Hr2: Rob King on End of Season

Published Jan 15, 2025, 4:00 PM
The voice of the Steelers, Rob King, joins the locker room to lend his thoughts on the Steelers loss in Baltimore and where they go from here.

This is in the Locker Room, presented by Ford and brought to you by acro Sure, the official insurance and cybersecurity partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, by Bett MGM, Huntington Bank, PNC, PEPSI, and by FedEx. Where now meets next? Now here's Craig Wolfley and Max Stark's.

All right, we're back inside our number two. Here it is the Power Hour. All right, No, it's cool, it's cool, optimist. No, we'll talk to you next time. All right, just rolling on by as always. Thanks, thanks for swinging through. I guess, but you know, most importantly, you know I don't worry about optimists because you know why, because we have a special guest.

He's a well I mean, is he really? He's special to us.

But he does come on every Monday normally this week of course it's on a Wednesday, and I would be remiss if I did not play his sounder before introducing his name.

Can we get there? We go? King in the Castle, King in the Castle, have a chair, I have a chair? Oh go do this? Do this?

King in the Castle.

That's right.

You know when you hear that one, you know when Borak comes up comes by it could only be one man.

It is the one, the only.

Rob King, the voice of the Steelers, the play by play extraordinary himself, gracing us with his royal presence inside.

The locker room. We've been the knee, sire, how art thou to that?

Well, that's quite an introduction. I'm fine. I hope you guys are doing well, still kind of licking the wounds from Saturday night and trying to figure out what went wrong and what what is on the horizon for the Steelers.

Exactly so, and Kinger, I appreciate you taking time out. I know that it's a personal thing that you guys are you and your bride are dealing with here and all you know, praying for you guys, and so sorry to hear thank you, you know, the loss and family. But anyhow, the fact of the matters here we go, all right, I mean we started off the morning Mike Tomlin starts talking about dad zooks. He's talking about, you know, mobile quarterbacks and how they are trending. And boy, if that doesn't give you a little bit maybe of the insight as Mike is looking towards next season and this off well, this offseason and then next season don't want to get ahead of myself, but it's got to give you a little bit of maybe insight as to what is important in his evaluations for the future quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Well, it's you know, when you look around the league. You know, it used to be back in the day, you'd get you'd get a mobile quarterback, but you know he'd be chicken winged or whatever, or the system hadn't caught up with the systems offensive. We hadn't caught up with their capabilities. But you know, you look at what Barkley and Henry did. You know, Henry appeared to be if you looked at the numbers in a certain way, you would say, Okay, this is a guy with a lot of tread and the tires. He's a big guy, and he is in the decline face. You know, it wasn't like he broke the bank in free agency. It wasn't like everybody out there was clamoring for him. But he goes to a situation in which he has a mobile quarterback and now he's averaging what five point eight yards per Carrie My goodness. Same with Barkley. He gets himself with Jalen hurts and out of the situation in New York. Even though Jones is fairly mobile, you know, I would say even pretty mobile, he's not really utilized the same way, and of course the offensive lines and the teams around them. But there are just so many things you can do now with a mobile quarterback. He can do so much for your running game. But then also these guys can throw the football. I mean back in the day, you know, there're more and more of these guys are coming out of the college ranks that can throw. So back in the day when you had to pick one or the other, can he run or can he throw? You don't have to do that anymore. Guys can run and throw, And so why wouldn't you want a quarterback like that? If you can get him and it comes in different packages. It doesn't have to be a read option guy. You know, Josh Allen isn't really a read option guy, but he's a mobile quarterback. He's a guy that can run. So I just think that's you know, that's where you are in the NFL. Even a guy like Mahomes, you don't think of him maybe in the same way you think of of a jail and Hurts or Lamar Jackson. Of course, Lamar is in a class of his own, but you know, he's he's a guy that can you know, break your back by running out and getting a first down or or doing something offensively with the with the ball in the running game. So yeah, I just think it's the trend. I mean, I think that you take you take that quarterback, no matter what style you have to play, if he's a difference maker. And I think right now the trend is certainly mobile quarterbacks, and they happen to have one on the roster. So, like I said, it's going to be a fascinating offseason, guys, it really is.

Yeah, No, I mean, like you said, it's gonna be very fascinating.

A lot of a lot of guys up.

You know obviously that decisions will have to be made, you know, as far as how we retool, regroup. You know, who do you bring back? What needs to be replaced in either free agency or the draft. You know, quarterback at the top of that list, right, because we have none on the roster, right, it is a it is a clear is a clean room. And you know, opportunity and hope springs eternal for what we can hope to see from the Steelers.

