The Steelers haven’t won in a month. The Ravens haven’t lost in a month. Will Graves of The Associated Press in Pittsburgh says it’s hard to find reasons to feel confident in a Russell Wilson offense that has sputtered down the stretch as Mike Tomlin has a motivational sell to his veteran players to salvage a lost season with a big underdog win in Baltimore on Saturday night.
Nestor Aparicio and Will Graves discuss the upcoming playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Graves highlights the Steelers’ struggles, including their 0-5 playoff record since 2016 and the recent regression of their offense, particularly under new coach Arthur Smith. He notes the importance of George Pickens, who has been a non-factor since his return. Graves also mentions the Ravens’ strengths, particularly their defense and Lamar Jackson’s playmaking ability. Despite the Ravens being 9.5-point favorites, Graves acknowledges that a close game could lead to pressure and potential upsets, given the Steelers’ history of playoff disappointments.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Steelers playoffs, Ravens rivalry, Mike Tomlin, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, TJ Watt, George Pickens, playoff pressure, Baltimore defense, Pittsburgh offense, AFC playoffs, Super Bowl hopes, Commanders resurgence, Ravens dominance, Steelers challenges
SPEAKERS
Will Graves, Nestor Aparicio
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Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are double u n, S T am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. We’re going to get the Maryland crab cake tour back out on the road. I promise. We got snowed in this week. Apple libs grill in Bel Air. We’re rescheduling for February. I had the wise crack with Nick up there. I said, let’s just do it after the Ravens Parade, which will be on February 11. So we will see it’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. I have some Raven scratch offs. I do not have any Raven scratch offs to give away. I’m gonna have the magic eight balls to give away once we get un snowed, unthoughed. There’s a football game on Saturday night. It’s a big one. We have discussed the bullpen of the Orioles, the starting rotate. We’ve discussed everything but the notion of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Steelers coming to Baltimore for a playoff game. My dad took me. I was sitting in Section 41 behind home plate Memorial Stadium back in December 1976 when the Donald kroner went into the upper deck spin almost 50 years crazy. We played a lot of games up there, but we’re going to drag them down here. Will Graves is our guest. He is with the Associated Press Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Covers all Pittsburgh sports. Very, very capably. He is one of my favorite guests to have on not so favorite that I like want to see the Orioles play the pirates in the World Series. So we have to spend more time together. You and I used to do some penguins cap stuff, but I wore the State Fair swag out of Catonsville with the Maryland flag, which you are no stranger. You were born under this flag. Will graves.
Will Graves 01:35
I was, you know, Waldorf, Maryland, born in a proud and all that stuff. Although, because of where Waldorf is, I outside of the Orioles, I always sort of identified with the football team that plays in the nation’s capital, which, you know, look, the last time they won 12 games I was 17 years old. And as my daughter says to me, Dad, you look 50 and I’m sure you feel 50 sometimes. So an enjoyable thing, especially for my mom. This season, my mom has stuck with them. Like, I’ve, you know, I’m conscientious, right? Like, if they’re worth my time, I was into them. And then for, for most of Snyder’s era, I was just like, if they were good, I was interested. But I just, you know, I got other things to do. Happy for my mom, all the people that have stuck with them, it looks like they’re in the right direction. A a Ravens commander Super Bowl, which is not going to happen. The ravens are, I mean, the ravens, the commanders, are at least a year or two away. But my God, like that would be, that would be, you know, what the interesting part would be, all the people I grew up with in high school, Nestor that when the skin that’s that stayed in the area, stayed in the DMV, when the commanders got bad, they switched to the Ravens. And they’re Ravens fans now, and they have not
Nestor Aparicio 02:42
never have envisioned that happening. I mean, I had a friend. I still have a friend. I love him more than I love most humans. Who was on that side of us wasn’t even from DCS, from Harrisburg, probably Philly airy has a little bit of Philly accent to this day, um, and he’s pushing up on 70 and um, but let’s love that team. And wore the headdress with Gibbs, the whole deal, all of it, you know, Doug Williams, Riggins, all of it, dude. Oh, from East Baltimore, had Five minutes with the fun bunch when I was in high school. We lost the team because it was kind of like, okay, and they’re playing the Raiders, and Jack squirek happened and all that. I don’t need to remind you. I never remind theisman about that, but I would just say like, this is when the team came here. I was on the radio five years already. At that point, that’s how long I’ve been here, whether Chad Steele credentials me on Saturday night or not. But I’ve been doing this a long time. I was here before it happened. The notion that the purple Barneys would ever match what Jack can cook and the waiting list and the President’s thing? You know, like all of that, it’s amazing the Orioles and the the Washington football team, how stripped down those incredible brands of our youth were, right?
