebacker core really show up. And so I think I consider E-Rob more of a reinforcement.
00:40:01
Speaker 4: And it's necessary.
00:40:02
Speaker 5: So none of us wanted to see him get cut. I know Jim said he had him getting cut. I did not see him having him getting cut. I thought he was kind of a short spot. He had a short spot. Um, obviously that's not the case, but you know, if, if, if he's walking into this field with a fresh legs and, and ready.
00:40:19
Speaker 4: To roll, that's a plus for the Steelers. Max, uh, Alandon Roberts, again, he's on the practice squad, so he'd have to be elevated for this game. Although there's some room because guys are be injured and aren't going to be able to play your thoughts on Alandon Roberts and whether this is, I hadn't thought about it as specific to this game. I thought that was an interesting point by Jim. And also again, just to piggyback on that, um, You know, this notion that you've got tight ends on the NFL roster and good ones, and you're going to note nothing against any guys you might call from the practice squad at the receiver position, but they're on the practice squad. And it's a Tampa Bay defense that you would think the tight ends would be a good match for you as well.
00:41:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, and listen, I love E-Rob.
00:41:04
Speaker 2: E-Rob is one of those guys that when I look at just the style of play and the physicality, sometimes you need that, just an identity setter.
00:41:12
Speaker 4: Right.
00:41:13
Speaker 3: An identity tone setter.
00:41:16
Speaker 6: Yes.
00:41:16
Speaker 2: Is he possibly a liability in some of your past coverage stuff?
00:41:20
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
00:41:22
Speaker 2: But at the same time, he's still a guy who is highly, highly decorated and and and and has made a lot of tackles in this league.
00:41:30
Speaker 3: So sometimes you just need the guy to come in. Just set the tone for me. You know, let me.
00:41:34
Speaker 2: Know what what you what you what you're doing. And let's go from there. I think that's kind of how I look at. you know, where he is and what his game has meant, you know, in those situations. And I think the veteran leadership, if you are going to bring along a Carson Bruner type, right, bring that veteran presence there too with him and let us see what he can do. Because I just know he's a quality guy that has always been, you know, a great leader of men. and has been a guy that's going to go out there and physically show you how to do it. He's not going to just tell you how to do it. He's going to show you how to do it. I think that's what I love most about him.
00:42:15
Speaker 4: But it's hard to carry five inside linebackers. So you're making a decision. I think a guy like a Landon Roberts, you're making a decision. Is it a Landon Roberts or is it Kevin Jobity or Gabe Rubio? That might be the decision more than him versus Cole Holcomb or him versus Carson Bruner. And it'll be interesting, I think, Max, Willie's been calling for it, for this tight end usage, increased tight end usage. This would seem to be the week, right? This would seem to be a good week for all the reasons we mentioned. You got guys that are already on the 53-man roster. That means you like them, they're performing well, and they're going against a Tampa team that has struggled covering tight ends.
00:42:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely. This is what you're looking for.
00:43:00
Speaker 2: You're looking for where are the advantages, right?
00:43:03
Speaker 3: Where are Where are.
00:43:04
Speaker 2: We going to be the most successful in a lot of these things? And I think, you know, tight ends, we have three of them. Most people struggle with two, but we have three. And I would love to see. We saw it last week, and it was very brief, but I really like. They had a 13 personnel grouping that they lined up like 11. And I love that because you had one that was your base guy, and then you had another one. that he had two guys outside. And I'm like, man, that is just such a smart way to use it. We saw this with Arthur Smith. He kind of toyed with it, but didn't really commit to it. And now you're seeing it done from that perspective. And I'm like, that's what we need to bring out. Force them to get into a base personnel, spread them because we know Pat can run the routes. And who wants to block? Let's just face it. Who wants to block Darnell Washington?
00:44:00
Speaker 4: Nobody.
00:44:00
Speaker 3: Never, ever, ever, ever. Nobody. All right. So, yeah.
00:44:03
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we'll dive more into– sorry, Max, I thought you were completed. Did not mean to cut you off. We will dive more into these topics over the next couple days as we break down the key matchups. Our thanks to Jim Wexel today, of course, for Justin Miller coming up with a drumroll. Drumroll, please. And other things, of course, the controls. Again, a reminder tomorrow, Jerry Dulac going to join us. Tony Castricone, the play-by-play guy for Tampa Bay, will give you the lowdown on the Bucs. For Max Starks, for Willie Colon. For everybody here at the iHeart Studios, Justin Miller and beyond, I'm Rob King. We thank you, as always, for being with us in the locker room here on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1: This is In the Locker Room with Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon on Steelers Nation Radio, brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop.steelers.com. And by your neighborhood Ford store, the F-150 is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: That's right, chugging along on a Wednesday here, moving down the football highway as we prepare for a match down south in the Bay of Tampa, Tampa Bay. Or as I know it, it is I-4 West as I'm from Orlando. You just take I-4 West and you bump your head right into Tampa.
00:00:59
Speaker 3: So that was one. Orlando.
00:01:03
Speaker 2: So it goes I-4, goes horizontal across the state, Daytona Beach, all the way to Tampa.
00:01:10
Speaker 3: Right there, I-4, right there.
00:01:12
Speaker 4: How far is it from Tampa to Orlando? Hour and a half?
00:01:15
Speaker 3: About two hours.
00:01:16
Speaker 4: Two hours?