Uh.

You know, But as we kind of you know, wind down and put a button on the season, uh, Rob, you know, we kind of look back, and you know I took this approach kind of early in the week because you know, I was like, man, I don't want to hear anything about firing this person, blow this up, get rid of that, never see this again. I was, you know, with with our with with the callers. But as you look back, kind of give me some of your thoughts about some of the highlights in your mind from this seat, from this pre from this last season.

Well, the highlight to me. The highlights to me are that you know, you don't get to be ten and three through mirage. There was a lot to like in those first thirteen games of the season, and there were guys who stepped forward, and I think you can look at guys who are going to be a big part of the future, you know, when you know you signed guy you signed and look, everyone expected Patrick Queen to be a really good player, and he got better as the season went on. And then you get to Sean Elliott and he winds up being a lot better than I think most people thought, and you go out and you draft a guy like Peyton Wilson, and so I look at that defense and think, Okay, it's not that far away. Yes, and decisions have to be made depth wise. But Nick Herbig, you know, followed up on his fine rookie season. I think there's a lot to like with the personnel defensively and offensively. You know, I would say the same thing. I mean, you know, we were up in camp thinking, man, eleven good offensive linemen, what a what a great luxury. Well then all those guys get hurt and you wind up, you know, with going into that last game and that that number of eleven that you felt good about probably down to six with McCollum as the backup center. But you survived it. And I think that you know, Foutana was going to be their starter at right tackle. So that's something to like moving forward. But I think other guys emerged. You know, Pat Fryermuth got got a little more targeting, and you know, you saw him get a career high in touchdowns. On the offensive side. You saw Calvin Austin. You know, he's no longer just a gadget play guy. He's a guy that looks like he's going to be a solid part of your You know, your rotation is for who's going to be playing the wide receiver position at least for one more year. Then you have to make a decision on him. So I think that you know that when the team was going ten and three, it wasn't accidental. You know, some things fell apart. I'm still I'm still puzzling over why, other than quality of competition, the team floundered at the end of the season. Because they floundered at the end of the season. They did. We can't run away from that. They can't run away from that, and they they don't want to run away from that. But I still think that by and large, when you step back, and I know fans are not going to want to hear this, but I think there. I think the positive for me is you are closer now than you've been in the last several years. And it didn't look like it's Saturday night in Baltimore. I get that, and it didn't look like it over those last four games. But I really think that the team has filled a lot of holes. They've had productive drafts. Some of these young guys have really looked good Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick. These guys are big positives, I mean big positives for your team. So I just think there's there's a lot to like about about that ten and three start. And then so to me, that's what I like, all those things that happened when you got to ten and three, all those guys that emerged, and then it's you know, what happened, what happened in the last five games, That's what's got to be figured out.

That's really the point in I mean, the the totality of it, what happened over the last five games that created it. Because to me, I still can't get over the fact that the same guys that ran that record to ten, you know, ten wins, were the same guys.

That lost the last five in a row. It just doesn't make sense.

And I think that's part of the internal metrics that will come out, or I mean not come out, but you know, they'll they'll have a grasp on it after you know, they've been in meetings for a while and that stuff will start to play itself out. It's interesting to me to see where they go from here because it will identify in their minds what occurred over that last five game sequence, if you know what I mean, I do.

I know exactly what you mean. And I you know, as I was trying to figure it out over the last four games and going into Baltimore game, Okay, what's going on here? What needs to happen for this team to win in Baltimore? I really thought, Okay, the offense needs to do its part. And it is a league in which offenses can score a lot of points. Look we saw in the first seven games under Russell Wilson. The team is averaging over twenty eight points per game, you know. And I try to point this out to people. Do you remember all those times you know, Matt Canada as a coordinator and then they're gonna get to four hundred yards and what's the streak? Now? It's you know, it's like Joe DiMaggio fifty six games, you know, or whatever wound up being. And Russell Wilson comes in first game four hundred yards and then you know, twenty eight yards per game, and and you know less people say, ah, you beat mediocre teams, well, you beat some playoff teams, you beat the Ravens. And then I went back before the before the game against Baltimore on Saturday, Wolf, and you and I were talking about this. I went back and looked at the tape and thought, man, they were right there. You know, if I didn't know what was happening in that game, they go to the half, I'm like, this is anybody's game. They're playing with two minutes left in the third quarter. It's anybody's game. And the difference was the thing that astounded me. Like, if you told me, Hey, the Ravens are gonna win, would I have been assounded? No, because I thought it was gonna be a good close game, and I thought it was gonna be kind of a toss up game. But the team that just a few weeks ago lost in Baltimore by a score that was not nearly as widespread as the final score would indicate, got beat in a game in Baltimore in a completely different fashion, in a game that probably wasn't as close as a score indicated. So that's what to me that mystified me. Wolf, I just I don't know what could have happened. When you beat Baltimore, then you go down there and you and you play them, and again, I would encourage people to go back and look at the video if you don't think what I'm saying is true. They played them close. That was even after the pick six at rushtro and you went down seven. They took the next drive and marched it into Baltimore territory and then they got a penalty and a sack, or it was a sack and then a penalty, So that that was a completely different showing. And in that game on Saturday Night, it was just it really just never was a game. And so I don't know how that happens in the span of just a couple of weeks. I don't know, and I'm sure they're trying to figure it out too.

