Welcome to the Steelers Preview show on WDVE Pittsburgh, brought to you by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one fifty is the official truck 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. And now here are your hosts, Merril Hodge, Matt Williamson and Mike Persuda.
Good evening and welcome to another Thursday night edition of Steelers Preview right here on your Steeler slagship, one of two point five DVE and the Steelers Audio Network. Mike Persuda and Matt Williamson getting you ready for the Steelers and the Colts on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. Our factor back, Merril Hodge, will be joining us shortly. We always give the ball to Merril a few times in the middle of the program so he can matriculate it.
Oh yeah, down, He handle the major workload.
And then we stick it in the end zone. The close things off of Matt. Here we are previewing game number four and we don't have a loss to talk about yet.
Gotta love it. I mean, they've been playing Steeler football while they're working on this offense or very very physical. I think it's the best defense in the league. I loved how they closed out the Chargers in the second half last week too. I mean it was not even competitive at the end. I mean, they've been taking care of business in a big way. Four and O goes a long way to having, you know, postseason dreams.
Yeah. And the Colts, this just didn't don't look like Oh, Johnny Unitas Colts. They don't look like the Peyton Manning Colts.
No, their defense, to me is really troubling. I mean, the offense at least is dangerous. Well, they got a running back, they got a running back, they got a no line, they got a quarterback that they can't run, but doesn't that much.
You can heave it up and sometimes it comes down to the right guy.
Completing passes is an issue, though, challenging, challenging.
Let's get to the news of the day as well as we always do. To start the show, the practice participation slash injury report about what you would expect. Russell Wilson limited, Roman Wilson ankle full participant, do we finally see him this week.
Yeah, I was about to run that by. Don't think it'd be a terrible idea.
The other significant entries here Jalen Warren knee didn't practice, Alex Highsmith groin didn't practice, Isaac Samalu peck limited, Michael Pruett knee didn't practice, the rest there were some guys resting and whatnot, But looks like the lineup is going to be relatively what it has been.
Any hunch on Ciamalu or Warren, I don't think towards negative.
Glad you asked, we'll get to see a malo in a minute Warren, I would think not just based on the fact that he has not practiced, but I don't know if he's still a young player who needs to practice or if he's graduated. Is he over that to a veteran status and he knows what he's doing the way Cordero Patterson ran the ball.
Yeah you're in okay?
Yeah, fine, And as recently as twenty twenty two he had a couple hundred yard games for Arthur's Atlanta when he got.
A lot that year. Yeah, so you'll be okay. I think he can do it.
Uh, for the Colts. They got some concerns as well. H Kenny Moore in their nickel hip, didn't practice for the second consecutive day. His backup Chris Lammon's knee ankle didn't practice for the second consecutive day.
Good player.
Kenny Moore's one of those blitz capable nickels.
You know, he's a great nickel.
He can rush off to the edge. I think he might be the best defensive back.
Oh.
I definitely think he is. And he's more than a nickel. When they have two corners out there, he's out there. I mean he plays every snap. Yeah, So it's a very good nickel guy. We'll see what develops there.
Quitty Pay, one of the edge rushers they rely on quadricep, didn't practice second consecutive day. They did get right tackle Braden Smith back to full participation after he shot out yesterday with a knee. Defensive end Taekwon Lewis showed up today as it did not practice calf wrist. That's a new entry to the Colts participation report. And uh sener Ryan Kelly Neck didn't practice.
That's a new one. That is so good news on the right tackle for them. Bad news on the center. Kelly is a quality player too. He's had a good career. He's a real solid player, reliable, you know, it does all line calls, all that stuff too, So that would be a loss.
Yeah, this offensive line returns intact you mentioned pretty good one. Yeah, the Colts didn't have Braden Smith playing last year when they played the Steelers and basically shoved the ball down to Steelers' throats with Trey Sermon as the running back. Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan Taylor didn't play, but Steelers got a little. They have some amends to make in Indianapolis. And meanwhile,
status quo at the quarterback position. I mentioned Wilson limited again, Justin Fields is going to get his fourth consecutive start, and he's feeling, uh comfortable, confident. Everything seems to be, uh feeling better day by day here, but Justin Field still not thinking ahead, not thinking long term, not thinking past anything. But Sunday, I.
Mean, yeah, i think I'm pretty comfortable. I think, you know, I think that comfortableness or confidence is growing easton every week. But I think I've been comfortable for a while. But of course, you know, the more in game reps you could feel and get you know, definitely brings more confidence to you know, anybody and everybody who's out there.
