SNR Drive with Matt & Dale (Pittsburgh Steelers)At least he's the drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio, and.
We are back. I'm Dale LOLLI he is v Matt Williamson and it is time for it the Fantasy Football Focus as we kick off our number two here and well are our bad luck in our DFS lineups of putting guys in the lineup who then go out and get hurt? Yeah, is just amazing this year.
Beware whoever we pick next week, you know what I mean, Like, I feel bad for that young man because their their health is in jeopardy.
To this week got hurt two and once again was the wide receiver that we paid up to get aj Brown, the guys.
We could at least afford to lose, right right.
Pay eighty one hundred dollars for the guy, and he goes out and catches two passes for thirty six yards and doesn't play the entire second half.
Yeah, I think it was even. I think it ruled out before halftime. I mean it's early in the game.
Chris Olave gets hurt in the first quarter, got zero. He had won for thirteen oh did he?
Yeah? How many zeros have we gotten this year? Though? I mean almost every week we've had.
Somebody somebody's who's gotten hurt. Because overall our lineup well, not great. Derek Carr was owned in five point nine percent of league's thirteen point four to four points. Wasn't great, but didn't kill.
Us be nicely. Had his number one receiver would have been helpful, although he contributed to losing his number.
One receever, Tyrone Tracy sixty six rushing yards, one catch for three yards, seven point nine points. That could have been better. But seventeen point nine percent ownership for him, I think a lot of people were in the same thought that we had there.
Now Washington can be run on and he's clearly their number one.
Chase Brown, Yeah, fifty two point one percent ownership on him, We got twenty nine point seven points out of him.
Try to touchdown.
Everybody had him in the lineup.
Yeah, so that didn't help obviously.
Josh Downs thirty one point four percent ownership. He had six catches for sixty yards twelve points. Again that the thirty one point four doesn't help us, no, But aj Brown only eleven point three percent ownership. That was our just killed us, just killed us.
Now, I mean that's like your first round pick.
Yeah, a lave was owned in forty two point five percent of leagues. We got two point three points out of him against the Panthers against he would have caught it, who knows, seven or eight passest there, probably right, he's may have blown up the Titans defense. Only six point three percent ownership and we got eleven points.
That was solid.
That was solid. We still have Kitot and DeAndre Hopkins going tonight.
Actually pretty high hopes for both.
We've got eighty one point nine four points. Yeah, right now the payoff is at one hundred and twenty nine.
Need some touchdowns for my guys.
We would need, we would need two monster games from both of those guys. Not going to happen because we took you just kickt zero and overcome that. When you get basically eight points out of two guys in your lineup because they both got.
Hurt, they probably are two most expensive dudes, right.
They were right, there was Yeah, they were one and two. Yeah, our our two most expensive guys got hurt, got hurt early in the early in the games.
Yeah, said, but this is what kind of week.
It was. I, as you know, do my own lineup every week as well. I scored one hundred and forty eight points with my big number, it's a big number, and didn't finish in the money in a fifty fifty league.
And just watching I didn't think, boy, this is a monster Fantasy game week.
But I told you, I gave you the lineup for who won. That one was loaded. Everybody that went off Yeah yeah, guy had like two hundred and forty points. Although almost one hundred and fifty points and I'm like eighty points out of first place.
That's more shocking than the leader going insane. I mean, somebody rolls snake eyes and gets everyone right, you know. I mean that. I'm sure that happens with some regularity and there's a huge contest, but that one forty and not be in it. It is crazy. Most one fifty yeah, one fifty, Yeah, that's I mean.
I had some dudes in my lineup. I'm like, I'm watching this game is going on, and I'm like, oh, this is this is pretty good. I'm I'm killing it this week, and I look at it and for a long time during the day I was in the money. And then I I'm.
Sure you didn't have any zeros or guys that left earlier.
Yeah, I look at it because I had Kirk Cousins good game eighteen point seven eight. Yeah, yeah, Deny thirty two point one. I had Tracy in a lineup, Malik Neighbors got fourteen to nine. A lave killed me, Darnell Mooney good game?
Yes?
Uh? Taysom Hill at tight end sixteen points?
Is he in every week starting Fantasy tight end? Though? Especially the l sideline? Like who else could touch the ball besides Zabn Kamara? Yeah, I mean it's a miserable team.
Yeah. I had Jake Ferguson and the flex got fourteen point one, and I had the Rams defense that scored twenty two. Wow, and I didn't finish in the money.
Well, again, a lave killed you.