Yeah, I mean, you know, like you said, I mean, I would say you could isolated about three or four plays that really shifted that game and kind of put it out of reach, so to speak, because before that, you know, you know, this team was was was going toe to toe with them, And like you said, I mean, think about the Russ, the Russ scramble right into the red zone fumble, and then too, you know, two plays later, you know, Derrick Henry pops off, you know, a ninety yardish run and that just kills it. So that's ten points swing right there. The second second down in Baltimore and Baltimore.

Yeah, yeah, because well yeah, the second meaing. You mean the regular season game.

Though, regular season?

Yeah, well, the regular season game. The first four balls that hit the ground. There's five fumbles in the game, and the Ravens recover four of them. One that I'd forgotten about, Jalen Warren recovered his own fumble. It was that it was a play they were trying to say whether it was a complete pass or not, and he dropped it and can't work right back up into his chest. The other one was in consequential late in the game after a punt. But you have three balls of consequence at land on the ground, you don't get any of them. So not only you're in the game and you've got every chance to win it in a game in which you haven't gotten a single break, they didn't get a single break in that game in Baltimore. You remember two stripsacks in Baltimore. Baltimore recovers Russ fumbles at the four yard line. Baltimore recovers that one too, So I mean they didn't even get luck. And you know, I do think and The one thing I wanted to ask you guys, was I wonder how much of this was psyche? Like you wonder? You know, look, these guys are human beings and everybody you know, and sometimes coaches say, well, just you just play, we'll coach, you know, and and I just these are human beings. It doesn't work that way. And I go back the one thing I would say in the Baltimore game, you come out, you get a first down, and then you punt it away and you pin him deep. And it's third and about two and a half on the very first series for Baltimore, and they have Justice Hill in and they run the read option and Alex Highsmith, I'm assuming that this was the design of the play, crashes down and tackles Justice Hill, and Lamar goes around the left end and picks up a first down and then next thing, you know, to ninety five yard touchdown drive. If high Smith stays home, they had that play shut off on the play side. And again I don't have any idea what the defensive design was, but if the design had been stay home and Justice Hill is stopped, does that change the psyche? You know? I kept going into that game thinking boy, if you could get off to a fast start, now these things are going to be rattling around in Lamar's head. Oh my gosh, I haven't had the playoff success. They asked about it. I was talking to guys in Baltimore before the game. They asked about it. All week long, Lamar Jackson had to answer questions about why don't you have more success against the Steelers? Why are you two and four in the playoffs? You know, so if you could have put the pressure on them, would those thoughts have gone through the mars at Now I'm wondering if the thoughts and the bad feelings may have crept into the Steelers psyche a little bit. Four games of not playing well and you come out and now and now they mark the ball down the field on you, and if you get it three and out, would that have changed things? I don't know. You guys are the ones that have been out there in the field at the NFL level. So I'm asking you, guys, is there any chance that that psyche just played a part of it? Because they're human beings out there.

You know, it's an interesting concept. Hadn't really thought about it, you know, a little reverse whammy.

Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, you pile.

It on on the other guy, and all of a sudden you're thinking about it yourself.

I don't know.

I just look at that, and the whole thing about it to me was there was I know, there had to be a communication breakdown. Because anytime that you have that that read option like that and one guy, whoever, whether you crash, slow play, the mesh point, what have you, you've always got to be in tune and in concert with somebody else who's you know, whether it's the inside linebacker or whatever. You've gotta have somebody else that is capable of picking up the other guy. You know, one's got to tackle the back, one's got to corral the quarterback. So there's obviously something was wrong there. Somebody messed up. And I don't know whether it was a communication thing or somebody just had a brain fart.

