The volume.
Hi everybody, and welcome into the Tuesday Morning podcast. Dave wanstat Dolphins, Bears, Steelers, a lot of good stuff to talk about. Camps around the corner. So watching the US Open this weekend, you know, watching a live golfer like Brooks Koepka not have a great weekend, not terrible, but not great. Seeing Rory McElroy, who pushed back on the
emergence of the live tour finishing second. I was thinking about it driving home from work today and I read a letter, a very heartfelt letter by former great Tom Watson that he sent to Jay Monahan and the PGA, asking a lot of questions, mostly do we have to go in business with the Saudi's and how are they going to change our sport. So one of the things that's been very obvious to me about the PGA and Live merger is how few American sports fans are truly
loyal to the PGA. I'll get to that in a second, but getting back to Tom Watson's question, to give you some sense of the money the Saudis and oil produce. They produce nine point nine million million barrels of oil a day, and despite that, they have over two hundred
and twenty years in oil reserves. If they continue with the same production, they have two hundred and twenty plus years left of oil trillions and trillions of dollars in their bank accounts, money not spent yet, So it is a conveyor belt of trillions of dollars for the next two hundred plus years. Yes, everybody's doing business, including our government with the Saudis. This is not the last sport
they will attach to English Premier League RPGA tour. They've been essential for the British golf tour for over a decade. There's a reason that most fans aren't loyal to the PGA because there's nothing to be loyal two right, The Masters is run by the Masters, and the US Open this weekend is run by the USGA. The British Open is run by the Royal and Ancient Club, and the PGA Championship is run by the PGA, which is not the same as the PGA of America. What are you
loyal to? It's a series of charities. Think about it this way if you're a Big ten football fan. But the Big Ten sold off its parts and there was four different corporations that ran the Big Ten. First there was the Big Game Corporation. They would run Ess, Michigan and Ohio State football. Then there was a second company that ran Penn State Wisconsin in Iowa. There was a third company that just ran Northwestern, the private school based
in Chicago. That's all they ran Northwestern football business. And then a fourth corporation that ran the rest of the Big Ten. You would care less if you were a Buckeye fan about other schools. They were represented by other businesses that had other rules and guidelines, and so there's nothing to be loyal too. For most PGA fans, they're loyal to Brooks Keepka or Tiger Woods, or Phil Mickelson or in my case, Rory McElroy Dustin Johnson. That's who
I'm loyal to. Just like if the Big Ten splintered off into four and five different subsidiaries, you'd be more loyal just to your team and not care about the conference. Now as it is now, when Big Ten teams play in bowl games, Big Ten fans root for Big Ten teams to win because it looks good for the entire unified conference. What if the NFL sold off the AFC championship to one group and the NFC Championship to another group. I'm not talking broadcast partners. They were owned separately and
run separately. The wild Card division was run in both conferences by a separate company, and then the regular season itself was run mostly by the NFL. You would be less loyal to the NFL as it is now. If somebody the Saudi's tried to buy the NFL, we'd all be concerned. Will the network's change, will the times change? Will they still play on Sunday? What are you taking away? What are you adding? Because there's a unified business that
benefits all of us. So I don't see a lot of people heckling Brooks Kepka because they're loyal to Brooks.
Kopka.
Golf has done a very poor job over the years of having a unified business. It means something. It's simply a charity that benefited the PGA, not even its members. Phil Micholson for years complained about the treatment. So don't be surprised if you sell off parts of your business or you don't create. This is why McDonald's will sue you, even if you're in a small town and create a small restaurant with mock in front of it. They don't want to dilute in any way, shape or for their brand.
They want McDonald's to give you a sense of standards, a sense of warmth, a sense of trust. And they'll sue anybody that tries to add mock in front of a business. That's why they do it, you know. I was thinking about the Bradley Beal move to Phoenix and of the many reasons I like it, let me start and finish with this one. Over the course of time, I've had a radio business, TV business. I've done low I've done syndicated. I'm very lucky I've worked with really
good people. One of the things I've just tried to avoid, and it's my personality. I don't enjoy erratic people or people you can't depend on. I've surrounded myself because I'm kind of a boring, habit forming guy. There's not a lot of ups and downs to my life. I come in, same time, same prep, same breakfast, same show, go home. I'm a creature of habit and I like to surround myself with people who are creatures of habits. I want to know what to expect every day when I go
to work. I think it's easier for all of us, and so I've tried to avoid erratic hours, erratic people, erratic bosses. It's to me, it's really helped my business. It puts takes away the anxiety of the job. The rare times I've had erratic people or businesses supporting me, it's affected, I think my product. And so one of the mistakes I thought Kevin Durant made by losing Steph Curry leaving an going to Kyrie Irving, he went from
dependability to erratic. And then they added James harden In Brooklyn and Ben Simmons, and he really surrounded himself with arguably the three most erratic players in the league. And I think that weighs on Kevin Durant, and he never understood how much that eats away at you day after day, answering questions for other players, not being able to depend on Kyrie Irving showing up because of the vaccine. It was the weight of the world on Kevin Durant's shoulders.
