This is the Steelers Preview show on WDVE Pittsburgh, presented by UNI Bet. The only thing better than a Steelers win is a Steelers win that pays double down on your team. With Unibet, proud partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, here are your hosts, Mike Persuda, Matt Williamson and Merril Hodge.
Good evening and welcome to another edition of Steelers Preview right here on your Steelers flagship one of two point five DVE and s n R. Mike Persuda and Matt Williamson with you until eight o'clock tonight. Merril Hodge, our factor back will be long for segment number two, as he always is, and we will do our best to get you ready for the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. The Preview is brought to you by UNI Bet, by
Brian Patton and associates. It's all about the benefits and by the Steelers Pro Shop get it direct from the team at shop dot Steelers dot com and Matt. Big news coming out of Cleveland this week relative to the status of Deshaun Watson, but a lot of news coming out of the South Side as well. The PTICE Report today included Keanu O'Neil rib did not practice for a second consecutive day, make a Fitzpatrick hamstring did not practice
for a second consecutive day. Trenton Thompson, he's He's number seventeen. If fans are wonder who I'm talking about. He was the kid who was out there for the last seven snaps of the Green Bay game in the dime when Kean O'Neil got hurt at the end of his interception on the previous series.
By the way, those were the first.
Seven defensive snaps of Trent and Thompson's NFL career. Yeah, I thought he had played twelve special team snaps with the Giants in one game last season, But Thompson told reporters that he's been told he's going to start.
Sunday in Cleveland now.
Terrell Austin, the defensive Cord Niners, said that Neil and Fitzpatrick are going to be game time decisions. We'll see, but the possibility those possibilities certainly exists that you could be without Fitzpatrick and Kean O'Neil, And they already know without Cole Holcomb and with Kawn Alexander, Michael Walker, still on the practice squad, but he's going to get activated. Mike Tomlin hinted it that on Tuesday, and I spoke with Walker on Wednesday and he said he ran with
the first team in practice that day. So you could be looking at number thirty eight out there, number seventeen out there.
What's some Elijahriiley thrown in there?
Number thirty seven, yep, yep, go Army beat Navy. What's the bigger issue going into this game against Cleveland that has a sledgehammer running attack and a quarterback in Dorian Thompson Robinson and even the Browns probably don't know for certain what they're going to get out of him.
I mean, it's really hard to comment on the Steelers back seven. I mean, except for it scares me to death without Menca in particular, I mean, outside of Porter in that back seven, who do you really trust to be you know, a high quality athlete for one, I mean speed, change of direction, athletics, but a guy you can trust. And I'm I mean Porter's a young pup. I really like Roberts, but he's the thumper, the Vince Williams. I don't want him out there one hundred percent of snaps,
you know, and he's probably gonna have to. Caz of course, is gonna be out there a hundred percent of snaps. And I think he's kind of a limited player, but he's one of the ones you can trust the most. Same with Peterson. Wallace has gotten picked on. Those other guys need to step up or at least prove themselves. It's real, real frightening.
Yeah, I think I'd be more worried about the back end. If they're playing Tom Brady Burrow next week. Well, that's yeah, next week exactly. Maybe those guys are exactly No.
You're right.
The one that concerns me, this one is the inside linebacker thing, particularly the guy in the dime as you mentioned Landon Roberts.
That's not his game. I thought Neil would be the dimebacker at least he did a lot of that early in his career.
If he could play, If he could play, maybe that's what they would have done. But yet, right, and Michael Walker has said he's done everything. He was three years with the Falcons. I studied him a little bit now he said, had a real bizarre career path. This year he's with the Falcons in August, then he got released, picked up by the Bears, released picked up by the Raiders. He was actually on the Raiders practice squad when the Steelers were out there in September, and then he got
released by the Raiders. And he's been in Pittsburgh since October the thirtieth, not long, not less.
Than three weeks, just in time to hand out Halloween candy. That's about it.
But he says he can, you know, get it done whenever they ask him to do. If I had to guess, I would say that Roberts is.
Going to be the dime guy.
Walker's probably the backup guy. But as I mentioned, he said he was starting Walker did or running with the first team on Wednesday, so he might see Roberts and Walker to start and then mix in some Mark Robinson, who is another thumper and again nice slow but steady trajectory to his career, but not the guy he went out there as the loan inside linebacker with sixty b's.
I don't think the trust factor with Robinson is particularly high. I mean, when they drafted him, he was a seventh thrownd pick. He's been a linebacker for two years running back before that, and when they drafted him I said, he's a year away from being a year away, you know. I mean, he's a year away if it all goes well. I mean, that doesn't mean he's going to be a superstar.