If ten points out of a lava, I'm in the money.
Yeah. Let me say that's obviously the the sticking point here.
Yeah, that's just the way I mean stuff goes.
You draft on them. If you pick one of those guys and they don't do it, get them a little unlucky. Yeah, that's got a lot of zeros. Yeah too.
Uh, looking at this week's top performers. Geno Smith three sixty three, three touchdowns, three interceptions, seven sacks.
I would say they're protection so bad. Yeah, I mean he's taking a beating, he's forcing things. Rams front's good, but they're protecting that good. Their protection is like as bad as the Patriots.
So that's why I you know, I started that Rams defense. They were cheap. Yeah, and I said they're gonna get sacks, no goot sacks.
Yeah. I think they go into a bye. They need to figure some things out. Yeah, I was, I forgot which podcast I was listening to, but it's like cross the left tackle, good player, the other four starters would all be replaced. And charbon A is really bad in protection too. Yeah, he's like the third down back.
Matthew Stafford two ninety eight and two touchdowns with an interception, so only one three hundred yard passer and all those points were scored this week.
Yeah, that's range. And he lost in the coup. I forget what point of the game, but that didn't help Stafford.
Darnold had two ninety and three touchdowns, justin Herbert two eighty two and two touchdowns. He was sacked six times in that game.
Yeah, he was under pressure a lot. They're throwing more though.
Lamar was only sixteen to nineteen but had two hundred and eighty passing yards and three touchdowns.
Hey get a perfect passer rating or whatever.
Jordan loved two seventy three but did not throw a touchdown pass.
He was struggling to the weather was not helpful.
That's why I had him and I picked up Kirk Cousins this week. I started Cousins.
Yeah.
I just wasn't sure about Love's hamstring injury. I think it's a growing or growing I'm sorry growing. I saw the weather and I'm.
Like, yeah, I'll lot be wetfield.
I'm not going to do that.
His guys are dropping passes too, and they've been dropping. They've been dropping a lot of drops all year.
Burrow had the just two fifty one, but five touchdown passest a lot of multiple touchdown passes. Josh Allen had three, Kirk Cousins had three, Aaron Rodgers had three.
Yeah.
Yeah, you know, there's been a lot of weeks where the leader, like two guys had two and nobody else work. So that leads to some of the.
Yeah, two positions get fantasy points.
Then, yeou only seven one hundred yard rushers this week? Sake one twenty seven for one fifty nine. Is he top two in a touchdown?
Is it him and Henry? Are they the best fantasy backs clearly? Yeah? Yeah.
Kamara had twenty nine for one fifty five.
He's been really good too.
Yeah, catches a ton of balls.
Yeah yeah.
Tony Pollard twenty eight for one to twenty eight.
Whi's interesting about that offense. I mean they played the Patriot. It was a bad game, of course, but everything now since the trade is going to Ridley and Pollard. Yeah, mean it's it's consolidated. So if you have those two guys, you should be pretty happy.
Chase Brown had twenty seven for one to twenty. Talked about him before, Yeah, James Connor is eighteen for one oh seven.
And he was I don't know if he was dinged up or tired, but Benson kind of vultured a touchdown off Connor was running all over those guys.
Derrick Henry twenty three for one oh six and two scores only his long run was twenty yards in that game, so it was kind of more of a grinded out kind of thing.
They let some other guys get involved late too.
Yeah. Joe Mixon twenty four for one oh six in a touchdown and that Thursday night game.
He's been great too.
Drake may just missed. He had eight for ninety five.
That's the thing. I mean, I forget who I was listened to, like it was a fantasy set.
He's still an injury. Wait, and he takes some big hits. Oh, he takes a huge hits. But if you put him in the Bears offense, in Caleb with the Patriots, Oh, the fantasy points he'd be putting up. He has nothing around him in New England, but he's built for fantasy. Josh Jacobs had thirteen for ninety five. He wasn't undred percent either, He wasn't one hundred percent. Yeah, he gave up a U. He got vaultured on a touchdown.
Yeah, the other two guys got involved.
By Jeanne Robinson nineteen for eighty six.
He looks tremendous. JK.
Dobbins had fourteen for eighty five and two scores.
Eighty score twice.
Yeah. Kenneth Walker had eighty three yards on twenty five carries.
So yeah, it was a slog.
Yeah, just struggle. Rico dal dell At twelve for seventy five also caught a touchdown.
