00:00:03
Speaker 1: Okay, let's get right to Bart. Stanley Cup champ, he knows what's up. Bart, how much does training camp mean? It's literally three days now, and then you're playing exhibition games already.
00:00:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, anymore. Pretty much how you describe it with only three days. In some sense, it means more because you really need to make a good first impression. You don't have as much time. You know, if you fumble a little bit in the first practice or something, you don't really have that time to recoup it. But at the same time, it seems like any more– I mean, even when I played, teams were pretty much pre-picked. But any more, they're almost definitely pre-picked. I think the unique position that the Pens have this year, though, where they brought in a lot of, you know, kind of middle-of-the-road older guys, especially up front, and then a few on D that– it's really the first chance that Muse and the coaching staff are going to get to see those guys in person. So quite honestly, I think the Penns training camp matters a little more than others. But in general, yeah, it's pretty much pre-picked anymore.
00:01:15
Speaker 1: Now, the Penguins are either going to be old or experienced, depending on your point of view. What are the pros and cons, especially if young guys get lost in the shuffle, which may well happen?
00:01:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the fine line they've got to figure out how to ride on is you want to get some of these young prospects that we haven't seen in past years just rather for trading picks away. We really haven't had an influx of prospects lately. So you definitely want to give them time and give them games. Obviously, it's going to be heavier in training camp. They're going to get to see more preseason action. But the real live action, you're going to want to get a lot of these guys some games. The experience helps, I think, especially on the high end, having to sit around and Malkin and guys who have done it, Rusty, guys who have done it for a long time, that would definitely help. Just thinking personally, if I came into that locker room, it would help me. I'm sure these younger guys, they'll learn pretty quick how to become a pro and how to operate on a daily basis. It is a unique and tricky situation this year with like I was saying with the older guys they even brought in and then the older guys they have, how do you kind of figure out how to get these guys games? You know, some of it's banking on throughout the season and now I'm two more games, guys are going to get hurt more. And then some of it's just, you know, we got to get them in here. And I'm sure there's certain stretches within the year of road trips or how it lines up within Wilkes of just good situations. You can get a guy up for a game or two.
00:02:57
Speaker 1: Now they're going to try and balance their top three lines. For example, Nick Robertson's going to skate with Crosby and Raquel. I get it. I'm just not sure it's going to work. Yeah.
00:03:10
Speaker 2: I mean, is that, Is that really the plan going into the season, though? Are they not going to have.
00:03:15
Speaker 3: I don't know.
00:03:16
Speaker 1: It looks that way now, Bart. And I get it. I'm sure you do, too, because balance would be preferable. But you might wind up with no lines you can totally count on.
00:03:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's part of it. I think the other part of it, just based on how the league's going, and there aren't really... Most teams are pretty heavy, and it's almost like a top nine now. There's no top six, bottom six.
00:03:43
Speaker 1: That's true.
00:03:43
Speaker 2: Just the way the league's going with all these kids being so skilled and the game's getting faster. It's not that heavy bottom six that you're used to seeing. Some teams don't even have that big of a fourth line anymore. So, yeah, I get the balance. I just don't. Even if that's the information we're getting fed right now, I don't see it going that way throughout the season.
00:04:08
Speaker 1: No, I don't think it'll go that way for long. They might try it and not like it. That reminds me, did you see that Kucherov quote where he said, hockey is faster but not better than it's dumb? I tend to agree with him. What do you think?
00:04:22
Speaker 2: I think from watching it, I agree with it. It's interesting coming from a guy like that who's won multiple Art Ross Hart trophies.
00:04:30
Speaker 1: He's one of the best forwards in the league.
00:04:32
Speaker 2: So I think when somebody of his caliber says something Something like that, we've got to take it to heart. And just watching the games, I mean, it used to be almost more civilized through the play. I mean, maybe not so much with the, you know, hitting and fighting and all that, but I think it was just the hockey.
00:04:54
Speaker 1: Sense was more prevalent.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: Guys kind of knew what everybody was doing at the same time, and the higher-end skill guys, there's just nothing you could do sometimes. Like, take a sitter or a kucherov. They're just going to do whatever they want, and there's no way you can stop them. Whereas now you have maybe a few more of those players with the individual skill and the talent that they can kind of take over a play here and there. And there's just more of them on every team, so it's not that much relying on your linemates in certain situations. So that part of the game is kind of going away at this point.
00:05:30
Speaker 1: We're talking to Matt Bartkowski of Sportsnet Pittsburgh here on the home of the Penguins, 105.9. I feel like Chinnikoff could explode this year if he's on the first power play. And that's one thing, you know, you and I have talked about it.
00:05:42
Speaker 4: R.J.
00:05:42
Speaker 1: Umburger always said this. If you're not on the first power play, you're not going to get the points you might.
00:05:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're just, you're not going to get as many points. I mean, any more, I mean, look at Carlson. He's out there basically the whole two minutes. I know last year they tried to limit it more and have more of a second unit, but when it comes down to the the meaningful games and towards late in the season, they're just going to have the big guns out there in the first power play. And I don't disagree with you. I think his biggest asset is his shot. We could see he could skate now. He scored pretty well when he came over from Columbus this year. So I just, I don't know why you wouldn't have him on that top unit, just have him on a flank, have him on the off side from, from Sid and feed him every now and then if nothing else, even if he isn't scoring, it keeps the other penalty kill on us because that's just one more threat.
00:06:35
Speaker 1: So just I would.
00:06:37
Speaker 2: Like to see him on that power play. And if not, at least to start the season, at least have that balance that they had last year, maybe for the first half where they had those two strong power plays going for most of the year because they ended up, I think they were seventh in the league last year on the power play throughout the season.
00:06:56
Speaker 1: Now, you've got a bunch of defensemen came in, TVR, Carlisle, and Korchak, probably in the starting lineup on opening night. What's your take on those three guys?
00:07:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, Van Riemsdyk has been around for a while. He's just a steady Eddie D. Wright even plays the left side, or has, and I think that's their issue right now is they need somebody to play the left the way it looks like it's going to line up. Um, the core check, I talked to a few guys in Vegas. They, they, they, he has all the tools. Um, he just needs to, it's not even get more jam or get more, you know, mean in his game. He needs to just be more engaged. I think is, is what they had to say about him. So, um, it's in there with him. He's got all the skill of skating everything. Um, so hopefully he'll have a big breakout year. And then the Carlisle, uh, Honestly, I don't know if that one's set yet. We might see Ryan Graves to start the year. It's looking to me like it might line up with Van Riemsdyk and Carlson, just because both of them can play the left if you need to. And then Gerhard and Letang, and then Orchek and whoever it may be. But I don't know if that bottom three, you know, they're going to carry seven. So, well, assuming they carry seven, I think we're going to see a lot of change up there with with the bottom pair at least to start the year.
00:08:20
Speaker 1: No, I tend to agree. And right now it's Van Riemsdyk and Letang. So, again, as with the lines, I think you're right. There's going to be a lot of guys in and out of the lineup and certainly moving around. Now, I want to get back to the young guys, Bart. Here's the young guys who probably don't make it. McGroarty, Hayes, Pickering, Brunick. Which one of them should feel the most hard done by, like he should be here but isn't?
00:08:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's tricky again this year just because you sign the guys like Robertson, Kuzmenko, you know, who, like, these guys have been in the system for a few, well, McGrory more than others, I guess, in Pickering, just because they've been in Wilks, they've been in the system for a few years, and they've made some improvements. So maybe they thought that they'd not necessarily have a shoe in, but work their way up enough to make.
00:09:11
Speaker 1: The opening pick.
00:09:12
Speaker 2: Roster, not to say that they won't at this point, you know, guys, you get hurt or they can make some different decisions. But, um, of those guys, I would say, uh, McGrody probably should, should feel, uh, the most off put by it. Um, but at the same time, you're also, you're still a rookie, you know, you haven't played a full season, you not even half a season. So you still have some work to do. Uh, the one that I get worried about though, is, How we're going to see him fill in throughout the season is that haze. Just because when he was up last year, not only scoring a few goals, but he brought some jam. He's not the biggest guy, but he was flying around. He was getting in on the forecheck, messing the play up for the other team. So I like what I saw out of him in the few days we saw him it's just he doesn't have that pedigree like the other guys of being a first rounder or or uh being a you know a higher pick basically where he's just going to get the benefit of the doubt i hope that he has that at this point based on his play last year but he's he's more of the one that i'd be worried.
00:10:15
Speaker 1: About I agree with all that, Bart. The one guy that kind of confounds me, though, is if Brunick doesn't make it. And he's not going to. Because they have all those right-sided defensemen. But they were so high on him last year. And he had a great playoff in Wilks after he left junior. And now there's just no room for him. Now maybe they figure... once Carlson's contract expires and they trade him at the deadline, he steps right in. And it probably doesn't hurt to give, I guess he's still, what, 19 or 20, him another year at the AHL level. But I don't know. It feels like he's unfairly, not unfairly, that's a bad word, but that he's being blocked.
00:10:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, he might be being blocked a little bit. It takes Steve just longer to develop, too.
00:10:57
Speaker 1: That's true.
00:10:58
Speaker 2: And his game is more of an offensive one. So to your point of Carlson, you know, moving on from him, which looks like is going to happen, that he'll kind of, I'm not saying he's going to fill into Carlson's role, but that's kind of the game he plays. And from what we saw from him at the beginning of the season last year, it looked to me like he needs to learn a little more how to pick his spots, just when to jump in the play and when to take those chances that we know he can just based on his skill set. And that's just something that you do need to learn a good place to actually learn.
00:11:34
Speaker 3: It is in Wilts.
00:11:35
Speaker 2: So, um, it's a little bit slower, a game like the puck moves slower. Uh, guys are still as fast, but just that slower puck movement, he can get away with a little bit more, uh, with his skating. But when he makes a mistake, he'll be able to get back and it'll give him, I think it'll help his confidence too, of, of just like, Hey, I can get away with this. I can, you know, maybe I shouldn't have done that, but his, uh, Picking his spots is the biggest thing. It takes a little while with defensemen, but what you're saying about him being slighted, yeah, it probably in the back of his mind a little bit just because he did get a shot at the beginning of the year, but at the same time, it's part of the business. This team's trying to win. We're not trying to develop at the NHL level. I think that's what the job of the AHL team is.
00:12:24
Speaker 1: No, I think you're right about that. And finally, Bart, Can Morozov handle a big loading goal right away as a rookie? He's certainly got the tools, but that's asking a lot. I mean, he's got to be in there, but how much?
00:12:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, we're going to find out here, hopefully.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: Last year.
00:12:44
Speaker 2: In the minors, I mean, he ran a pretty good state percentage. I think it was 919. So he can definitely handle a full load down there. I know the NHL schedule is a little different, but it's still– it's still how many games you can play. Obviously the guys are going to shoot harder and, and, and maybe there'll be a few more chances that you're not going to see in the puck moving faster. You're not going to see in the HL, but, um, I think it's, it's good that she loves is there too. Um, he seems like a really good guy, good teammate.