Now look who he plays with. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are the most boring, predictable stars in the league. Not huge shoe brands, not big ig influencers. They play when they're healthy, they play at a high level. You know exactly what you're getting every night. Just think of that. For Kevin Durant, he played with the three most erratic personalities in the league Harden, Kyrie Irving Ben Simmons to arguably the two most predictable and boring stars in the league.
The weight of the world is taking off his shoulders. How many of you are in a relationship and you're with an erratic person.
It's toxic.
It affects your sleep, it affects your diet, it affects your mood. I mean, ask yourself, is there any place in your life where you're dealing with an erratic person and how it weighs on you and just SAPs your energy. I think this is such a win for Kevin Durant. Forget the basketball. Just from an anxiety level and a comfort level, Phoenix is just perfect. No big egos, no crazy town. As much as I like Chris Paul, there
was some drama. He missed a lot of starts. Just enough anxiety to disrupt a player, even a great one with Booker Bradley Beal. I mean, they're the morning coffee man. You know what it's going to taste like, you know it's warm, you know you need it. That's a good way to live in a sport with lots of media, lots of egos, a lot of opinion, a lot of drama, a lot of expectations. Beal and Booker are perfect personalities
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We actually stayed in Tuscany.
A good friend of mine owns a house over there, so he goes two or three times a year. So we went over to the house, and then every day we went down to the Italian Riviera one day. We went to Florence one day, we went the pizza one day, and then Jane and I went up to Rome and spent two or three days by ourselves. At the end of the trip, it was fantastic. I mean, these people who basically lived there, so it was so easy, and
they're you know, they're obviously big Italian guys. My golfing buddies from Naples, Florida.
It was fantastic. It really was there.
It is interesting. I just got back from Iceland with my son. Everywhere you go in Europe, I don't know if I could live there, But man, they live right, don't they The pace and the food and the naps. It's just I feel the pressure come off my shoulders, the stress.
You know what got me.
We're in the car and we had a driver, and we're driving the streets of Roam and you know how narrow the streets off. We had a nice sized car, and I see some little bit of graffiti on the walls.
Now I live in Chicago, okay, And I said that.
And we're going through these streets and people are cutting tors or cutting in front of them, and there's and I said, you haven't.
Beeped your horn one time. I said, in Chicago, you know the caves up here and the drivers lay on their horns twenty four to seven, scream at people. I said.
He said, well, you know they'll get out of the way. We're in no hurry. So it's exactly what you said.
I mean.
We drove through the heart of Rome, people over the place, cars crossing.
And I didn't hear horn beat.
Now here's the sirens all night long and my condo down down Chicago. You've been there, not orn sirens, police sirens.
No, it's it's just a different life. We took a Vespa tour in Italy where we got in the back of these vespas for two hours and whiz through the streets. I'm not sure if Ann liked it. That's the most fun I've ever had in my life. I was laughing the whole damn time. We were stopping off to get coffee, go to the coliseum, take pictures. Highly highly recommend it. So big year for Chicago. I think justin Fields after two years, we know he's talented, he can move, he's
got a whip for an arm. But a lot of mistakes, some not his. But there'll be a sense Dave that after this year you either go to jettison, move off him, or lean into him. You've been to practice. What is your takeaway on what you've seen.
Well, I think the first thing you said, a big year for Chicago. I think the people in Chicago and I don't know if they'll get it, but it's what I'm preaching. I think this needs to be a reasonable improvement year for Justin Fields.
You know.