So it's a week to keep going by and you continue to start to feel a little more like your.
Job because it feel a little bit more like my job. I'm just here to do my job. So that's it.
You feel like starting in the later year on the table.
Uh. You know.
The thing is, as I always say, we don't know if we're gonna get tomorrow. So I'm already I'm I'm only worried about today, and I know this week that I'm up to start for the pace of irritating, and you know, that's all I'm focused on.
So he wouldn't take the bait.
No, you're trying, but good mindset to have, and he's been getting a lot better. So I was asked many times last week, you know, what would Fields have to do against the Chargers for you to change your mind that Wilson should be the starter. Not just my decision, of course, but I think you and I have both been in the mindset that Wilson should be inserted back in when he's ready.
Correct.
But after watching Fields with the Chargers, I've had second thoughts I mean not to the point where I would one hundred percent say you're you know, you're the starter and no questions asked. But another game like that where he throws with anticipation from the pocket wins doing quarterback stuff, not just reliant on movement and things of that nature. I think he's made a lot of strides and without making the big mistakes either.
He did make one big when he was actually beating himself up over that interception again today, as he.
Pointed out, if it wasn't a great throw, if it's the end of.
The half and you're trying to make a play, maybe maybe you can get away with force in one and you live with the result. But first down after a turnover like that, or not a turnover, but they got a punt and a penalty. They were in plus field position.
I mean, I didn't think it was bad decision, but it wasn't a great throw. I mean, it may bounce up in the air. I mean chances I wouldn't beat yourself too much over that one there, justin.
But maybe that, you know, is a little bit of a insight into his mindset. You know, this this guy who's a turnover machine in Chicago and he's now taking his one mistake. If it was that personally, yeah, not a bad thing.
I mean, if you just look at sacks and interceptions his three years in Chicago per dropback, he was the worst quarterback in the league. This year he's the tenth best, tied with Pat Mahomes. I mean, you'll take it. I'll progress.
I also thought we saw some second and third reads. Oh, no question, hit maybe more than he had the previous two games. So as you said, doing quarterback things.
Yeah, I mean looking off safeties, you know, looking right and then knowing you're going left the whole time, throwing with anticipation. That has not been a strength of his in Chicago either. So I thought he took great strides. I'm excited to talked to Beryl about it and see what he thinks do on that.
Another well worth following. If you listen to Mike Tomlin on Tuesday, you heard him say that in the event Isaac Saamalo is not available at left guard, tom is going to continue to rotate Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick at that position. Now it was Anderson and then McCormick against the Chargers, but based on the way McCormick practice today. The order of that rotation may be subject to change.
You're getting you ready to start this week.
We'll see what happens. I'm ready for whatever they tell me and if they say that, and yes, I'm ready.
For WUSE today.
You know, most one's rep day.
I definitely got some today.
Yeah.
I think that's a reflection how you play against the Chargers. Uh.
To be honest, it's not up to me to make those decisions. But I'm excited and ready to play, and whatever they.
Do, I'm ready. I think this guy's forcing their hand, Matt. I think they're playing so well they got to get him in there. Yeah.
I think this isn't a knock on Anderson at all. It's just they really like this guy, you know, I mean kind of not to the Fraser level, but like he's forcing himself into the into the lineup, as you mentioned, and maybe forever, you know, for a long stretch. Who knows. You know, played over twenty snaps last week. Some of
it is the sixth guy. And I was also thinking too, if you are going to keep using the six to zero line package, maybe he's the guard and Anderson is the outside guy because he has played some tackle.
Yeah, you know, so, uh, something to keep an eye on practice tomorrow and then leading into the game on Sunday. We are just getting started here on the previews, so you're gonna want to keep it here, particularly given that we're about to start calling Merrill Hodge's number repeatedly. The Steelers Preview is brought to you in part by the Steelers Pro Shop Europe with the latest game day necessities.
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Back to the Steelers Preview show on DVE.
Welcome back to the preview, Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson getting ready for the Steelers and the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis. Time now to get the ball to our factor back Merril Hodge, who joins us at this time each and every week that we do a program, and Merril, I want to get into the Colts a little bit. But in the previous segment, Matt and I were kicking around justin fields and how as Matt put it, he did more quarterback things in that game against the Chargers.
He looked a little bit more like a guy who knows how to play the position and less like a guy who relies on his legs.
Winning from the pocket.
Yeah, as much, if not more than his arm. What did you see? What do you think of fields to this point? And is this uh still uncertain when Russell Wilson gets healthy as to who takes over the rains or or keeps the reins.