00:01:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, almost two hours, yeah. Go through Haines City, go through Lakeland, a.k.a.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: Marquise Pouncey and Mike Pouncey Country, Dreadnought Country as we know it because that's the Lakeland High School mascot. Um, and then boom, you hit Tampa Bay. And then of course you got like Sarasota and all those St. Petersburg, all that up and down the coast.
00:01:35
Speaker 4: Um, but yeah, the football game, you have a college game on Saturday.
00:01:39
Speaker 1: No.
00:01:39
Speaker 3: Cause I have the, uh, the illustrious, uh, what is it? Steelers, um, beach party. Oh, that's right.
00:01:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right.
00:01:47
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:47
Speaker 2: All right.
00:01:48
Speaker 6: Exactly.
00:01:49
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:49
Speaker 3: The commercial.
00:01:50
Speaker 2: So yeah, me and Willie Parker will be there Saturday. Um, don't ask me where exactly it is. Is that a resort?
00:01:57
Speaker 3: Um, On the beach.
00:01:58
Speaker 4: That's a pretty good way to go. Okay, so recapping our power rankings, which you look at on Wednesdays with a little bit of a digression on who should have blocked two on that sack. The lone sack the Steelers gave up. Okay, San Francisco 49ers 1, Chiefs 2, Bills 3, Vikings 4, the Jaguars 5, Seattle Seahawks 6, the Ravens Seven. The Patriots, eight. The Broncos, nine. The Crimson Tide, ten. Chicago Bears at 11. Detroit Lions at 12. They got molly whopped by Green Bay. Cincinnati Bengals at 13. Three, three, and two teams. Bears, Lions, Bengals.
00:02:49
Speaker 3: Bears need to be at the bottom of that list. They got destroyed by Green Bay.
00:02:53
Speaker 5: Yeah, they got picked apart.
00:02:55
Speaker 3: It was embarrassing. Yeah.
00:02:58
Speaker 4: So I agree with you. I will say this. As a person who was, as I've said many times in this era, thought the Bears might be a regression candidate team, you know, you can only hang on there so long without your quarterback. And Caleb Williams is coming back soon. But, yeah, that's okay. So they're 11. Lions are 12. I think the Lions were my overrated team. last week they got beat by the they beat the Cardinals 45 to 21 they got a bye coming up their wins are over the Saints Jets and Cardinals I still got it I'm calling the Missouri Cardinal Lions you got to show me yeah 13 the Bengals I don't have any real problem with that again You know, this is based on what people think.
00:03:51
Speaker 3: Who have they lost to again?
00:03:54
Speaker 4: I know. The Steelers? I know. The Bengals? Well, I know. Especially when the discrepancy is factored in. That's what gets me. We'll get to the discrepancy. We're nearing a discrepancy. Their wins are over the Buccaneers. Okay, Steelers are going to play them this week, so we'll find out. The Texans, who are mysterious.
00:04:13
Speaker 3: Just got their first win against the winless Titans.
00:04:16
Speaker 4: Yep.
00:04:17
Speaker 3: And the Dolphins.
00:04:19
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:04:20
Speaker 4: But you know what? This is a matter of perception. Dolph is still searching for a win. So, this is like, again, this is like college football, Willie.
00:04:30
Speaker 3: Right?
00:04:30
Speaker 4: They were ranked already. You know? Since they were ranked. Like, they should not do power rankings until like four or five weeks in. Since they were ranked, they can't fall down that. You know what I mean? It's like when you started out, this is the Alabama thing. When you started out number one, then you lost and you're number four. Then you lost again and you're number eight. He lost again to your number 11. Well, if you'd started out one and three, you wouldn't be ranked, right?
00:04:54
Speaker 3: Correct.
00:04:54
Speaker 4: Correct.
00:04:55
Speaker 3: Exactly.
00:04:57
Speaker 4: They're 13. 14, another three and two team, the Green Bay Packers. Remind me, Justin Miller, was that my upset team of the week? Remind me. Did I pick them for the upset? Oh, that's right. No, that's right. Justin talked me out of it. I forgot. That's right. That's right. Justin talked me out of that. I had to remind myself that I talked you out of it. Uh-huh. They're number 14.
00:05:22
Speaker 2: Even though there was like five other choices that he did not talk you out of, you're going on the one that he talked you out of of the five choices.
00:05:31
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:05:31
Speaker 4: I got to tell you this. Like for a couple of years.
00:05:34
Speaker 3: Don't mess with my man Jay like that.
00:05:35
Speaker 4: For a couple of years, my mother would call me on like a Saturday and I wouldn't pick up the phone because here's what was going on. She got into one of these pools right where you pick the teams. So one year. One year she actually won the pool, but I will tell you this. In week 17, she was still asking me, now what does this mean when somebody is plus four and a half or minus three and she won the league? I'm not exaggerating. She won the league. But if she calls you for three picks on Saturday, right, and you get two of them right, you get the callback on Monday morning, and you know what you get? I knew I should have gone with the Packers. My gut told me to go with the Packers. What about the two I got right, Mom? Never remembers that. Never.
00:06:22
Speaker 5: Right?
00:06:22
Speaker 4: You know what I'm saying? Nobody ever remembers that stuff. Except me, Justin. I'm going to remember that Green Bay Packers thing all season long. Okay. Green Bay's 14. Carolina is 15.
00:06:31
Speaker 2: You knew how that felt with your mom, and you still are exacting your mom's vengeance.
00:06:38
Speaker 3: Okay. Got it.
00:06:39
Speaker 4: Go ahead.