00:13:14
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:13:15
Speaker 2: And, uh, you know, he's been in both roles. He's been a, he's been a starter, you know, half starter starter last year. He's been a backup for a lot of his career. So, uh, I think he'll be able to coach him along. But this first, I think you throw Mershov in and you play him like he is the starter and just see how he does, whether that's the first two months or whatever it is. Give him a 20-game sample where he's getting the brunt of the load 12 to 15 games and see at this level how he handles it.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: Bart, great stuff as always, and we'll see you real soon at the rink, I'm sure.
00:13:49
Speaker 4: Thanks, Mark.
00:13:50
Speaker 1: Good talking to you. Matt Bartkoski, Sportsnet Pittsburgh. Don't forget, the Penguins open exhibition play tonight. You can hear all the action right here on the home of the Penguins, 105.9 The X. Up next, it's a dying breed, but we're going to do it anyway. The Bucko Roundup. Get your Steeler calls in. I want your Steeler angst. They might suck. How do you feel about that? I think they can turn it, well, maybe not all the way around. 105.9.
00:14:19
Speaker 3: It's the Woody Show. Weekend mornings at 6. But if you're none the wiser, does it really matter? On 105.9, the X.
00:14:26
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00:14:31
Speaker 5: This report is sponsored by Fresh Time Market.
00:14:34
Speaker 1: A new crash in Green Tree.
00:14:36
Speaker 3: Mark Madden. Double M, big fan, big fan.
00:14:38
Speaker 1: I'm not sure, it's just big and it's soft and I use a bunch of pillows and I snore.
00:14:43
Speaker 3: The X at 105.9.
00:14:58
Speaker 1: It's time for the Bucko Roundup. As we noted at the top of the program, Paul Skeens blames the World Baseball Classic for his drop in velocity. He called the World Baseball Classic the root of it all, unquotes. Ramping up too early and so forth. The Pirates have won four in a row. The Classic... of too little too late. They're 79 and 77 and are likely to finish over 500, so get the parade plans. Wait till next year and all that. And the latest thing getting said is, well, if they were in the American League, they'd be in the playoffs. Well, yeah, they'd be right in the thick of it down the stretch and that'd be fun, but they'd find a way to F it up because they're the Pirates. There's always going to be an excuse. Always going to be, The usual suspects saying, well, they're close. They're not close. They're not going to make it next year either or the year after or the year after. And the latest fiction being promulgated by the usual suspects is, well, they have to do everything they can to sign Brandon Lau. Yeah, they won't. He wouldn't want to sign here anyway. He's like the best left-handed hitter going to be available in free agency. He's going to go someplace big. Yeah, but he wants to play here. Right, I'm sure he's so happy that he spent a great year in Pittsburgh wasting it as opposed to staying with Tampa who have the best record in the American League. Yeah, he's real happy he came here. And that's the, oh, the Bucs don't play today. They play at home tomorrow against St. Louis. Thank God it's almost over. There, that's a proper finish for the Bucco Roundup for Monday. We got Tim Benz joining me to talk about the Steelers in just a few moments. We're talking with Bart about the Penguin roster because we're always going to put hockey first on this program. To me, McGrory and Hayes should definitely make it. Bart kind of talked me off the ledge with Brunick. I get the idea of him.
00:17:20
Speaker 1: Playing the way he can play best in a top four role at Wilks for one more year while we still have Carlson, because defensemen do take a little bit longer to come through and come around at the NHL level. But McGroarty and Avery Hayes got to make it. Lazat's going to be out for a while. Maybe that opens the door for one or both. And when I say make it, not be a scratch, I mean be on the ice. Last year, a lot of the young kids, including, I think, McGroarty, were up with the team when they started out eight, two and two, there were several young guys on the roster at that time. And they added, and I talked about it then they added a lot of energy in the dressing room and on the ice. And after that, the penguins got real veterinary with guys like Casey who quit today. Cause he wasn't even good enough for the KHL anymore. And, uh, And the team suffered because of it, that lack of energy, that feeling of change. This team never feels like it's changing. It just feels like old, older, oldest. But that's what they said about Aaron Rodgers if you watched the game yesterday. But I want to see McGroarty and Hayes start the season with the team and in the lineup. And if it doesn't happen, well, you can't build on old. You don't win with old. Up next, we're going to talk to Tim Benz. Tomorrow's show, you don't want to miss tomorrow's show. Then again, today's show's been real good. But Aaron Rodgers is a problem. They never should have brought him back. They never should have brought him in in the first place. He can't play anymore, let alone behind this offensive line. He's 42, and his guile is undone by all the stuff he can't do, which is pretty much everything else. Think about this. He's thrown 79 times in these two games, which were both close games. He's dumped out of the running game early. Totally has. And it's been that way in the entirety of his tenure here in Pittsburgh. He has yet to have a 300-yard game. He ain't that guy no more. Ain't going to be that guy ever again. It would have been better off with McCarthy coaching Rudolph. having a bridge year to get the offense like he wants it in place without Rodgers hijacking it, and then moving forward next year with whoever. One thing the Steelers have never understood the value of is a losing season and now when they finally have one mccarthy will get blamed but in the long run he'll be the savior if only because he gets it figured out at quarterback tim ben's next 1059 from the.
00:20:02
Speaker 5: Njm insurance weather center.
00:20:04
Speaker 1: This report is sponsored by flynn's tire and auto service It's going to be cloudy with occasional rain showers throughout the day. High of 64. Cloudy with more rain on and off tonight, dropping to 57.
00:20:16
Speaker 5: Tomorrow, cloudy, more periods.
00:20:17
Speaker 1: Hi, Joe Flynn here with Flynn's Tire. Flynn's is fighting high prices with thousands of low-priced all-season tires in stock today. Double M.
00:20:27
Speaker 2: Yeah?
00:20:27
Speaker 3: DX at 105.9.
00:20:32
Speaker 1: It's a Steeler Monday here on the X. I'm Mark Madden. Joining me now from the trip, it's Tim Benz. People.
00:20:39
Speaker 6: are very disillusioned about where the offense is now versus what apparently people thought was going to be a magic bullet with McCarthy and Rodgers reconnecting.
00:20:49
Speaker 1: I think the big problem with the offense is Rodgers is just too old. He's too old and he's too scared back there. He just wants to get rid of the ball. He's already complaining in passive-aggressive fashion about the play calling. It was a mistake to bring him back, and I think that's already evident. And if I were McCarthy, I'd say, okay, you call all the plays. I'd put it on him. I'd make Grandpa Game Manager dig his own way out instead of, like Greg Jennings said, he never accepts responsibility. It's never his fault. Now, yesterday won all his fault, but it won not his fault.
00:21:28
Speaker 6: I agree with you insofar as I wouldn't have brought him back either. I agree with you in that he is too old. He does shirk responsibility. That quote after the game mark is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. I've got to do a better job of telling Mike which stinky plays he shouldn't be giving to us anymore.
00:21:45
Speaker 1: He's just a gigantic pain in the ass. And that's tolerable when you're a four-time MVP. Not so much when you look like, and Tim, I wrote this line, I really like it, when you look like an old lady.
00:21:56
Speaker 7: At a busy intersection trying to cross against the lights.
00:22:00
Speaker 6: Well, that's why I think the two bigger problems are the offensive line and the receivers.
00:22:04
Speaker 5: His receivers aren't very good.
00:22:06
Speaker 7: I don't know that those are bigger problems.
00:22:09
Speaker 1: I think those are problems. I think they are.
00:22:11
Speaker 6: I think they are because I actually think he's made a lot of throws that, especially in the first game against Atlanta, that would have made the numbers look better. And DK and the receivers did nothing to help when it came to this game.
00:22:24
Speaker 5: And certainly the offensive line put him in a terrible spot.
00:22:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I'm not bemoaning barely beating Atlanta, who are like a bottom five team. I'm more worried about the Steelers looking like a bottom five team themselves in losing at New England.
00:22:38
Speaker 7: And I'm not saying that Mason Rudolph would be the answer.
00:22:42
Speaker 1: I'm saying that bottoming out and drafting a legitimately good young quarterback would be the answer. But it's always about this year. You've got to win this year. Well, when was the last time they won this year? Any year? How long? Nine years?
00:22:56
Speaker 6: This year, if the plan was to win, then I would think that Joey Porter would be here, but he's not.
00:23:03
Speaker 5: The GM is a fool.
00:23:05
Speaker 1: The GM and the owner, they're both fools.
00:23:10
Speaker 7: You want to win every year.
00:23:12
Speaker 1: You keep the 42-year-old quarterback, but you run off the 26-year-old cornerback. You draft a kick returner in the fourth round when there's more holes in your.
00:23:21
Speaker 7: Depth chart than Swiss cheese. These people do not know what they're doing.
00:23:27
Speaker 6: The Porter thing, I don't think, has had anything to do with the results so far. Like, I don't think Joey playing yesterday fixes the ills of the defense because.
00:23:37
Speaker 1: What if he plays receiver, Tim?
00:23:39
Speaker 6: Well, yeah, he's got to play receiver. That would help the offense. But on defense, like. None of the plays they busted on were because a slow, poor cornerback got beat by somebody. Those were all coverage busts, like guys just running free. Like Jamel Dean stopped when he had a guy covered and then May broke contain and then Dobbs ran behind him. I don't know who was at fault for the other Dobbs play. Rayshon Jenkins is the runner ran in the frame. I don't know if it's his fault, but he was the one that tried to run him down. I don't know who was at fault for the two tight end plays, but those aren't Joey Porter plays.
00:24:13
Speaker 5: Like those plays didn't happen because of the absence of Porter.
00:24:17
Speaker 6: His absence, if he continues, will be felt this week, though, when Higgins and Chase are here.
00:24:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, big time. And I agree that Porter's absence was not directly responsible for all the chunk plays that Wendland broke off. And I think there were six of them. Six to the Steelers won, Tim, which they got a garbage time.
00:24:36
Speaker 5: Jalen Warren.
00:24:37
Speaker 1: On that pass to Warren, yeah. And don't forget, what did they lose on the one play?
00:24:41
Speaker 7: 38 yards?
00:24:42
Speaker 1: My God, that was yackety sacks material. That's your kind of chunk play for the Patriots. It really ought to. But the thing is, the absent supporter with all those chunk plays... Maybe not directly so, but don't you agree that there's a cumulative element there as well?
00:24:58
Speaker 6: Yeah, it might be that they were playing more zone and in the zone they just got lost into who was supposed to get who. That could be the correlation that you're drawing. Yeah, that could be the case.
00:25:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you got the thing too where people are saying that the defense played good. No, it didn't. It played better than the offense because it would have been impossible not to, but no, it didn't. And boys, McCarthy already looking bad on a number of levels. He flipped the right side of the O-line to the left side. That looks more like right side to wrong side. The offense ain't kicking in. And you know what else hurts McCarthy, Tim? Tomlin is so damn good on TV. So damn good. And I know that's not directly relatable, but to the naked eye, that's a conclusion to drop.