All right, that's a lot, a lot to unpack. Let's let's just start. Let's start with with Justin himself and then then let's back up and acknowledge, like, really where this all starts. You know, Arthur Smith deserves a lot of credit. You know he clearly understands, you know, the National Football League and his personnel and how you developing and grow a guy. You know, I don't know if most people know, justin Phiel's history, you know, when he
came out of Ohio State. You know, I remember watching him and there was in my notes I put, I'm like, he is just raw. You know, he doug you know, tape like tells. I can't come up with words like that until I watch tape because then it just takes spells things to you. But he was just raw out of Ohiose State, you know, because you see him do some things that were like, you know, you questioned it,
but it was based on an experience. So then you go to the National Football League and you get exactly what you don't want a quarterback to have, and that is a new offensive coordinator every year. I keep mind, this is his fourth new offensive coordinator, but it's the first coordinator that has done exactly what you need to
do with the guy who is raw. You know, the way they run the football and then the way they try to throw off of it, it's like a lot of it, the majority of it is either or you know, you do hard run action and then you give a guy an opportunity for either or then use your legs. And I always I've always felt, okay, I'll give you the greatest. Probably one of the best development developed quarterbacks from that cop set in NFL history is probably Steve McNair.
It's exactly what they did to Steve McNair, although they're sat in a year and then they did it and he became an NFL MVP. So you know, what Arthur Smith is doing to him is the perfect scenario. And it's actually where his skill set is. It's not beyond that. You know, he's I've seen him play from the pocket and do some really incredible things and then I've done here.
He've seen him do some things that are like truly damaging, and those damaging things cause you to lose, and he's kept him out of that environment, and I just applaud with well coaching. He's got number one. And then for Justin to evolve. So what he's got to do is he's got to get a little better every week. So he threw us a little more anticipation this week, and
that's probably the area that he lacks the most. That is a real I think one of those ingredients that if you have that in the NFL, you can really be elite and it allows you to be really good. Like I'll say that, Actually, I was just talking about the guy who I thought, well, that I've seen come out of college has had the most the best anticipation I've ever seen from college coming in the NFL is
Andy Dalton. Now, obviously nobody would consider Andy Dahlon the leap, but I will tell you this from an anticipation aspect, well, yeah, yeah, there's a few throws of anticipation that we're like that. But anyway that that ingredient is is where like Justice doesn't have right now, now that that that can be an area, I'm not completely sold that you can't help a guy with that, a guy who has the gift. I know reason I brought Andy deal don't know, because
he just has that gift. He just had that gift. That's what really made him a unique player and a successful player. It was. It was really successful for Cincinnati. But if Justin and Justin lacks that that little bit of anticipation that I'm not sold that you can't develop it. I don't think you can't give it to somebody but I think you can develop it based on the level he has. So he's never gonna be like an Andy Dalton, but I think you could do some things that would
help him be just a little better. And if he gets that that that that part of his game a little better, that'll help their passing game and that'll help them them grow. And I think that Arthur is being patient with that and how he's going about, you know,
designing things and giving him opportunities to show that. You know, one of those actually the touchdown throw he made, you know, because go back to Arthur, the way he's attacked in the middle of the field, the way he's using tight ends, wide receivers on linebackers, those are those are great matchups. Once you control the middle of the field, you control the entire field from a passing perspective, and he has started to do that. You've seen a little baby gross
with justin fields. And then to finish it up, like I have coached at almost well coach every level, but a head coach and a coordinator, I can just tell you this from a coaching perspective, like what coaching had on it's hard to disrupt your team. It's unless unless Okay, the guy who's on the sideline is not Ben Roethlisberger. Okay, so that's not the guy you're going to Okay, so that you have to always consider who is the guy that I'm going to replace him with? And I don't
think it's an upgrade. I don't. I don't think you disrupt your team for that scenario. Now, I'm not sitting in those meetings. I'm not saying Mike won't do that, but I just I would be surprised at it because I need the way Justin's developing and the evidence that you've seen. It would be hard to disrupt the team by doing that.
So you mentioned the word raw concerning fields, especially early in his career and still Anthony richardson Holy smoke, So that you talk about a rock quarterback, what are your thoughts on him?
Well, let me just tell you this. Well, I was at the combine when Anthony richards they ran four four. I'm not going to say what. Coach in our box stood up and said, oh my gosh, he made a lot of money, but he's no longer with the staff. And as soon as he said that, I'm like, well, let's make sure we don't pay him, because a four to four is absolutely no indication that the guy can play quarterback if you'd watched any tape on this guy.