And even like the big AJ Dillon run, you know, they led up one big run on Sunday, Robinson comes screaming with his hair on fire, takes on the lead blocker as Dylan runs right past me. I mean, he's just he's more of a running back than a linebacker at this point. So real, real quick on Walker. He's long, he's six three ish, He's got some length to him
and runs well on a straight line. He played well over seven hundred snaps for the Falcons last year and they just got better guys, you know, I mean, so he's been around the block. He's a little bit of a clunky change of direction guy, he was.
I talked to him yesterday for five minutes, not much of a conversation, but the points that I took away from it. He was upset that the Falcons let him go, and he didn't see that coming, and he if he knows why, he didn't want to tell me why. He still want to talk about that. Okay, other than to say that it really has bothered him as he's gone on this journey of you know, okay, Bears, see you later, Raiders,
see you later. Now he's in Pittsford, he's wondering why he's having to go through this at this stage of his career. But he was highly excited about how he's being coached in Pittsburgh and he thinks that, you know, maybe this is finally the right place at the right time.
He's going to get a chance to reinvent it, get an opportunity invent his career. Yeah, I mean, he may play more than our listeners, bet you know. I mean, he might be out there a lot because he has been around the block. I mean again, Roberts probably will be the dimebacker. What's interesting about this team has been a little bit because of who they've played. They're really high in their base, you know, four defensive backs on
the field, and they're really high in dime. They don't play a lot of nickel with two linebackers on the field. I would assume you keep that up, you know, like, I don't think you want two linebackers on the field unless it's thumper time. And this Browns team will bring in an extray lineman a lot, and they are very physical. Especially without Watson in there, You're gonna have a lot of heavy personnel on the field. I would say.
I wanted to ask about that because I know a lot of times personnel deployment is based on what the other guys have in the huddle. But is this the kind of game where if you're Pittsburgh, you say, you know what we're playing Nickel today, not Din.
That's what I was saying.
And this isn't This isn't necessarily a down the field team, and.
It's a speat that way, then so be it.
It's going to exploit that with their quarterback making his second career start.
Now, this isn't the worst game for Roberts to play one hundred percent snaps, No, you know what I mean? Next week, next it might not be so good.
Right.
But the other part of me.
I still have PTSD from Ryan Shay's ear because the Steelers have been working so hard to try to find a guy ever since his unfortunate career ending injury, and they've gone through a litany of guys. It's not as long a list as the Browns started quarterbacks since nineteen ninety nine, but it's it's become a significant list.
And this year, I mean they went out and got two guys. They did it right, and now they're both out of the picture, right right, But they got three guys. Two of them are out of the picture. You know, it was a turning into a strength of the team.
But I mean the two Hulcombe and Alexander were the three down capable guys.
Oh right, right, right, no doubt, no doubt.
I mean guys you know the run the show, guys in the dime, which they really like the dime when they have a guy that can play dime.
Yeah, exactly, And so it's a hard conversation to have. It's one of the things I'm key and on most is what do they do with snap counts? What do they do situationally if Neil's not out there. I mean I thought they could at least count on him to be an undersized dimebacker, you know, that could help get people aligned. And even Minka, I mean he's playing the box a lot this year, played a lot of them. You could do every an article about how he just puts out fires. Whatever you need him to do, he'll
just go put out the fire. Although it's interesting to me.
I mean it's been two games and change now he got hurt in the Jacksonville game, and you know, the wheels enough fallen off.
No, on the back end, I got a little Green Bay with a little que sketchy on that last green Bay drive.
But again you had Thompson out there and you had Elijah Riley out there, and it was just sort of, you know, hang on for dear life.
At the end. I mean, I'm worried about communication and things like that. And frankly, it was a one game in my opinion green Bay, where I didn't think the pass rush held their end of the bargain up either. I thought that would have been better. I mean, Love was back there tapping the ball morning.
I would have thought for Cleveland some potential concerns that Dwan Jones their number three tackle the first two are on ir but Jones wasn't able to play in the Browns victory in Baltimore last Sunday. He upgrades from did not practice to limited today. Denzel Ward, their best cornerback and one of the best in the business, upgraded from limited till full. But Juan Thornhill's safety hasn't practiced yet
this week either with a calf injury. Neither Ward nor Thornhill finished the Baltimore game.
Yeah, Thornhill and Jones, I think are the ones that really keep an eye on because Jones is really their third tackle. I mean they went in with Willis and Conklin their Wills and Conklin as their top two. Jones has been good. I think everyone's familiar with them. He's as big as a house, and you know he was out there against the Steelers the first go round. Thornhill's will do it all safety, but that defense is so loaded, I think they can survive without him.
