Will the Pittsburgh Steelers rise again?

Longtime Pittsburgh sportswriter Will Graves of The Associated Press says that what makes Mike Tomlin so eternal and effective as the Steelers’ leader isn’t always on display for the media.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

steelers, game, year, ravens, quarterback, kenny, play, week, pittsburgh, team, cincinnati, defense, pickett, tj, mike tomlin, baltimore, lamar, draft, season, hockey

Baltimore and Baltimore positive we’re positively into the greatest time of the year, not just the holiday season. No, no, no, it’s the eggnog season and it’s Pittsburgh. We were doing the Maryland crab cake tour next weekend this week on Friday. We’re going to be data fatally celebrating 31 years on the radio Dan Roger is going to be coming by talking about his amazing play Baltimore you have no idea so I’m looking forward to that. Also gonna have some other friends from the Maryland lottery Roz lane will be joining us in the next week. It is the 31st anniversary, Brock Christmas celebration with Gina shock from the Go Go’s we have a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Dundalk will be a Costas. That’s next Thursday, from two until five. In the meantime, we got football to play this week and next week on to Cleveland next week on short rest, but right in front of us. It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers and I’ve heard this for years. Oh they fall and they’re no good who’s their quarterback to get from Pitt all of that stuff. Ravens gonna be worried this week. Well, Graves has covered all things. Pittsburgh even though he is up Marylander don’t tell anybody but he’s been up Pittsburgh for a number of years, covering all things Pittsburgh sports for the Associated Press. You can follow along out on Twitter as well as anywhere good journalism is sir. How have you been? Well, great. What’s going on? How’s life in the Bergen?

02:50

I’m good. My my 13 year old is on a fitness kick. He decided over the summer he wanted to get himself in shape and now he is inspired actually my wife and I to sort of get in the mix who I mean like I’m always been like a cardio guy, but he’s been lifting weights and stuff like that. And so he’s like, got me into sort of lifting weights, which I guess is, you know, good for him and

03:13

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inspire you right?

03:15

Yeah, I mean, his dedication. He’s almost like a monk. I mean, it’s kind of weird. Like he’s, he just decided, like maybe like an April or May like hey, I need to get in better shape if I’m going to be he’s got to as he likes to say he’s got Waring track power and baseball. He’s trying to get the ball over the fence. So he’s been killing it and he’s been stuck to so religiously that my wife and I were like, Oh my God. Maybe he’s onto something. So he has inspired us and, and my my 11 year old daughter’s great. She’s an aspiring swimmer getting better every day. And and yeah, and in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh. It’s it’s sort of weird. Have you just mentioned that they’re, you know, they are in sort of like I would describe it as sort of a down ish for them as a city as a whole thing. I mean, when the Steelers new new, you know, new era with Kenny Pickett coming on the pens are sort of older but they’re still good, but are they really good? And then the pirates are the Pirates of course. But yeah, I mean, if the Orioles in the market for a centerfielder I would encourage them to, you know, sent benching or an outfielder cornering outfielders and Ben Cherington a note to see what Brian Reynolds would go for but other than that, look, I mean, it’s it’s never boring and for that, I’m grateful.

04:22

All right, let’s go Steelers here. You are not out on the field. And later on that day, when I showed up there on the muddy fields back in August, to reunite with Coach Tomlin and Burt lOn. And I there was very little, the fun part about being on the sidelines today was last day. I’ve had a press pass this season, by the way, I’m out there with some of your brethren and everybody’s fighting over whether it’s seven on seven interceptions, really an interception, that that’s what the reporting level was in the first week of August that how many nitpicky throw Where’s Trubisky? What’s going on, like all of that? Have we settled now that this kid’s gonna at least be the quarterback this year next year and again,