But unless I already evaluated him before I got the combine, So like, what they did in our underwear is irrelevant to me. In fact, some of the biggest mistakes in our evaluation process are done at the combine. When somebody in authority who has no idea what they're talking about, has no idea what they're looking at. They trump a football guy and go, oh, he just ran a four to four.
You know what that's gonna do to us, and he had the best combat in quarterback history.
Irrelevant, We're not playing. We're not playing on our underwear. We're not playing on our underwear. You've got to recoverages, you gotta anticipate. We'll give you a great example. So I had I had thoroughly evaluated him. There was one game I didn't watch. It was the Utah game, and somebody brought it to my attention and they're like, well, if you've watched that Utah game, then he goes none
of that. He didn't play in the NFL. And okay, now, first of all, one game doesn't doesn't tell you can play in the NFLKA that's dumb anyway, Okay, if you if you said that, okay, well that question, ay, I wouldn't hire you because if you're gonna take one game and say that translates to the NFL, Okay, well that question you even know about the NFL. But I'd watch like a majority of the games. But I didn't watch
that Utah game. So I'm like, well, okay, in all fairness, before I can make any evaluations or a judgment, I'm gonna go watch the Utah game. So I watched the Utah game. I'm like, oh my gosh, if this okay, I want to say his completion percent is in college was around fifty percent. Okay, okay, so the game, this particular game, he wasn't much better. He was a little better, but you know what was interesting. He did make a lot of completions, but there was absolutely no run after
the catch. That just go okay, when I saw that, You're exactly right, I need to watch this because that is one hundred percent stamp of approval. He can't play in this league. He is not accurate enough and he is not smart enough. Now he ran from like a sixty yard touchdown run. So everybody was I'm like, hell, you listen, he could do that in the NFL. Okay, that's not how you're gonna want to sold them. I will promise you this. I know a guy who played in ten Super Bowls. He won pick I will promise
you seven. I think I promise you if you put his total rushing numbers together in ten Super Bowls, I guarantee it can come up to fifty yards. That's Tom Brady in Tan sumbows. You don't have fifty year. That's not how our league is play. You've got to win from the pocket. You gotta be good in the pocket. And he struggles from the pocket, you know, I mean, now him, he makes some throws on Sunday, you'll be like, oh my gosh. And here's what happens. There's somebody who
thinks I will fix that. I'm gonna make you smarter. You know, I'm gonna make him more accurate. I'm gonna make him a quarterback because look at that arm. Have I ever told you the John Gruden story about the guy, the guy from Clemson quarterback.
Watson, No, no, no, he went to he was the first round pick for the Raiders, Russell John Mark.
Okay, told you Tomarcus Russell. Okay, this this is this is a great Okay, John Gruden tells this story. Okay, listen, this is John Gruden telling the story. Okay. They they want to get a quarterback. They bring into Marcus. First of all, they go to Hooters. My first question when I heard it, I was like, why do you go to Hooters for lunch? Okay, they go to Hooters for lunch. Okay. Now I find out this because John has a great relationship with the owner of Hooters. They're in Tampa, so
they go there. So this is what your Marcus Truss. The orders for lunch. Three coronas and three orders are wings. That's lunch. Okay, three coronas. Okay, now you're gonna go do a work.
That sounds like a nice lunch to me. I don't know what you.
Okay, Okay, Hey, hey, don't judge. Okay. So so they go to the meeting. They're in the meeting and John goes, hey, you know, they just be Notre Dame too, and he shredded Notre Dame apart, destroyed Notre Dame. Maybe door to dame look embarrassing, embarrassed. He goes, hey, like, what was one of your favorite plays that that you that you ran at l s U. And he's like, ah, you're a coach. I just threw it to the open guy. He goes, well, why don't you just draw one of
those plays up? It was coach? I really don't. I don't. I didn't really do all that. I just the open guy. He's like, so you can't draw a play, like, what what LSU?
Do your favorite play?
Just drawing up? He is a coach, I just do the open guy? Okay, all right, draws a playoff? Doesn't even know how to draw a playoff? Okay, he goes Then he's trying. He's telling the story. Then we go out on the field and he makes one throw and he's like, holy cow, who cares about lunch in that meeting? That's what coaches, I mean, that's what some coaches do. They completely lose their mind in things. You can't dance, you can't you think you can you can change this kid.