If they don't trade for anyone, I think it's his backfield. Yeah, kind of like the Chase Brown situation. Like if it's you don't be the best player, but if you're gonna get a heavy, heavy workload, you're super fantasy relevant.
Cuba Hubard had two more touchdowns. I mean, he's state fantasy comes back.
Are you still starting Tuba? It's not exactly a powerhouse offense. No. They have to see what the rookie can do.
I mean he did that yesterday on fifteen carries, fifteen for seventy three and two touchdowns.
He's good.
Yeah, Kyram Williams twenty two for sixty nine, that's why I can get it done. Yeattle looking here for anybody. That and Mari de Mercardo four for fifty nine and a touchdown, but one of those was a fifty three yard touchdown.
He was like untouched. It was awful.
Yeah, don't run out and pick him up. No, I think Benson points are going to look good, but not something to pick up.
No, it was a fluky run. Terrible defense.
Most are had ten for fifty six.
Battle offense is a chance Chris Phil Chris rod Ree.
Guess so somebody the Steelers will see this week. He had eleven for fifty two.
So interesting running back usage for them. Brian Robinson's their number one back.
He was hurt.
He was hurt, So Eckler got every touch or got every snap of the first two series for Washington. Rodriguez didn't play a snap in the first half, so it wasn't quite mop up duty. But they were playing with the lead. And then who's their third guy. He's shown up fantasy wise too, another back that's he's okay. I mean's been around the lead McNichols. McNichols that he got twenty five percent of the touches or something too. So it was a cumulative effort. Don't know exactly how they'll handle that against Pittsburgh, Robin. They wanted to be Robinson and Eckler.
Yeah so, And I don't think Robinson's injury is huge. He tested it before the game and he was a game time didn't go.
Yeah, they're probably happy he didn't.
They gotta win eleven one yard receivers this week.
Wow, and that's with Brown a lot of a London lamb all getting like big dogs. Yeah, getting hurt.
Jackson Smith a Jigba blew up seven for one eighty and two touchdowns, sitting on my bench and I lost by two. I lost by two points less than two points.
Metcalf's out or was out. Smith and Jigmi went crazy. They threw the ball a lot.
Yeah, he didn't do that last week when no Metcalf was it's like six for sixty.
But yeah, I traded him this week in a dynasty league which throwed about that could return, but you know.
Justin Jefferson seven for one thirty seven but didn't score. He also threw a twenty two yard pass.
Yeah, I mean he's great.
He's great. Zay Flowers five for one twenty seven and.
Two scores in a really good game.
If Denver could tackle, yeah that doesn't happen. But apparently they forgot how to tackle.
Is he a cell high with Deontay Luhman? I would? I think you can get a lot for day Flowers right now. Yeah.
The problem. The problem is it was five for one twenty seven and two touchdowns, so after it looks better than what it actually was.
Passing games clicking but I think he's a cell.
Uh. Tank Dell six for one to twenty six, didn't score Courtland Sutton seven for one to twenty two because the Ravens can't play pass defense. Quinton Johnson's back four for one eighteen in the touchdown.
He had a sixty six yarder that was a blown coverage too. Yeah, I wouldn't get too excited about him. Mconky's still their number one.
Jaden Reid five for one thirteen, Jakobe Meers eight for one oh five. They're making a quarterback change.
Yeah, but it's kind of like the Titans situation where every pass goes to Myers and Bowers. They made it a coordinator change? Are they making it? Is rid of the guy now too?
That I don't know?
Yeah, I'm just saying, is it quarterback and coordinator change?
I can't imagine it would be. He's only been there for like two weeks.
Yeah, you're not going to throw it be like, oh, I'm so excited about him. Yeah. I would imagine Vin choosing dude.
Cooper Cup coming back. Cooper Cup had eleven for one oh four.
He's legit.
I mean, Roma Dunsey a five for one oh four that's promising.
He's been a little disappointing fantasy wise.
Mike Giseki five for one hundred and two touchdowns.
There's something there with that, because he's become the t Higgins. When Higgins is out, Gasecki's blown up. I think he might have got hurt in that game though. Late No, the other tight ended all. I know All's out for the year. Yeah, okay, okay, so keep an eye on it. There's a real trend of Higgins in. Gasecki's not that useful. Higgins out, he becomes the number two.
DeMarcus Robinson had six for ninety four and two scores, including a walk off. DeVante Adams seven for ninety one in the score, Garrett Wilson in the same game nine for ninety and two touchdowns. Mooney five for eighty eight in a touchdown.
London going out helped him.