05:00

I think the second that Mike T went to him at halftime of that Jets game I mean, it was over for, for better for worse for Mitch Trubisky. I mean, the way that I look at it, what Kenny Pickett has done, and he’s been okay. Turetsky probably would be as good or not better this season than Kenny Pickett has been however, you know, I guess the thought process is what is Kenny ceiling versus what is Mitch his ceiling. I mean, if Kenny ceiling is higher, then you might as well start, which they believe it is you might as well start on that road as soon as possible. Which they’ve done and he’s been he’s been good. I mean, I don’t want to I’m not a I consider myself like an agnostic because he played at Pitt. I watched him I covered him for the you know, the five years or four years before he got to Pitt, and he’s a good quarterback. But if you would ask people in the summer of 2020 Do you think Kenny Pickett will be the franchise or 2021 If you think any think it will be the franchise quarterback for the Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger. They would have said no. He had one incredible year pit and He parlayed that into a first round pick. I definitely think the hometown stuff played a part of it. I think if he went to Iowa State, I don’t know if the Steelers draft him. I really do think that they

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06:09

they love him so much. And for everyone out there who doesn’t know they share the building, right? Like I’ve been in that building. So I know what it looks like the cafeteria, all that stuff. But most it’s the most unusual thing and then select that quarterback from there, and they’ve had that recently. I mean, it feels like you know that that sort of distance helps the Steelers to say we’d like to have that guy and then go pick him right yeah, I

06:36

mean they did it with James Connor. Let’s remember you know after he played at Pitt and you know had a very memorable bout with you know, cancer comes back great and great story. I mean, but the thing is, he never really hit like a after Lavie on the year levy on set out. James had a really good first eight nine games then he got hurt. He’s a pro bowler that you’re based mostly on the first half of the year, and then he never really quite lived up to what the team considered their his potential. Right. So then he goes to Arizona and they draft Nagi Harris, I think it’s the same way with Kenny. I think that the proximity might have skewed their evaluation a little bit and I do not eliminate. It is I’ve been doing this a long time as I’ve been 25 years a journalist 11 years here in Pittsburgh. I have never ever ever covered an athlete that is more or the camp’s are more divided on whether he’s good or he stinks and Kenny Pickett It is bizarre. And I think part of that is there are people in this town that you know, to borrow Dennis greens phrase one of the crown him the second he got drafted. He had, you know, and I pointed this out several times during the spring and summer he had one really great year at Pitt. You know who else had one really great year at college and parlayed that into a high NFL draft pick, Mitch Trubisky. Okay, so let’s just can we just like, and I it’s not fair to him. It’s not fair to Kenny to put this on him this early in his career. Anybody who was going to have to follow Ben was going to have a almost impossibly high standard to live up to and now you’re crowning this kid and he’s, I mean, let’s be honest, he’s, he’s done. Okay, like his best, his best tribute now is letting he’s not screwing up right. But he’s got four touchdowns and eight starts. I mean,

08:11

that’s a very good team. Let you know this is one of the evaluations we have with Lamar right now, because you can beat Lamar up all day, but the morning field wide receiver away and then the next wide receiver get hurt and then at three running backs, get injured and have a left tackle. That he’s back when he’s not back and then he’s back and he’s the greatest when he’s back when he’s not there. We’re playing with a third string kid that has no business playing left tackle.

08:31

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Yeah, I mean, look, there are you know, the the offensive line has been in transition, although I think it’s gotten with the exception of left tackle Dan more I would say in general the the line is better. than it was last year. You know, they found they they’ve certainly looked like they’ve got somebody in Georgia Pickens, a guy that’s going to be a big time playmaker for them. You know, he is sorry, the offensive gameplan is designed for him to not screw up basically. You know, like that was the whole process coming in. I mean, the formula for this team was to have great defense. You got three elite players, one at each level of defense and Cam Hayward and TJ watt, Minka Fitzpatrick and win field position battle. Don’t you know win the turnover battle and win games exactly like you saw against against Atlanta 1916 I mean that like it didn’t matter who the quarterback was, whether it was Mitch or whether it was Kenny. That is how this team is designed. And that’s why I think like you could literally write 20 to 17 in for every single game the rest of the season, and I think it’d be right more often than you’re gonna be wrong.