You think you can make him want it, you can make him smart, you can make him accurate, and all these things that are required. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, he's one of the greatest stories. I've never forgot that story. And well you in fact, Okay, so now let's last forward. When I'm watching take they're playing the New York Football Giants in New York. He's in the shotgun. He does a seven step drop out of the shotgun. The right tackle. I will never forget it as long as I live.
It's one of the greatest visuals I've always have. I presdent in my mind. The right tackle. Okay, the defensive end. He goes up field like fifty far right right. Just stop, he just because he's going where the quarterback is, the right tackle stops blocking. He's like, I can see in his body thing. He's like, what are you doing? Where
are you going? Right? Yet he turns around and sees his quarterback get sacked right, He's like, he's I can't even describe right, But he bowed his head and he put his hands on his hips, and he's like, you can see this, like what are you doing? Like what are you doing? Like I've never seen it in my life. I've never seen it in forty years of playing. Instead of this thing, I've never seen a quarterback take a seven step drop out of the shotgun. I've never seen it.
And that was the at the beginning of the end to the guy. And I don't know what got us here. I'm not saying Richard is that guy.
He's got a lot of work to do.
Just say.
He's not far off. He is not far off. I mean I just saw it, you know. Last week he did an RPO and he holds onto the ball and holds onto the ball until right at the and he's running and he's just line screens and he throws it. What he's got like all his office, his linemen down fields is run blocking. And then he looks back like he looks when you look back, and he looked confused, and I was like, how can you be confused?
Yeah, he did that a couple of others. He did that a couple other times, like that last minute decision all I'm going to stop running and throw it, and it was at the goal line and he got picked off in the end zone.
That was horrendous.
He just yeah, a little uh, it's a little fast for him right now, but uh flips.
He throws everything eight thousand miles an hour two right right.
Unless he can throw the ball, there's no question about that. But I gotta be honest with you, and this is really quick. Okay. I know people that have a better arm than Peyton Manny and then they right guard in the National Football all of the better arms. Okay, they can play quarterback. No, no, it doesn't so much more to it than that. And everybody thinks they can fix it. And but that's not the kids you gotta beat. I mean, it's twenty eight. If you shut twenty eight down, ye, running game down.
Yeah, he's legit.
Okay, yes, they're running game is Yes, it is bona fide legit. But I don't I don't. I don't see them. That's the only guy that can beat you.
So these guys are Denver with a running back.
Yeah, well, better receivers, better line, yeah, I mean a bad.
They have a yeah, well you know what they don't have. You know, they have that running game. But if you looked at the like how you have to win in the NFL. Okay, And it's actually why the Steelers are so good, okay, And they're going to be in every game, They're not going to be out of here, and how good they will be and where they will go will be predicated on how let's say Justin Phil stays playing. How can he evolve and grow? Okay, how can he well?
Where can he get better? What is his peaks valleys? Okay? Is the Steelers are two things. First of all, they run the football really well, not oppositive line regards of the injuries. I don't know if we're talking about Roderick Jones, but I got some thoughts on him that we can if we have time. Their offici lines doing a great job, and they're run the football. They're controlling the temple of the game. Okay, that's one of the most critical components.
But their defensive tackle rotation and the way they're playing inside is like the foundation of football. Yeah.
I wanted to get to that side because I think they've just been elite, uh up front and really the whole, the whole unit. It was funny we were talking to Terrell Austin, the defensive coordinator today. You know, they have five turnovers that they've generated in three games, but they didn't get one last Sunday and they don't think they're getting enough. And Austin said he thinks the turnovers are gonna come because they're playing so well, and once they do, they'll be dominant.
Tips and overthrows.
Yes, week, Yeah, I can tell you this that. Yeah, like turnovers, they can surely elevate. They can make a really good defense look elite, and they can make an average defense look great. There's truth with those turnovers, but even without them, like the rock solids and see, that's what I like about him, Like they don't have to rely on those because you can't trust those. You're trying to get them, but you better trust that you do the foundations of football and do it well and that
and that's what they do. Well, that's what I like about them, Like they like they're trenches. You see. This goes back to when they won Super I was at ESPN and I would with my matchup show, I'd like to I'd like to call coordinators, offense coordinators and just see what they thought about the steel of defense. So luxury I had is like I could call so like thirty you know, two of the greatest minds in our game, and how do you look at this steel of defense?