Will Graves 03:56
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I mean, 25 years of incompetent leadership will do that, right? I mean, like, that’s just sort of the but, I mean it’s, yeah, I mean, it’s crazy how quickly karma seems to be intent on writing itself with the commanders. I mean, we’re talking like I would have settled, like, the beginning of the season. I would have settled for seven and 10, right? Like that would have been fine. But it seems like it’s almost like the end of The Godfather where, like, you know, they were, they kill every remote green everybody gets killed. And it’s like they settled all family business, I mean, to beat the Cowboys with their backup quarterback and on the cow, you know, on the road in the last second. And how many games have they won this year in the last minute? I mean, you know, from the Hail Mary to the Falcons to the to the Cowboys last week they should, I mean, to what should happen when they play the Cowboys the first time, if the freaking kicker makes the extra point to get to, to get to overtime, probably very exciting times. But you know, the Ravens have earned, like, the people that have stayed with the ravens, like they have, like, one of my, one of my good friends from high school, is a raven season ticket holder, and you know, he’s like, oh, there’s going
Nestor Aparicio 04:58
to hurt a lot more. Magic over the last 24 years,
Will Graves 05:01
and it may have been like, and there’s 25 years of competent leadership, right with with what you have with the ravens, and that’s sort of what the Steelers have, and what you know, like. And the difference here is, and you know, it’s interesting, like Mike T signed in an extension before last year, before this season. And you know, there are people still out like if they haven’t won a playoff game since 16 longest drought, since the Immaculate Reception. Even in Knowles later years, they had a year or two where they would win a game or two in the playoffs. The pressure’s on here for Mike T and you know, they sort of look like they are who we thought they were this last month. I think last time was on with you. Before was on with you before, was before the last trip down to Baltimore, and
Nestor Aparicio 05:43
I said five minutes ago, because it kind of was, and that’s why, like, what’s happened to the Steelers and what’s happened to the Ravens from that dude when they lost to the Eagles here didn’t smell good, right? You know what I mean? Like, nothing was going right. Kicker was bad. Middle of the defense was bad, like, and by the time we stumbled into that Pittsburgh game, it was sort of like, well, you still had some confidence in Russell Wilson in the offense, I tell you what. Man, why. And I’ve watched it all. It’s amazing the juxtaposition of one month for both of these franchises and their trajectory. Yeah, right, literally,
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Will Graves 06:17
yeah. I mean, and, you know, Mike T has, uh, has owned that. I mean, he said, Look, you know that this is the going to Baltimore, is the tax we pay for not winning the division. It’s hard to find, you know, optimism outside of that room, and maybe even in that room. To your point, you talked about Russell Wilson, the offense has regressed the last three or four weeks. And a lot of that’s on Arthur Smith, I mean, on it was weird that Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns the first time they played the Bengals. And the decision this time was, let’s take the ball out of Joe burrows hands, and let’s try to run the ball as much as we can, to try to maintain, to maintain the, you know, possession, control, the clock, whatever they ran on 11 of their 12, first down, first, first downs. They ran the ball every time. Arthur Smith, this seems intent. If you guys, I’m sure you guys, have watched any steel games this year, they called two or three toss plays, a game that go nowhere. And I think the players are getting frustrated. We were in the locker room earlier this week. And I’m not going to identify the player comes in. He was the only player in the locker room, and it’s a defensive player in and not a starter, so, but I’ll leave it there. We’re like, Hey, man, you want to talk? You know, it’s so crowded. And he laughed. He goes, Why you guys want to ask me about that toss play? I mean, like, the players themselves are getting sort of tired with what this they’ve it’s weird that they’ve absolutely just gone away from what was working. It’s very it’s bizarre. And you throw in the fact that George Picken seems to be pouting his way out of town, yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 07:53
What is that that, to me, is the issue, right? Like that they’ve taken on dude, you’ve covered Antonio Brian. You’ve covered a lot of that, right? No, just in a general sense that, I mean, the kid we had here for five minutes who said, I don’t want to play, we were talking, we did a whole soliloquy on you, thinking he was a decent guy, like we did that last month. But there’s been a thing there with Pickens, like I don’t we have Mike Wallace here, from it, there been so many receivers that have gone through the system there that have moved on the other not Hines water should be in the Hall of Fame, by the way, I make that case, but um, I the Pickens thing to me, he should. He’s their difference maker, right? Like he’s their most special player, right? Correct?