09:32

Here’s what he covers all thanks, Pittsburgh. Sports for the Associated Press. He is a Marylander by birth, but he Pittsburgher by word choice and what else do we need to know about the Steelers coming into this game in regards to how they’re playing now, versus maybe what mess I saw six 810 weeks ago because from the Ravens perspective, we get the schedule, and we played all the East teams the beginning of the season, right Miami, New England the Jets they were all supposed to stink none of them turns out really stunk at all not even the jets with Joe Flacco in week one stunk. And the Steelers in the Browns were supposed to stink and we’re supposed to get them at the end and it looked real good. Two weeks ago, we look up three and a three and a four and seven, three and nine. Like that was our schedule until you stub your toe against Jacksonville. You damn near lose to the Denver Broncos your quarterback gets hurt. And now all of a sudden, two games against Pittsburgh the next three weeks that sounds like such a good idea. Yeah, I

10:28

think well let’s remember TJ watt got hurt in that first game against Cincinnati which was I mean, look, that was maybe one of the Fluke year games I’ve ever seen. I mean, by every right the Bengals deserved to win that game even though they turned it over five times and even though Joe burrow got sacked seven times. But the Steelers win because basically the long snapper for the Bengals gets hurt, which leads to a bad snap on an extra point last play of the game that snap on a short field goal. And then they went into a funk. I mean TJ was out. They did not the defense, they can say what they want next man up whatever. There’s nobody that does what TJ watt does. And even now he’s look he’s not even close to 100% You watch him play. He is not the TJ what you saw last year, we didn’t lose defensive player of the year but if he’s on the field, you have to accommodate for him. You have to GamePlan for him because on any given play. He could be you know, the TJ watt so I think they’ve gotten it together they figured out that the running game has really improved. I think it’s five straight weeks over 100 yards including a 200 yard game against the saints. You know, they they’re willing to ground and pound it’s sort of a return. I’m not calling I’m not saying Nagi Harris is Jerome Bettis by any stretch but they have figured out you know let’s control the clock their their time of possession is way up over what it was early and sees which means that defense is rested in the second half of the games and that was one of the problems early in the season. They blew second athletes to teams like the Jets. You know where they had the reward alerts remember was they were down a touchdown against the Patriots patriots got the ball was six and a half minutes left the defensive but don’t feel so much it just yield it right. I mean, like they ran out the clock so that’s not happening anymore. Atlanta tried Atlanta got close last week, but the defense made the stops at the end of the offense play pretty well to close it out. But essentially so I mean, I think they figured out who they are. I think it’s you know, it’s almost weird. It’s like the first six, seven weeks it was almost every every single snap was like an indictment of Tomlin and indictment of Matt Canada and indictment of Kenny Pickett on how you felt about it, whether they any of them were any good at their jobs. And I think everything is things have sort of leveled off. Kenny hasn’t thrown a pic in four games. They’re running the ball. They’re winning wincon Minka Fitzpatrick is back he missed, you know he was out for a little bit. They are. I mean, they are who we thought they were. I mean, I think this is a do I think this is a playoff team. No, but I also don’t think when you look at the the teams that are quote, mad, Although who knows on a given weekend. I mean, I saw the United redzone I saw the end of that Jacksonville, Baltimore game that was insane. Like I was I could not believe that the Jags went down the field on the Ravens. I have a lot of respect for Baltimore. I picked them to win the division for the season started. I still think they can but you know, it is it is a week to week League and I think with the Steelers and I picked them to go nine and eight. That looks certainly looks feasible. If they beat Baltimore twice, especially if the market go. I mean, it sounds insane. They could get in it’s like the seventh thing which is crazy.