00:06:40
Speaker 3: Go ahead.
00:06:40
Speaker 4: 14. Okay. 15 is Carolina at 2-2.
00:06:45
Speaker 3: What?
00:06:46
Speaker 4: I'm right there. There's my overrated team right there.
00:06:49
Speaker 6: Oh.
00:06:50
Speaker 3: You don't like the Panthers?
00:06:52
Speaker 4: At 15?
00:06:53
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:06:55
Speaker 1: No.
00:06:56
Speaker 4: I don't. No. I don't.
00:06:59
Speaker 2: I don't mind them being right after us, but I can't go before us.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: I can't.
00:07:06
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:07:06
Speaker 3: I can't.
00:07:08
Speaker 4: I think I would have them behind the next four and maybe the next five.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: The Lions should have been out of it. The Bears should have been out of it. Who did we just say?
00:07:21
Speaker 3: Green Bay. All those teams that we've listed in front of us right now.
00:07:26
Speaker 2: I could see the Panthers being there, but I would need other teams in front of them that are currently being.
00:07:32
Speaker 3: Held by teams that should not be up there. But I digress. The Bengals. Anyways, go ahead.
00:07:37
Speaker 4: Justin Miller, it's time for your Buddy Rich impersonation. Number 16, the Pittsburgh Steelers. By the way, this is far and away. I looked at three polls. I'm going to get to the other polls here. Far and away the highest ranking for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Far and away.
00:07:58
Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
00:07:59
Speaker 4: And number 16.
00:08:01
Speaker 3: What were the– well, you said you were going to get to it.
00:08:04
Speaker 4: I'll get to it.
00:08:04
Speaker 3: Jump the gun there.
00:08:05
Speaker 4: Yeah. I'll get to it. All right, they've beaten the Falcons, the Bengals, the Colts. Wait, let me scroll back up here. The Bengals are 13. Where did we say the Steelers were, Max? 16. Yeah. Let me see again. Who have you beaten? Falcons, Bengals, Colts.
00:08:30
Speaker 6: Hmm.
00:08:31
Speaker 4: Behind the Bengals. Okay.
00:08:34
Speaker 3: Still behind the Bengals.
00:08:34
Speaker 5: Yep, exactly.
00:08:35
Speaker 4: Still behind the Bengals. 17, the Raiders dropped from 13 to 17, the Eagles at 18, the Giants at 19. I think I would have Carolina behind all three of those teams. That's just me. That's why I got them as overrated. So any complaints with any of those?
00:08:57
Speaker 3: No, I'm actually fine.
00:09:00
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't know.
00:09:03
Speaker 5: This thing drives me crazy because I'm always trying to get emotional about it, but some of the teams that we just selected that were higher don't belong there, and the teams that are lower I feel like need a bump, so I'm always caught in the middle.
00:09:15
Speaker 4: I agree. I agree.
00:09:16
Speaker 2: I would say I would be okay with that order of the last four that you read if you took the lines and put them behind them. You could probably slot the Bengals probably maybe in front of the Giants.
00:09:33
Speaker 3: And– um.
00:09:36
Speaker 2: Chicago should definitely be back there you don't currently have your quarterback you can't go off of when he comes back right like he's not there you got an embarrassing loss boom i i don't know how you're in the top 20 um.
00:09:49
Speaker 3: As bad as you got beat by a green bay team that where's green bay ranked.
00:09:53
Speaker 4: Uh they are i'm scrolling back up again this is a problem with doing it on my phone. I must have passed them. Hang on a second. Let me go back again. Green Bay Packers are 14.
00:10:06
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:10:07
Speaker 3: And where were the Bears ranked?
00:10:11
Speaker 4: The Bears are ranked 11.
00:10:15
Speaker 3: Yeah. Problem right there.
00:10:19
Speaker 2: And that's actually 14 based after they beat them. So if we had to go back to last week's poll, I want to say that the Packers were even worse and the Bears were even higher. So, yeah, this is a post result that is 11 to 14. But yet the Packers beat them and there are three spaces behind them.
00:10:38
Speaker 3: So any who.
00:10:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the frustrating part about looking at these power rankings because you're still basing it on potential like like.
00:10:47
Speaker 4: Yes, that's right.
00:10:48
Speaker 3: The Alabama Rams, a.k.a.
00:10:53
Speaker 2: The Los Angeles Crimson Tide, still get ranked up there because I guess they're assuming that Miles Garrett is going to be back and he still gets a residual vote of confidence.
00:11:01
Speaker 3: But you're a 2-3 team. They're below.
00:11:04
Speaker 2: 500.
00:11:04
Speaker 3: And where are they ranked, Rob?
00:11:06
Speaker 2: At number 10 as a below. 500 team. The only below. 500 team in the top, what, top 19?
00:11:14
Speaker 4: I think you have to get to the Eagles at 2-3 at number 18.
00:11:19
Speaker 3: Okay, 18. Out of 18, they land that high.
00:11:23
Speaker 4: So I'm going straight up spoiler rank. By the way, the Cowboys at 20, the Texans at 21, and the Jets at 22. The Browns at 23, at 3-2. Falcons at 24. The Colts are 25. They dropped six spots after losing to the Steelers, which tells you what they– what people think about the Steelers. You lost to the Steelers? Oh, my goodness. And, by the way, the 16th ranked. The Steelers moved from 20 to 16. Now, let me jump to two other power rankings for you. ESPN has the Steelers ranked 20th.