Steelers Preview is brought to you by Unibut. The only thing better than a Steelers win is a Steelers win that pays double down with your team. With Unibut, a proud partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, by Brian Patton and Associates, It's all about the benefits and by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at shop dot Steelers dot com. Matt Williamson and Mike pursuita here until eight
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Welcome back to the Preview, Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson with you till eight o'clock tonight getting ready for the Steelers and the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday.
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shop dot Steelers dot com. Time now to welcome our MVP, the Factor back, Merril Hodge to the program and Merril, we have a lot to unpack regarding the Steelers Browns rematch, but I wanted to start with a little historical perspective,
a little nostalgia, if you will. We speak with Mike Taylor every week on the DVE Morning Show, and I talked about going to Cleveland as kind of a different deal than going to Baltimore or Cincinnati in terms of AFC North rivalries or AFC Central whatever it was back in the day. Uh, they're all intense, they're all hostile environments.
But I said, there's nothing like Cleveland. Uh what do you recall from those trips to the old municipal stadium and coming up out of the dugout steps and not taking the field in front of the dog Pound.
Well, I will tell you this, you could almost feel the history of football pass.
In that stadium. I mean when you see that picture.
Of that football player stand in the mud, dreary, cold day, a big trench code over and you know, tape cut up like that's I think that picture must have been taken in Cleveland. I mean right in that stadium. To Ike's point, though, I will say this, when we got the schedule, like most people look for Monday night games, Sunday night games, the first thing we look for is.
Where yeah bye weeks right.
The first thing we look for is like when do we play Cleveland? The first time I looked for when.
Do we play Cleveland at Cleveland?
That's uh yeah, at Cleveland, or when they come in here.
It doesn't matter, but when do we play them? When do we play them?
Can't what's the bus ride?
Like?
I mean that many places we can.
Bust to, you know, very true story. Now this is a true story. Okay, listen. This is my rookie year.
So that's nineteen eighty seven. And what happened in nineteen.
Eighty seven is we were going to go on strike after our second game. Our second game, it's.
Cleveland in Cleveland. Now, the nfl PA.
Comes up with one of their many brilliant and I say that with a big asterisk around it. They're brilliant, brilliant moves during that whole operation, which they completely we screwed.
The whole thing up. But that's another show. Another time.
We're gonna all shake hands, we're gonna show unity, and we're gonna shake hands at halftime. There was only one game and only two teams that did not shake hands.
I've heard this before.
Ain't no way you're walking across that field and shaking their hands, and they were like, we ain't shaking their hands either, And I sat like, well, okay, it's mutual, so we ain't doing it. So you don't care what the NFL PA says.
We don't care what you do.
You're trying to create, we ain't creating it here, period.
That's awesome. Who were like that defensive players at that point, like the top guys.
Yeah, okay, these guys actually, in fact, the first guy I'm going to say, he's the one who taught me. I just if you're going to be successful in this league, if you're going to maximize your skill set, you have to be a smart cat.
I don't care what position is. Because Clay Matthews I realized that man, that is that dude.
I mean, he would he'd start barking out things, you know, you know, he's buy the guard trap your side. I mean just all these details of how we were lined up, and I'm like, oh my gosh, she knows, he knows what plays coming based on how we're lined up. I was like just unbelievable because I was in the huddle. I mean, he was calling all this stuff out and I'm.
Like, how's he doing this?
Like you know, it's like how's he know? And one time he because here's here was one of our rules. If we're gonna run a sweep, we cheat up and out.
If we're going to.
Run a trap, we we cheat back and get a little more depth. Well he uh, and then he called sweet sweet trap trap sweet coming inside, coming over to your chip. Chip Banks was the other guy on the other side. Okay, that ain't no joke, Chip Banks, ain't no joke. So well, what was the the DB's back then?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Dixon. I think it was Frankfield.
Yeah, those guys and so they were there are holy lairs. But he I would literally come back.
You know, he knows every player running.
It doesn't matter what we do. And he one time we were about the twenty yard line and we were running sleep and he tells.
Chips he's up, he's cheated up and out.
It's like, so he used what we used like and I'm like, oh my gosh, he knows what we're doing by alignment.
Got especially. I was like I went back to I get it. Well, we better change out.
So then, you know, like most of fans would are just people want to appreciate like the details, like so, well, what you had to start doing is running plays where you cheated up and out rather it's a pass play or a or a trap backside. But you have to study yourself like that too. You have to be so meticulous of yourself, not just your opponent. Is what makes this league so unique, you know, and so hard and why I only about eighteen hundred line up every Sunday and play.
You know that just a requirement.
You know.
When I was working with them and scouting, I put that as my one number one criteria because what I said about your skill set is let's just say you're not very your IQ is not there then, and you may be an incredible athlete, your athleticism is going to be cut in half. Then you will never maximize your athletic ability because you lack the intelligence to maximize it. I mean, we well this show, We have fun with this.