And you got Troy pala mall, you had all these linebackers. Keep in mind, you know all the things that they did every one of them. This is not and I'm not one out of five or two out of five. To every single one that I would talk to, and I would talk to dozens of them, They're like, Marin, you know what if you we can't it's the three guys in the dirt the problem. We got to take five guys to block three people. Well, that tells you, right, they're our problem. We can't take care of those guys.
What makes you think we can take care of those linebackers? And Troy pala mall that's a problem. And then that's actually what my eyes to like, you know, I played in this league and study for a lot. I was like like wide my scope to just different things in ways to look at games. So when I look at football now, if you said where do you want to start your defense? What is like what would be the foundation? If you pick inside linebacker, DEFENSI attack or safety? Like,
where'd you build it? Man? Tackle? If you had to like this, this guy is going to be like a you know, an Aaron Donald.
Was gon I was gonna say, especially if it's Joe Green, but Donald's not bad example.
Listen or Joe Green, Cam Hayward, Right, what.
You're exactly right. Can Hayward is a beast him. But you know, like when the Steelers turned the corner, I know they talked about when like Franco really took him over the top, but the guy who stabilized him was Joe Joe Green. And still the way those guys are playing up front, and it's hard to handle those guys, you know, and then those edg dresses and that becomes a little easier. You know, if you got edge guys and you have the guys worry about inside, well I'll
just double them. I'm gonna tackle over there. I'll get a tight end in the back and we can do some stuff. Take care of the edge, you guys. I mean, now watch a little different because that's not like even put two guys on that that's not going to take care of him. But and high Smith at the times. But what they have in the trenches is is you know, that's how you win championships with people like that.
Merrily, you teased that I got to get your broder, Jones thought.
So before you go, okay, you know what, I watched him in the Denver game. I think we talked about it, where you know, he just was, but personally he's been sloppy.
Yeah, you got a little uh slight question about his technique last week.
Honestly, honestly it was just like I did. I stopped it. I'm like, this is this is borderline empathetic for a first round pick, for a guy that I means in his second year to play this sloppy and be this out of control and this lacks a daisical and like this unprofessional. I'm like, gosh, I would be just like mosing my mind if I was a coach and uh and the benched him, and then you know, I I think I might have heard it through you you know,
some some comments he made. And what I did like about his comments is that which is critical for anybody in any scenario of of struggle or distress is your take ownership. And when I heard that, I was like, Okay, wait a minute, Okay, that's there's hope there. That's there's hope that the kid will get it before it's too late, you know. And they ship him off.
And he's really he's really young merrill, but he strikes me as a mature guy, like I think, well, I think he gets it. He's just got to work on it.
I listen, Okay, if he got it, I would say, you're exactly right. He got it, and he got it, and he transitioned it in the first game. And shoot, he crippled Moosa on the first play. I mean he he pulled him up like a tent and his feet, hits and hands were completely different fundamentally and how he approached it because I think that's when he hurt him. And I think Bosa came back and played one more play than he was done, but it was that first
play of the game. Yeah, he just like slapped him around like he was nothing.
Now, I did have a hip going in. He was a little bit limited in practice leading up to the game, but yeah, we buried him. I mean that was impressive feet.
Hips to hands though, I mean, like completely different than what what we had been had been seeing, what I'd been seeing, I mean, and he played like that the whole game. I mean, he was your I mean, he was really good, you know, and I can only get better, you know, So that's what you could he just got to hope for, is that he that that that the light switch went off and that he could become a pronoun and he just works on every day and he tries to get better at it every single day because
he he put it on display. He's had sparks you know where you've seen it, but he'd put on display for almost the entire game. And I was like, wow, I mean, just it's rare that you see stuff like that. You know, I'm pulled to the kid because, shoot, if he plays like that, you know, and there was Lankey that they were the centers playing. You know, he's he's a frecking maller. He was like that West Virginia. He was just a mall He had a tough dude man,
And then that's what you gotta have. Gotta have guys in the trenches that are tough. You know, he stepped on. I played with Mike Webster, Okay, he was my roommate. You know. I played with DERMONTI Dawson. You know, a tounch yo kid. You know Terry Long. I was scared. I was scared. You in the huddle with Terry Long, I was like, gosh, my team. I'm glad that brother's on my team.
I can tell you as uh as your old coach Chuck Mull used to like to say, Meryl the choir boys belonging to church on Sunday. He great stuff again. Glad we got, glad we got you wound up about Richardson and running the ball. Can't wait to do this again next week before the Dallas Cowboys game.
Oh my gosh, that's right. We ain't gonna we ain't gonna be saying go Cowboys on this show.
Great stuff Meryl you next week, see you guys.
Take care resk.