Yeah, I don't know either. Again, I'm not privy to the defense it's called, and I never am. You know, So you know, a pre snap movement and you know, and a guy's opened down the right side and guys are pointing at each other. Were they supposed to roll from a cover two into cover three. Was it supposed to be? Man, how do I know? I don't call the defense, you know, and so I'm always reluctant to be critical. I don't I mean, is Heismith supposed to give the look of a guy who crashing down? And now somebody's supposed to come up and fill that and fill that contained? So you've confused, lamar, I don't know. I have no idea. I'm just saying, and I'm not trying to point fingers as to who did what or why. I'm just wondering, if, you know, if a thing, a couple of things had gotten right for this year, there's maybe they were a team after those four straight losses that needed something to go right. Maybe if they marched down the field in Cincinnati and kick Chris Boswell kick a fifty seven yarder to win it at the final horn, you know, maybe that changes. I don't know, because I just can't. I can't gibe the ten and three start. I can't even jibe you know, being being you know, run through by Philadelphia. But finding a way in that game to crawl back in it to what I saw on Saturday night, in which in a game in which you know you came within a drive of possibly maybe being in it, you never really were in it, you know, and that and I just I can't, for the life of me figure out how that happened.

Yeah, yeah, it's it's uh, it's frustrating. And I can tell you, you know, you're never you know, if you try and figure it out, it's it's just going to put you in a tizzy.

But true.

Yeah, but I mean, you know, at the end of the day, you know, it was not the best performance that was put out there, right to going in against a team.

That you know, you you you you.

Had shown you can beat, you know, and you have beaten historically. You know, you've you've owned this team. Yeah, yeah, exactly beat them this season and and and you also beat them, you swept him last season, you know. I mean, so yeah, it's a little frustrate to go into it and to know that you're down, you're down to the last two games in a row going into next year. But you know, I think that's you know that that's why we play this game of football, right you know, It's a game that any given Sunday, anything can happen, anybody can win. And uh, and that the proof is in the pudding. So I mean, now as we kind of you know, turn that page, you know, I think it's you now have to prepare for this world.

That is Derrick Henry's in our division, you.

Know, and and and that's and and now you know the target is on their back.

How do we how do we regroup? How do we refocus?

And how do we retool this team for twenty twenty five to go compete against that Ravens team? How do we compete against a Cincinnati team that's only going to get better?

Right?

You know, we have a very tough thing, and then we we don't know whatever.

Goes on in Cleveland. I don't think you know, you know, anybody really cares.

You just know that Cleveland is going to be a thorn in your side, especially in Cleveland.

So how do we how how do we how do how do.

We retool this team to be able to go because think about this, we didn't sweep anybody this season. We had two sweeps a year ago and that was Cincinnati and Baltimore. And you know now this year, you know, you're like, oh man, okay, we we split with everybody, went three and three in the division. We even gave Baltimore a victory, and that horrendous. Everyone's like, oh my gosh, a snow globe game. I'm like, no, it was like it was like snow hell game. You know, just how bad that snow came in and how it just was permeating the entire game. Oh that's right. I was the only one on the field for that one.

Okay, so that's why you guys didn't understand.

AnyWho, my got a little sweat in it.

I will say, Oh, yeah, because you wore the double wolf socks. Yeah got it. Yeah, there's that foot heater, yeah.

Wolf, Yeah, it gets a little it did we We really we kind of bundled together.

Yeah yeah, yeah, I got you got toasty. You know. It was like the hot coco almost burned your lips, you know.

Yeah, coffee wasn't quite as warm as we wanted, but yeah, it was.

It was we tofed it up. We toufed it up. I can't I can't stand you guys.

But but but I mean, but but you know, but that's kind of the process of the mindset, right, is that you've got, yeah, you plan for your division, and and now the Steelers have to say, hey, what roster can we put together that's going to compete in this division before we think about the rest.

Of the league.

I think top to bottom, it still remains the most difficult division to get through. I mean, Baltimore is Baltimore, Cincinnati devastated by injuries that you're devastated by injuries. Now, what what are they gonna do with the wide receiver position. Who's going to be back for them? But they've got a tremendous quarterback. Baltimore's got a tremendous quarterback. We know what Baltimore can do. I think we know what Cincinnat that he's capable of them. Like you said, Cleveland, you know they they can't get out of their own way at the quarterback position there. They're gonna be a team out there. You would think really searching at the quarterback position to put some guys back in there. You know they got Nick Chubb back. Is is he going to be back to one hundred percent at the beginning of next year? You know you always have Miles Garrett and some fine defensive delpit and some other really good defensive players. So no, it's I still think it remains the toughest division in football. And yeah, you've got to find a way to shore up, continue to shore up. Look, I really believe the Steelers have had two excellent offseasons in a row. They have I think that everything around when you look around the roster, I think there are fewer holes than there were a couple of years ago. And I think they're building a better team. But you still have to go out and and do what they haven't been able to do now in what seven or eight years, eight years I think it is, and that's goud and win a playoff game. You just have to and that has to continue to be your goal.