Jadeveon Clowney is a great example. Jon cons will never maximize his god gifted abilities because of his instincts he lacks and his IQ of the.
Game, Matthew's brain and toughness. He's the best player of all time, right and he's Laura sALS never miss.
You may never stop that cat you know. I mean, you might serious, but it's you know, that's that's you know, there's a lot of guys like that. You know, they're just so athletically gifted. And you know that's why when I look at my my career. Here's the one thing I have peace with, I think I probays.
This is really one of the things I talk about.
A lot when I speak, is that one of the greatest personal gifts you could ever give yourself, and this is in any profession, is that you get everything out of your God given ability, like you max your talents, I mean, and wherever that leaves you, you should have peace with that.
You know.
Like when my career ended, I was I struggled because of how my career ended, but you know I was always going to go.
Man.
I never won Super.
Bowl, you know, Walter Payton was my favorite player. I didn't come close to those numbers. And then I could give you all kinds of scenarios I'd.
Create where I went failed.
And it wasn't until I talked about really self reflection. I looked in the mirror one day and I'm like, wait a minute, I mean I was, I was prepared. I worked as hard as I could work. I trained as hard as I I took care of myself I was I was never not prepared and ready and gave my full exhausted my account. I'm like, oh my gosh.
I got piece at that. I fin I had piece.
I was like, I just didn't have the town of Walter Payton, you know. I didn't play on a team that won a Super Bowl. So I'm like, but I did my part. And I was like, ah, I find I had peace, you know, And then it really hit me, like fast thing. You know, there's some sense of beating yourself up for things that you you have no control over, you know, and that's that I brought me peace finally, that I got the most out of my God given abilities. I tell people that you do that, you exhaust that
a peace. I don't care where you are, You're excellent because that is a great gift you can give yourself.
Meryl. Let's fast forward to Sunday.
The Steelers came out of that Packers game after they rushed for two hundred and five yards on the heels of rushing for one hundred and sixty six yards against Tennessee, thinking that they have got the running game figured out and they can run the football.
They think that's part of their identity. It's something they can hang their hat on.
Talk to Kenny Picket about that, Nagie Harris about that, Mason Cole about that. Can they run it against Cleveland?
Well, okay, this is how you know how good you are, because you do need to run against good Now. Listen, the Ravens did some good things against them, you know, and you can clearly take some of the stuff you saw them struggle with and match that with all the things that they're doing right now because they're doing a mix of things. They're doing zone stuff, they're doing man stuff.
You know, they're pulling people, they are on the strong side, they're running weak side, they're on the perimeter, they're right at you. So this, to me is the litman's test for that. If they can do it here, it would be the greatest boost of confidence they could possibly have, and it's how they can win this division. It's the only phase in football that affects both sides of the ball.
There's no other phase in football that does that. You know, the passing game does not the fact the defense like the running game does. The running game, when done well, and you're controlling you do Number one, you control the tempo of the game, which is most critical to win consistently in our league. You then make play calling and passing the ball much easier. You reduce the number of steps of your defense faces and how many times they got to come on the field, and oftentimes they're not
in a deficit that they're dealing with. So if they can do that, which I think they have to in this game, and you try to put some burden on that their quarterback that they're starting, you've got a good chance to win this one. But that is going to be their recipe to win a division is how well they're committed to that. How well can they do that against everybody they face from here on out.
So, Meryl, you mentioned, you know, how they're running the football. I wanted to expand on that a little bit. You know, my observations are fewer condensed formations. You know, they're running out of eleven personnel. But kind of asking Alan Robinson almost to be a move blocking, tight end edge guy. I mean, he's not just you know, playing patty Cake with nickel corners. They're obviously pulling guys a lot more.
You know the the guards and Jones, and I think they're getting their running backs who both are playing really well, moving with some momentum before they even get the football a little bit more too.
Now there's no doubt.
I mean, you nailed it on a bunch of fronts, you know. I just think that their mixture in the way.
Listen, I love.
The pin poll type of runs where you because it gives your guys angles at bandage offense when you have a guy like a tackle that can pull and block like Jones is doing. Man, you talk about flexibility in your running attack, and you get him on a linebacker or you're going to win that time. Those battles and you're right. Eleven gets in there and I mean he gets his nose dirty.
You know. He doesn't come in there and.
Patty cakes stuff. He goes in there to block people. He gets people done. He gets a job done. Tight ends have done a better job. Eight He's done such a better job and that has helped this running game. And backs are finishing, you know, backs are breaking tackles, says you listen. The running lanes they have now they didn't have for five weeks, you know, and they have some They've had some massive holes and I'm just saying that this they do have a good enough running attack and versatility.