00:12:02
Speaker 3: 20th?
00:12:04
Speaker 5: 20th?
00:12:04
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's disrespectful. You know, they started us off kind of in the barrel anyway.
00:12:12
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:12:14
Speaker 6: Yep.
00:12:14
Speaker 3: So I'm not surprised they kind of put us down there. They haven't.
00:12:21
Speaker 5: Been fans of what the Steelers are capable of or what they've been able to do thus far.
00:12:24
Speaker 3: So I'm not surprised they kind of put us down there. It's all right. Extra motivation. Exactly.
00:12:31
Speaker 4: I'm astonished. And so I didn't look at the NFL rankings, NFL.com rankings last week. NFL.com had the Steelers last week. Two and two Steelers, they had them ranked 25th. 25th in the NFL. After this week, they have them ranked at 22nd. The worst three and two team in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers. 22nd, guys.
00:13:04
Speaker 2: Now, that's just haterism right there. You know why?
00:13:09
Speaker 3: Because NFL.
00:13:11
Speaker 2: has been pissed that they have gotten us wrong for the last, like, nine years.
00:13:15
Speaker 3: So they can't wait to bag on our squad.
00:13:18
Speaker 2: Because I remember we used to always have a crappy ranking with them, and then we'd be in the playoffs, and the teams that they picked to be in the playoffs aren't there. And then all of a sudden they'd have a hissy fit.
00:13:28
Speaker 3: So it's par for the course.
00:13:32
Speaker 4: So NFL.com has them. I believe they're the lowest ranked three and two team. Yeah, they're the lowest-ranked 3-2 team. According to ESPN's ranking, I think the Steelers are ahead of two teams that are 3-2. I believe they're ahead of the Browns, I believe. Let me make sure I have this correct. They're ahead of the Browns at 3-2. That's the only 3-2 team they're ahead of. So the team that's got them ranked the best, the highest, is the Athletic at 16. They have them ahead of the 3-1-1 Giants. They have them ahead of the 3-2 Raiders. They have them ahead of the 3-2 Browns. Just again, so everybody knows how the Steelers are perceived around the NFL. Stick around. Jim Wexel is going to be joining us next as we dive back into the Steelers specific when we continue in the locker room here on the Steelers Audio Network.
00:14:30
Speaker 1: This is In the Locker Room with Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon on Steelers Nation Radio. Brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop.steelers.com. And by your neighborhood Ford store. The F-150 is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:14:52
Speaker 4: Uh-oh, guess what day it is. Guess what day it is. Huh? Anybody? Julie, hey, guess what day it is.
00:15:01
Speaker 1: Oh, come on.
00:15:02
Speaker 4: I know you can hear me. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. What day is it, Mike? Leslie, guess what today is.
00:15:08
Speaker 5: It's hump day.
00:15:14
Speaker 4: Oh, it is Mike the Camel invoking friends of our good buddy, evoking memories of our good buddy, Craig Wolfley. But you know what day it is, Max Starks. You know the introduction that needs to be made for our man.
00:15:31
Speaker 3: It is Wex Wednesday.
00:15:33
Speaker 2: And that is, of course, when our good friend Jim Wexel, Steel City Insider, Editor-in-Chief, also famed author of the Three River Country. And I'm staring at. Three different Jim Wexel books on my bookshelf right now. And of course, the most recent, If These Walls Could Talk. Of course, we know this is a Craig Wolfley story. We know the also self-informed mentioned Palamalu biography. Of course, On the Clock and numerous other tales of Steeler lore as so expertly pinned by the one, the only Jim Wexel.
00:16:14
Speaker 3: How are we doing today, Jim?
00:16:16
Speaker 6: Really good, really good. Max, you've got to get the Steelers historical timeline, the coffee table book, with pictures. I'm not sure if your picture's in it, but you are mentioned. You're a Super Bowl tackle.
00:16:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's one that's missing from the collection. I've got to order that one. So I'm one shy on my Wex collection.
00:16:40
Speaker 6: Well, you used to see that book behind Cam Hayward when he did his podcast. It was on his shelf. And so ever since I noted that on Twitter, he has taken it down.
00:16:51
Speaker 4: Oh, no.
00:16:57
Speaker 5: Oh.
00:16:58
Speaker 3: I guess no free meals. He had no free meals.
00:17:02
Speaker 4: We were going over the power rankings as we do every week, not only to look at the Steelers, but look at the rest of the league and kind of our our perceptions of what's going on around the rest of the NFL. Steelers ranked 16th by The Athletic, 20th by ESPN, 22nd by NFL.com, which had them ranked 25th before this win over the Colts. I know there's still a lot to prove and a lot of games to play, but it's baffled me over the last several years that the perception of the Steelers has constantly been less than what they've been able to achieve on the field. Does this narrative of this team being ranked that low, or maybe you think they're proper rankings? What do you think of rankings like that when you see them?
00:17:55
Speaker 6: Well, I'll tell you what, Rob. With the explosion on Twitter of anonymous hate, I pretty much don't listen to narratives anymore. I'm really looking at this team, I mean, I feel like a coach, you know, when they said, we don't care so much about what the other teams are doing. You've got to worry about what we're doing. I always liked that. And you, you do have to look around when you have a matchup coming up, but I, I, then the one narrative that I, I thought might've been debunked last week is that this is an old team in need of a tear down a complete tear down.