Absolutely, man, you know what, Kenger, appreciate your brother. Absolutely, thank you because I know you got to get going.

I had a I had a marvelous year in the locker room with you guys on this show and a great time doing the games. And you guys are both phenomenal and tremendous to work with. Awesome team players and people. And uh and thank you, thank you for everything all season long, guys.

Lots of love to the King family, lots of love to thanks.

We appreciate it King her as always, that was Rob King. Of course, like I said, the voice of the Steelers, and we'll be back with more here inside the locker room after this commercial break on the Steelers Audio network.

He's in the locker room, presented by four and brought to you by Akroshure, the official insurance and Cybersecurity partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, by BET MGM, Huntington Bank, PNC, PEPSI, and by FedEx. Where now meets next? Now here's Craig Wolfley and Max Starks.

All right, you know Max, this past weekend the Eagles or the Eagles beat the Packers, right, But then you got aj Brown, the wide receiver. He goes viral because he's sitting there on the bench during a break, and you know, in between drives, this is what he does. He's reading a book, a self help book on the bench. Now, he had one reception for ten yards, which I find amazing given it's a J.

Brown.

But Brown said he brings an inspired, inspirational work with a book with him to read every game. He says it refreshes him for every drive. I don't know about you. Hey, look I'm old I know I'm old school, right, but reading a self help book on the sidelines in between drives seems a little out there to me.

What do you say, I mean, are we really that surprised? I mean, it's AJ Brown. I mean, you know, for all the issues and everything that they had before, and you know him and Jalen Hurts and there you know.

The communication non communication.

We were cool, We're not cool. Here's what we do today, Here's here's how it goes. I mean, I feel like this is kind of par for the course for AJ Brown. And you know, I mean, but I do appreciate guys wanting to make themselves better, realizing their weaknesses and you know, trying to attack those things and be a better version of themselves. You know, I mean, it's it's good. I just don't think that mid game is the opportunity unless you just like, yeah, man, we're just we're just whipping these guys so good that you know, I could take time and read a self help book instead.

Well, Nick Sirianni seems to be copasetic with it. I could tell you that I think Chuck would go viral himself.

I would tell you that Mike t would go would not be copa setic.

I mean, I'm sitting there, I'm thinking, you know, maybe the problem of not part of the problem non communication with Jalen Hurts has to do with them. Maybe he's reading a book and not talking or paying attention. I mean, yeah, I don't know. See to me, I couldn't do that. I mean that that is so distracting to me. I can't even imagine. I know the book is the book was inner excellence by Jim Murphy, but the outer excellence would be even better, if you ask.

Me, yeah, or just out outer competition, you know, just just getting the job done. How about that, Just get the job done, and then you could you could self help yourself to as much book reading after the game's over, you got the rest of Sunday to yourself.

Well, here's the other part about it too.

You know, I never would have anticipated or expected or believed that the Steelers would play music during practice.

You know.

I guess that's a thing that has been you know, it's a recent development started in the colleges or whatever. Yeah, you know they Yeah, I mean you got to have music in practice. I'm like going, I don't see that, you know. I mean again, I know I'm old, and I'm I'm copasthetic with it. Not a problem, but the fact.

Is, well, you're well aware of your borteality, Yes, exactly. You know.

So I'm sitting there and I'm thinking myself. I know one thing, Chuck. One time we were on the Three Rivers practice field and the jumbo tron was being whatever, you know, the scoreboard and playing highlights. Well they're playing Pirates highlights on it because there was a Pirates game that night, and we're it's the afternoon, and so they're running on the jumbo trot and Chuck got furious because, you know, he said it was distracting everybody, which, well, you know what I mean, you're watching, you know, somebody hit a home run. Yeah, you kind of watch it a little. And but again it goes to the whole, the whole thing of the appearance of what's going on. Like with with AJ Brown, is he not worried at all about appearing to be I don't know, not really into the game. And at one catch for ten yards for a guy like AJ Brown, I don't know, it seems like to maybe that's what it's about.

Yeah, I mean.