Will Graves 08:36
Yeah. And I just, you know, we’re in year three with him, and I don’t see a lot of movement in terms of maturity. Mike T is never going to publicly like close as he got to calling George out this year, and there’s been the guy’s been fined half a dozen times. He seems to want to get in a fight, pretty much at the drop of a hat with whoever happens to be within arm’s reach of him and my closest, Mike TK, came, he said earlier this year, you know, he needs to grow up and grow up in a hurry. And when you like the drops, he’s been so good that I can, sort of, I have no problem with the drops against the Bengals, but his comportment is a problem. And, you know, I think they’re going to reach a point this off season where they either have to pay him a lot of money because he’s entering his the fourth he was a second round pick, so the next year is his, you know, his last year of his rookie deal, and they have to decide in the off season to extend him, or try to let him play through that, which I wouldn’t I mean, what a that would be a disaster. You know, very bizarre. And to be honest with you, any version of their offense that doesn’t include him making plays down the field is just absolutely ineffective, and is is a path to ruin, to be AG, to be absolutely honest with you. So it sort of feels, I wrote about this kind of after the Chiefs game, that it, it feels like Groundhog Day here. You know, it’s remembering Groundhog Day like Bill Murray did all sorts of different things to try to get through the end of the day, including, you know, driving off a cliff with a groundhog. Guns lap, the Steelers have tried, I mean, you know, they’ve had five straight one and dones in the playoffs, and or 4441, and dones in the playoffs, and five straight, and they’ve lost five straight playoff games. Back to this,
Nestor Aparicio 10:13
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Luke has a word for that. He two words. He calls that a good, bad team.
Will Graves 10:17
Well, right? I mean, and that’s I mean, and they’ve tried different things. I mean, like they blew it up. They blew up their their quarterback room. I mean, how bizarre was this on in week 17, simultaneously, simultaneously. During week 17, the Steelers played on Christmas. On that Sunday, you had Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph all playing at the same time for different teams. And I
Nestor Aparicio 10:39
can top that, we had Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor and Snoop Huntley all playing at the same time in the league? So there have that. I’ll up you a Super Bowl MVP, even though you have one starting on Saturday night.
Will Graves 10:54
Yeah, I mean, I mean, it’s, it is bizarre, right? So they have tried different things, and they find themselves in the same place. And if you look, you look at the AFC playoffs, and you rank the quarterbacks, who you get. I mean, where’s
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Nestor Aparicio 11:07
right, like they you clearly have a lot of affinity for Mike Tomlin. You’re not a Steelers fan, right? You’ve already, you’ve already sold your soul to Joe Gibbs and Joe Theismann. Here, the first game I ever went
Will Graves 11:19
to was the 83 NFC Championship, 82 where they beat the Cowboys. I mean, like I was eight years old, like I it was in my blood, like there was no coming back from that, right? I mean, that’s like, that’s the cores of core memories. But I thought
Nestor Aparicio 11:30
Bill Jackman’s press pass from a Redskins 40 Niners game from like, 19, you know, 87 or 88 and Steve Young maybe, is Montana, probably that. But nonetheless, like I grew up with all of it here. And before I interrupt, I want to reset. Will Graves is our guest. He’s with the Associated Press. He’s trying to get a sip in. Edgewise, he is bouncing all the all over. But here’s an interesting thing about this rivalry with you guys in Washington, as I would say, I did a whole capital center thing right around my birthday Acosta. They put this beautiful coffee table book together these guys in Laurel who are just dudes who do books and publishing and like they’re they’re a memory group, right? They did a coffee table with a Poland’s heirs and Dick Patrick and all the people that ran the capital center and tickets just great memories of so we shared that, and that was the point where, like, not only that, but we had our team taken away from us, right, like our teams played in a F and blimp out in Indianapolis, right? And we got no team, and they started shipping the Redskin games on the television year in 1984 right? So the sideways nest that nasty Nestor had the 1990s with, I mean, dude, I have pictures of us burning Redskins hats in the parking lot in 1998 I have a picture, and I’ll pull it up for you, because when you look at it, you’re gonna look at it and you’re gonna say that looks like the last scene in The Shining where Jack Nicholson’s in the middle. So I’ll pull this up for you, because it’s from the park. So there’s been a lot of angst. It would be unthinkable if the Ravens loose to the Steelers. At Home is a nine and a half point favorite because it snows on Saturday and somehow the commanders win on Sunday and Monday morning. Mike Tom, let’s play football next week. And Mike, I mean, like, Do you think there’s no chance the Steelers can win, right? Like, it, it, I don’t say there’s no chance that believes in them, even though we might get five inches of snow. I mean, anything’s possible. But this rivalry is 1917, 2321 No. Matter what. And there was a blowout three weeks ago, and the Steelers are feeling themselves, and the Ravens are feeling themselves, even though they struggle with the browns, they play with their food for, you know, 30 minutes the other day like and they’ve been the most penalty written team in the sport. Like the kicker’s been screwy. It would have to look like no. Nine and a half’s a lot to make you laugh. That’s almost a will grave.