Merril Hodge, Right, you know, I wish he'd brings I wish he'd brings some energy and some excitement and passion to these segments.
That was dynamite.
Still got one more to go, so you're gonna want to keep it here. Uh with Matt Williamson on Mike Pursuda. You are listening to Steelers Preview right here on your Steelers flagship one of two point five DVE and the Steelers Audio Network.
Back to the Steelers Preview show on DVE.
Welcome back Mike Pursuda and Matt Williamson getting you ready for the Steelers and the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis. And Matt, I'm gonna stick with my assessment of the Colts. Yeah, that I gave to Meryl there a little while ago, uh Denver with a better running.
Back way worse defense. I think their defense is really bad and I wanted to go down this road with Merrill, but he was rolling. I mean, they are more than any other.
Just so people understand. He rolls a lot. So we have ideas about where we want to take him, but it's really up to him where he runs. Oh yeah, yeah, great back set vision. They know where to go.
I didn't think JaMarcus Russell was going to come up, but I'm glad he did. I mean, this defense is the most vanilla or predictable in the whole league. Their old school legion of Boom Cover three, and they don't differ from it that much by NFL standards. But to do that, to run the same defense over and over the same scheme, you have to be extremely talented, and they just aren't, you know, especially with Buckner out. I
don't see many difference makers on the defense. I really like the law to kid the rookie the first round pick, but other than that, I don't see a lot of difference makers. One of the best guys More's been on the injury list, and the offense is intriguing and frightening to me. But if you limit the explosives, Richardson's all over the place, but he might chuck a touchdown pass or certainly get free as a runner. And as Merrill mentioned, Taylor is frightening and they have a good o' line.
But if you can make them matriculate the ball down the field, I think you're gonna have a lot of success.
Yeah, and the Indie run defense has been Oh man, it was two hundred and thirty seven yards a game the first two weeks, five point one to carry. Now they did limit the Bears to sixty three yards on twenty eight carries with a long run of nine.
The Bears are one of the worst running games in the league.
By the Bears can't run, Yeah, but.
Then they threw for almost four hundred yards.
I don't know if you saw the clip going around on Twitter slash x where the one running back ran into his blocker.
I didn't notice that. But they're running game is a mess. Teams will run on Indy.
I don't trust Indy to stop the run. And the time of possession is bonker staggering. Yeah, they're averaging less than.
They're twenty one minutes, twenty one minutes and.
Thirty six seconds. And this all off a game against Chicago where the Colts said the ball for twenty four minutes and fifty nine seconds. They were under twenty the first two games.
Yeah. Yeah, so a lot of those that like they're twenty minutes in change or twenty one minutes and change. The thirty first team in time of possession is three minutes higher than them. Like they're not only last, but they're so far and last they think that they're in the race. I mean, like they're so far out of
this thing. And you mentioned the second game they played the Packers with Willis as a quarterback, and the Packers might as well said we're gonna run every play and put it up on the scoreboard and they had no answer whatsoever.
Yeah. The weird part about that is Jonathan Taylor's got back to back one hundred yard games.
He's really good.
You would think that would imply some control of tempo, some control of the clock, right, But they can't do anything else other than Richardson hits a big pass every once in a while.
They just don't complete passes and they can't get off the field on the defense.
Throw a lot of them down the field. They get very many of them.
No, I mean he chucks it and that's dangerous. I mean the receivers are good. I do think they had a slight revelation last week and realized we go as Taylor goes, and even like on throwing downs, he was out there. He hardly ever left the field and he's the foundation of the offense.
Are what to expect segment is brought to you by Brian Patton in Associates. It's all about the benefits. What I expect is the Steelers I think are going to stop the run. I got great respect for Jonathan Taylor. You know me in the Big tenth. I've been a fan for a long time. I think Steelers are playing elite defense right now. Yeah, I think they're going to stop the run. You not slam it shot, but i'd
see Taylor getting fifty sixty yards. I don't think he's going to get the long runs that the Steelers were giving up last year. They're going to put the Colts in a bad spot. And I think this one you talked about and how the Chargers game is Stells took it over in the second half, it's still only one by ten, right, I think this one gets out of hand in the second half.
Do I have a little more fear of Taylor in the running game? And if I were them, I would run Richardson more that they haven't designed enough runs for him in my opinion, because he's a dynamite runner. I mean he's two hundred and sixty pounds runs a four to four. I know that doesn't help him play quarterback, but it makes him a dangerous runner. I also think he's gonna make mistakes. You know, we talked about how they haven't turned They didn't get the turnover last time.