00:25:45
Speaker 5: It was funny about his comments yesterday.
00:25:47
Speaker 6: He said that they need to have something to hang their hat on offensively. Tomlin always used to hate the identity question. Like, what's the identity of your offense? He used to hate that question. Maybe it's because maybe we're seeing some truth come through a little bit, Mark. He hated it because he didn't have an answer for it. That could have been the case.
00:26:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not crazy about the identity thing either, even though I use it all the time. But I think there's two forms of identity, Tim, good or bad.
00:26:14
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's bad right now. It's all bad.
00:26:17
Speaker 6: The identity is that this is a bad offense, and I don't see the most clear route.
00:26:22
Speaker 5: To fix it.
00:26:23
Speaker 6: Does handing the ball off to Jalen Warren make them a better offense? No, not with the way the offensive line is performing. You heard JJ, I think it was JJ.
00:26:32
Speaker 1: Forgive the interruption, Tim, but they need to commit more to the run. Okay, like the last two games were relatively tight score-wise. The Atlanta game literally, the New England game, it was 10-3 for a long time because New England just declined opportunities to put them away. And still they threw over 80 passes in the two games. Rodgers just wants to pass, period. That's all he wants to do. He wants it to be all about him. So if you're going to blame anybody for lack of commitment to the run game, start with the quarterbacks.
00:27:05
Speaker 5: Well, it is an interesting dichotomy, isn't it?
00:27:07
Speaker 6: He doesn't want to get hit, but he also doesn't want to hand it off then.
00:27:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, he wants to have his kick and eat it too. He's too old to play quarterback in this league, let alone behind that line, let alone with the offensive weapons he doesn't have.
00:27:22
Speaker 8: Too old.
00:27:23
Speaker 5: I think the only thing that went well, and it wasn't even that great.
00:27:28
Speaker 6: But I thought the pass rush was still decent. May got away from a few. They didn't finish like they did against Cooper Rush.
00:27:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I mean, you know, that's like saying, hey, Mrs. Lincoln, other than that, how did you like the play? I didn't. Your husband got shot. I mean, it just, you know, this is a bad football team. At least it certainly looks that way right now. And I don't think one-on-one is any reason to panic. I don't think losing at New England is any reason to panic. They're the defending AFC champions with the MVP runner-up at quarterback. But it's how they look.
00:28:01
Speaker 5: And it's what's coming up.
00:28:03
Speaker 6: Because I think they lose to the Bengals on Sunday, and then you want to say, well, they'll go to Cleveland and beat them, but they never win in Cleveland on Thursday nights.
00:28:10
Speaker 5: They usually don't win in Cleveland at all anymore.
00:28:13
Speaker 1: And Deshaun Watson just beat Baker. And here's the thing, Tim. You saw that Todd Monk had said, you know, the Browns is the Browns. F that, or where's that effect? And Tomlin said, it's nice to create bulletin board material and have no accountability. Yeah, but that'll still be visited upon the Steelers.
00:28:33
Speaker 6: Well, all of his players created bulletin board material and had no accountability. So he's just doing what he allowed the players to do for how many years?
00:28:41
Speaker 1: Yeah. The bottom line with the Steelers team is I don't think it's a very good roster. And I think like we always do, and I'm certainly guilty of this as well, because I predicted 10 wins. We overrated in hope. And now the chickens are coming home to roost very early. But I think clearly so.
00:28:57
Speaker 6: I don't know that the Bengals have been great, but they've been good enough. And the receivers, the two receivers, were both really good yesterday. Higgins had five catches for 95 yards. Chase had 75 yards.
00:29:08
Speaker 5: I think it might have been seven catches.
00:29:10
Speaker 1: What was the.
00:29:11
Speaker 5: Score of that game, Tim?
00:29:13
Speaker 1: 23-6 or 20-6.
00:29:14
Speaker 5: It wasn't all that high scoring.
00:29:16
Speaker 1: Is it fair to say the Bengals are going to almost never score less than 20 points?
00:29:23
Speaker 5: It would take a really good defensive effort, yeah.
00:29:25
Speaker 4: Right, right.
00:29:26
Speaker 1: So the Steelers aren't going to score 20 points next week. They're in trouble.
00:29:30
Speaker 5: And Chase had two touchdowns, one of which was unbelievable.
00:29:34
Speaker 6: The division right now, one and one across the board, aside from the Bengals, Lamar threw one away, moving the ball against the saints. That was, that was a tough, if you're a Ravens fan, you look at that and say it was inexplicable, but they're going to have some potholes.
00:29:48
Speaker 5: They're going to have some pitfalls.
00:29:50
Speaker 6: Um, Right now, if you look at the odds, the Bengals are the odds-on favorite at minus 105. So I think people are starting to buy in quickly on them. But for them, it's always a matter of injury. They lose one of the two receivers or Burrow, and they're done.
00:30:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, but their defense is better with Sexy Dexy in the middle, who's a cornerstone, not a luxury like Hendrickson was at the edge. I think they're pretty good. I mean, I don't know. I feel so stupid for having picked the Steelers to go 10-7 and win the division. I'm an idiot.
00:30:21
Speaker 6: Well, then that makes me the same thing because that's where I went to because I just don't have much faith. I don't have faith in the Bengals staying healthy all year. And I think the loss to the Saints is part of the reason why I stayed away from the Ravens.
00:30:32
Speaker 5: But forget the predictions. Let's just look at what's here in front of us.
00:30:36
Speaker 1: Can I make one more prediction?
00:30:37
Speaker 2: Sure.
00:30:38
Speaker 1: Rodgers will bail out sooner than later.
00:30:42
Speaker 5: He'll pull the chute, you think?
00:30:43
Speaker 1: Yes, he'll dream up an injury. I can tell by his body language, by the boo-boo face, the way he's talking.
00:30:49
Speaker 7: This isn't what he bargained for already.
00:30:52
Speaker 5: I heard bad back works.
00:30:55
Speaker 3: Right.
00:30:56
Speaker 1: His money's... Well, he's a vested veteran. He's getting paid for this year.
00:30:59
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, he's going to make what he's going to make this year, and then he's going to be done. The Porter thing from Schefter yesterday is that he's looking for another opinion, a second opinion. I don't even know what the first opinion was. The first opinion was you're fine from the coaches.
00:31:13
Speaker 1: Shame on Schefter for playing along with the charade that he's heard. He's not hurt. And... And shame on the Steelers for painting themselves in that corner by being dopes.
00:31:26
Speaker 6: That's what I said, and that's what I've been saying since July, that they put a real.
00:31:31
Speaker 6: They did this to themselves because they put Porter on pop and they didn't need to do it. They should have just treated it like a hold-in as they had everybody else.
00:31:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, no question about that. Here's another prediction, Tim. I've got to put odds on this. It probably won't happen, but it could. Steelers finish dead lap. Draft RT refuses to come.
00:31:51
Speaker 5: Hey, Manning's done that before, so, yeah, it'll be down the playbook.
00:31:55
Speaker 1: In all seriousness, I mean, that was made partly tongue-in-cheek, that prediction, but I believe he will wind up going exactly where he wants to go, that he will force it.
00:32:05
Speaker 6: All right, let's get to hockey, Mark, since that starts tonight. It's the preseason. It's the opener on 105.9 The X after you're done.
00:32:11
Speaker 1: And, Tim, they got the full menu at the media dining.
00:32:16
Speaker 5: What do you mean, the full menu?
00:32:17
Speaker 1: Usually exhibition games, it's like just cold cuts. pulled pork barbecue chicken it's going to be a.
00:32:23
Speaker 6: Festival well there you go now we love the hoffman family already then if they're stepping it up there we get more in the press box than just nachos and hot dogs or what are we doing in the press box during the game that's more important it's been.
00:32:33
Speaker 1: So long since i had nachos or hot dogs i don't.
00:32:36
Speaker 6: Know uh but they play the sabers tonight and i got a quick look at the lineup i honestly mark i didn't look all that deeply at the forwards i looked at the defense because i want to see what defensemen might have a chance to crack in this lineup pickering's playing brunick is playing letang is playing Van Riemsdyk is playing.
00:32:52
Speaker 5: I didn't see Carlson, but the blue line to me is where there's intrigue.
00:32:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm surprised Van Riemsdyk's been paired with Letang all through camp, playing that offside. That's not a surprise because he can do it. But I thought it would be Van Riemsdyk with Carlson. It looks like Carlisle with Carlson, which will be a tongue twister for the play-by-play guys.
00:33:13
Speaker 5: They seem to think he's really good, don't they, Carlisle?
00:33:16
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:33:18
Speaker 1: Okay, they don't think he's really good, nor do I. But they think, and I agree, that he will be this year's version of Shea or Withers Wotherspoon.
00:33:28
Speaker 6: That he's the guy that they can mold into being a little bit better.
00:33:31
Speaker 7: Not mold, that he just kind of fits at that level.
00:33:34
Speaker 1: I'm not sure Shea and Wotherspoon had the Bobby Orr-esque years that some people like to paint. They were both pretty good. They feel Carlisle could be pretty good.
00:33:43
Speaker 5: Well, is there room for Brunick or not?
00:33:46
Speaker 7: No, and that sucks. Brunick will be their Broderick Jones.
00:33:50
Speaker 1: They will mangle his development and ruin his career, at least the way it looks now.
00:33:57
Speaker 6: The whole defense to me, like, here's one topic that I don't think gets talked about enough, and that is.
00:34:03
Speaker 5: Like, they got a great season out of Carlson last year.
00:34:05
Speaker 1: A great year.
00:34:07
Speaker 6: I think part of the reason it was a great year is Dan Mews had one thing going for him. He wasn't Mike Sullivan. And that went a long way with Carlson. Let's see what in year two... Carlson does as far as paying attention to the message from Dan Mews?
00:34:21
Speaker 1: It's a contract year. Okay.
00:34:24
Speaker 5: Is that good or bad?
00:34:25
Speaker 1: I think that's good.
00:34:26
Speaker 7: I think that means he pays attention to whatever message.
00:34:28
Speaker 6: But you know what I'm saying? Also, you can read into contract year for a defenseman. Is he chasing points and then exposing himself when it comes to defensive responsibilities?
00:34:37
Speaker 1: Nah, he'll be all right. Carlson just wants to play the way he wants to play defensively. And Mews coached around that and made other guys fit into that.
00:34:47
Speaker 7: So, yeah, Carl will be all right.
00:34:50
Speaker 6: Well, you talked about in the podcast with Robertson maybe playing with Sid and Raquel. I mean, like, I don't know how Sid feels about that. Is that coming off of feedback from him? Does he think Robertson is actually good enough to be his wing? What does he like about him?