I mean, you know, I need to go out and be Aaron Rodgers, Okay when he was at Green Bay. I mean, he needs and to improve one hundred percent. But I think it needs to be reasonable. But when I look at Chicago, they have two number one picks next year. Everybody that they signed free agency plus the draft picks. There's not a player on their roster that
they signed that was older than twenty six. And I spent about an iron with Ryan Pooles, the general manager, for about a week ago, two weeks ago, and you know that they have purposely built a young football team. And it's not talked about, but I think that, yes, Justin Fields needs to perform. I think it's the Philadelphia Eagles blueprint, you know, I mean.
Let's let's all if we're all honest with themselves. Me included.
Before last season, I wasn't sure if Jalen Hurts could beat the guy, and I don't think the Eagles thought that either. Colin and they're sitting there with two number one picks and they're saying to themselves, I promise you, if he's not the guy, we're going up to the first, they can get a quarterback.
The Bears. I don't think it'll happen.
No one's talking about it, but they have the draft picks to do something.
If it doesn't work.
Out, Yeah, the listen, I will say. By getting Robert Tanyan, they now have two tight ends Cole Commit by getting I'm not a huge Chase Claypool fan, but I do love DJ Moore. I think Mooney is more than capable. I went and looked at the PFF grades for their offensive line. It's not as bad as say the New York Giants or the Tennessee Titans last year. It's kind of middle of the pack. I think they found a
left tackle last year in the draft. So my takeaway is I don't need Justin Fields to be a playoff quarterback. But I don't think if he struggles, we can blame the personnel, Dave. I think the Bears have given him good enough pieces to work with and win ten games. Is that fair?
That's fair?
And you know what, when I was up there, Dj Moore made three catches that Bear receivers haven't made in three years. And the guy that was smiling the most and won the head coach and won the general manager.
It was justin fields, you know.
So they have really connected from the standpoint of a confidence between quarterback and receiver.
You mentioned Robert Tunyan.
I think he might be this you talk about a stealing free agency they had.
They sure if Claypoole comes on, fantastic if he doesn't.
When I saw Robert Tunyan, they've flexed him out like they used to do with Tony gan Zalz back in the day. And he can beat safeties one on one. I mean, he is that type of athletic tight end or you bring him in tight so he that's a heck of a signing for the Bears. It truly is.
So.
I think they feel real good about their passing game, and you know, and they're going to be committed to run it a ball the whole key and I was up for and Luke Getzi, you know, the offensive coordinator.
He worked for me a bit. I got a great four.
With him, and he said, you know, we got to take the next step. We're going to take the next step. We got to be balanced. We gotta be balanced in this and so there it's it's exciting, but I do agree they do have the weapons.
I've said this before, my favorite city in the country is Chicago. Years and years ago, my wife, who spent a lot of her twenties in Chicago, talked me into buying a little condo in Streeterville, which is just a great place. Italian restaurant, Cuban restaurants, great breakfast places. Park you are now moving into. Are you a summer Chicago white or a what's the best? I think it's such a remarkable city for people that have never been there.
I I mean, the winters are tough, but I've been spring, summer, and fall. Even in the summer. I hear about the humidity, but Dave, I get I get the I get the lake breeze. I never think it's that bad.
No, it's pretty tough. Today it was supposed to be eight They said it was eighty. But down here, I'm right like you said, I'm You're a little bit closer to the lake than me, but not by much.
And it's, uh, this is the time to be here. It truly is. I mean, you got the streets are packed right now.
I mean it's a big tourist I mean from all over the world. I mean, you get your different languages, your people walking up and down Michigan Avenue.
I mean, this is the time to be here right now.
And uh, you know, everybody's very optimistic that, you know.
I it's been tough. It's been tough with.
Us up here at Chicago, but we've got a new mayor and everybody's optimistic that somehow, some way we'll get this thing turned back.
And we got the the race coming up next week. We got the.
NASCAR race for a week coming into Chicago. They're going to race through the streets of downtown on They've got Lake Shore Boulevard. They're gonna go flying. Oh yeah, I don't have all the details of it, but it's coming. It's going to be next week July, second and third big race here.
That's all they've been talking about.
What's the typical Chicago Bear fan reasonable not liquored up. If you said, would they be disappointed with nine and eight and Justin Field's showing improvement, Yes.
Yes they probably would. But I think it's seven eight win team.
I think they're a seven eight win team with Justin Field showing improvement. I'm concerned about the Bears defense. I'm not concerned about the rump. I mean they're defense coach. The leading guy soccer for him was Brisker, the strong safety last year.