Will Graves 14:05
8You know, it would have to look a lot like the fur their ravens trip up here. You know, earlier in the season. It would have to the Ravens would have to be complicit in handing the Steelers the game. Tucker would have to miss a couple of kicks. You’d have to throw a pick in the end zone. You’d have to put the ground a couple times, I mean. And really, that’s the reality that you know, when you look at all the things that have gone wrong for the Steelers and the offense has not been great, but they, I mean, the defense sort of had been, you know, thriving off turnovers, has not really been generating them of with the same frequency, you know, not. So the offense isn’t getting as many short fields the defenses you know that it is in the red zone is not as good as it was earlier in the season. I mean, I think I came on here when we talked before the last day, and for last game, I expected the ravens to kind of beat them handily, because the Ravens were not going to make the same mistakes they they’re not going to only give the ball to Derek Henry 13 times like they did the first time. Right? So, I mean, look, TJ watt. Minka, Fitzpatrick, Cam Hayward, if those guys can be disruptive and force Lamar into making some mistakes, if Tom if Todd monks, you know, loses control of his census and doesn’t realize I have the best one two punt back backfield in football, and I’m just going to rely on that, then, yes, the Steelers have a chance. But I just think, like, a lot would have to happen. I think what we saw, I mean, look, that game a couple weeks ago was sort of close. I mean, they had, you know, they got the pick. Fitzpatrick got the pick. They had. They were down three. They had the ball. And then the pick six happened in the game was sort of did not feel like a 17 point game. It did not know, but it but no, but I would say it did. But I never, did you ever really feel like the Ravens weren’t in control of that game. You felt
Nestor Aparicio 15:42
like the Ravens is a raven follower, in person, in that game, you felt like they’re a mistake away from being a, you know, a 51 yard field goal to get them beat. Because, well, I mean, very good. I was here for the Raiders game. I was here for the Browns game. They played with their food for 30 look, I say this all week, and I would say this on Pittsburgh radio, they’re the best team in the tournament. I mean, they have a testing coach, quarterback that’s done it. They have several ways to beat you. Zay flowers, not withstanding. But like all of that’s a mystery. When they miss a field goal, all that’s a mystery, right? When the ball goes on the carpet at the eight yard line after they’ve shoved the ball up your ass for 70 yards and make a mistake, and it really gets sideways, and I’ll tell you, and this is the prescription, because I’ve seen them lose more than win this time of year in this format. They don’t like cold weather. They built the team to pass, even though, as I pointed out, they don’t really want to pass in years past. Now, Luke would say they threw for 41 yards this year, so they wanted the pen. So I I agree that every part of this, all the DVO and I’ve had Aaron on, and all of that has improved, but in this particular environment, if they get six inches of snow, if they flowers, isn’t there, if passing the ball against the team that their liability is the past game, and that’s not really the way you want to play the game. First downs everything, because if they’re in first and 10, no penalties, cool, if they’re in second and two, they’re going to beat your ass. If they’re in Second and eight or second and 12, or second and 12, or first and 25 or some of the awful D and DS they’ve been in, that’s when the punt game gets involved and they got to come play defense and but I don’t think the Steelers can win the game offensively, which is why I think the point spread so weird. Because I just think there’s a notion that there’s just no way the Steelers are going to be able to go up and down the field to count to 2427 on their own to score three touchdowns in this game, full field with that offense. I don’t think that’s possible.