00:35:04
Speaker 1: I don't think that's coming yet off feedback from him. I think it's too early for that. I think it's something the coaches want to try. And we'll dump out as soon as it doesn't work. But who knows? I mean, Robertson did score 16 goals last year. But I do think Russ, Raquel, and Sid is obviously a comfortable fit. And Sid is all about comfort.
00:35:22
Speaker 5: It is kind of interesting that it's Russ that's moving, though.
00:35:25
Speaker 6: Hasn't he been the one that's stayed and then Raquel has been the guy that's moved in the past?
00:35:29
Speaker 7: But Raquel is probably a better finisher right this second.
00:35:32
Speaker 1: Don't you agree? Yeah.
00:35:34
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:35:36
Speaker 1: Well, there you go. And the real.
00:35:39
Speaker 1: And the thing I'll go nuts over is when Chinnikov and Kindle aren't on PP1. That'll be a big problem for me.
00:35:46
Speaker 6: Especially Chinnikov, because not only for his development, but I just think he'll help the unit.
00:35:50
Speaker 1: Actually, Tim, especially Kindle. Kindle has the best power play mind on the team. He's a savant. He should be running the power play from the Lemieux spot, the left half wall. Not to make that comparison, but that's where he should be. He knows how to instinctively let space clear, which nobody else on that power play knows how to do, not even the million point guys. That's Tim on Mark. Now it's time to ask Mark anything.
00:36:18
Speaker 3: 833-412-WXDX.
00:36:22
Speaker 1: That's 833-412-WXDX, or you can leave a talkback using the microphone icon at the iHeartMedia app. 105.9.
00:36:29
Speaker 6: It's time to submit your questions for Ask Mark Anything.
00:36:35
Speaker 3: Use your free iHeartRadio.
00:36:37
Speaker 6: App and tap the microphone icon to send your questions to the super genius instantly.
00:36:44
Speaker 3: It's the Woody Show. Weekday mornings at 6. Uh, yes please.
00:36:47
Speaker 2: I'm here.
00:36:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, on 105.9. The X.
00:36:50
Speaker 1: This hour of the Mark Madden Show is brought to you by Bud Light. Proudly served.
00:36:55
Speaker 3: And now the super genius, Mark Madden.
00:36:58
Speaker 1: Double M, what's up?
00:36:59
Speaker 7: In and out like the psychotic version of the Pokey Pokey.
00:37:02
Speaker 1: Mark, you are a super genius.
00:37:04
Speaker 10: I know.
00:37:05
Speaker 3: The X at 105.9.
00:37:14
Speaker 1: Time to ask Mark anything. Brought to us by People's Natural Gas, reminding you to call 811 before you dig. You dig? Even landscaping work requires you to call 811. More info at peoples-gas.com. If you want to go all angsty about the Steelers, you should. It looks real bad right now. Is it only two games? Yes. Can they turn it around? Yes. Is Rodgers going to get younger? No. Is that offensive line going to get better? I don't know. Defense pretty good, but still a lot of six-chunk plays. So your thoughts on any or all? Dial 412-333-WXDX. Let's start with a talkback.
00:38:01
Speaker 9: Mark, I think we're a few weeks away from hearing some fire Omar chants in the crowd at Akershire. What do you think?
00:38:07
Speaker 1: No.
00:38:08
Speaker 10: No.
00:38:10
Speaker 1: The Acclisher crowd more than any are a bunch of marks, especially for the Roonies, especially the way the Roonies do business. Clyde will never get fired. Never. Art will never back away from football ops, even though he's wholly unqualified. And that's just how it is. Let's go to one more talkback.
00:38:30
Speaker 11: Hey, Mark, you said you're going back to Liverpool in a few weeks. Have you ever stayed at the Hard Day's Night Hotel? And have you ever seen... The wall of fame where the cavern is.
00:38:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've seen the cavern. What you're talking about. I stay at Radisson Raider at the Holiday Inn right downtown, right by all my places. Easy access to Anfield. And you can walk everywhere. One thing I like about going to Liverpool is I don't get on a treadmill. I walk everywhere. I walk all over the town and place the treadmill. And it's so much more fun and you see everything. Let's go to Ken. Ken, ask Mark anything.
00:39:16
Speaker 3: Hello, Mr.
00:39:17
Speaker 1: Madden.
00:39:17
Speaker 2: Always good to talk to you. If I can slip in a quick hockey question here.
00:39:21
Speaker 1: Of course.
00:39:22
Speaker 2: Young goaltender, young goalie, Murshaw, should he just play 40 games this year? Would that be the right way to do it?
00:39:31
Speaker 1: I don't know how you can predict that now. I think that determined by his performance, by Shiloff's performance, and by where the team's at and need. I think the way to start it is how they will start it, to rotate. And I think there's nothing wrong with that.
00:39:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's probably a little too early to say that's exactly set in concrete or something, but I just remember.
00:39:58
Speaker 1: The old days.
00:39:59
Speaker 2: I think a great guy who helped Montreal in their dynasty days, I think Dryden played 60 games as a rookie, but my gosh, that was 1971-72. That's many moons ago.
00:40:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't think we can figure out the Penguins' goaltending rotation now from what Ken Dryden did back then or even More recently, Marty Berdour, who would routinely play 70-some-odd games. Let's go to Joe. Joe, ask Mark anything.
00:40:24
Speaker 9: What up, Hank?
00:40:25
Speaker 1: What up, Hank?
00:40:27
Speaker 2: Hey, Mark.
00:40:28
Speaker 9: I'm curious. I like, in addition to all your Pittsburgh talk, I like when you get into the kind of national media landscape that is deteriorating in.
00:40:37
Speaker 2: Front of us.
00:40:38
Speaker 9: But on that note, I always like how you always speak positively of PGI and LeBron and Kornheiser.
00:40:42
Speaker 1: It's the best show of its kind in the history of sports TV. And the unfortunate sidebar is it spawned all the other crap we see on ESPN.
00:40:56
Speaker 3: I know.
00:40:56
Speaker 9: Next month will be 25 years since it went on the air, which is crazy.
00:41:00
Speaker 1: Here's the difference, bruv. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon are guys with experience in journalism who are very intelligent. Pat McAfee's a punter pothead.
00:41:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.
00:41:12
Speaker 9: My question, in your own career, have you ever been able to meet them or know anyone who has met them and enjoyed the experience?
00:41:18
Speaker 1: I've interviewed Tony on this show, and when he did DC Radio, I was a guest on his show.
00:41:27
Speaker 2: Oh, really? Cool.
00:41:27
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:41:28
Speaker 9: I never, I didn't know that.
00:41:30
Speaker 1: I wouldn't call Tony a friend, but, uh, but I have, uh, I have utmost respect for what he has done and hopefully he'll continue to do for, for a while longer. Anyway, let's go to Buffalo bill.
00:41:43
Speaker 2: Mark, how do you get over a girl that doesn't want you anymore?
00:41:48
Speaker 1: That's a good question. I don't know. If I was younger, I'd go to a strip club. What are your plans?
00:41:56
Speaker 4: I don't know.
00:41:57
Speaker 1: That's why I called you.
00:41:58
Speaker 12: That's not a bad idea.
00:41:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, go to cheerleaders, I suppose. Let's go to... It's been a while since I thought about anything. Let's go to J.D. J.D., what's up?
00:42:11
Speaker 2: Mark, what up, man?
00:42:12
Speaker 1: What up, man?
00:42:12
Speaker 2: Question for you.
00:42:14
Speaker 10: With all your contacts within the hockey media, have you heard any rumors or any scuttlebutt about a possible 2028 winter classic between the Penguins and Buffalo Sabres at the new Highmark Stadium that would commemorate the 20th anniversary of the inaugural Winter Classic.
00:42:33
Speaker 1: I have not heard that, but I hope they do it. That sounds like a great idea, doesn't it?
00:42:38
Speaker 7: I thought so.
00:42:40
Speaker 10: I know the NHL has kind of taken it on the chin a little bit for like, you know, with the different stadium series games and different stuff. I think that would be perfect and how great it would be.
00:42:49
Speaker 1: They've done it too much. It would be great to commemorate the anniversary. They've done it too much. It's in Utah this year, but they do other stadium games too. But here's why. No sport depends on ticket revenue anymore as much as the NHL still does. So that's money in their pocket. Let's go to a talkback.
00:43:07
Speaker 9: Hey, Mark.
00:43:07
Speaker 7: This is Tyler from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
00:43:09
Speaker 9: I've been a huge Penguins fan my whole life.
00:43:11
Speaker 2: I've been out to a few games.
00:43:14
Speaker 10: However, my mother has never been to one, and I'm really trying to get her out to a game this year.
00:43:19
Speaker 9: What game, in your opinion, would be the game to come to out there?
00:43:23
Speaker 1: Thank you. Bro, I don't know your schedule. I'm a big Lancaster guy, too. That's part of my deck hockey past. There are a lot of guys and teams and tournaments from Lancaster. You can tell I'm a Lancasterite honorary because I pronounced the city correctly. Not Lancaster, but Lancaster. Pat Bostic would compliment me for that and has. You know what? Bring it to a Flyers game here. You can't beat that. Can't beat the old enemy coming to Pittsburgh. Let's go to Dick. Dick, you're on with Double M.
00:43:57
Speaker 4: Let's say the Steelers are like 3-7. Is there a point where they have the guts to tell Rodgers, hey, look, there's no point in going forward anymore with you. Let's get Aller in there and get him some stress.
00:44:10
Speaker 1: Well, it won't be Aller first. It'll be Rudolph.
00:44:14
Speaker 4: But why? If the season's done.
00:44:17
Speaker 1: It depends if Aller's ready or not. You don't just throw a guy to the wolves. Maybe a first-round pick, not a third-round pick. But if they're 3-7, don't worry about Rodgers' feelings. He will have long since bailed out and pulled the chute. Let's go to a talkback. A super genius.
00:44:34
Speaker 8: I know the answer is probably no. But do you construct a second line of Chinnikoff, Kendall, and Rust? I don't know how Malkin fits or works. He probably doesn't on the third line, but I would be intrigued by that second line.
00:44:49
Speaker 1: I want to play Chinnikoff and Kendall together because they're the only two offensive talents of any note that are 25 or under, and you need to see how they do together because that could be one of your top combinations ever. moving forward but i don't think they're going to do that especially not initially do i have one more talk back.
00:45:10
Speaker 12: Okay let's go to that super genius i know how much of a fan you are of the high school football in this area but i'm wondering if your passion for soccer translates as well do you happen to keep up with the whippeal soccer let me know thanks i.
00:45:26
Speaker 1: Used to go to uh char valley high school soccer games when uh my buddy um Garrett McKenzie was the coach there. Dave McKenzie's kid who used to play for the Spirit. I haven't gone to any high school soccer for a while. I should go to a game this year, though. Another buddy of mine, Bobby Dyer, has coached Peters Township for years and has been very successful there. So, yeah, I think I'm going to go. I'll go to a Peters Township soccer match before the year is out.
00:45:53
Speaker 3: 105.9.