I never heard of that. They got the most sacks on your team is a strong safety? That's scairy. No. They added they're gonna have.
They got three free agents on the defensive line. They drafted two defensive linemen. The Stevenson kid.
I'll tell you what.
The guy they drafted in the third round out of Miami. Okay, Tyree Stevenson. This kid, I was at practice. He's going to be a starter at corner. And this is big. I was talking to head coach Matt Eberfluss, and they run a scheme that's kind of like what we did at.
Dallas and kind of like what Tony Dungee did at Tampa.
It's a combination two with the point being that they have to get pressure. With their four guys, they're always going to be one of the least blitzing defenses in the NFL.
So the guy that really important is that nickelback.
He's the most important guy in their defense, and that's Kyler Gordon. Last year, Kyler Gordon bear fans know this. He played corner, then they put him at nickel he was Now guess what, he's full time. You're the nickelback. Don't worry about anything else. We got Jalen Johnson on one side, and we got Tyreek Stevenson who had today I was a guy had an interceptor for a touchdown, knocked on three balls.
This guy from Miami, he's gonna be a big time player.
That was a great pick for them, and it's going to fit into their defense perfectly. But it's gonna come down. Can they get any pressure? You know, I don't see it. It's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough.
Well, the good news Aaron Rodgers is out of division, Dalvin Cook will be out of division. Detroit moved off DeAndre Swift. I still think they're Detroit. I think we're overvaluing them a little. They didn't make the playoffs. I think they win a couple more games, but it's a winnable division. Coach Minnesota is not gonna go eleven to zero in one score games. That's not happening again. So I don't think I mean, I just think this is the year for Chicago. I think they could be a
ten win team. They've got to cut down on mistakes and let's be honest, Justin moves he's got to stay healthy. I worry about that a little bit.
Yeah, I like them. I love them.
In the opener, you know they opened up with the Packers. Jordan love right here at Chicago. Wow, that's gonna be an excited. I mean, there's gonna be a lot of pressure on them. I like the Bears there, but I kind of disagree with you one thing. I'm picking Detroit. I like Detroit to win this division. I'll tell you what they You know, obviously they drafted Gibbs, the running back from Alabama to transferred from Georgia Tech. But they got David Walker, and David Walker is an angry David.
I'm sorry David Montgomery who was with the Bears, and this kid's a heck of a football player. So they got the rookie Gibbs the number one pick, and they got David Montgomery the running back. They that's they got the receivers back. You know, they got Marvin Jones, they got Saint Brian coming back. They drafted this reported kid, and I know it was Iowa, but he's not just the number one tight end. He had the most receptions
of any tight end in the Big Ten Conference. And this kid is a player now and no one I can't get aim by exciting.
But my guy for defensive player of the year in the Big Ten Conference.
For the last three years was Jack Campbell, and they drafted him in the first round. A big linebacker. No one's saying Jack Campbell. This guy gets interested. He's six ' five. Look at his calm. Anybody's out there it's questioning me. Look at the guy's combine times. The guy makes interceptions, he made sacks, He makes one hundred plus tackles every year. He graduated like six years ago. I mean, the guys broke this guy. I'm telling you, I'm excited. And then
who does Detroit get. They get the Branch, the safety from Alabama, who I thought was it going to be a second round pick, or some people at him higher. They get him in a third round. This guy's gonna committed to play for them. He's a heck of a player. Taught the sagment about him. I think Detroit did really well in the draft. I'm on their bandwagon.
I roly am Well say this. The Vikings and the Bears and the Packers have struggled, struggled to generate a pass rush. And Detroit's offensive line is really it may be the best Lions O line they've ever had. So yep, Jared Goff is going to throw from a clean pocket, and I think that's the one thing they have. You know, sometimes Dave as you know, it's matchups in your conference, there's no pass rushes and so Detroit didn't have much of one either. So their old line in Detroit is
top four, maybe top three in the league. So it tells you they're going to generate a run game. And you know, when Jared Goff has time to throw, he's great. That's been the issue. He's like Matt Ryan in his prime. When Matt had time to throw, he to eat alive. So when golf was on the run in LA he struggled when Whitworth was in his prime and younger. He got him to a Super Bowl.
Absolutely no question.
And the guy they they get this quarterback from Tennessee, Herndon Hooker.
I talk to some of these quarterback guys that are on this thirty thirteen. They liked him. I'm not going to say who. There's some guys that liked.