Will Graves 17:45
Well. I mean, I think the one thing, and you touched on a little bit, you know, we asked Mike t this week, you know, about the lack of playoff success that they’ve had, and he said, That’s my those are my bags to carry, right? Right? And he’s, and that’s not this collectives. And to that part, he’s right. And you got a new quarterback. I mean, you got a bunch of rookies on the offensive line, or your all your receivers outside of Van Jefferson are young, so your running backs. But the Baltimore does not Baltimore like that collective, as Mike T likes to say, does have bags to carry, because, like, you know if Lamar, if they struggle early in the game, if it’s six, three, late second quarter,
Nestor Aparicio 18:27
right? And by the way, the crowd will get down on them here, right? 30 years ago, like that, in my era, that just, we didn’t boo the Ravens here until, like, bowlers showed up, and then then just Barstool Sports, you know, just we’re in a different environment, but it will not be a home game if it’s seven to three at the end of the first quarter,
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Will Graves 18:46
right? I mean, I mean, I think, like, like, the ghosts that the ravens are trying to eradicate, you know, if it’s, if it gets tight early, I think you know, that there’s going to be the uh oh, like, it’s like, be. It’s like, oh, it’s almost like, be, you know, it’s almost like being a CAPS fan up until 2018 right? It’s like, Uh oh, we go, we’re up three, one in the series. Uh oh, it should have been winner. We should have closed this out in game five. Uh, like, that’s, it’s that sort of thing is going to happen. The sealers, in that sense, won’t have that sort of pressure, because nobody expects them to win, including me. I mean, they are like, you know when I talk about grind hog day last year, when they got in the playoffs that late three game winning streak with Mason Rudolph at quarterback, that he entered the playoffs as the longest shot in the tournament
Nestor Aparicio 19:30
this year, Officer quarterback, yes, but this year was
Will Graves 19:36
this year with Russell Wilson at their quarterback, as their quarterback, they enter the playoffs as the longest shot in the 14 team tournament right now, their problem is they do not have the court like that is like the rest of the team is okay. But when you look at herbert mahomes, Allen Lamar, you know, I mean, those four are clearly. Be better than at this moment, Bo nicks and Russell Wilson and CJ Stroud. But with Nixon Stroud, there’s the idea that they can get better, right? Like those guys will have a chance to improve as their careers go on. This is the problem students find themselves in. They’re stuck in neutral. They took a one year flyer on Russ. It looked like it was going great in November, and now it’s like, Oh, man. I mean, and to me, it’s baffling to me that Arthur Smith is getting head coaching interviews. And I like Arthur Smith. He’s almost too honest to a fault. But when you look at what the way they have regressed. I mean, I asked Mike T point blank, he was like, Well, we were trying to set an agenda against the Bengals, and that’s why we ran it so much. I’m like, But should the agenda shift before you get down 19 to seven? And he goes, Yes, ideally, yes. So I mean that, like, the inability for them to adjust in game offensively is like a problem. But the biggest problem is their quarterback is not, especially in the AFC, like, you’re just, you know, Russ is not, he’s not going to rescue them, you know, like the as, if they play complimentary football, they get turnovers. Defense plays well enough. TJ watt does TJ watt things. They are competitive. And look, I’ll be honest, when they beat the Bengals the first time, 4438 you thought, Oh, now they’re capable of wanting to shoot out. And they have. They have literally gone. It’s been straight downhill since then.