He throws a lot of balls high over the middle. I mean, Minka is just looming back there. He throws everything eight thousand miles an hour. I mean it gets a lot of tips. I think fumbles and sacks are in play too. I think there's gonna be a lot of negative plays from the quarterback.
And you mentioned Minka. It's you know, if they do shut the rundown conventionally, if they don't have to overload the box, then he's gonna be larking back there.
Oh yeah, to be the ball hawk. Yeah one, and they'll take deep shots. I mean, Pierce is a deep threat and they will throw it deep for sure. I just think this is a get right game too for the Steelers offense. I mean, or another step forward for the Steelers offense. So what would that look like specifically? You're talking about score?
Oh no, I'm just only just gonna get right running down their throats. Do you think you will see another step forward from fields? I think will the complimentary receivers step up in this game?
I think it's a Pickens explosion.
Yeah.
I don't see a corner that handles him at all. I think Friarmuth maybe has his best game of the year as well. I think those linebackers are right for the Pickens, and I also think that they will control the line of scrimmage with their line and run game.
And conversely, if Taylor doesn't run, Colt's got a problem.
Yeah, I mean the explosions on offense when the Colts have the ball worry me, you know. I mean, because they can make big plays. And I also think they could consistently grind out yardage with Taylor too, So I think I can see a little more points in this game than we have in the You know, there's been very little when Steeler the games through three weeks, and I'm not saying to me thirty five to thirty, but I'm thinking it's more like twenty thirteen something like that.
I'm thinking like twenty seven to ten.
Something along those concern Yeah, I'm not.
I gotta be honest with you. I've been in this spot every once in a while now. That Denver game. I watched that Denver Seattle game and I thought there's no way the Steelers could lose it.
Almost no way. Yeah, the NFL. You never know.
I was. I wasn't expecting a blowout and it wasn't you know. It was a close game. But never while watching the Steelers play the Broncos did the thought occur to me that the Broncos might score a touchdown. I think the Colts might get won.
Even the Falcons game, it got to the point where you got them right where you want them. The Chargers game, absolutely in the second half is like they're not scoring another touchdown. I mean unless something weird happens, you know.
And in the offense, I think the run is going to set up a lot of things for Pittsburgh. I'm still not having second thoughts about the fields. I want to see what this looks like with Wilson. Merrill talked about anticipation, but Russell Wilson's got that, oh he does. Yeah. I want to see if he's the guy that can take this to the next level without risking the ball and risking turnovers and risking negative plays, which he hasn't been immune to. But he's just got so much more experience,
and particularly the later we get in this process. As Mike Thomas says, when the road narrows and depression builds, I kind of like to been there, done that experience of Russell Wilson.
I one hundred percent agree. And I'm just more intrigued with fields every time I watch him, to be honest with you, and I mean, the anticipatory stuff probably will never be his strength, you know, but he did throw like an NFL quarterback really well in that pass game.
The other thing I wonder about is how many weeks absent for Wilson are too many? Is there a line of demarcation here where if he doesn't play against Dallas or he doesn't play against the next game, now you've missed two months or approaching two months and can you get back into groove?
And Meryl kind of mentioned it too. I mean, if you're five and oh, if you're six and oh, how do you make a quarterback switch?
I mean, well that's why I head coaches good.
Yeah, right right, right right?
You decide the other guy's better and you make it.
Yeah, the super respect and you do it. This isn't hockey.
You don't keep winning lineup together, right, No, seriously, I mean, if you think the other guy's better, you play them.
I mean I deep down think they do think he's better Wilson.
Yeah, but I think, uh, it's funny the field stuff. People started talking about this after they won the opener and then after the second who's the quarterback? And you know the national shows they should go with fields. I'm thinking, what are you talking about?
What are you seeing all the national shows like, oh, they've decided in the fields. I mean, that's not what happened.
Now we're starting to see some stuff.
As you said, I'm very intrigued. I mean, quarterback things were good. That's gonna do it for us tonight. I want to thank Meryl for joining us as he always does. Well, we got him on a club friendly contract. Oh Yeah, for the workload we give him. He's on for him too.
Thanks to Justin Miller for keeping us fired up and on the air. Thank you for finding us, however, and wherever you found us, We're going to do it again next Thursday, before the Steelers get ready to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Until then, for Matt Williamson on Mike Persuda, this has been Steelers Preview right here on your Steelers flagship one of two point five DVE and the Steelers Audio Network. Good night, everybody,