00:18:37
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:18:38
Speaker 6: While they've been building both lines, foundationally, that's where they're starting. Yes, they missed some playmakers, but then they got a second rounder, Jeremy Bernard, who's now going to play a key role. So even the playmakers have to start coming on, but the lines. Now, I think against the Bengals, we saw how a haunted Jordan Hoffman fit right in. I really like Dunker, so he's behind that in the developmental thing. regarding the right guard position, and maybe Hoffman holds him off, whatever. But I was pretty confident then that the offensive line was done. Last week, I thought the defensive line really, really stood out without Derek Harmon. And down in goal to go, they were without Cam. So these young guys, Black and Benton, we know about, but Black finally was started at nose tackle. He pushed Benton totally over to a more comfortable position, I believe, for him, a better position for him. And Rubio stepped in, did a great job. And Sebastian Joseph Day, those were the goal line. Those were the goal-to-go guys. the Colts had 10 goal to go plays and gained one yard you know there were four incompletions and Taylor took a two yard loss but man they did score one touchdown that was a fourth and one it was a misdirection handoff to the tight end playing fullback. So a bit of trickery was needed. And he barely got in.
00:20:14
Speaker 3: And by the.
00:20:15
Speaker 4: Way, Jim, old school football, like where you weren't allowed to push the guy, I don't think Warren scores there. I think that's a goal line stand. I don't think he got in until the second search.
00:20:27
Speaker 6: That's a great point. But even in today's game, those guys, without Cam, without Harmon– Really, look at the rushing stats. Look at Jonathan Taylor's total. All of that really made me feel good about the foundational part on the other side of the ball. So now both lines, I think, have been built. I'm not saying they won't draft anymore, but I can really focus on the playmakers on both sides of the ball. And I just don't think it's an old team in need of a teardown. I know Rodgers is the face of the team and TJ and Cam. Everybody thinks, well, because they're old, the team's old. But they're proving that's not the case. And I'm really excited about both lines now.
00:21:21
Speaker 4: Couldn't agree with you more. I couldn't agree with you more.
00:21:25
Speaker 2: And I think you're right, Jim, that a lot of people– kind of look at it and, you know, like you said, you, you make these face assumptions. And I think, you know, as we look at these kinds of power rankings, they don't look at actually what the team's been, been doing. I mean, you know, they've been putting up 24 points or better the last three games. And where was that departure? You know what, what we were arguing about that for what, five years, Jim, these airwaves about how they can't score. And then we get a team that does score. And then all of a sudden, no, it's still not good enough yet. Um, You know, Jalen Warren, of course, recently awarded the offensive player of the week.
00:22:03
Speaker 3: You just talk about just, you know, where we're at with him.
00:22:06
Speaker 2: And are we really ready to say he is the lead back for this team? He is a number one back in this league. Or people still have questions about what Jalen Warren can or can't.
00:22:20
Speaker 3: Do because he did it. He literally did it. like a delivery man.
00:22:24
Speaker 2: He did it on the ground, and he also did it in the air. He just can't do C because we don't play on water. We play near water, but.
00:22:30
Speaker 3: Not on it.
00:22:32
Speaker 6: You know, Jalen, when he first came here, he signed out of Oklahoma State, and he'd only been there a year. And I looked up before I talked to him in the spring or summer when he signed as an undrafted guy. There was some buzz about this guy from Oklahoma State, looked pretty good in the Big 12. And so I did some research. He had 3,000 yards rushing in his senior year of high school. And I asked him, why didn't that get you a scholarship? And he said, all five of my linemen got major college scholarships, and everybody thought it was them and not the little guy in the backfield. And so he finally goes to junior college, and then he goes to Utah State, and then he goes to Oklahoma State. And he's undrafted. So he's really used to not having anybody believe in him for the most part. And then he was stuck behind Najee, even though he would, he would, he would show this explosion every now and then. I remember you look back, he has long runs, really long runs leading up to this. And, but anyway, I asked him, I said, you went to high school in Utah, but you were born in Clinton, North Carolina. I said, there's a, there's a famous running back from this organization. He goes, yeah, Willie's my cousin. Willie Parker's his cousin. And then when Jalen made the team, I walked over to his locker, his new locker with his name plate. And I said, you know, this was Willie's locker. Did you know that? He goes, no. I go, did any Rogers, Bri Vogel, the equipment manager was gone. So nobody knew that that was Willie's locker. And then, A couple years later, last year when Jalen got his contract extension, I said, you're the first running back here to get a second contract since guess who? He goes, Willie? I mean, it's just following in order with this guy. And so when McCarthy the other day almost said, he said in other words, but he almost said, we're going to run him until the wheels come off. I remember Tomlin saying that in 2007, and the wheels did come off of Willie Parker. So that's why I hesitate with Jalen. I know it's a long story, but this is where the comparison I hope would end because as much as I want to see him get the ball, at least he's now lead dog and everybody knows it, but he's still going to need that rest. Don't run him until the wheels come off in week five. I mean, stick with your hot guy, but get Rico in there when you can and try to give him some rest so Jalen is strong down the stretch. where his cousin wasn't.
00:25:13
Speaker 3: Wow, I didn't know that.
00:25:14
Speaker 4: That's fascinating. Great stuff.
00:25:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's good. Great job, Jim.
00:25:19
Speaker 5: Can you talk about the production of our tight ends this past Sunday, and should the Steelers now focus on leaning more into the heavier personnel since that was so productive against the Colts?