13:26

Well, well, I was gonna ask you from the outside. It hasn’t been a great year for the Steelers, you know the Steelers aren’t going to the playoffs. You probably knew that before the season began and how the season began when the injury started the mound with why they changed the quarterback for the Ravens. It always felt like last year was a little bit of a mulligan. Last time I talked to Harbaugh, he was apologizing still apologizing for last year, six months later because of the injuries because of Lamar because the defense was decimated because they were eight and three and fell apart. They’re in that position right now where they could fall apart. John looked ashen on Monday in the press conference maybe which is the color of my TV screen. I’m not sure I wasn’t there in person. But he looked sort of crestfallen. During Monday’s press coach, you never would have known they had one you’d never woulda known. They’re in first place. You would never see sort of the fire of Pittsburgh week. It feels to me like they’re going to come up there to play with their backup quarterback again. And the notion of what the ravens are in the offseason in the muddy Lamar Jackson in the mighty defense and all the running backs and Mark Andrews boy in week 12 week 13 As we get into this, it feels like they are the hobbled and when I start to see Chase comeback in Cincinnati, and I see Deshaun Watson in in Cleveland and I see you know this maturation of picket but you know, I’m not I’m not saying he’s a you know, a credible NFL quarterback yet but seeing this kid play through the first six 810 weeks of his career with a capable organization to say we’re gonna make you better. I I don’t know that the ravens are as you said, I picked him to win the division. I don’t know if we’re picking them to win the division right now. I saw Joe burrow playlist but yeah,

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15:05

I mean, he is. Look, I’m an older guy. I’m 48 I am not a hot tech guy. But man watching burrow it is hard not to think of Joe Montana. It is just where are they? I mean what you know growing up in the in the DC suburbs in the great well, not great but sort of great town of Waldorf Maryland, which is mostly just gas stations and liquor stores and, and chain restaurants

15:30

and Joe Theismann on satellite from time to time.

15:33

And you know, where I used to dread where I used to dread. Oh my god when the Washington would play for San Francisco like oh god, you know how this is going to end? It’s just going to end in a painful fashion borough and certainly looks like he’s sort of brought that same. I mean, he’s not because he’s not like a marvel, right? He’s not a guy that he’s not Lamar. He’s not mahomes He’s not just he’s not even Justin Herbert. I mean, but he is just I mean, he just and I think because of that it’s almost like he’s more appealing, right? Because he’s out there think Well, hell, that guy can do that. I can do that. Right? I mean, he is not physically imposing but man he is. He is fun to watch and to be honest with you. I mean, the the seven year old me would tell you the first Super Bowl I ever watched was Cincinnati, San Francisco when they played it in the Silverdome. And so and I love seven years old Washington and they had gone eight Nate That was Joe Gibbs his first year so it wasn’t really into them. But I remember the day that was the year they changed their whole

16:26

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change the helmet Yeah. Every time I talked to like Sean the Wilcox or you know, I talked to those guys in Cincinnati, you know, I’m like, Yeah, that was 81 I remember it well because the Colts were here and I had tickets and my dad refused to go the Colts command to go see Chris Collins worth play with the Zubaz helmets on Yeah.

16:42

So I’ve always sort of had a soft spot for them. And then Boomer going there and look, I you know I didn’t go to Maryland with the web. I still consider myself a Maryland guy. So I was rooting for Boomer to perform well, you know, wanted him to do well there and he did so that so I like I’ve always sort of kind of always kind of liked them. And I’m a big believer in like, it’s important for the league to teams to have bad stretches and good stretches. That’s how it’s supposed to work, which is why these Steeler fans and have been spoiled the and I’ve said this on TV. So I could say certainly say they’re spoiled beyond belief, essentially for 50 years. I mean, there was a little bit of rough patch at the end and old the noise

17:19

like you had the pirates too. So you know, we had the Orioles here who haven’t made