Nestor Aparicio 21:14
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Well, they’re not multiple Will Grace is our gasp Associated Press. You say, adjust. What’s the just mean, if it’s Russell Wilson and the offensive lines not winning up front, and the long balls not there, because pick, I mean, who’s healthy and who’s not? I mean, there was a point a couple of weeks ago where felt like he sort of limped into that game a little bit from the Steelers
Will Graves 21:35
perspective, right? I mean, you know, Miss missing Pickens obviously changes at offense, but, I mean, in the two games since he’s been back, he’s had, he had one catch against the Chiefs for 41 yards early in that game, and then he’s been a non factor otherwise. I mean, just an absolute non factor. You know, the friar Muth is their best, as I’ve said all season, they he’s finally merged as their second best receiver. Should have been that way last year too. I mean, like, it’s weird that he’s been their most adult the he’s the adult in the room on that offense a lot of times, but, like, they just, but Pat’s not a guy that’s going to go 40 yards down the field, and he’s not even a mark Andrews, you know, he’s a he’s a possession, he’s an eight catch for 85 yard guy, which is good to move the chains, but George Pickens is the Only guy that’s a difference maker downfield for them. And when you’ve got him bottled up, and when the alt line can’t protect Russ, and the other thing that sort of is problematic, if you watch Russ lately, there’s a lot of like, oh man, where am I going with the ball? Let me see if I can cook and, you know, and do what he used to do 10 years ago in Seattle, and run around for six seconds and make a play. And he did that a couple times early on, but that those options have vanished in recent weeks, and that is, uh, that is problematic. I’ll play
Nestor Aparicio 22:49
along that the Steelers are going to punt a lot or throw the ball away, and then then it’s 37 to six, right? Like if they throw the ball away twice, like we saw last week with the browns and these gifts from Bailey’s happy. But this is a Super Bowl tested quarterbacks an offense. It’s been here. They’ve been losing a lot. Nobody believes, like all of that, I will say they’ll punt enough to make the offense not be a factor. Now convince me the Steelers defense can play with Lamar. And the case I would make that this is not a nine and a half point game based on them having one decal on the side of their helmets and Ray Lewis and, you know, Bart Scott and all the history of the games is just the the ability to stop first down, the ability to know what they’re doing. And I’ve said this a couple times out loud this week, and maybe you can correct me if I’m wrong, I would, because I haven’t talked to Mike, although we did text on we did a merry Christmas because he was here in crab cake Landy at that point. But for me, the notion that their defense as that’s the way it’s been built, is the entire off season. All of TJ Watts career has been about chasing down Lamar Jackson and most recently, Joe burrow. And the way they build everything is that’s a quarter of the season. I can almost hear Mike T I get that’s quarter season dog. We, you know, we can’t go one and three against them. We prefer to go four and Oh, but we at least got to go two and two, and we got to deal with both of them, and they’re different, and we have to build a team that can stop them, or now a borough thing. I mean, you mentioned all the problems, all these other quarterbacks, these light weights and what, and I’m thinking, well, there’s, there’s a big boy in the room. It’s not even in the tournament. He’s out fishing and pissed off this week. I’d like to see how that organization is going to rebound. But in in particular for the Steelers, I see them as having three really special players on defense, and that’s what gives the Ravens problems. And the thing that doesn’t give the Ravens problems are NFC teams that have no idea they’re not built for Lamar. They have to figure out a scout team three days before the game, Steelers are been watched. They watch this all year long. I think they’re better equipped to come in and play it on Saturday night and play it closer than they’re just going to get their ass kicked or they’re overwhelmed. I do not think the Steelers defense, if they’re healthy, is overwhelmed on a cold night by the ravens, without say, flowers, right? Like, if that’s the way we’re going to play it on Saturday night, I think the Steelers are slobber knock for a while and make this thing salty and ugly, because that’s the way it usually is. Yeah.
Will Graves 25:29
I mean, I would say that, you know, look, the last game was, sort of, from a spread standpoint, was an aberration, right? I mean, the pick six sort of exacerbated that, but it was still like, I, you know, I never really was concerned. There was a point in the third quarter where I thought, Man, this is one of those games where they don’t deserve to win into your to win. And to your point, boss, you know, there’s a a punt return for 30 yards and, you know, a third and eight that they convert, and Basel kicks a 51 yarder as time expires, and they win by one, right? Like, that’s, that’s sort of the wrestling, right? That’s the recipe that they have to follow, I mean. But TJ has not, if you look at, you know, he’s been on a bad ankle for about a month now, it doesn’t look the same he’s getting. Teams have been able to turn their attention to him more than they had, more effectively than they have in recent years. I don’t know if he’s he’s not slowed, but he’s certainly but like they have other I mean, Deshaun Elliott’s been great as a compliment to Mika Fitzpatrick. You know, Alex Highsmith is probably one of the more underrated. He’s been hurt this year, missed six weeks for various injuries. One of the more underrated sort of Robins to Batman’s in this league, Preston Smith, had a sack last week, and then they got him at the deadline. They could the defense is capable, but like, the defense has
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Nestor Aparicio 26:33
even patch your queen, hold on, stop. I can’t let you do that in Baltimore.