Him as well as any quarterback in the draft. They think this guy is special. So add him to the draft picks that Detroit got, They're going to be pretty salty.
I think, you know every time every year I make picks, and my woe pick of this year in the NFL, the surprise pick is I'm taking Miami to win the division first. I think Vic Fangio right now is maybe the best defensive coordinator in the sport. They solved by bringing Jalen Ramsey over. They solved the corner issue. I don't love their offensive line, but if you look at Mike McDaniel's system, it's Kyle Shanahan system. It has always been better day for quarterbacks in the second year of it.
It's pretty complex. I look at what Miami put together. I watched them play the Bills three times last year. They beat him once, they could have beaten them a second time with Tua and Skyler, Thompson played him close, and my takeaway was, I don't feel right now that Buffalo has had a good last five or six months. Stefon Diggs's complaining they lost one of their safeties. I
have questions about McDermott, his rigidity. Leslie Fraser just said get me out of here because McDermott wouldn't let him call plays. There's a little bit of coaching tension. I if Tua's upright, I saw you put on about fifteen pounds. You tell me your thoughts. I think Mike McDaniel in year two of that offense. I've watched Shanahan in Atlanta, I watched them in San Francisco. It's that second year, Dave. I think Miami's going to be a handful.
Yeah, I agree with you.
I mean, we'll start with add and Ramsey, but the best addition they had is Vic Fanjoe. You know now, in Vic's defense, and I know pretty good, Vic's defense is not a blitzing defense. I mean, you know when they were there with with Brian Flores, it was pressure, pressure, pressure. This is not that so having the extra corner, you know, having Ramsey teamed up with Howard, I mean, that's a great, great combination.
Uh.
But they're gonna have to generate rush up front. To me, Bradley Chubb is the guy. He's this guy's got to show up.
You know.
Last year they made the big trade for him. They got him there, and I think Vick will be the guy that'll be able to push the right buttons to get a big year out of him. But they've got to generate. They're gonna generate pass rush with the guys up front. That's one point. The other thing that I think has to happen is, you know, Mike McDaniels, you
mentioned the Buffalo games calling. It really bothered me. They had Skyler Thompson, who you get, the thirteen quarterback in there, and they threw the ball twice as many times as they ran it.
And I'm watching that game.
And I remember when I got the Bears job, you know, and I was out and the lake.
Chuck noll And just.
Stepped down from the Steelers and we were playing golf and he said, Dave, never forget.
Why you you get your head coach. Now, never forget why you're a head coach. I said, what do you mean?
He says, when you got hired because of your defensive expertise.
So I'm watching that Dolphin Buffalo game.
And I'm thinking to myself, Mike McDaniels was the run coordinator run coordinator at San Francisco, and they aren't running the ball.
If they run the football, I'm convinced they were. So the only question I have is, you know, they're gonna have to be balanced.
And when you got Tua and you got the firepower, you know, Tyreek care and all the Wattle and everybody, it's real tempting to want to get them the ball.
Big plays, big pellies.
But I'll tell you what this is good Mike mc if he wants to win Big, he's going to have to be balanced, and he's going to have to continue running the football.
I don't he's going to show me that he'll do that. I'm not convinced he wants to do it. Well.
It's interesting Kyle Shanahan has Debo and George Kittle and Brandon Ayuk and Christian McCaffrey, and he commits to the run despite how having those options. I mean, when I think of the Niners. I think of a physical run game, yep. I don't even think of passing no.
And you know the other thing too with the Tua. You mentioned Tua, and I'm not gonna blitz him. I'm not going to take a chance of trying to cover Tyra kill one on one. But I'll tell you what's going to happen. Tua in his mind, if you went through the concussion stuff that he went through or anybody did, that's going to be on your mind. And they're going to be saying, get the ball out quick, right, don't take eight chances.
They don't run up.
He's not running quarterback read stuff. So put that aside. That's not going to happen. But get the ball out quick. He's going to see man press coverage. I would play him man and I would lock up those receivers and knowing that the ball is going to come out quick, and so he's gonna you know, he makes good decisions, makes good decisions.
We're going to find out how accurate he is.
He's gonna have to be real accurate this year because I don't think he's going to get very many wide open easy throws.