00:25:33
Speaker 6: That's a great point, especially for the game coming up. Now, Tampa... really rugged. They got Vita Faye in the middle. They won their first game 10 days ago. They saved their season. Now they're coming home. This rookie quarterback's not playing that bad. They had like 260 rushing yards. This is going to be, this is going to be a problem. This is going to be a tougher game than people think. You know, 10 days rest, Seals coming off a win, probably a little, feel a little fat about themselves, but can they run on Tampa Bay? And should they use 12 personnel, two tight ends? And Tampa Bay, one of their weaknesses is covering tight ends. So that could be the matchup for the Steelers. You know, concentrate on a lot of 12. You have a lot of receivers injured right now, a couple receivers, even though I want to see more Germany for sure. But they've got, what, three wide receivers injured. So it would behoove them, I think. I think using two tight ends, a lot of 12 personnel, I liked what Friar Muth was saying. He said, you know, while Washington came here as a blocker and he's learning how to be a receiver, I came here as a receiver and I'm learning how to be a blocker. And he explained that, and you guys know this, it's basic football, but there's no key now. When Friar Muth and Washington are in the game, you don't know if they're going to run or pass. Before, when Washington would come in, it would be a tip that, yeah, they're going to run the ball. So now they have two tight ends that are pretty balanced in their games. Fire Moose is doing a lot better job blocking. And, of course, Darnell is becoming an offensive force. So I agree with you, Willie. I think that's the way to go. I think attack them also through the air with those two tight ends.
00:27:24
Speaker 4: Yeah, and that is– I'm glad you pointed it out because that is a weakness of Tampa Bay. And then also when you think about the personnel– Jim, you know, your Brandon Smith right now is your third receiver. He was signed off the practice squad. Probably, barring any other moves, going to go reach into the practice squad for a couple of more guys. So those tight end guys are guys you know are good quality players and have been around. And I'm really glad you hit on this narrative that has kind of driven me crazy. Now, look, I will say this. You know, the narrative of the team is old because you pointed out, look, Jalen Ramsey, T.J. Watt, cam hayward um aaron rogers they're they're over 30 i understand that um they're also your best players so you know on the other on the other hand you do need some of these younger guys to merge as like like i've said the only caveat i have with this uh my kind of decrying this this notion that the steelers are getting old is that now the players do have to pan out they're showing sign to that but at some point you know say at the end of this season or beginning of next season when pff or whoever ranks the top 10 offensive lines steelers need to be in that or in that conversation steelers defensive line needs to be in that or in that conversation but as we sit here today jim those things and i just wanted to drive home that point because i thought it was a good one by you those things seem to be trending in the direction that.
00:28:50
Speaker 6: You want well also look at those four guys i i don't know as much about ramsey He was offended by the insinuation that he mentored Joey into faking a back injury and getting out of here. And he shouted out against that on Twitter.
00:29:08
Speaker 3: Great.
00:29:09
Speaker 6: Okay, that was a nice first step for him. But I know the other three, for sure, are mentors to all these young guys. You see Rodgers talking to young cornerbacks.
00:29:21
Speaker 7: Absolutely.
00:29:21
Speaker 6: Rodgers gets this. And he wants to win this in his last year. He's patching his team together. He's talking to kids. He's teaching Aller. He's teaching Howard. And Cam has been doing that on the defensive line for years. And TJ, of course, with Herbig. Herbig came from his school. Talk about a mentorship there. But he's doing the same with Sawyer. And, of course, Alex Heisman probably doesn't need as much mentoring now. He's doing it. But these guys are more than valuable as old star players. They're just so much wisdom. That's just how you perpetuate winning. You don't break it down and rebuild. Then you learn how to lose. And then most times you don't come out of that. For years you're down there. So this tear it down idea is really lost on me. I really think they have a good thing going. Omar's doing a better job than he's getting credit for. He's putting together two lines. Jeremy Bernard is now going to be a guy to come on. And even Everett. third round quarterback looks like a good player too. So yeah, you have to be happy, but then again, next week awaits.
00:30:37
Speaker 4: Right. That's right.
00:30:42
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:30:42
Speaker 2: Um, as I kind of look at, you know, where we're at a lot of young guys and we, you know, we intimated Everett. We talked about how different guys have kind of filled these roles.
00:30:57
Speaker 3: Um, as I'm kind.
00:31:00
Speaker 2: Of like looking at this, Wex, and I just wanted to kind of know where you were with this was, you know, was the emphasis of these rookies and now, you know, you see a guy like Landon Roberts gets re-signed and knowing that there are some, you know, some discrepancies about what the linebacker role should and shouldn't be. I mean, why didn't they just keep him at the beginning, right? Why did they just keep the guy that we were thinking was going to be the fourth linebacker? Why didn't they just keep a Landon Roberts earlier and opted for younger skilled guys where sometimes maybe that tried, trusted, and true old guy was the right choice?