00:45:54
Speaker 1: Just for foundation and concrete repair.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's get right to Bart. Stanley Cup champ, he knows what's up. Bart, how much does training camp mean? It's literally three days now, and then you're playing exhibition games already.
00:00:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, anymore. Pretty much how you describe it with only three days. In some sense, it means more because you really need to make a good first impression. You don't have as much time. You know, if you fumble a little bit in the first practice or something, you don't really have that time to recoup it. But at the same time, it seems like any more– I mean, even when I played, teams were pretty much pre-picked. But any more, they're almost definitely pre-picked. I think the unique position that the Pens have this year, though, where they brought in a lot of, you know, kind of middle-of-the-road older guys, especially up front, and then a few on D that– it's really the first chance that Muse and the coaching staff are going to get to see those guys in person. So quite honestly, I think the Penns training camp matters a little more than others. But in general, yeah, it's pretty much pre-picked anymore.
00:01:15
Speaker 1: Now, the Penguins are either going to be old or experienced, depending on your point of view. What are the pros and cons, especially if young guys get lost in the shuffle, which may well happen?
00:01:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the fine line they've got to figure out how to ride on is you want to get some of these young prospects that we haven't seen in past years just rather for trading picks away. We really haven't had an influx of prospects lately. So you definitely want to give them time and give them games. Obviously, it's going to be heavier in training camp. They're going to get to see more preseason action. But the real live action, you're going to want to get a lot of these guys some games. The experience helps, I think, especially on the high end, having to sit around and Malkin and guys who have done it, Rusty, guys who have done it for a long time, that would definitely help. Just thinking personally, if I came into that locker room, it would help me. I'm sure these younger guys, they'll learn pretty quick how to become a pro and how to operate on a daily basis. It is a unique and tricky situation this year with like I was saying with the older guys they even brought in and then the older guys they have, how do you kind of figure out how to get these guys games? You know, some of it's banking on throughout the season and now I'm two more games, guys are going to get hurt more. And then some of it's just, you know, we got to get them in here. And I'm sure there's certain stretches within the year of road trips or how it lines up within Wilkes of just good situations. You can get a guy up for a game or two.
00:02:57
Speaker 1: Now they're going to try and balance their top three lines. For example, Nick Robertson's going to skate with Crosby and Raquel. I get it. I'm just not sure it's going to work. Yeah.
00:03:10
Speaker 2: I mean, is that, Is that really the plan going into the season, though? Are they not going to have.
00:03:15
Speaker 3: I don't know.
00:03:16
Speaker 1: It looks that way now, Bart. And I get it. I'm sure you do, too, because balance would be preferable. But you might wind up with no lines you can totally count on.
00:03:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's part of it. I think the other part of it, just based on how the league's going, and there aren't really... Most teams are pretty heavy, and it's almost like a top nine now. There's no top six, bottom six.
00:03:43
Speaker 1: That's true.
00:03:43
Speaker 2: Just the way the league's going with all these kids being so skilled and the game's getting faster. It's not that heavy bottom six that you're used to seeing. Some teams don't even have that big of a fourth line anymore. So, yeah, I get the balance. I just don't. Even if that's the information we're getting fed right now, I don't see it going that way throughout the season.
00:04:08
Speaker 1: No, I don't think it'll go that way for long. They might try it and not like it. That reminds me, did you see that Kucherov quote where he said, hockey is faster but not better than it's dumb? I tend to agree with him. What do you think?
00:04:22
Speaker 2: I think from watching it, I agree with it. It's interesting coming from a guy like that who's won multiple Art Ross Hart trophies.
00:04:30
Speaker 1: He's one of the best forwards in the league.
00:04:32
Speaker 2: So I think when somebody of his caliber says something Something like that, we've got to take it to heart. And just watching the games, I mean, it used to be almost more civilized through the play. I mean, maybe not so much with the, you know, hitting and fighting and all that, but I think it was just the hockey.
00:04:54
Speaker 1: Sense was more prevalent.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: Guys kind of knew what everybody was doing at the same time, and the higher-end skill guys, there's just nothing you could do sometimes. Like, take a sitter or a kucherov. They're just going to do whatever they want, and there's no way you can stop them. Whereas now you have maybe a few more of those players with the individual skill and the talent that they can kind of take over a play here and there. And there's just more of them on every team, so it's not that much relying on your linemates in certain situations. So that part of the game is kind of going away at this point.
00:05:30
Speaker 1: We're talking to Matt Bartkowski of Sportsnet Pittsburgh here on the home of the Penguins, 105.9. I feel like Chinnikoff could explode this year if he's on the first power play. And that's one thing, you know, you and I have talked about it.
00:05:42
Speaker 4: R.J.
00:05:42
Speaker 1: Umburger always said this. If you're not on the first power play, you're not going to get the points you might.
00:05:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're just, you're not going to get as many points. I mean, any more, I mean, look at Carlson. He's out there basically the whole two minutes. I know last year they tried to limit it more and have more of a second unit, but when it comes down to the the meaningful games and towards late in the season, they're just going to have the big guns out there in the first power play. And I don't disagree with you. I think his biggest asset is his shot. We could see he could skate now. He scored pretty well when he came over from Columbus this year. So I just, I don't know why you wouldn't have him on that top unit, just have him on a flank, have him on the off side from, from Sid and feed him every now and then if nothing else, even if he isn't scoring, it keeps the other penalty kill on us because that's just one more threat.
00:06:35
Speaker 1: So just I would.
00:06:37
Speaker 2: Like to see him on that power play. And if not, at least to start the season, at least have that balance that they had last year, maybe for the first half where they had those two strong power plays going for most of the year because they ended up, I think they were seventh in the league last year on the power play throughout the season.
00:06:56
Speaker 1: Now, you've got a bunch of defensemen came in, TVR, Carlisle, and Korchak, probably in the starting lineup on opening night. What's your take on those three guys?
00:07:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, Van Riemsdyk has been around for a while. He's just a steady Eddie D. Wright even plays the left side, or has, and I think that's their issue right now is they need somebody to play the left the way it looks like it's going to line up. Um, the core check, I talked to a few guys in Vegas. They, they, they, he has all the tools. Um, he just needs to, it's not even get more jam or get more, you know, mean in his game. He needs to just be more engaged. I think is, is what they had to say about him. So, um, it's in there with him. He's got all the skill of skating everything. Um, so hopefully he'll have a big breakout year. And then the Carlisle, uh, Honestly, I don't know if that one's set yet. We might see Ryan Graves to start the year. It's looking to me like it might line up with Van Riemsdyk and Carlson, just because both of them can play the left if you need to. And then Gerhard and Letang, and then Orchek and whoever it may be. But I don't know if that bottom three, you know, they're going to carry seven. So, well, assuming they carry seven, I think we're going to see a lot of change up there with with the bottom pair at least to start the year.
00:08:20
Speaker 1: No, I tend to agree. And right now it's Van Riemsdyk and Letang. So, again, as with the lines, I think you're right. There's going to be a lot of guys in and out of the lineup and certainly moving around. Now, I want to get back to the young guys, Bart. Here's the young guys who probably don't make it. McGroarty, Hayes, Pickering, Brunick. Which one of them should feel the most hard done by, like he should be here but isn't?
00:08:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's tricky again this year just because you sign the guys like Robertson, Kuzmenko, you know, who, like, these guys have been in the system for a few, well, McGrory more than others, I guess, in Pickering, just because they've been in Wilks, they've been in the system for a few years, and they've made some improvements. So maybe they thought that they'd not necessarily have a shoe in, but work their way up enough to make.
00:09:11
Speaker 1: The opening pick.
00:09:12
Speaker 2: Roster, not to say that they won't at this point, you know, guys, you get hurt or they can make some different decisions. But, um, of those guys, I would say, uh, McGrody probably should, should feel, uh, the most off put by it. Um, but at the same time, you're also, you're still a rookie, you know, you haven't played a full season, you not even half a season. So you still have some work to do. Uh, the one that I get worried about though, is, How we're going to see him fill in throughout the season is that haze. Just because when he was up last year, not only scoring a few goals, but he brought some jam. He's not the biggest guy, but he was flying around. He was getting in on the forecheck, messing the play up for the other team. So I like what I saw out of him in the few days we saw him it's just he doesn't have that pedigree like the other guys of being a first rounder or or uh being a you know a higher pick basically where he's just going to get the benefit of the doubt i hope that he has that at this point based on his play last year but he's he's more of the one that i'd be worried.
00:10:15
Speaker 1: About I agree with all that, Bart. The one guy that kind of confounds me, though, is if Brunick doesn't make it. And he's not going to. Because they have all those right-sided defensemen. But they were so high on him last year. And he had a great playoff in Wilks after he left junior. And now there's just no room for him. Now maybe they figure... once Carlson's contract expires and they trade him at the deadline, he steps right in. And it probably doesn't hurt to give, I guess he's still, what, 19 or 20, him another year at the AHL level. But I don't know. It feels like he's unfairly, not unfairly, that's a bad word, but that he's being blocked.
00:10:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, he might be being blocked a little bit. It takes Steve just longer to develop, too.
00:10:57
Speaker 1: That's true.
00:10:58
Speaker 2: And his game is more of an offensive one. So to your point of Carlson, you know, moving on from him, which looks like is going to happen, that he'll kind of, I'm not saying he's going to fill into Carlson's role, but that's kind of the game he plays. And from what we saw from him at the beginning of the season last year, it looked to me like he needs to learn a little more how to pick his spots, just when to jump in the play and when to take those chances that we know he can just based on his skill set. And that's just something that you do need to learn a good place to actually learn.
00:11:34
Speaker 3: It is in Wilts.
00:11:35
Speaker 2: So, um, it's a little bit slower, a game like the puck moves slower. Uh, guys are still as fast, but just that slower puck movement, he can get away with a little bit more, uh, with his skating. But when he makes a mistake, he'll be able to get back and it'll give him, I think it'll help his confidence too, of, of just like, Hey, I can get away with this. I can, you know, maybe I shouldn't have done that, but his, uh, Picking his spots is the biggest thing. It takes a little while with defensemen, but what you're saying about him being slighted, yeah, it probably in the back of his mind a little bit just because he did get a shot at the beginning of the year, but at the same time, it's part of the business. This team's trying to win. We're not trying to develop at the NHL level. I think that's what the job of the AHL team is.
00:12:24
Speaker 1: No, I think you're right about that. And finally, Bart, Can Morozov handle a big loading goal right away as a rookie? He's certainly got the tools, but that's asking a lot. I mean, he's got to be in there, but how much?
00:12:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, we're going to find out here, hopefully.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: Last year.
00:12:44
Speaker 2: In the minors, I mean, he ran a pretty good state percentage. I think it was 919. So he can definitely handle a full load down there. I know the NHL schedule is a little different, but it's still– it's still how many games you can play. Obviously the guys are going to shoot harder and, and, and maybe there'll be a few more chances that you're not going to see in the puck moving faster. You're not going to see in the HL, but, um, I think it's, it's good that she loves is there too. Um, he seems like a really good guy, good teammate.