I think with that team that there's always something right, there's always some hidden motivations, some hidden trope in there. And you know, I would just think that hey, you know, if if you're not worried, like, hey, this game is in hand and.

You know we're he may you know what, maybe A J.

Brown has resigned himself to the fact that they're a running team.

Now that's yeah, that's a good point. It's like, why fight it?

You know when when Saquon Barkley's on a historic tear, right, yeah, why not just embrace it? And maybe that's why he's reading Inner Excellence to say, you know what, Stuart Small, he's not available, so I'm gonna pick up this book instead because I'm smart enough.

What is it?

Was it?

I'm good enough. I'm smart enough And gosh darn it, people like people. That was so funny. Yeah, guy, that was that such a great when they had Michael Jordan on there, that was absolutely that was that.

Was the height of remember that. Yeah, yeah, I just need you to look at the mirror, Michael, just come on, just look at the mirror. Absolutely absolutely.

You know we've been talking, and uh, I'm gonna move this along a little bit because I don't think there's any good answer for A J. Brown, even though again, it's funny that Nick Sirianni, the head coach, says, yeah, he does.

He's been doing it the whole season. You know, I just I don't know, it doesn't.

Maybe it's like in aside to say, you know what he's he's working on himself. Gotta love yourself where you can love others, you know, type of deal. Okay, okay, maybe listen, I'm reaching here wolf, So don't sit here and agree with me, because I'm just like.

Maybe, I guess, well, it's kinda sort Yeah.

It's better than what I can come up with it, that's for sure. But I'll say this. You know, I was thinking about what you said the other day about having some superlatives some of the things that came along during the season where you you know, you really enjoyed him. I don't know, going back and watching film, you want to highlight some of the stuff because it really was good.

And you know, I went all the way back.

I was watching Cincinnati and watching Calvin Austin taking two wicked hits there.

You remember the hits he took.

You know, oh gosh, Cincinnati, Yeah Stadium, you know, yes, was a keen Davis Gayther hit him on that first steam route.

I mean knock the stuffing out of him, you know. But yeah, before the ball even got there, you know, I mean it was just a yeah, obliterating them. And think about it, Gayther, He's got out weighed Kelvin Austin by like fifty sixty pounds.

Yeah, easily, easily. Yeah, just just I mean picking up and listen.

I get it.

He's a dynamic returner. He's also a really good receiver. But it's it's like, come on, you could tell when a guy's head hunting.

Yeah, oh yeah, yeah.

We all we all know what that looks like. You know, I'm not saying this is bounty gate or anything like from the Saints.

Saints, but he's trying to send a message, yeah, trying to send a message well, and also try trying to send Calvin Austin to the hospital. Yeah yeah, yeah it was.

But I'm like, come on, man, I was like, I was like, let's do it legally, within the framework of the game. Make the tackle. You don't have to sit there and try and try and really take a guy out. Now, granted, we've all we've all been there, wolf, We've all had that decision and we've been at that crossroads where it's like.

You know, I really don't like this guy.

I could take him out, and you know, and and we and we we pull back because we know that.

Okay, all, so yes, yes we have not.

I think the statute of limitations is up for me, but I don't know about you.

Yeah, yeah, it's definitely. It's definitely not for me.

So I mean less unless it's unless it's Terrell sucks.

That's so many time it's fully legal.

But but you know, but I mean, but it's it's like it's like some of those things are like vicious, and I mean and in today's game, like today's game is a lot different than the game that you played and the game that I played, right, there's a lot more protections in place, and I think that's what, you know, kind of the frustration is because you have to adapt and evolve.

With those things.

And I felt like that was more my era, you know what I'm saying, on those type of plays versus the current era. So it's like what we would do, what we would deem as something that is, you know, something that's getting ready for jacked up. You know on ESPN is now is now frowned upon, it's now something that we can't do, and so that's why I think we get a little bit more.

Sensitive about it.

But I mean, but like you said, I mean, when you have a young guy like Calvin Austin that is so electric and can be dynamic when the balls in his hand can give you those splash plays that change the tide in the emotion of a game, you hate to see when it happens. But at the end of the day, Calvin got up man took a liquing cap on ticking.

He did pass. I mean, that's exactly.

And the thing that I appreciate, Sorry Max, but the thing I really appreciated about him was his ability to concentrate and not be afraid and come back and do the job. That's that total respect. I mean, that's like an eighties thing. You take a look at some of the shots that Swan and Stalwart took back in the day, Holy cow, I mean, just brutal. And so yeah, i'd say Calvin Austin did a great job of standing up under a huge hit.