That helped, Yeah. DeVonta Smith four for eighty seven.
Made a remarkable catch too.
Jatavian Sanders shows up on the list again, four for eighty seven.
They want him to be the number one tight end, So whether he can grab it and keep it, who knows, but it's pretty clear what they're doing. On offense. They're gonna play Brooks and Coche young guys. Yeah, yeah, of course.
Tyreek had four for eighty Still not what's not the same. It's not what you wanted.
Model's not being used hardly at all. He had like zero up up until.
He had negative yardage. He ended up with negative. I didn't receive, but it was a really weird They're trying to win it at the end and they threw backwards and that was that went against him. And yeah, yeah, so he ended up with negative yardage.
Not easy to do.
Uh, Cedric Tillman, they just signed them. They're not trade I don't think they're.
Gonna try to movie one of those guys.
But uh, Cedric Tillman six for seventy five in a touchdown.
He's real.
He had eleven targets in that game.
I think he's had like twenty five over the last two weeks. Now. He's their best receiver and Jamis is good for fantasy.
Jerry Judy had seven for seventy three in the same game. Ridley had five for seventy three.
So he's become Yeah, he's getting a lot of targets since Nuke's gone.
At least until they changed quarterbacks.
Yeah, I assume that's coming soon. Yeah, Rudolph's been serviceable.
Jake Ferguson seven for seventy one, that kind of he does. Yeah, Yeah, Ray Davis two for seven he had in a touchdown, He had a sixty three yarder.
Yeah. Ferguson's not happy about the DAK news though. No, that's not good at all.
McConkie. You mentioned five for sixty four. Josh Palmer also had two for sixty three and a touchdown game too. Yeah, so nothing real. One other guy that's on here that's probably not in a lot of leagues is Noah Brown for Washington. Still you'll see him this week. Five for sixty for him, So it's the number two.
Yeah. I was just saying, looking into their receivers, McLaurin out snapped everyone by a time. Yeah, he only caught two balls, but they were both touchdowns. And he has this crazy streak going of eighty or more yards or a touchdown in like eight or nine straight games. I mean, he's clearly the one. He's going to be the Porter Fallow guy, and he's really good. Everyone knows what McLaurin is, but I think Brown is the two because they still rotate McCaffrey and an Armie Brown. Yeah, and it's not super clear, but Brown, Noah Brown is definitely the two. I mean, the other guys are all involved, and it's there's not a real pattern that I've noticed. Third and long. It's these guys, but all three of them will rotate and they play plenty of eleven.
And you know, so he's a bigger body guy. Yeah, you know, so maybe they use more for downfield blocking and stuff like that.
He's got some toughness to him and he also catches the ball. Yeah. I wouldn't mind if he would have been a Steeler when he got when he's floating out there.
Yeah, but that's the look at this week's fantasy football pop performers. Got a game tonight, got a game tonight still with standing. That should be interesting. Uh. He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lallie. You're listening to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. Matt and I'll be back with more right after.
This record hill It.
He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and Gold cast in Steelers Nation Radio.
Now you can join former members of the Black and Gold for the Kids Flag Football Clinics at North Stervane Park on Saturday, November ninth. Instructors include Mike Logan, Roosevelt Nixt plus Caleb Peers from the Pittsburgh Passion. Registration for your school wage child is free. Go to the calendar page at DVE dot com to sign up today. Kids Flag Football Clinics are brought to you by US steel S and T Bank, Milly's Truck, Pittsburgh and South Hills Auto Free. There you go. Yeah, you're running out of time to sign up for that thing too, so probably the last day I'm going to read that because get on it. Yeah, that is this Saturday upcoming, Matt. As we mentioned the trade deadline coming tomorrow. We've already seen Baron Browning traded to the uh yeah, Arizona Cardinals. There'll be action some other guys, and there are reports over the weekend apparently somebody listens to the show because Christian Kirk was nearly a Pittsburgh Steeler before he so.
What Adam Schefter says, and then, but this quest for a receiver is insane. Part of me just can't wait for the trade deadline comes.
Chasing the holy grail here and yeah, every time you grasp bads like oh, got Christian Kirk, that'll work.
Oh he gets hurt, you know. Yeah. I don't know if he saw this, but I think Slayton is now in the concussion protocol.
Of course he is.
Of course he is, you know, right, Yeah, I think.
So some of the guys that available here this according to Bleacher Report, who we got here?
I think there's a handful of teams you can get pretty much anyone you want.
Jaguars offensive tackle Walker little Tray, both left tackles.