00:13:14
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:13:15
Speaker 2: And, uh, you know, he's been in both roles. He's been a, he's been a starter, you know, half starter starter last year. He's been a backup for a lot of his career. So, uh, I think he'll be able to coach him along. But this first, I think you throw Mershov in and you play him like he is the starter and just see how he does, whether that's the first two months or whatever it is. Give him a 20-game sample where he's getting the brunt of the load 12 to 15 games and see at this level how he handles it.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: Bart, great stuff as always, and we'll see you real soon at the rink, I'm sure.
00:13:49
Speaker 4: Thanks, Mark.
00:13:50
Speaker 1: Good talking to you. Matt Bartkoski, Sportsnet Pittsburgh. Don't forget, the Penguins open exhibition play tonight. You can hear all the action right here on the home of the Penguins, 105.9 The X. Up next, it's a dying breed, but we're going to do it anyway. The Bucko Roundup. Get your Steeler calls in. I want your Steeler angst. They might suck. How do you feel about that? I think they can turn it, well, maybe not all the way around. 105.9.
00:14:19
Speaker 3: It's the Woody Show. Weekend mornings at 6. But if you're none the wiser, does it really matter? On 105.9, the X.
00:14:26
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00:14:31
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00:14:34
Speaker 1: A new crash in Green Tree.
00:14:36
Speaker 3: Mark Madden. Double M, big fan, big fan.
00:14:38
Speaker 1: I'm not sure, it's just big and it's soft and I use a bunch of pillows and I snore.
00:14:43
Speaker 3: The X at 105.9.
00:14:58
Speaker 1: It's time for the Bucko Roundup. As we noted at the top of the program, Paul Skeens blames the World Baseball Classic for his drop in velocity. He called the World Baseball Classic the root of it all, unquotes. Ramping up too early and so forth. The Pirates have won four in a row. The Classic... of too little too late. They're 79 and 77 and are likely to finish over 500, so get the parade plans. Wait till next year and all that. And the latest thing getting said is, well, if they were in the American League, they'd be in the playoffs. Well, yeah, they'd be right in the thick of it down the stretch and that'd be fun, but they'd find a way to F it up because they're the Pirates. There's always going to be an excuse. Always going to be, The usual suspects saying, well, they're close. They're not close. They're not going to make it next year either or the year after or the year after. And the latest fiction being promulgated by the usual suspects is, well, they have to do everything they can to sign Brandon Lau. Yeah, they won't. He wouldn't want to sign here anyway. He's like the best left-handed hitter going to be available in free agency. He's going to go someplace big. Yeah, but he wants to play here. Right, I'm sure he's so happy that he spent a great year in Pittsburgh wasting it as opposed to staying with Tampa who have the best record in the American League. Yeah, he's real happy he came here. And that's the, oh, the Bucs don't play today. They play at home tomorrow against St. Louis. Thank God it's almost over. There, that's a proper finish for the Bucco Roundup for Monday. We got Tim Benz joining me to talk about the Steelers in just a few moments. We're talking with Bart about the Penguin roster because we're always going to put hockey first on this program. To me, McGrory and Hayes should definitely make it. Bart kind of talked me off the ledge with Brunick. I get the idea of him.
00:17:20
Speaker 1: Playing the way he can play best in a top four role at Wilks for one more year while we still have Carlson, because defensemen do take a little bit longer to come through and come around at the NHL level. But McGroarty and Avery Hayes got to make it. Lazat's going to be out for a while. Maybe that opens the door for one or both. And when I say make it, not be a scratch, I mean be on the ice. Last year, a lot of the young kids, including, I think, McGroarty, were up with the team when they started out eight, two and two, there were several young guys on the roster at that time. And they added, and I talked about it then they added a lot of energy in the dressing room and on the ice. And after that, the penguins got real veterinary with guys like Casey who quit today. Cause he wasn't even good enough for the KHL anymore. And, uh, And the team suffered because of it, that lack of energy, that feeling of change. This team never feels like it's changing. It just feels like old, older, oldest. But that's what they said about Aaron Rodgers if you watched the game yesterday. But I want to see McGroarty and Hayes start the season with the team and in the lineup. And if it doesn't happen, well, you can't build on old. You don't win with old. Up next, we're going to talk to Tim Benz. Tomorrow's show, you don't want to miss tomorrow's show. Then again, today's show's been real good. But Aaron Rodgers is a problem. They never should have brought him back. They never should have brought him in in the first place. He can't play anymore, let alone behind this offensive line. He's 42, and his guile is undone by all the stuff he can't do, which is pretty much everything else. Think about this. He's thrown 79 times in these two games, which were both close games. He's dumped out of the running game early. Totally has. And it's been that way in the entirety of his tenure here in Pittsburgh. He has yet to have a 300-yard game. He ain't that guy no more. Ain't going to be that guy ever again. It would have been better off with McCarthy coaching Rudolph. having a bridge year to get the offense like he wants it in place without Rodgers hijacking it, and then moving forward next year with whoever. One thing the Steelers have never understood the value of is a losing season and now when they finally have one mccarthy will get blamed but in the long run he'll be the savior if only because he gets it figured out at quarterback tim ben's next 1059 from the.
00:20:02
Speaker 5: Njm insurance weather center.
00:20:04
Speaker 1: This report is sponsored by flynn's tire and auto service It's going to be cloudy with occasional rain showers throughout the day. High of 64. Cloudy with more rain on and off tonight, dropping to 57.
00:20:16
Speaker 5: Tomorrow, cloudy, more periods.
00:20:17
Speaker 1: Hi, Joe Flynn here with Flynn's Tire. Flynn's is fighting high prices with thousands of low-priced all-season tires in stock today. Double M.
00:20:27
Speaker 2: Yeah?
00:20:27
Speaker 3: DX at 105.9.
00:20:32
Speaker 1: It's a Steeler Monday here on the X. I'm Mark Madden. Joining me now from the trip, it's Tim Benz. People.
00:20:39
Speaker 6: are very disillusioned about where the offense is now versus what apparently people thought was going to be a magic bullet with McCarthy and Rodgers reconnecting.
00:20:49
Speaker 1: I think the big problem with the offense is Rodgers is just too old. He's too old and he's too scared back there. He just wants to get rid of the ball. He's already complaining in passive-aggressive fashion about the play calling. It was a mistake to bring him back, and I think that's already evident. And if I were McCarthy, I'd say, okay, you call all the plays. I'd put it on him. I'd make Grandpa Game Manager dig his own way out instead of, like Greg Jennings said, he never accepts responsibility. It's never his fault. Now, yesterday won all his fault, but it won not his fault.
00:21:28
Speaker 6: I agree with you insofar as I wouldn't have brought him back either. I agree with you in that he is too old. He does shirk responsibility. That quote after the game mark is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. I've got to do a better job of telling Mike which stinky plays he shouldn't be giving to us anymore.
00:21:45
Speaker 1: He's just a gigantic pain in the ass. And that's tolerable when you're a four-time MVP. Not so much when you look like, and Tim, I wrote this line, I really like it, when you look like an old lady.
00:21:56
Speaker 7: At a busy intersection trying to cross against the lights.
00:22:00
Speaker 6: Well, that's why I think the two bigger problems are the offensive line and the receivers.
00:22:04
Speaker 5: His receivers aren't very good.
00:22:06
Speaker 7: I don't know that those are bigger problems.
00:22:09
Speaker 1: I think those are problems. I think they are.
00:22:11
Speaker 6: I think they are because I actually think he's made a lot of throws that, especially in the first game against Atlanta, that would have made the numbers look better. And DK and the receivers did nothing to help when it came to this game.
00:22:24
Speaker 5: And certainly the offensive line put him in a terrible spot.
00:22:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I'm not bemoaning barely beating Atlanta, who are like a bottom five team. I'm more worried about the Steelers looking like a bottom five team themselves in losing at New England.
00:22:38
Speaker 7: And I'm not saying that Mason Rudolph would be the answer.
00:22:42
Speaker 1: I'm saying that bottoming out and drafting a legitimately good young quarterback would be the answer. But it's always about this year. You've got to win this year. Well, when was the last time they won this year? Any year? How long? Nine years?
00:22:56
Speaker 6: This year, if the plan was to win, then I would think that Joey Porter would be here, but he's not.
00:23:03
Speaker 5: The GM is a fool.
00:23:05
Speaker 1: The GM and the owner, they're both fools.
00:23:10
Speaker 7: You want to win every year.
00:23:12
Speaker 1: You keep the 42-year-old quarterback, but you run off the 26-year-old cornerback. You draft a kick returner in the fourth round when there's more holes in your.
00:23:21
Speaker 7: Depth chart than Swiss cheese. These people do not know what they're doing.
00:23:27
Speaker 6: The Porter thing, I don't think, has had anything to do with the results so far. Like, I don't think Joey playing yesterday fixes the ills of the defense because.
00:23:37
Speaker 1: What if he plays receiver, Tim?
00:23:39
Speaker 6: Well, yeah, he's got to play receiver. That would help the offense. But on defense, like. None of the plays they busted on were because a slow, poor cornerback got beat by somebody. Those were all coverage busts, like guys just running free. Like Jamel Dean stopped when he had a guy covered and then May broke contain and then Dobbs ran behind him. I don't know who was at fault for the other Dobbs play. Rayshon Jenkins is the runner ran in the frame. I don't know if it's his fault, but he was the one that tried to run him down. I don't know who was at fault for the two tight end plays, but those aren't Joey Porter plays.
00:24:13
Speaker 5: Like those plays didn't happen because of the absence of Porter.
00:24:17
Speaker 6: His absence, if he continues, will be felt this week, though, when Higgins and Chase are here.
00:24:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, big time. And I agree that Porter's absence was not directly responsible for all the chunk plays that Wendland broke off. And I think there were six of them. Six to the Steelers won, Tim, which they got a garbage time.
00:24:36
Speaker 5: Jalen Warren.
00:24:37
Speaker 1: On that pass to Warren, yeah. And don't forget, what did they lose on the one play?
00:24:41
Speaker 7: 38 yards?
00:24:42
Speaker 1: My God, that was yackety sacks material. That's your kind of chunk play for the Patriots. It really ought to. But the thing is, the absent supporter with all those chunk plays... Maybe not directly so, but don't you agree that there's a cumulative element there as well?
00:24:58
Speaker 6: Yeah, it might be that they were playing more zone and in the zone they just got lost into who was supposed to get who. That could be the correlation that you're drawing. Yeah, that could be the case.
00:25:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you got the thing too where people are saying that the defense played good. No, it didn't. It played better than the offense because it would have been impossible not to, but no, it didn't. And boys, McCarthy already looking bad on a number of levels. He flipped the right side of the O-line to the left side. That looks more like right side to wrong side. The offense ain't kicking in. And you know what else hurts McCarthy, Tim? Tomlin is so damn good on TV. So damn good. And I know that's not directly relatable, but to the naked eye, that's a conclusion to drop.