Will Graves 26:38
Look, pq has been good. I mean, he’s been good. He’s he’s been good. Like, he was a slow start, he’s been good. I mean, in, you know, the the thing is, when you get when you come in with a moniker of, well, that’s the biggest free agent contract, are they given to any player in team history? I mean, it says two things. One, the Steelers don’t spend money in free agency, let’s be honest. But also, like, there’s an inherent sense of responsibility with that. PQ hasn’t run from that. He’s been very he’s been good, you know. And I remember I talked to him before the season started, and, you know, one of his motivating factors to leave Baltimore was, one, that they didn’t offer him a contract. But two, he wanted to prove that he could be good without rogue next to him. That’s what he that’s what he wanted. And I think he’s done that. I think he’s been, you know, the six is noticeable. He’s noticeable just about every Sunday. Is he a difference maker? No. But, I mean in terms of, like, Is he, is he on a level of cam and TJ and Minka? No. But, I mean, at that position, since Ryan shazier got hurt in 2017 the inside linebacker had been a mess, an absolute mess. I mean, they missed on Devin bush, and they were guys like Joe Schobert that kind of came right, you know, just random dudes that kind of popped up. Mike Bostick, you know, just random guys that popped up. So Patrick has been in definite upgrade. And he’s in the Atlanta, Roberts has also been excellent. So, like, the defense is, is good enough, and they have, until that last game, you know, had success against Lamar. But I just think Lamar so talented, and you would hope that Todd monk and smart enough that they would come up with a plan to figure out how to beat these guys. I think it relies heavily on having 22 be 22 especially if they flowers isn’t playing. But look, they also have trouble with the tight ends. I mean, I had trouble with the tight ends last time, right? So am I to the point where Mike T was very pointed the next the next day about that, like, man, we in the red zone. We gotta cover these tight ends. We can’t cover these tight ends. So, you know, because the both of them had touchdowns, I think so, you know, I just think from a talent standpoint, the the ravens are better. Their quarterback is special. They should win the game the sea there’s the best thing the Steelers have going for them. So if they get the ravens to be sloppy early, it gets tight, and then everybody in the stands is is channeling their will graves, watching the caps penguins in the 95 playoffs, up to nothing, and then up up to one. And then in game four of that series, the NED bed game, where Adam not Adam Oates, the center, Joey Juno, has a penalty shot in overtime after Mario has been ejected, and he doesn’t make that and then Edward scores at like, three in the morning, and the series basically is over that kind of like, oh, here we go again. Is going to creep in if it’s tight for the ravens, because it was this in the playoffs last year, in the championship game against the chiefs, it was the same thing. It was, we’re home. This is not the Chiefs team that it’s been we have the horses, and it got tight and they just couldn’t close. So I think that that’s the sealers best chance they have to keep it tight, and then they hope that Raven sort of getting
Nestor Aparicio 29:32
their heads a little bit. Yeah, I was gonna do the because Murphy probably Murphy, yeah, yeah. I just wanted to make sure he was on the 95 team. I looked that up. I knew he was there a little before that, with Lemieux will Graves is here. He is an encyclopedia of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, DMV sports knowledge will challenge his skip Jack’s knowledge on our next reading year. Listen, man, we, you know, they get together three times in any given year. This. Really is kind of an interesting game and a gift and weird and through the rivalry and how it turns out, especially to your point, for Mike Tomlin and for John Harbaugh, who both sort of kind of got to win this game. Or it makes for, you know, a really, really bad, hideous, really hideous here, but not really any better where you are, right, like it goes into battle mode beginning midnight, Saturday night, if the Steelers lose by three touchdowns somehow, right?