That I do believe they will be able to well, they run on them.
On Cleveland like they did backers know, but this running game I believe will be a significant a significant part of how this game truly plays out, you know, and if they, if they played to the level I think they are cable of running the football, that they can win this game because of their running game.
Browns are probably thinking the same thing, Meryl.
They're pretty good still without as Mike Tommin calls him, mister Chubb, haven't really slowed down. Jerome Ford gets it done, Kareem Hunt gets it done, and they're more than happy to put in an extra tackle as a tight end, the backup center as the fullback and put a turn on a knee on sign that says we're running the football, and they run it anyway. H Is it too simplistic to think that with the quarterback situation what it is, they're going to run the football Sunday?
Yeah.
Well, I'll say if there are some obvious things in this game, that would be one of them. Because I don't see how I don't know if you guys got to watch the quarterback play against the Ravens.
Honestly, it was the most enjoyable tape I've.
Seen all year. I have never seen a quarterback play so loose and so reckless and so carefree and and I can't tell you, I don't know if I've ever seen it.
I mean, that guy through.
Play balls where you were like, therey, no way he's making that throw.
He chucked things up. I mean he was.
They should have intercepted. They had six times that had the ball hands on the ball six six And there were some throws that I mean were just like, he is not going to make this throw right now?
Oh yeah he is? Oh yeah. I was like, I'd love to know what's.
Going on in this kid's head right now, because.
He is just fearless. He either fearless or he has no clue what he's doing.
He does, Yeah, it was probably it's started right there in the middle, and I'm just like, because he made some stuff that you know, I'm just like, oh my gosh, he had absolutely no boundaries none, And right after the ball had bounce off one defender's and he come right back and make the same another throw that would just blow your mind, and he almost picked that one.
He never blinked out. Man, I know those coaches are like, oh my gosh, they're.
Probably a booth losing their minds over this kid. That being said, there is no doubt that they're trying not to let him go. The football is as bimble as possible, and when they do, I'm sure that they will, you know. You know, they're really good at screens, like I expect to see at least six seven, maybe eight screens in this game, from a variety of places on the field, in a variety of players doing it in a variety of ways.
Is that just means that's what they do or they want to attack what Pittsburgh doesn't have an inside linebacker and.
The Joku gets along them too.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly the tied ending exactly right.
Actually it could be Mike.
That's a good point.
A part of that, why why not.
Make those guys play in areas that there's gonna be some guys but that's not their strengths. You know, I don't know who will start it inside, you know, and I don't know who they have it behind those guys. But that's a that's a bounded area right now for that defense is those inside guys, and those guys are pivotal in the screen game. So, but it's actually twofold.
Cleveland does it a lot, and they're very good at it, and it's a safe pass.
He got a young guy, and let's see if those guys could play that area. It kind of favors Cleveland, you know, why not. I mean, let's not try to throw it down the field right now. Let's you know, we maybe pick a moment or two there, but for the majority, I think it's run in that short passing game with the screen game being emphasis.
So, Maria, we talked a lot about can the Steelers run on the Browns? Can they throw on the Browns?
Well, I would say this, I do believe that they can run on the Browns.
I'm just gonna not to the degree they.
Have they did last week, but I do believe they can run on the Browns enough to make the Browns.
Not like it.
And if that happens, then yes, they'll have some opportunities in the passing game and it'll just make that that area much easier on.
Them when they passed.
Merrill, the point you made on the morning show about Kenny Pickett having first down eyes as supposed to touchdown eyes. Do you think the coaches tried to alter his vision a little bit?
This week?
I talked with Deontay Johnson then Pickett about that obvious play that he missed the third down late in the third quarter against Green Bay where he checked it down to Jalen Warren and Johnson was breaking free right off the snap on the left side of the field. You know, Johnson said he wished he would have seen him. It would have been a touchdown. Pickett said he wished he
would have seen him. Can something like that spark a little incentive to maybe not be so moniacally focused on your pre snap read and maybe let it unfold for a second or second and a half before you decide.
You know, something we didn't talk about that happened that I forgot of why. I think Kenny opted there, and it was more of a I think he kind of was he he was predetermining how things were gonna turn out based on how the linebacker was lined up, because he was lined up at the line of scrimmage at a blitzed position, and he knew he was gonna practic get rid of football quickly because he thought that linebacker was coming, and I think he made up his mind that it was gonna happen.
And what he didn't do is he.
Didn't adjust it when it didn't happen. Now, all that being said, sure, I don't think there's any question. I think Kenny's smart enough that you go, you learn from that. You look at that, and he realizes, Okay, I can't predetermine things just because they're in a blitz. Look, that doesn't mean they're gonna blitz. And I can't predetermine that I'm just gonna throw it to the flat, because that's almost how it looked.