00:25:45
Speaker 5: It was funny about his comments yesterday.
00:25:47
Speaker 6: He said that they need to have something to hang their hat on offensively. Tomlin always used to hate the identity question. Like, what's the identity of your offense? He used to hate that question. Maybe it's because maybe we're seeing some truth come through a little bit, Mark. He hated it because he didn't have an answer for it. That could have been the case.
00:26:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not crazy about the identity thing either, even though I use it all the time. But I think there's two forms of identity, Tim, good or bad.
00:26:14
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's bad right now. It's all bad.
00:26:17
Speaker 6: The identity is that this is a bad offense, and I don't see the most clear route.
00:26:22
Speaker 5: To fix it.
00:26:23
Speaker 6: Does handing the ball off to Jalen Warren make them a better offense? No, not with the way the offensive line is performing. You heard JJ, I think it was JJ.
00:26:32
Speaker 1: Forgive the interruption, Tim, but they need to commit more to the run. Okay, like the last two games were relatively tight score-wise. The Atlanta game literally, the New England game, it was 10-3 for a long time because New England just declined opportunities to put them away. And still they threw over 80 passes in the two games. Rodgers just wants to pass, period. That's all he wants to do. He wants it to be all about him. So if you're going to blame anybody for lack of commitment to the run game, start with the quarterbacks.
00:27:05
Speaker 5: Well, it is an interesting dichotomy, isn't it?
00:27:07
Speaker 6: He doesn't want to get hit, but he also doesn't want to hand it off then.
00:27:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, he wants to have his kick and eat it too. He's too old to play quarterback in this league, let alone behind that line, let alone with the offensive weapons he doesn't have.
00:27:22
Speaker 8: Too old.
00:27:23
Speaker 5: I think the only thing that went well, and it wasn't even that great.
00:27:28
Speaker 6: But I thought the pass rush was still decent. May got away from a few. They didn't finish like they did against Cooper Rush.
00:27:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I mean, you know, that's like saying, hey, Mrs. Lincoln, other than that, how did you like the play? I didn't. Your husband got shot. I mean, it just, you know, this is a bad football team. At least it certainly looks that way right now. And I don't think one-on-one is any reason to panic. I don't think losing at New England is any reason to panic. They're the defending AFC champions with the MVP runner-up at quarterback. But it's how they look.
00:28:01
Speaker 5: And it's what's coming up.
00:28:03
Speaker 6: Because I think they lose to the Bengals on Sunday, and then you want to say, well, they'll go to Cleveland and beat them, but they never win in Cleveland on Thursday nights.
00:28:10
Speaker 5: They usually don't win in Cleveland at all anymore.
00:28:13
Speaker 1: And Deshaun Watson just beat Baker. And here's the thing, Tim. You saw that Todd Monk had said, you know, the Browns is the Browns. F that, or where's that effect? And Tomlin said, it's nice to create bulletin board material and have no accountability. Yeah, but that'll still be visited upon the Steelers.
00:28:33
Speaker 6: Well, all of his players created bulletin board material and had no accountability. So he's just doing what he allowed the players to do for how many years?
00:28:41
Speaker 1: Yeah. The bottom line with the Steelers team is I don't think it's a very good roster. And I think like we always do, and I'm certainly guilty of this as well, because I predicted 10 wins. We overrated in hope. And now the chickens are coming home to roost very early. But I think clearly so.
00:28:57
Speaker 6: I don't know that the Bengals have been great, but they've been good enough. And the receivers, the two receivers, were both really good yesterday. Higgins had five catches for 95 yards. Chase had 75 yards.
00:29:08
Speaker 5: I think it might have been seven catches.
00:29:10
Speaker 1: What was the.
00:29:11
Speaker 5: Score of that game, Tim?
00:29:13
Speaker 1: 23-6 or 20-6.
00:29:14
Speaker 5: It wasn't all that high scoring.
00:29:16
Speaker 1: Is it fair to say the Bengals are going to almost never score less than 20 points?
00:29:23
Speaker 5: It would take a really good defensive effort, yeah.
00:29:25
Speaker 4: Right, right.
00:29:26
Speaker 1: So the Steelers aren't going to score 20 points next week. They're in trouble.
00:29:30
Speaker 5: And Chase had two touchdowns, one of which was unbelievable.
00:29:34
Speaker 6: The division right now, one and one across the board, aside from the Bengals, Lamar threw one away, moving the ball against the saints. That was, that was a tough, if you're a Ravens fan, you look at that and say it was inexplicable, but they're going to have some potholes.
00:29:48
Speaker 5: They're going to have some pitfalls.
00:29:50
Speaker 6: Um, Right now, if you look at the odds, the Bengals are the odds-on favorite at minus 105. So I think people are starting to buy in quickly on them. But for them, it's always a matter of injury. They lose one of the two receivers or Burrow, and they're done.
00:30:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, but their defense is better with Sexy Dexy in the middle, who's a cornerstone, not a luxury like Hendrickson was at the edge. I think they're pretty good. I mean, I don't know. I feel so stupid for having picked the Steelers to go 10-7 and win the division. I'm an idiot.
00:30:21
Speaker 6: Well, then that makes me the same thing because that's where I went to because I just don't have much faith. I don't have faith in the Bengals staying healthy all year. And I think the loss to the Saints is part of the reason why I stayed away from the Ravens.
00:30:32
Speaker 5: But forget the predictions. Let's just look at what's here in front of us.
00:30:36
Speaker 1: Can I make one more prediction?
00:30:37
Speaker 2: Sure.
00:30:38
Speaker 1: Rodgers will bail out sooner than later.
00:30:42
Speaker 5: He'll pull the chute, you think?
00:30:43
Speaker 1: Yes, he'll dream up an injury. I can tell by his body language, by the boo-boo face, the way he's talking.
00:30:49
Speaker 7: This isn't what he bargained for already.
00:30:52
Speaker 5: I heard bad back works.
00:30:55
Speaker 3: Right.
00:30:56
Speaker 1: His money's... Well, he's a vested veteran. He's getting paid for this year.
00:30:59
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, he's going to make what he's going to make this year, and then he's going to be done. The Porter thing from Schefter yesterday is that he's looking for another opinion, a second opinion. I don't even know what the first opinion was. The first opinion was you're fine from the coaches.
00:31:13
Speaker 1: Shame on Schefter for playing along with the charade that he's heard. He's not hurt. And... And shame on the Steelers for painting themselves in that corner by being dopes.
00:31:26
Speaker 6: That's what I said, and that's what I've been saying since July, that they put a real.
00:31:31
Speaker 6: They did this to themselves because they put Porter on pop and they didn't need to do it. They should have just treated it like a hold-in as they had everybody else.
00:31:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, no question about that. Here's another prediction, Tim. I've got to put odds on this. It probably won't happen, but it could. Steelers finish dead lap. Draft RT refuses to come.
00:31:51
Speaker 5: Hey, Manning's done that before, so, yeah, it'll be down the playbook.
00:31:55
Speaker 1: In all seriousness, I mean, that was made partly tongue-in-cheek, that prediction, but I believe he will wind up going exactly where he wants to go, that he will force it.
00:32:05
Speaker 6: All right, let's get to hockey, Mark, since that starts tonight. It's the preseason. It's the opener on 105.9 The X after you're done.
00:32:11
Speaker 1: And, Tim, they got the full menu at the media dining.
00:32:16
Speaker 5: What do you mean, the full menu?
00:32:17
Speaker 1: Usually exhibition games, it's like just cold cuts. pulled pork barbecue chicken it's going to be a.
00:32:23
Speaker 6: Festival well there you go now we love the hoffman family already then if they're stepping it up there we get more in the press box than just nachos and hot dogs or what are we doing in the press box during the game that's more important it's been.
00:32:33
Speaker 1: So long since i had nachos or hot dogs i don't.
00:32:36
Speaker 6: Know uh but they play the sabers tonight and i got a quick look at the lineup i honestly mark i didn't look all that deeply at the forwards i looked at the defense because i want to see what defensemen might have a chance to crack in this lineup pickering's playing brunick is playing letang is playing Van Riemsdyk is playing.
00:32:52
Speaker 5: I didn't see Carlson, but the blue line to me is where there's intrigue.
00:32:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm surprised Van Riemsdyk's been paired with Letang all through camp, playing that offside. That's not a surprise because he can do it. But I thought it would be Van Riemsdyk with Carlson. It looks like Carlisle with Carlson, which will be a tongue twister for the play-by-play guys.
00:33:13
Speaker 5: They seem to think he's really good, don't they, Carlisle?
00:33:16
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:33:18
Speaker 1: Okay, they don't think he's really good, nor do I. But they think, and I agree, that he will be this year's version of Shea or Withers Wotherspoon.
00:33:28
Speaker 6: That he's the guy that they can mold into being a little bit better.
00:33:31
Speaker 7: Not mold, that he just kind of fits at that level.
00:33:34
Speaker 1: I'm not sure Shea and Wotherspoon had the Bobby Orr-esque years that some people like to paint. They were both pretty good. They feel Carlisle could be pretty good.
00:33:43
Speaker 5: Well, is there room for Brunick or not?
00:33:46
Speaker 7: No, and that sucks. Brunick will be their Broderick Jones.
00:33:50
Speaker 1: They will mangle his development and ruin his career, at least the way it looks now.
00:33:57
Speaker 6: The whole defense to me, like, here's one topic that I don't think gets talked about enough, and that is.
00:34:03
Speaker 5: Like, they got a great season out of Carlson last year.
00:34:05
Speaker 1: A great year.
00:34:07
Speaker 6: I think part of the reason it was a great year is Dan Mews had one thing going for him. He wasn't Mike Sullivan. And that went a long way with Carlson. Let's see what in year two... Carlson does as far as paying attention to the message from Dan Mews?
00:34:21
Speaker 1: It's a contract year. Okay.
00:34:24
Speaker 5: Is that good or bad?
00:34:25
Speaker 1: I think that's good.
00:34:26
Speaker 7: I think that means he pays attention to whatever message.
00:34:28
Speaker 6: But you know what I'm saying? Also, you can read into contract year for a defenseman. Is he chasing points and then exposing himself when it comes to defensive responsibilities?
00:34:37
Speaker 1: Nah, he'll be all right. Carlson just wants to play the way he wants to play defensively. And Mews coached around that and made other guys fit into that.
00:34:47
Speaker 7: So, yeah, Carl will be all right.
00:34:50
Speaker 6: Well, you talked about in the podcast with Robertson maybe playing with Sid and Raquel. I mean, like, I don't know how Sid feels about that. Is that coming off of feedback from him? Does he think Robertson is actually good enough to be his wing? What does he like about him?
00:35:04
Speaker 1: I don't think that's coming yet off feedback from him. I think it's too early for that. I think it's something the coaches want to try. And we'll dump out as soon as it doesn't work. But who knows? I mean, Robertson did score 16 goals last year. But I do think Russ, Raquel, and Sid is obviously a comfortable fit. And Sid is all about comfort.