17:25

you knew this was gonna be a transition year for the Steelers and yet they still couldn’t handle it. I mean, I mean like they’re probably gonna finish worst case they’re gonna finish like seven and 10 eight nine which isn’t like fall off a cliff bad it’s just like well, we lost a Hall of Fame quarterback. What do you what did you expect to happen right? So this to me to see Cincinnati be good? Like it’s good for the week if Cincinnati is good. Like I think they it shows that that’s how this is how the league is supposed to work. The irony is like now Steelers fans find themselves in a weird spot. Excuse me? Do they want the team to have one atrocious year so they can pick like fourth in the draft? Or do they want to do what looks like it’s gonna happen? They’re gonna get 899 and eight, seven and 10 and pick anywhere from like 15 to 18 where maybe you don’t get that left tackle that you need. Right? So that’s the yin and the yang for and I’m like, it’s okay to have one bad year but people are killing Totland you know, it’s so funny like right now after they won last week. Everybody’s tweeting. They’re in the hunt. They’re in the hunt. They’re not in the hunt yet. If they beat Baltimore, we can talk about it. But look, they’re still 12th in the conference. They’re still last in the division because Cleveland beat them head to head. So it’s the same team that people that are saying they’re in the hunt are also the same people that give Tomlin no credit for doing what he does, which I consider him to be one of the top five coaches in the league and he does he he has not won Super Bowls all the time. And I certainly can say you can re litigate the mid 20s tans with the killer bees. Did they miss some opportunities? Kind of but I mean the Patriots are in the way for them just like they were on the way for everybody else. Let’s not pretend it like they get I mean they had one Fluke last Jacksonville but for the most part, they’ve played okay, you know, like they’d like? It’s okay. I mean, I would much rather look as a Washington fan. I’d much rather have Mike Tomlin then then Ron Rivera and I think 3028 to 30 other teams in the league would rather have Mike Tomlin the guy that gotten their job right now. So, you know, I think it’s the idol the whole point of that was Joe burrow is fun to watch. I hope that they can catch lightning in a bottle because I think it’s good for the league. But you know, at the same time, I think I still think the man it’s sucks that I enjoy watching live to be honest. The ravens are what the Steelers think they are to be honest with the Ravens they’re almost become carbon copies of each other. They’re consistently excellent. They They’re well coached, they’re well run, and they’re competitive every year and I don’t know as a fan how you could how you could be upset with a team being competitive every year. I don’t understand how that’s not good enough. So that’s the end of my mike Tomlin defensive well gracious

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19:54

here he is make it well I want you to make the mike Tomlin defense because you really didn’t do it. You just said I like him. He’s top five but what what is it about him

20:02

people you know, like, if you see him like he he will do like because we get to watch practice because we’re in the locker room for five days a week. You see him interact with the players, okay. And he has a way about that himself with the players that you know, it’d be nice if he would let the guard down a little bit so people could see that during the games, right? But he does and he’s a guy that you know, to cover him. It’s frustrating because, you know, he is just as funny as you think he is. He is just as direct and blunt as you think he is. But when we talk to him on the record, when we talked to him on the record, we hit record, he turns into a cop, right? It’s like talking it’s like you got pulled over for a ticket. And the guy has given you a lecture on why he pulled you over for speeding. That is the the problem that I have with him is that his he doesn’t really let his persona show through publicly a lot. And that’s look that’s part of that is I mean, it’s very much a conscious decision

20:58

was the only black coach. Let’s start with that. He’s the only black coach. He’s the only black coach and all the other black coaches get fired. He’s the only black coach in a primarily white city. So let’s let’s go to the root of that. And every time he’s not 15 and one or 15 or two, there’s a significant number or the fan base that want to fire him.

21:15

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I mean, it’s I mean, I think that’s you know, they say what is it? Some of the things that they criticize him would say, Isn’t it okay to want to win the Superbowl every year and it absolutely is. But you have to be realistic. I mean, I because I work for the AAP. I’m always always always taking the 30,000 foot view. How did the Steelers fit in you know into it’s, as Mike would say, globally speaking, right. I mean, they are in a they’re in a time of transition in the French as every team pretty much unless you have a you know, Aaron Rodgers or Patrick mahomes waiting in the wings. You know, every team goes through this transition after they have a quarterback that plays at a high level lead. So, you know, I think that you know, it’s interesting when they played the Colts couple weeks ago, he was asked about the Jeff Saturday thing, does it bother you and he basically I mean, Mike’s a smart guy he knows. He knows the role that he plays in the league. He also knows he has a team to coach and if he if he shares his true feelings about what happened with Jeff Saturday being hired, that’s all we’re going to talk about during the week and we’re not gonna be talking about his team right so it is a very calculated decision. I just think like a fans could see him on a on an everyday basis like we have the opportunity to I think they’re the fans that don’t like him would come around. I mean, I just it is impossible to be around him and not be like, Man, this dude absolutely knows what he’s doing.