Yeah.

And you know what, and and and that's something that we have to kind of appreciate and admire about him is that he was he was not he was not going down without a fight, and he was gonna make his presence felt.

And I think that's something.

That you look at and you say, you know what, I'm gonna let that kid be because that that kid, that kid is, that kid's doing his job. He's doing what he's supposed to do, and he understands it's not going to be easy. And if it was easy, everybody be doing it. And he did. He didn't, he didn't batn eye, and he was he was perfectly okay with the outcome of how everything happened. And you know what, I have to be okay with that as well. Right, you know, that's what we kind of have to do in our heads. We have to be okay with that type of stuff. Because this is a physical game, this is a gladiatorial sport. This is not one where you just you know, sit aside and just let it happen.

You have to go out there. You have to make it happen.

And I appreciate him having that type of approach mentally to say, I'm going to go make it happen.

I'm going to be a part of the of the solution, not a part of the problem.

Indeed, well, I'm going to be part of the solution and not part of the problem right now, because we're going to break so we can give you a good handoff into the bell Lap coming up right here in the Locker Room on the Steelers Audio Network.

This is in the Locker Room, presented by Ford and brought to you by acro Sure, the official insurance and Cybersecurity parkner of the Pittsburgh Steeler, by bet MGM, Huntington Bank, PNC, PEPSI, and by FedEx. Where now meets next? Now here's Craig wolf Lee and Max Starks.

All right, we.

Are inside the bell Lap early lunch warning system for everybody but me.

Uh, because I'm on a clear liquid diet today. Ummm, what makes you feel anytax?

I mean, I still got to do two more hours of radio after this, so it's not lunchtime for me either.

So you and I can both food later. We can both look sideways at wolf.

I'm sorry, yeah, exactly, liquid diet that I know.

I'm just trying to help him out, all right, I'm just trying to seek I was looking at the list.

I'm like, well, it looks like I'll be drinking some chicken broth later. That's about it.

Well, they were like, oh, you could do jello, but don't do red or purple or anything like. I'm like, whatever, I'm not doing yello jello. Yeah, I haven't.

I haven't made it to the retirement home yet to where I desire. I crave and desired jello as as my tree.

Did you see the commercial with with uh what's his name? Kevin Hart and br uh Lebron? Uh what's his name? The basketball player?

Oh? Lebron, Oh Lebron.

Yeah, Lebron just had s you were close, you were closed.

It was just one vowel off.

Well, it was so funny with Kevin Hardy sitting there going, you know, he's going, you.

Know, what are you gonna do?

They want somebody that can run a forty not is forty. And then he goes, he goes, He says, what do you do when you win? You give him a butterscotch candy from out of your pocket, even a.

Wrapper on it.

That's nasty. Oh my god, that's hilarious.

I didn't I didn't see that with that man. That's it's it's Kevin Hart kills me. He's so funny.

Yeah, yeah, and he dude, he's he's he's such any but he's genuinely just a funny dude. We I had the chance to meet him a couple of times. Here we go, I know, well, no, I mean because it happened organically with the teammate. Uh, he just happened to be at our you know, well the second time he happened to be at our table at Ben's wedding because him and Ben are close.

So that's the only reason why. Like, it wasn't like, oh my gosh, you know, I know him. I call him all the time, he's he he's in my top five in my phone. We text all the time.

No, it was we we just happened to be at you know, we're at Ben's wedding. You know, you get seated at the table for the reception of everything, and and and he's at our table, and oh my god. He was just naturally just a funny dude, and he was just cracking jokes and uh, you know, there was a funny situation that happened on the dance floor and he made a comment.

I'm not I'm not gonna get any details about it.

That will go in the after hours section.

Right, yeah, exactly after hours conversation, but it was just it was just a funny moment. But yeah, I guess as we kind of wrap up the day to day, and you know, as we as we end, you know, towards the end of the week, we'll make sure we open up the phone lines tomorrow and Friday. And I realized we do not have enough time to do the superlatives, so we're gonna have to. We're at the tablet for tomorrow second segment because because we kind of kind of went a little bit long.

His homework done a full twenty four hours in advance.

Hey, look at you look at yours time.

Ever, Hey, you know what you get a boat, You get five bonus credits just for having it done last How about that five bonus credits to West.

I'll take it.

And I know Wolf did not finish his, so we're good. Yeah, well that's always.

Wolf, abide it by my if it can't be done in home room mantra.

And he was scribbling it together as I walked in here.

Yeah, issues, Yeah, what time is the eight o'clock bell ring.

Till first period?