I actually went back.
To look at it and I was like, you know, why did he do that? And then I shoot that linebackers up in the A gap, you know, and I'm like, oh, that's why he did it. And he got out of there quick too.
You know, he got that quick, got to the flat.
I know what Kenny was thinking, Shoot'm gonna get that flat and we're the first down number one, and he didn't even think about looking at that go. But now his scope has been widened to other things to think about.
And I think Kenny's.
Smart enough that if he sees something like that next time, he's not going to predetermine things. He'll let it play out and fill the ball where where it needs to go.
I mean, if this this happens one or two times a game, if you hit those, it dramatically.
Changes, doesn't I mean, no doubt.
It's not like they got to come out and be the greatest show on turf. I think they just got to hit the gas a couple more times.
Yeah.
Now, keep in mind, that's what he has kind of done.
Even though he's he's missed throws earlier in games, you know, at the end when it mattered, he's made them.
Yes, yes, he has, you know.
I mean that that's the one thing he has done. So I still put my money on it on the kid that you know when it when it comes down to it and the throw that really has to be made, it's going to be the difference in the game.
He'll make it for you some merrils you might have figured out recently. I kind of like my stat you know, it's a fun little project I do. And the thing I can't get did you realize, Wow, I had some extra time? Impressive. I'm proud of you.
We'll talk about that later, by the way. That's incredible work, by the way, like a little side project Holy count. But anyway, the thing I can't get over, I'm with you, fan of it. Thing I can't get over though, is the Steelers' opponents have run seventy five more plays than the Steelers. I mean, that's more than a whole football game. But the Browns have run one hundred and sixty six more plays than their opponents. That's like two and a half football games.
Like something's got to give here, you know, Like you watch that Ravens Browns game and people were like, how did the Browns pull that thing out? Well, they got some bounces, but they ran twenty five more plays than the Ravens, you know, Like that's I just look at the Browns as a body blow team. They're gonna take it fifteen rounds and they're gonna punch you in the gut a million times and if you're still standing at the end, best of luck.
H Well, that's why that's what that that actually has to be the Steelers mindset, and that's why this this to me is a fist fight at the fifty Who's whoever's gonna win, is gonna win that fist fight at the fifty because and who's gonna blink? You know, And and Mike, to your point, might come down to that, you know what quarterback can compliment that running attack and fire and and make that one throw that opens it up or seals the deal.
You know.
I still put my money on Kenny in this, in this, in this, in this, in this battle. But that's the same mindset if he keep in mind when they played him, you know, was it was a week two.
I mean, they fist fight.
They went to the fifties, but they didn't really have a fist to fight.
They didn't get inside the thirty.
Yeah, at they can. They now though, have have a running game that can fight with, you know, and this will be in the test.
I mean, this will really be a.
Great test form to see if if they're in that league at that upper echelon with that ability to run.
But the Steelers have to be that body blow team. They have to do exactly what we just said. No, that has to be their formula.
Completely agree, completely agree, That's what I'm telling you.
Mine set already at the fiftieth period.
I'm looking forward to Meryl hey Man.
Brother, no handshaking a hat over at the at.
The no signs of unity.
Yeah we are not united.
Rock fight, fist fight at the fifty bar, brawl, whatever you want to call it, AFC North Football, Meryl, great stuff. We'll talk to you next Wednesday as we get it in a day early because of Thanksgiving. Getting ready for the Steelers and the Bengals.
Awesome go Steelers boys, great time have with you.
See guys, Meryl Hodge Here on the preview, which is brought to you by uni bet. The only thing better than the Steelers win is the Steelers win that pay double down on your team with uni Bet, a proud partner of the It'sburgh Steelers by Brian Patton and Associates. It's all about the benefits and by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at shop dot Steelers dot Com. One more segment to go, so keep it here with Matt Williamson Mike Pursuit of This is Steelers
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The only thing better than a Steelers win is a Steelers win that pays double down on your team. With Unibut it proud partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers by Brian Patton and Associates. It's all about the benefits and by the Steelers Pro Shop get it direct from the team at shop dot Steelers dot Com. Mike Pursuita and Matt Williamson wrapping things up this segment as we continue getting you ready for the Steelers and the Browns in Cleveland. This Sunday Are What to Expect segment is brought to
you by Brian Patton and Associates. It's all about the benefits, Matt. What are you expecting Sunday in Cleveland?