22:33

Well, Graham’s just here he knows what he’s doing for the Associated Press. He’s on Pittsburgh, fighting through bad hockey and awful baseball and his kids sports and

22:42

bad hockey by by their standards now, but not that bad hockey.

22:46

Well, you know, I’ve had a little hockey researchers I mean, trusted the show a couple of weeks ago, and sent me he said, Give me your address. I got something for you. And I get an envelope of 1989 90 and 91 game programs from the Baltimore Skipjacks so on the cover is Tim Taylor, who wound up winning two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings he played with the Rangers got paid, got made it had another Stanley Cup with the lightning. So I tracking down towards it. He’s running pro personnel for the St. Louis Post. So I’m doing a little bit of hockey, but as I admitted to Tim Taylor, I have not watched and this is true. I have not watched any hockey since I walked off the ice with Barry trots. That. night in Las Vegas five years ago, so I just I just stonewalled hockey. I just decided I’ve had enough hockey in my life at 50. I won the cop. It’s the CS team, the owners of jerk, I’m gone. So I’ve just moved on to like, I don’t know collecting rock and roll belt buckles and you know, riding again you know, so I’m finding other hobbies for the Steelers and for the rebuild that you talk about and where they are in this reload. Drafting in the middle salary cap that we what is their great hope other than this quarterback turns out to be a top 10 quarterback.

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23:56

I think that’s certainly part of it. They’ve got I mean, we Nagi Harris when he’s healthy. He is a Top 10 Top 12 running back they look like they’ve got their necks Heath Miller and prep Pat fryer move. I do think you know if you’re looking to draft they’ve got to find I mean, look. Cam Hayward great player 33 How much gas does he have left in the tank? You know, they still got to figure out what to do with middle linebacker. The second the quarterbacks had been an issue. I mean, you got Minka back there. But on the court on the outside, it’s not great. So I mean, I think that their hope is to continue to do kind of stick to their model right there. They’re going to have a little bit more money to spend in the offseason. I certainly think they’re going to look for help defensively. But I mean, I think that and this to me reminds me a little bit of what happened in 2013 where they started to and six, they got their doors blown off in New England on a late Sunday feature game the Patriots at 600 and some yards total. offense against a dick LeBeau defense. The defense was growing old troll Troy was aged and Ryan Clark was ag James Harrison was aging and they rebuilt the defense on the fly with guys like right you know in the next couple years with guys like Ryan shazier and then all of a sudden then the offense kind of held the fort down while they rebuild. They went eight and eight that year in the next year. They won the Division last of the Ravens at home in a playoff game in the first round. But then they ended they were back in the playoffs. Right. So I sort of think this is like where they’re at. They’re rebuilding the offense on the fly. The defense the goal is to have the defense hold the fort and then maybe they have a little bit of a window the next two or three years where you still got Minka prime Minka Fitzpatrick prime TJ watt, maybe sort of an Indian Summer type situation for cam Hayward, you find you know a couple guys in the trenches. I mean, that’s one of the other things they haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since David de Castro in 2012. Right. So I mean now