00:35:22
Speaker 5: It is kind of interesting that it's Russ that's moving, though.
00:35:25
Speaker 6: Hasn't he been the one that's stayed and then Raquel has been the guy that's moved in the past?
00:35:29
Speaker 7: But Raquel is probably a better finisher right this second.
00:35:32
Speaker 1: Don't you agree? Yeah.
00:35:34
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:35:36
Speaker 1: Well, there you go. And the real.
00:35:39
Speaker 1: And the thing I'll go nuts over is when Chinnikov and Kindle aren't on PP1. That'll be a big problem for me.
00:35:46
Speaker 6: Especially Chinnikov, because not only for his development, but I just think he'll help the unit.
00:35:50
Speaker 1: Actually, Tim, especially Kindle. Kindle has the best power play mind on the team. He's a savant. He should be running the power play from the Lemieux spot, the left half wall. Not to make that comparison, but that's where he should be. He knows how to instinctively let space clear, which nobody else on that power play knows how to do, not even the million point guys. That's Tim on Mark. Now it's time to ask Mark anything.
00:36:18
Speaker 3: 833-412-WXDX.
00:36:22
Speaker 1: That's 833-412-WXDX, or you can leave a talkback using the microphone icon at the iHeartMedia app. 105.9.
00:36:29
Speaker 6: It's time to submit your questions for Ask Mark Anything.
00:36:35
Speaker 3: Use your free iHeartRadio.
00:36:37
Speaker 6: App and tap the microphone icon to send your questions to the super genius instantly.
00:36:44
Speaker 3: It's the Woody Show. Weekday mornings at 6. Uh, yes please.
00:36:47
Speaker 2: I'm here.
00:36:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, on 105.9. The X.
00:36:50
Speaker 1: This hour of the Mark Madden Show is brought to you by Bud Light. Proudly served.
00:36:55
Speaker 3: And now the super genius, Mark Madden.
00:36:58
Speaker 1: Double M, what's up?
00:36:59
Speaker 7: In and out like the psychotic version of the Pokey Pokey.
00:37:02
Speaker 1: Mark, you are a super genius.
00:37:04
Speaker 10: I know.
00:37:05
Speaker 3: The X at 105.9.
00:37:14
Speaker 1: Time to ask Mark anything. Brought to us by People's Natural Gas, reminding you to call 811 before you dig. You dig? Even landscaping work requires you to call 811. More info at peoples-gas.com. If you want to go all angsty about the Steelers, you should. It looks real bad right now. Is it only two games? Yes. Can they turn it around? Yes. Is Rodgers going to get younger? No. Is that offensive line going to get better? I don't know. Defense pretty good, but still a lot of six-chunk plays. So your thoughts on any or all? Dial 412-333-WXDX. Let's start with a talkback.
00:38:01
Speaker 9: Mark, I think we're a few weeks away from hearing some fire Omar chants in the crowd at Akershire. What do you think?
00:38:07
Speaker 1: No.
00:38:08
Speaker 10: No.
00:38:10
Speaker 1: The Acclisher crowd more than any are a bunch of marks, especially for the Roonies, especially the way the Roonies do business. Clyde will never get fired. Never. Art will never back away from football ops, even though he's wholly unqualified. And that's just how it is. Let's go to one more talkback.
00:38:30
Speaker 11: Hey, Mark, you said you're going back to Liverpool in a few weeks. Have you ever stayed at the Hard Day's Night Hotel? And have you ever seen... The wall of fame where the cavern is.
00:38:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've seen the cavern. What you're talking about. I stay at Radisson Raider at the Holiday Inn right downtown, right by all my places. Easy access to Anfield. And you can walk everywhere. One thing I like about going to Liverpool is I don't get on a treadmill. I walk everywhere. I walk all over the town and place the treadmill. And it's so much more fun and you see everything. Let's go to Ken. Ken, ask Mark anything.
00:39:16
Speaker 3: Hello, Mr.
00:39:17
Speaker 1: Madden.
00:39:17
Speaker 2: Always good to talk to you. If I can slip in a quick hockey question here.
00:39:21
Speaker 1: Of course.
00:39:22
Speaker 2: Young goaltender, young goalie, Murshaw, should he just play 40 games this year? Would that be the right way to do it?
00:39:31
Speaker 1: I don't know how you can predict that now. I think that determined by his performance, by Shiloff's performance, and by where the team's at and need. I think the way to start it is how they will start it, to rotate. And I think there's nothing wrong with that.
00:39:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's probably a little too early to say that's exactly set in concrete or something, but I just remember.
00:39:58
Speaker 1: The old days.
00:39:59
Speaker 2: I think a great guy who helped Montreal in their dynasty days, I think Dryden played 60 games as a rookie, but my gosh, that was 1971-72. That's many moons ago.
00:40:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't think we can figure out the Penguins' goaltending rotation now from what Ken Dryden did back then or even More recently, Marty Berdour, who would routinely play 70-some-odd games. Let's go to Joe. Joe, ask Mark anything.
00:40:24
Speaker 9: What up, Hank?
00:40:25
Speaker 1: What up, Hank?
00:40:27
Speaker 2: Hey, Mark.
00:40:28
Speaker 9: I'm curious. I like, in addition to all your Pittsburgh talk, I like when you get into the kind of national media landscape that is deteriorating in.
00:40:37
Speaker 2: Front of us.
00:40:38
Speaker 9: But on that note, I always like how you always speak positively of PGI and LeBron and Kornheiser.
00:40:42
Speaker 1: It's the best show of its kind in the history of sports TV. And the unfortunate sidebar is it spawned all the other crap we see on ESPN.
00:40:56
Speaker 3: I know.
00:40:56
Speaker 9: Next month will be 25 years since it went on the air, which is crazy.
00:41:00
Speaker 1: Here's the difference, bruv. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon are guys with experience in journalism who are very intelligent. Pat McAfee's a punter pothead.
00:41:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.
00:41:12
Speaker 9: My question, in your own career, have you ever been able to meet them or know anyone who has met them and enjoyed the experience?
00:41:18
Speaker 1: I've interviewed Tony on this show, and when he did DC Radio, I was a guest on his show.
00:41:27
Speaker 2: Oh, really? Cool.
00:41:27
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:41:28
Speaker 9: I never, I didn't know that.
00:41:30
Speaker 1: I wouldn't call Tony a friend, but, uh, but I have, uh, I have utmost respect for what he has done and hopefully he'll continue to do for, for a while longer. Anyway, let's go to Buffalo bill.
00:41:43
Speaker 2: Mark, how do you get over a girl that doesn't want you anymore?
00:41:48
Speaker 1: That's a good question. I don't know. If I was younger, I'd go to a strip club. What are your plans?
00:41:56
Speaker 4: I don't know.
00:41:57
Speaker 1: That's why I called you.
00:41:58
Speaker 12: That's not a bad idea.
00:41:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, go to cheerleaders, I suppose. Let's go to... It's been a while since I thought about anything. Let's go to J.D. J.D., what's up?
00:42:11
Speaker 2: Mark, what up, man?
00:42:12
Speaker 1: What up, man?
00:42:12
Speaker 2: Question for you.
00:42:14
Speaker 10: With all your contacts within the hockey media, have you heard any rumors or any scuttlebutt about a possible 2028 winter classic between the Penguins and Buffalo Sabres at the new Highmark Stadium that would commemorate the 20th anniversary of the inaugural Winter Classic.
00:42:33
Speaker 1: I have not heard that, but I hope they do it. That sounds like a great idea, doesn't it?
00:42:38
Speaker 7: I thought so.
00:42:40
Speaker 10: I know the NHL has kind of taken it on the chin a little bit for like, you know, with the different stadium series games and different stuff. I think that would be perfect and how great it would be.
00:42:49
Speaker 1: They've done it too much. It would be great to commemorate the anniversary. They've done it too much. It's in Utah this year, but they do other stadium games too. But here's why. No sport depends on ticket revenue anymore as much as the NHL still does. So that's money in their pocket. Let's go to a talkback.
00:43:07
Speaker 9: Hey, Mark.
00:43:07
Speaker 7: This is Tyler from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
00:43:09
Speaker 9: I've been a huge Penguins fan my whole life.
00:43:11
Speaker 2: I've been out to a few games.
00:43:14
Speaker 10: However, my mother has never been to one, and I'm really trying to get her out to a game this year.
00:43:19
Speaker 9: What game, in your opinion, would be the game to come to out there?
00:43:23
Speaker 1: Thank you. Bro, I don't know your schedule. I'm a big Lancaster guy, too. That's part of my deck hockey past. There are a lot of guys and teams and tournaments from Lancaster. You can tell I'm a Lancasterite honorary because I pronounced the city correctly. Not Lancaster, but Lancaster. Pat Bostic would compliment me for that and has. You know what? Bring it to a Flyers game here. You can't beat that. Can't beat the old enemy coming to Pittsburgh. Let's go to Dick. Dick, you're on with Double M.
00:43:57
Speaker 4: Let's say the Steelers are like 3-7. Is there a point where they have the guts to tell Rodgers, hey, look, there's no point in going forward anymore with you. Let's get Aller in there and get him some stress.
00:44:10
Speaker 1: Well, it won't be Aller first. It'll be Rudolph.
00:44:14
Speaker 4: But why? If the season's done.
00:44:17
Speaker 1: It depends if Aller's ready or not. You don't just throw a guy to the wolves. Maybe a first-round pick, not a third-round pick. But if they're 3-7, don't worry about Rodgers' feelings. He will have long since bailed out and pulled the chute. Let's go to a talkback. A super genius.
00:44:34
Speaker 8: I know the answer is probably no. But do you construct a second line of Chinnikoff, Kendall, and Rust? I don't know how Malkin fits or works. He probably doesn't on the third line, but I would be intrigued by that second line.
00:44:49
Speaker 1: I want to play Chinnikoff and Kendall together because they're the only two offensive talents of any note that are 25 or under, and you need to see how they do together because that could be one of your top combinations ever. moving forward but i don't think they're going to do that especially not initially do i have one more talk back.
00:45:10
Speaker 12: Okay let's go to that super genius i know how much of a fan you are of the high school football in this area but i'm wondering if your passion for soccer translates as well do you happen to keep up with the whippeal soccer let me know thanks i.
00:45:26
Speaker 1: Used to go to uh char valley high school soccer games when uh my buddy um Garrett McKenzie was the coach there. Dave McKenzie's kid who used to play for the Spirit. I haven't gone to any high school soccer for a while. I should go to a game this year, though. Another buddy of mine, Bobby Dyer, has coached Peters Township for years and has been very successful there. So, yeah, I think I'm going to go. I'll go to a Peters Township soccer match before the year is out.
00:45:53
Speaker 3: 105.9.
00:45:54
Speaker 1: Just for foundation and concrete repair.