Will Graves 30:27
8
Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, they’re probably they, if the defense plays poorly, I’m sure that Terrell Austin, while their defensive coordinator, who was a great guy, a great guy, right? And well, well respect, well respected across the league, but he will probably Michael. He’ll be a sacrificial lamb, even though that’s really Mike T’s defense. I mean, that’s, you know, that’s the reality of it, right? But somebody’s got to take the fall, like Keith Butler did before him, like Dick LeBeau, the great Dick LeBeau did before him. So, like, that’s just kind of how, what I would expect, you know, otherwise, like, you know, the their off season is going to include, what do you do at quarterback? Because, I mean, fields is on an expiring contract. Russ is on. Russ is was a one year deal, and they’re not any closer than they were. And the problem is, like, you’ve got a hall, a potential Hall of Famer in cam Hayward, a certain Hall of Famer in TJ watt, you know, and it may be a French Hall of Famer in Minka Fitzpatrick. I mean, Cam’s 35 he’s, he might be an all Pro, all pro teams coming out this week. He’s a pro bowler, 35 how much more gas does he have left? TJ is on the back half of his prime. You sort of have wasted, you know, they’ve wasted the primes of these guys careers without any playoff success. That is, man, that’s tough. That is everything
Nestor Aparicio 31:38
you just said, is Ditto. Next weekend, if the Ravens do a face from Buffalo, or if they lose the Kansas City. I mean, it’s really weirdly Super Bowl or bust here, when you have Lamar and Derek Henry, you don’t have to talk about Derek Henry did that a couple of weeks ago. But like the Derrick Henry thing is, you know that if they have to get off the bus and play 17 games without him next year, right? I mean, if without that sort of impactful player, and when I’m sitting here talking to old people, people older than you and me, and I’m, like, his only comparables Jim Brown, he, you know, I mean, that’s where we are, and he hasn’t won anything either. I mean, there’s a lot of want here, and I guess that’s why I brought up Patrick Queen too, where, like, you know, Russell Wilson’s got a pelt. I guess Harbaugh and Tomlin have one. I’m Justin Tucker, right? I’m looking around and I’m like, other than that, there’s a lot of people here with a lot to prove. And that’s going on not just not one game at six games everywhere this weekend, right? Right,
Will Graves 32:32
right now and but, you know, there’s different sort I mean, like, I think there was more pressure on the Ravens at this point. It’s, I think internally in Pittsburgh, there’s more pressure on the Steelers because of this drought, you know, which is like, there are only nine teams, eight teams, that have gone longer active streaks in the league without winning the playoff game, right? So, I mean, like that, you were talking about the Steelers, so that’s a little jarring for them. But I think externally, there’ll be more pressure on Baltimore. I mean, you know, I’ll be, I’ll be worried. I won’t be down for the game. I’ll be working. I think the pens play Saturday. I’ll do that, and I’ll get home in time to
Nestor Aparicio 33:09
watch for you crab cake dog. I mean, come on, man. And well, I mean, the boss has got to pay
8
Will Graves 33:14
for me to come down there. I mean, that’s part of the, you know, we have the great our the great Noah trister is there for us, and he’s our Baltimore guy, and he’s great penguins.
Nestor Aparicio 33:23
Go watch the lousy penguins as well.
Will Graves 33:24
They are, I mean, they are pretty lousy.
Nestor Aparicio 33:26
8
You got a lot of good hockey to watch
Will Graves 33:27
up there, right? So, but I think, I think if you know listening to the game, if it’s tight, I will be very i I’m imagining whoever the crew that has that game is going to talk about the pressure on the ravens to sort of have this because everybody looks at their roster. I mean, they’re what, aren’t they? Are they the it’s the chiefs, and then them, right in terms of odds makers, picks in the AFC, right? I think the Chiefs is just mostly out of respect. I mean, I don’t think it’s about like, missing this, although they look to be fair, like, when they, I mean, I don’t know, but like, and the worst part is, like, if you’re, if you’re anybody, anybody but the chiefs, like, they’re starting to look like, like, when they play Pittsburgh on Christmas, and they just, I mean, they just dismantled them, you know. And I was like, Oh, I thought this team was, I thought this team sucked. No,
Nestor Aparicio 34:11
I know one thing, they’ll be well rested, you know, whatever they’ll be, and maybe not battle tested, that, you know, they may wind up taking on the Chargers or taking on it, you know, like, and around here we’re like, beat the Steelers and cheer for the Broncos on, you know, like trying to get steal a home game. Will graves. He has his own own games up there, every pirates game, every Panthers game, Steelers in that, everything but the Pittsburgh Pisces. He doesn’t have to cover them. They moved out mythically, almost. There you go. I get a little Dr J reference in Dr J tried little, yeah, little soccer Channing. Hey, happy New Year to you. I’m sorry I darkened your doorstep with this awful playoff game between epic rivals in this, this epic key matchup in the for a while, this pretty big game. It just feels like I wish there was more meat on. The bone from the Steelers side to feel like anybody thought they could win.
Will Graves 35:05
I think the Steelers think they can win. So, but check back with me if, if you know Russ throws a pick in the first quarter. Alright, so
Nestor Aparicio 35:11
pirates in the Orioles are around the corner. I’m Nestor. We are W, N, S, D, A of 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stop talking ravens and Steelers in Baltimore. Positive, you.