Not a lot of points. And one big thing that I'm harping on is I think, as we talked about with Merrill, these teams want to play a similar brand, you know. I mean, there's a very good defensive fronts, good pass rushes. I think the Steeler edge guys in front have a big advantage in the passing game. But one thing that stands out for me in a negative manner if from looking through a Browns lens is it doesn't matter who their quarterback is. All three of them
have held the ball. They have not been accurate. But more importantly, the offense turns the ball over a lot for Cleveland. And that's the one thing that the Steelers don't do. I mean, knock on wood. Hopefully that keeps up. They have their formula, but if you're gonna play these close to the vest type games, you can't have the turnovers that Cleveland's had this year. Yeah, I expect the Steelers to run the ball.
It was interesting here in Merrill's take on that, and I agree with them. This is the litmus test.
It's a great call.
Yeah, First, overall defense, first against the past.
They're only seventh against the run, so somebody's running the.
Ball on them.
But I just I like what I've seen these last two weeks. I think it's invigorated them. I think it's gotten their confidence up. I think they're starting to feel it the way they did last year when they came out of the buy and they filed the running game. They have been working for this and trying to find this. I think Broderick Jones deserves a lot of the credit for it. But to your point about Alan Robinson, you know,
doing dirty work, ticking his face in the fan. Robinson was acknowledged by Matt Cannon of the offensive coordinator today for the great works, you know, the subtle things that a lot of people might not see. I think the Steelers can run the ball in this game. They're gonna have to run the ball if they're gonna win it. But Matt, I wanted to get back to that turnover point because I think it's maybe more significant than some of us, definitely myself are giving it credit for.
I told you I did read your stats this week. I'm impressed. I mean it's only taking what eleven weeks that pounded you.
Had some time plus ten on the turnover differential for Pittsburgh tied with Cincinnati for the best in the NFL. The Browns are minus four. Cleveland has turned the ball over nineteen times, the most in the NFL. The Steelers defense has created the most turnovers in the NFL eighteen. Now, a lot of people have looked at the Steelers teams, Oh, they're they're historic in getting out gained every game to this point and still winning and they're not doing this.
They're not doing that in the years. Blah blah blah. Right, turnovers, pretty big deal, Pretty big deal. You know.
Traditionally, the team that turns it over fewer times than its opponent wins the game. First time these two teams played, the Browns turned it over four times, two of them ended up in the Browns end zone. Steelers turned it over two times now, which is a lot for the Steelers. I'm all for Kenny Pickett taking more shots and getting more aggressive and either seeing more of these one on one shots they're developing, or or pulling the trigger.
But not Sunday Sunday.
Protect the Yeah, let the Browns and their rookie quarterback make the critical mistake. And I think this is something that has proved to be sustainable, and I think something Steels deserve a little credit for that. They're clearly maniacally committed to this protect the ball thing, and it's working for him.
They're winning games because of it. Yeah, it's something Dale Allie and I have been really harping on on the Drive this week. Is First off, Mike Tomlin has a tremendous record against rookie quarterbacks and as Merrill mentioned this guy was way over his head in his first appearance. But the other thing we keep talking about too is Steeler drives this week. If they ended a kick of any sort of any sort, that's fine by me. You know, Boz is going to be huge, punting it deep in
their end. Making this offense go a long distance against the Steelers pass rush and all the things that dead entails is a chore for these guys. So kick it away, kick it away, play physical, don't let them have twenty five more snaps at the end of the game, and you're you know, fighting for air, you know. Yeah.
One of the things I've since just interacting with people on social media or you know, however that occurs. People are frustrated to a degree because they're projecting to January already and thinking, well, they're never going to go win to Kansas City and win if they're playing like this.
Let's jump off that bridge when we come to it, you know, right, yeah, right, you got to get there first.
And I think going into Cleveland and winning a game, I don't know how many teams have a road victory over a six and three team this year.
Yeah, right, right, right, let's let's worry about the division.
A win by any means necessary would be a quality win, even if it's an ugly rock fight.
Punt the ball exactly what's going to belfield position? You know, Kenny's not gonna throw for three hundred and five touchdowns in this game. That's not going to happen, but he might win another Matt's stat. There we go.
When Kenny Pickett throws an interception, the Steelers are two and six.
His whole career. When he does not throw an interception, they are eleven and three.
I think that's unbelievably telling me, all right, two and six stinks eleven fast.
Yeah, that's one pick.
So maybe that's why they're so maniacally dedicated to not turning the football over.
I'm sure you've had this conversation a lot too, But I get asked, well, are they holding Kenny's development back? They're just trying to win on Sundays. Winning is great for his development and the faith of its teammates. And you know, people are worried about big picture of him turning into the next Hall of Fame quarterback. I think they're just worried about beating the Browns on Sunday and not throwing picks is the way to do that.
You mentioned the rookie quarterback thing, and uh, you know, I think it's significant. Now most teams probably have a good record against rookie quarterbacks.