Yeah, exactly exactly.

But but no, we'll do that, a like I said, we'll we'll continue to to kind of dive into and and and dissect the season.

You know, I appreciate Rob's words.

You know, it was just kind of giving his thoughts about the process about you know, his final thoughts, you know, continue to put a bow on it, and then you know, start to forecast forward. I mean, because that that's what this that's what this phase is. When it ends so abruptly, as Mike Tomlin talked about in his press conference yesterday, you know, you're kind of you're at the preliminary stages. You're at his infancy of what the next phase is, because nobody plans to have an early exit.

You know, but this is the problem.

When you play a single elimination tournament, you can be eliminated, and you know, and and the Steelers got eliminated in the first round. So you've got to adjust and you've got to move forward. They'll they'll they'll they'll proceed with their end of the season meetings, you know, wrapping up with their position coaches, their court, the coordinators, and of course ultimately with the head coach, and you know, then we'll move into the business of football season. Guys will either leave the city, you know, return to their hometowns or wherever they're you know, they have their homes at and they'll they'll disperse and you'll get you'll get on with an off season for a little bit.

You know.

Some guys go straight back into training. Some guys take a break to physically heal. Some guys get off season surgery.

There's still did you take a break? Well, I mean I I I usually was having surgery, So that kind of decides it for you.

Yeah, that kind of decides how your training is, you know. So I usually, you know, more often than I always came to Arizona for my off season, you know, because yeah, because I would, I would. I would train out here, so my training facility was out here and they had a full rehab unit, so you know, I would. I would communicate with with John Norwig and Ryan Grove and a Rico about everything. Once I was cleared by the doctors that I could travel, right, because you know, depending on how soon it was, Like I remember, you know the twelve season that was that was that was of course, you know the playoff game in Denver with the the one the one throw that Tim Tebow has under his belt, right, I loathed that one playing overtime AnyWho. But I tore my a cl first half of that game, so I had a cl surgery and it was delayed because you know, this was already in January, so I had to do the initial opinion with Doc Bradley. Then I had to go get the second opinion before I came back and made a decision on what we were going to do. And so and doctor Fou at that time, you know, also was somebody that that that we had spoken to. So I got three opinions because he had done this single bundle a cl repair anyways, this very technical nerdy stuff. But because I had had a fraid, but I didn't have a complete tear, like like Rashard had a complet e tear Casey Hampton had a complete tear. I had a partial tear. I had a partial tear. So I was like, man, well what can I do? And you know doctor Fu he's he's he's on he's on the exploratory side, very revolutionary and forward thinking. He was like he had a single bundle of repair method. But I was like, well, at the end of the day, it's so close to the other one. If you're gonna cut one, you might as well just cut and fix both of them at the same time.

So that's what we ultimately decided to do.

So I had to wait in Pittsburgh for a little bit until I got cleared, and then I moved out to a z To to the rehab facility out here. But I mean that that's just kind of, you know, par for the course. You know, you're gonna have some cleanups, whether it's finiscus or you know, cleaning up some bone chips or something. You know, as offensive lineman, there's you there, there's always something. It's it's like that, it's like that that old that old truck that uh, you know Arthur Smith was talking about, like it takes a little while to get warmed up.

Same thing.

You could always fix something on it, you know. There's always yeah, yeah, OI oil change, a windshield, wiper blades, cabin air filters.

You know, there's always something.

When you go into the store with a car with higher mileage, you're going to hear about something needing to be replaced or fixed. So, uh, same with them. But we'll continue, We'll keep trudging forward. And uh, you know I shouldn't say trudging. We'll be marching forward. We're not gonna trudge. We're marchers and we'll be back again tomorrow, same bat channel, saying bat time, you know, for Craig Wolfley, I'm Max Starks Wessell. Youllre the ones and twos, CJ and the sense La Martina in the background. We appreciate all of you Steelers Nation as always. Like I said, we'll open up those phone lines tomorrow to start hearing some more of your thoughts and get the conversation rolling.

You know what I'm gonna preface it. We're just season superlatives.

Come up with your best you know, season superlative, almost like a high school yearbook and end of the year yearbook.

Right think along those lines.

They can be plays, they can be people, They could that, it can be hair, you know what I'm saying, it could be whatever you think a best of superlative for the Steelers team. That's what we're going to be doing. So that's what we'll open the phone lines with tomorrow. All right, everybody, I bid you ADU now remember go make it a great day.

In the Locker Room with Wolf & Starks (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Members of the Steelers Radio Broadcast team gather each morning throughout the season, Monday throu 
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