Well, the other thing with tua is because his injuries are concussion based that you can't bring him back with another concussion for four to six weeks. So to your point, I think McDaniel realizes that they'll run it more and it'll be a lot of a lot of what Brady ran. Just get the ball out, Garoppolo by the way, one thousand and one, one thousand and two. Let it ripe. And I also think McDaniels knows his weakness is his offensive front in a division with Buffalo's pass rush, the
Jets pass rush, and Belichick's defensive front. So I do think there's a way Miami will play run it quick, passing protect to it because he goes down. You know, they brought Mike White for the Jets for a reason.
Yeah, so in near minds, they probably got a good backup, but it's not to us. So it'll be interesting to see if mcdaiels can do that.
So you're from Pittsburgh, coached the Panthers for years, You've got a lot of friends there. Still I went and the other day I went and sort of burrowed down on the Steelers. There's a couple of things that are interesting. Number one is they win over the last three years when TJ. Watt plays, they win seventy five percent of their games. And although he was banged up last year,
in his history, he doesn't get hurt. And one of the reasons I leaned Steelers over Baltimore for the wildcard spot is if you take their eight best players, and I include Najie Harris, their tight end, Kenny Pickett, Minka Fitzpatrick, I go Cam Hayward, I go down the line. None of them have an injury history, and virtually all of the Ravens' best players except tyden Mark Andrews, do have
a playoff history. And I don't know if Tomlin is more measured at practice, but the Ravens have been banged up for four years in a row and the Steelers are rarely hurt. And I went back and I looked at Pittsburgh's last six games last year. I didn't from beginning to end watch all of them, Dave, because the AFC has so many more compelling teams. At the end of last year, Kenny Pickett was pretty good, the defense was great. Kenny Pickett was pretty good. What are you hearing?
Well? I know this for a fact.
Last year at this time going into training camp, he was getting the third team more reps. I mean it was Mitch Trubisky, it was Mason Rudolph, and it was Kenny Pickett. So his practice time was a third And you know, I don't think I think they went into that thing. Mike Tomlin said that Mitch Trubisky is a starter, which he did. And so I look at that and say, you know, that's a lot of time for a rookie
not to be getting the reps that he needs. And then the guy that's probably gonna be his top receiver, and then what's his name got hurt.
Deontay Johnson was hurt.
Okay Pickens, George Pickens, the second round pick out of Tennessee.
He's a star. This guy.
He it took him, they tell me, it took him two or three, you know, a couple of weeks into the season before he started getting a field for the thing. I mean, they were hoping that Claypool, they were hoping to Chase Claypool was the guy. You got to remember, Chase Claypool went from their number one receiver to two to three.
And so all of a.
Sudden, now, all of a sudden, you're seeing Pickens getting more reps and Deontay Johnson they're getting him boo and then they find out how good Friar move. You mentioned him the tight end from Pat stake Ye. This kid is a player. He's got final phenomenal him. It wasn't until about that halfway through the season where Pickings getting enough reps, Pickings just picking up the offense, and now they're realizing, hey, we got a tight end too. So
I think I like Pittsburgh. I mean their offense, they're stars. The guys we're talking about are all like twenty five years or younger, right, I mean the arrow is definitely up for that offense.
Yeah, I mean it's did you like, can he pick it out of college? I've always said he feels very B plus at everything. He's got a good enough arm, good enough size, good enough mobility. Don't I don't see a lot of special But I don't see a lot of dave. I don't see any holes.
I don't.
I don't see anything that he can move left, he throws right, he's mobile, he can take a hit. My takeaway is, you know, there's a little bit of a CJ. Stroud where I'm like, he looks good enough at everything, maybe great at nothing. What did you hear from your pit people about Kenny coming out?
I was back there at pit when they were practicing, and and sitting in there and talking to paton Ardousey, the head coach, and the offensive court and all the intangible things that you mentioned.
And then put a layer of toughness.
This guy is a street tough kid, and this kid is a competitor. And I think that you know you talked about he's got good enough arm strength, he understands the game, he gets the big picture, on and on and on.
But now you put in.
That toughness and those those intangible things, they're real, they are real. And uh, you know they share the facility back your pit and the Steelers share facilities, so they're in the same building where they're eating, and they're on the practice field ones leaving the other ones. No one had better exposure to Kenny Pickett for his whole career than Mike Tomlin and the Steelers and Kevin Colbert at
that time in the whole Steeler organization. So they they know what they're getting there, and I know they are excited.