25:47

well okay, but the

25:49

flip side of that is why would you bland and they turned out Mohandro villain away into a pro bowler I mean this was a guy that was a tight a practice squad guy the Eagles and was a defensive end and then a tight end they turned him into a left tackle. They’ve got guys like they turned guys like Kevin beat Kelvin Beecham, you know before we left to go to the jets and elsewhere in a Pro Bowl lever level players they had Ramon Foster, remember, was an undrafted free agent that they turned into an eight year starter. So I think that’s one of the reasons they thought they could sort of ignore the offensive line. What they’re finding out is it’s something you can’t really do that over an extended period of time. So I think that that is you know, they’re playing in the offseason. They’ve got their quarterback they’ve got their running back they’ve got their receiver they need to read they need to replenish the trenches if they can do that. I think you know, I think they’re a win win I mean look this is a quote bad year they’re gonna win seven games at least maybe eight maybe I’ll maybe not with a rookie quarterback

26:41

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that nobody else really believes in right right. So

26:43

I think that you know, I think that they think when you look at the nature that means divisions I think the division is pretty good. I think the division is set up to be good assuming Lamar stays like the division is going to be the next five years is going to be there was no gonna be like Cleveland sucks. Cincinnati sucks like it’s it’s just the Ravens have the seals that’s over there, at least for the image in the short term. I mean, I think it’s definitely like a that these four teams are going to be within two games to three games of each other, I think for the next four or five years. Well, the

27:10

Ravens have the division four out of the next five weeks with maybe their backup quarterback, at least for a couple of these and maybe it can be version him trying to desperately get in the next couple of weeks. We’ll find out how far ahead we’d like to all year long. Oh, we’re so much better than need. The bank. Was there a fluke? Now you gotta go beat these teams. And it doesn’t feel like seasonal around here. But I feel like John was serving eggnog and nutmeg on Monday and Owings Mills, you know?

27:35

Yeah. I mean, I think their season is where they should probably be what 10 into?

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27:40

Oh my God, no, no, no, the first 11 games they had double digit leads in the second half. No other three teams in the history. The history of football have done that. They’re all we’re loving it. Oh, grapes were seven and four.

27:52

Yeah, that’s I mean, that is the weird part. I mean, that dolphins game the Jags game. I mean, it’s it is a weird, the Steelers blue leads but not ones that substantial just because they don’t score enough points to build double digit leads. Right? But I still think when you look at that a bit, I look at it I get more of the view of well held they they were able to get leads that big they’re pretty good. So I think I look at because of the track record. Harbaugh has I look at his that’s the team that I see. The team that’s really capable and not so much what’s happened in the collapse is I just think like, the track record of means they they’re given the benefit of the doubt for me.

28:29

Look, I think they’re given the benefit of the doubt by gamblers by everybody there. The Ravens, let’s see how they do but backup quarterback this week, this is a really tough, tough road assignment for the Ravens.

28:41

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If they can if they can run the ball and the Steelers defense has been okay but I mean either heck last week Atlanta, they knew Elena was going to run the ball and they all they mean Elena almost stole it in the second half. I mean, they they ground me because the league was only you know 10 points or whatever that they grounded pounded their way back into the game. So that’s kind of the way that I that’s kind of the way that I it’s gonna be ugly. It just it wouldn’t matter if Lamar Tyler Let’s remember this deals are going pretty good against Lamar. They’ve made Lamar look pretty average at times. So I don’t know if Tyler is going to be this, you know, Huntleys gonna be this massive drop off for them. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think it’s going to be this game is going to be 1613 1310 you know somebody in the defense if it depends on either side. Makes a big play a pick six, a big fumble recovery, whatever, that’s probably going to be the because that’s the script for both of these teams now. Right? I mean, it’s basically just like, try to hold it and keep a lid on it and then hope you make the two plays at the end of the game that make the difference.

29:39

He is well graves and as it says right here on his Twitter he writes a lot about a lot. You can find him at will graves AP, he’s with the Associated Press up in Pittsburgh, take care of his kids living his best life out there in western Pennsylvania getting a snow shovel together and ready to enjoy the holidays. Well, it’s always great to visit with you. I hope to visit with you again really soon personally in Pittsburgh sometime soon

30:00

behavior behave yourself please,

30:02 always or I follow the rules most of the time. I am Nestor we are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore. Positive.