00:31:45
Speaker 6: Well, I wasn't so sure it was the right choice. I actually had him getting cut and I'm glad he signed back, but there's guaranteed contracts for the year if you keep a I believe, over fourth year. So I'm pretty sure that played a big part in it. Also, they don't want to lose Carson Bruner. I really would like to see him play. I think he's a natural-born tackler. I know he's not as big. He's about as big as Larry Foote. Was he a tackler? Yes. So I would have liked to have seen him, but I have a feeling that Roberts was brought in for Tampa Bay. I don't know what happens after that. But I mean, Tampa Bay is going to run the ball. They, what, 267 last week, I believe, against the Cowboys. So I like this. Maybe they feel they've given Queen and Wilson more of a chance to be run stuffers, and maybe they're not happy. I'm unsure. of the answer there, but there are a lot of injuries. And so they didn't have to lose one of 11 rookies that made this team, this old team, 11 rookies made it. So maybe Roberts was in the way of one or two guys. I'm not sure, but they got them back. You know, Mason McCormick, the first day Roberts came back, Roberts was blowing everything up. And McCormick was hot. McCormick was the guy that started the brawl when Roberts blew up Justin Fields in practice, quarterback running downfield. Roberts hit him, and Mason McCormick came flying and began a whole field brawl. So Mason and Landon go way back. And when Landon came back this week, Mason kept yelling, you know, that's your teammate.
00:33:47
Speaker 1: What are you doing?
00:33:48
Speaker 6: You know, he's yelling, yeah, you got fresh legs. We see that. Good for you. You know, I'm like, McCormick, I didn't know you were crazy.
00:33:57
Speaker 7: As the last few weeks have unraveled, we've seen he is crazy. So Roberts was getting chewed out by– and almost another brawl almost happened with McCormick. McCormick, he wasn't having it. He didn't seem like he liked him very much. And so– he was giving him the fresh legs saying, you know, this is why you're making all these plays and things like that. So there was, there was another comment that Roberts that McCormick made that made sense to me. And it was on the field and maybe that's why Roberts is so fresh and blowing people up. And, but so he, you know, he got cut and nobody else picked them up. So maybe McCormick was right on. So, I'm going to defer to him. I'm going to go in there and talk to him about Vita Bay, see if he's going to use the same techniques he used on Dexter Lawrence.
00:34:50
Speaker 4: Yeah, another Vita.
00:34:53
Speaker 7: Lifting the, what was his femur?
00:34:55
Speaker 4: I don't know.
00:34:56
Speaker 6: I don't know what he called it.
00:34:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, lift of the upper leg.
00:34:58
Speaker 4: I've got to find out. Bit of a forklift. Hey, Jim, always appreciate the insight, my friend. Thank you so much for being on with us.
00:35:05
Speaker 6: Okay, guys. Hey, thanks for having me on. Have a good day, boys.
00:35:08
Speaker 4: It's a hump day, headline day with Jim Wexel, our buddy. who joins us to give us his, you know, always fun to hear those stories, those things about Willie Parker that I did not know. Very, very cool.
00:35:18
Speaker 3: I had no idea. That's amazing.
00:35:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, great stuff. Great insight from Jim. Stick around. Much more to get to when we continue here in the locker room on the Steelers Audio Network.
00:35:33
Speaker 1: This is In the Locker Room with Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon on Steelers Nation Radio. Brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro Shop at shop.steelers.com. And by your neighborhood Ford store. The F-150 is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:35:57
Speaker 3: All right, we have had a fun, entertaining show. Kind of went over... Power rankings. Who likes us? Who doesn't?
00:36:06
Speaker 2: Player of the Week honors for Jalen Warren. We had the great Jim Wexel on for Hump Day Headlines. We've talked everything. This show's just been chock full of everything, Rob. Nuts, Vichyssoise, everything. We've kind of gone around the du jour of topics, so.
00:36:26
Speaker 2: I am going to leave this up to you to, uh, to guide the ship into the final, uh, final lap here as only a King can do.
00:36:39
Speaker 4: Willie, it's good to be on the, uh, the right side of one of those Max Starks, uh, introductions.
00:36:45
Speaker 3: It's a thing.
00:36:50
Speaker 4: It is definitely a thing. Um, You know, I do think that, you know, Jim gave us a lot to chew on, and we're going to get into the matchups tomorrow. We're going to be joined by Jerry Dulac, who will get us caught up on the latest news. Of course, the team is out practicing now, so any kind of injury updates or whatever we should be able to get, you know, sort of through Wednesday's practice, through today's practice. And Tony Castricone, the play-by-play guy for Tampa Bay, is going to be joining us as well. But, you know– I thought it was an interesting point about a landed Roberts Willie that, that this could be a sort of, um, specific to this kind of game, a veteran guy that you could call up in the practice squad, uh, you know, hopefully fresh legs playing a lot of minutes and a lot of snaps to help control the running game. And Bucky Irving, who had a huge game, you would think with a younger quarterback, who by the way, uh, does a pretty good job running himself that stopping the run would be good. And, you know, your call for the tight ends, uh, you know, I do a show called the matchup with, uh, with Missy Matthews and Matt Williamson on Thursdays. And my key is the tight ends because Tampa Bay does not do a great job covering tight ends. And we know we've got two good ones. And Robert Tynan is a pretty good one too, who just hasn't played a lot as opposed to three guys. You're going to be, you know, probably three wide receivers. You'd be bringing up off the practice squad to play in this game.
00:38:15
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's a, it's, it's a multitude of things.
00:38:19
Speaker 5: I think one, bringing E-Rob in is beneficial because I think if there was one aspect of the defense that's kind of underperformed to some degree has been.
00:38:29
Speaker 3: The linebacker core.
00:38:30
Speaker 5: And I know there's been speculation with the trade deadline coming close that we're approaching the trade deadline, so to speak. Now there's talks that Patrick Queen may be the guy who may be on deck if there was a move to be made. With all that said, I think E-Rob just brings a level of physicality that's needed this time of year when you have to start to form your identity on both sides of the ball. You know, Jim did a great job of talking about the impact our defensive line had in the game against the Colts. Well, there's going to be another big task at hand because the Tampa Bay Bucs cannot throw the football, right? They can only run the football, and they run it well, and they play behind their defense.