You know, it's interesting for a year I was told that the Steelers didn't love drafting pit kids because they didn't feel they felt that they would be too loyal to them, and they were a little concerned that they had such access invisibility that they would tend to overdraft pit players. So they were always very reluctant. That's that's
what I was told that. If you go look at their history, they were they had taken some pit players, but they were concerned that they would tend to Yeah, it's overrate them.
It well, it wasn't as much that. And I was told this by coach Noel.
He said they were always reluctant because we were talking about when Tony dor Sat came out, there was rumors he was going to go, but there was always rumors, not Tony in this situation.
But if they drafted a pit.
Kid and it didn't work out, they didn't want to have to cut them in their home time. You know, mister Rooney Arn't Rooney who you know the runs the team right now and owns it. He was behind me a year at pitt He's a pit graft. So those time would fit. And the Steelers is a lot deeper than just having a professional team. In the same city. I mean there are some deep roots between the Rooneys and the University of Pittsburgh.
Yeah.
Well, the Rooneys are wonderful people. They've got charities everywhere. So you do the Big Ten as well, and listen Texas Oklahoma joining the SEC. I think that's a handful as we go to a twelve team playoff, though, I think the SEC will probably get four teams in. I feel the same way about the Big Ten. You're not going to keep USC, Michigan, Ohio State out of a twelve team tournament. If they're all winning ten eleven games, you're going to get them in. Yeah, we know this
about the college basketball tournament. These networks have a little say. They want their big brands in, right, not Boise State. What is your takeaway? Though Lincoln Riley has put together a hell of a recruiting class this year. They've really got it. I haven't seen this out here since this past weekend since Pete Carroll is there, in your opinion, a different style play though the UCLA and USC will face in the Big Ten? Is it different there?
Absolutely? Absolutely. When you took it, you look at the.
Top defenses, you know, and I think a lot has to do. They talked about the weather, but I think there's some validity to that. I mean, it's gonna start snowing here in November, you know. I mean, you're gonna play in snow the month of December here, So you know, UCLA and USC are gonna have to deal with that on a yearly basis.
And you know, not that they can't.
You know, not that they can't or they won't, but it is a factor, and I think the biggest thing.
And I'm doing Big Ten again, I.
Just you know, for I'm going to do it for a couple more years now coming up.
So I was just down there.
I did some draft They did draft shows this year, which they haven't done in a while, and so talking to those people, the biggest hurdle that they're struggling with right now is timing of the games and scheduling. And you have to remember, everybody just wants to talk football, but when you talk Big Ten conference, adding USEY and USC,
you're talking about all sports, men's and women's. And that's the biggest heart of I know the Big Ten is talking about because they talked to me about having like two game day shows in the studio.
It was always one.
In the morning and then they were done at you know, seven o'clock, nine o'clock at night. Now these games West Coast here, they're going to have to be on the air probably until twelve one o'clock in the morning, and they haven't finalized it yet. You know, the Big Ten got a brand new commissioner, Tony Petito. Tony Petiti, I'm sorry, took over and I got to know Tony because he
was one of the guys that got me. I'm part of the thirty thirteen, which is an NFL website that does a lot of NFL stuff, and Tony was one of the guys put it together with Bill Parcells. So Tony, that's his biggest one of his biggest challenges right now, is this whole scheduling thing.
How's it going to work out?
I wonder if you can't put a small satellite Big ten office out west so they'll be up at eight thirty to nine thirty out west. You put a couple of guys out West, guys on Saturday night. I mean, let's be honest, so many of the games it's good for recruiting. I mean, listen, if I was Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue. I would recruit the hell out of California. I mean, it just opened up a gateway out here, did not?
Oh yeah, wouldn't you if.
You were, if you were coaching at Michigan State tomorrow, wouldn't you want to get six to eight players from California annually? Would you send a rec would you actually have one of your assistant live out here? What would you do?
I'm not live out there, but I would definitely recruit it.
I mean, now, you know, I don't know if you're if the lower tier schools are going to be able to do much.
Would I wouldn't waste time or money on that.
End, but definitely the schools you mentioned, the Penn States and the Ohio States and Michigan's, uh, you know, Wisconsin.
I mean, if they want to.
Do that, I think they could go out there. And with every game being on TV and a Big ten network, it's not an issue of a young player nowadays with his parents and his relatives and his high school coaches and his friends not having an opportunity to see him play.
That's not the case.
All right, coach, Good talking to you again. Great seeing you.
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