Of course I haven't. I haven't studied it to that degree.
But since the nineteen seventy AFL NFL merger, Steelers are forty nine and fourteen against the rookie quarterback. That's a winning percentage of point seven seven eight. Mike tomlin record against rookie quarterbacks is twenty four and five. That's a winning percentage of point eight to eight. That is the highest for any coach since the nineteen seventy AFL NFL merger.
Including Belichick.
So if you know, maybe the other teams are doing well in this circumstance. Yeah, also, but Tomlin's doing better at that than anybody else. They're ten to one in their last eleven, the Steelers twenty three and four in their last twenty seven.
CJ.
Stroud, that didn't work out this year, right, But it's a pretty good player. I think we realized by now.
CJ. Stroud's not your average bear rookie quarterback. Now and Dale did the research. Actually, he's like, boy, I bet a bunch of those Tomlin ones are against Brown's rookie quarterbacks. Yeah, and they are. And the only time that they lost to a Brown's rookie quarterback was Brandon Whedon, who's about my age, and the Steelers fumbled eight times in that game. Yeah, you know. So it doesn't mean history's gonna repeat itself
on Sunday, but it's a pretty good trend. And you know the beat Will Levis.
I think you could throw Jordan Love in there, even though he's not a rookie, but in terms of in helmet experience, he's a rookie.
Yeah what started what ten period? Eleven games?
Yeah, yeah, this is something I think that they're gonna need to.
Take advantage of it if they're going to win this game. Yeah, and again dtr looked very overwhelmed in his first game against a good defense, and I'm sure they'll throw a lot at him, and boy, I sure wish I had my starting tackles if I were them.
I didn't go back and look at that one, but I was interested to hear Meryll talking about the recklessness or the aggressiveness of every you want to look at it. But in that game, the Browns thought Deshaun Watson was going to play.
And then at the last minute he did not correct.
Kevin Stefanski has been emphasizing in Cleveland this week that it's the week, the entirety of the preparation that's going to make a difference.
I've heard that, but from what my memories of that week, I don't think Watson practiced at all. Now, but I think they were kind of counting on them. But somebody must have practiced with a lot. We could have been Walker. I don't know then why would they have given Walker than not? Because I found Jay Walker. I did a lot of Walker homework. He's really bad. Yeah, so this is the right move for them, but.
I think it is too and I don't know that. I think if I'm them, I know what I have in Walker. I don't know what I have in the other guy. So I'm gonna go with I don't know as opposed to not good enough.
He had a really good preseason. Yeah, and he's a nice cheap backup for Watson, which is exactly what they need because he's a sixty four million dollar cap hit the next two years. So that's why they traded Josh Dobbs, because they liked this kid that much, you know, which, I'm sure they regret the moment, but such as well, there's probably a lot of Josh Dobbs regret going around right about now. Sure, sure, yeah, I can't explain that.
I can't explain that either. I saw him practice a lot here, and I never thought he'd be this guy. I'm never once I still think he's gonna turn into a pumpkin.
Well he may well, but yeah, he's already had his fifteen minute I unbelievable.
Great for him. He is what fourth team in the twenty twenty three calendar year.
Yeah, yeah, it's remarkable. I mean it's like Tennessee scratching its head right about now. In Cleveland, maybe a little bit of head scratching on the south side maybe maybe, I think Arizona maybe they're.
Not as interested in winning as uh, perhaps they are.
But yeah, do you remember much of your draft prep on Dorian Thompson Robinson. Yeah, yeah, I mean I remember phenomenal stats at UCLA, but two hundred and three pounds really turned me off.
Yeah, me too. He is very athletic. He's in the Watson Mold you know, the michelob ultra version. Of course, he is slight, he's built like a wide receiver, runs really well. He was very experienced at UCLA. I mean, he was there a long time and got better and better and better. And I'm sure some pit people remember him in the Bowl game, you know. So I think he's a long term backup. I mean, and his preseason was impressive.
That's gonna do it for us tonight. Reminder programming note, next week we come at you on Wednesday night because a week from tonight is Thanksgiving Night, so we're not going to do the show then. But but we'll get that Bengals preview in on Wednesday after this Sunday's game in Cleveland. Until then, Thanks to everyone for finding us, however and wherever you found us. Thanks to Justin Miller for running the controls as expertly.
As he always does. For Matt Williamson.
A Mike pursuit of this has been Steelers Preview, brought to you by Uni Bet. The only thing better than the Steelers win is the Steelers win. To pay double down on your team with Uni Bet, a proud partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers by Brian Patton and associates. It's all about the benefits and by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at shop dot Steelers dot com. We'll talk to you again next week. Until then, good night everyone,