00:39:12
Speaker 3: That kind of has that bend but don't break.
00:39:14
Speaker 5: But they also blitz at a high tune as well. So you're going to need some linebackers who are short tacklers and physical. And, you know, there's going to be a lot put on that young undrafted free agent, was Jamel Dean. It was a Jalen Dean Daniels, excuse me, for Tampa Bay. And, you know, they have Ted Johnson's and they got a book and they got a bunch of guys that can are worthy receivers, man. But they don't want they don't want that young quarterback throwing the ball more than 20-something times a game.
00:39:45
Speaker 4: You know, they want to run the ball.
00:39:47
Speaker 5: And be in control of the clock and be efficient. So with all that said, man, it's imperative that a linebacker core really show up. And so I think I consider E-Rob more of a reinforcement.
00:40:01
Speaker 4: And it's necessary.
00:40:02
Speaker 5: So none of us wanted to see him get cut. I know Jim said he had him getting cut. I did not see him having him getting cut. I thought he was kind of a short spot. He had a short spot. Um, obviously that's not the case, but you know, if, if, if he's walking into this field with a fresh legs and, and ready.
00:40:19
Speaker 4: To roll, that's a plus for the Steelers. Max, uh, Alandon Roberts, again, he's on the practice squad, so he'd have to be elevated for this game. Although there's some room because guys are be injured and aren't going to be able to play your thoughts on Alandon Roberts and whether this is, I hadn't thought about it as specific to this game. I thought that was an interesting point by Jim. And also again, just to piggyback on that, um, You know, this notion that you've got tight ends on the NFL roster and good ones, and you're going to note nothing against any guys you might call from the practice squad at the receiver position, but they're on the practice squad. And it's a Tampa Bay defense that you would think the tight ends would be a good match for you as well.
00:41:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, and listen, I love E-Rob.
00:41:04
Speaker 2: E-Rob is one of those guys that when I look at just the style of play and the physicality, sometimes you need that, just an identity setter.
00:41:12
Speaker 4: Right.
00:41:13
Speaker 3: An identity tone setter.
00:41:16
Speaker 6: Yes.
00:41:16
Speaker 2: Is he possibly a liability in some of your past coverage stuff?
00:41:20
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
00:41:22
Speaker 2: But at the same time, he's still a guy who is highly, highly decorated and and and and has made a lot of tackles in this league.
00:41:30
Speaker 3: So sometimes you just need the guy to come in. Just set the tone for me. You know, let me.
00:41:34
Speaker 2: Know what what you what you what you're doing. And let's go from there. I think that's kind of how I look at. you know, where he is and what his game has meant, you know, in those situations. And I think the veteran leadership, if you are going to bring along a Carson Bruner type, right, bring that veteran presence there too with him and let us see what he can do. Because I just know he's a quality guy that has always been, you know, a great leader of men. and has been a guy that's going to go out there and physically show you how to do it. He's not going to just tell you how to do it. He's going to show you how to do it. I think that's what I love most about him.
00:42:15
Speaker 4: But it's hard to carry five inside linebackers. So you're making a decision. I think a guy like a Landon Roberts, you're making a decision. Is it a Landon Roberts or is it Kevin Jobity or Gabe Rubio? That might be the decision more than him versus Cole Holcomb or him versus Carson Bruner. And it'll be interesting, I think, Max, Willie's been calling for it, for this tight end usage, increased tight end usage. This would seem to be the week, right? This would seem to be a good week for all the reasons we mentioned. You got guys that are already on the 53-man roster. That means you like them, they're performing well, and they're going against a Tampa team that has struggled covering tight ends.
00:42:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely. This is what you're looking for.
00:43:00
Speaker 2: You're looking for where are the advantages, right?
00:43:03
Speaker 3: Where are Where are.
00:43:04
Speaker 2: We going to be the most successful in a lot of these things? And I think, you know, tight ends, we have three of them. Most people struggle with two, but we have three. And I would love to see. We saw it last week, and it was very brief, but I really like. They had a 13 personnel grouping that they lined up like 11. And I love that because you had one that was your base guy, and then you had another one. that he had two guys outside. And I'm like, man, that is just such a smart way to use it. We saw this with Arthur Smith. He kind of toyed with it, but didn't really commit to it. And now you're seeing it done from that perspective. And I'm like, that's what we need to bring out. Force them to get into a base personnel, spread them because we know Pat can run the routes. And who wants to block? Let's just face it. Who wants to block Darnell Washington?
00:44:00
Speaker 4: Nobody.
00:44:00
Speaker 3: Never, ever, ever, ever. Nobody. All right. So, yeah.
00:44:03
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we'll dive more into– sorry, Max, I thought you were completed. Did not mean to cut you off. We will dive more into these topics over the next couple days as we break down the key matchups. Our thanks to Jim Wexel today, of course, for Justin Miller coming up with a drumroll. Drumroll, please. And other things, of course, the controls. Again, a reminder tomorrow, Jerry Dulac going to join us. Tony Castricone, the play-by-play guy for Tampa Bay, will give you the lowdown on the Bucs. For Max Starks, for Willie Colon. For everybody here at the iHeart Studios, Justin Miller and beyond, I'm Rob King. We thank you, as always, for being with us in the locker room here on the Steelers Audio Network.