I guess they're really really concerned with the franchise quarterbacks.
Health Brown's cornerback Greg Newsom.
That makes sense.
He's got an expiring contract. You're not going to resign him. kJ Osborne with the Patriots.
I think you have pretty much any Patriots. Yeah, yeah, they've been talking about Bourne and those kind of guys too.
Marshawn Lattimore with the Saints. That one's interesting to me. Yeah, if you can trade for Marshawn Latimore, like okay, So the Ravens went out and got themselves another pass catcher. Yeah, yeah, instead of going out and getting a pass catcher yourself. Maybe a counter that by going out and getting Marshaw Latimore.
Yeah, maybe the past catchers didn't work out. You kicked the tires on one hundred of them. But we'll just make a strength of further strength. And I don't think he's still a top five corner, but you can win a lot of games with him as your number two.
Yeah. I don't know what you do with Dante Jack.
Yeah, I don't know how the slot thing works out. That would be just like a weird part of it. But it's just an abundance of riches though it's a hard position to get. He's good. I'm sure he's buddies with Cam Hayward back to Ohio State and all those things, and he still plays well.
Yeah, Tredevious White, we talked about him before he play anymore. Yeah, Giants offensive lineman Evan Neil. I've heard they're not trading him.
I've thrown that name out there too. I mean, for a bag of football's just bring him in here and see if he Yeah, they don't want to move on from him, they don't want to play him either.
Well, I guess maybe you're rebuilding him a.
Little bit, you would think. I mean, he's a.
Disaster Panthers running back Miles Sanders. But he's been available pretty much. You get nothing to Yeah, there's no way they're holding on to him just for Brooks to come back. No, looking at some of the other guys who might be there, Jack Conklin with the Browns, I could see that happening. Yeah, he's not going to be a brown next year.
No, someone could use a tackle.
I don't see Bryce Young moving. I don't see the pack. I don't see the Panthers making that move.
I mean you only get like a fourth round pick for him, you know what I mean, Like.
You've had to used the first overall pick up and you gave up more than just that. You gave a bunch of picks, getting just a.
For more and yeah, I mean you gave up a ton for him, which you can't look at it that way. It doesn't matter what you gave up. If it's time to move on, time to move on. But play him the rest of the year. Just do that.
Yeah. Yeah, it's Tredavious White. No Sebastian Joseph Day with the Titans.
It's funny brought up Titans because I was asked about Jeffrey Simmons. I can't see them trading Jeffery Simon wouldn't think so either, But Joseph Days a high quality, tough guy lineman that would fit in very well here. Yeah, I would ask about Simmons. I mean, they they've a lot invested in off season acquisitions. They need to find a quarterback in some way. They're a team to call in general.
And I know everybody's everybody's focused on wide receiver, wide receiver, wide receiver. But if you could make your defense better, and I.
Say, if you can give me a D lineman that can play meaningful snaps, let alone a big time one. I'm just saying about even just like a quality one.
More.
I'm always in favor of that. I mean, if I was ever ever in charge team, which will never happen, I would always have an extra D alignment. You know, went in doubt, give me another one. You don't need one, but second round rules around, there's a great one there. Take them. Yeah.
Buddha Baker with the Cardinals, he's been constantly Yeah, they're not trading Buddha Baker now. They just made a trade for a linebacker in the first place. They're not trading Buddha Baker.
No, there's no way he's their leader. I mean he's there, Cam Hayward, I mean he's there's no way he's like when they're only building block type guy or you foundational defensive players.
I mentioned Osbourne, he was a guy that was available during the offseason. I've always kind of liked the player, but he's not an upgrade from Van Jefferson level or yeah, maybe slightly less. He hasn't had a great gives you he gives you better depth, but it doesn't make you a better team necessary.
I remember I remember having these season conversations, you know, on the drives, going, well, what if you take kJ Osborne or Westbrook, a Kine or somebody like that and the day two pick, right, you know which the day two pick came, but they're not getting something out of that. Yeah, you know, but that's he doesn't solve all your problems.
No, or you know, not at all.
Maybe even upgrade. He's a depth guy.
Za Darius Smith with the Browns. I think he gets traded to Detroit.
That's been heavily rumored, Like I wasn't sure if that's official yet even.
Yeah, at some point, I think there there's a number of teams who are really interested in him. I think Cleveland's probably just holding out to see what they can get.
He would be like a leal here. I don't even think he's he's kind of a square peg, round hole.
He's thirty two years old. Yeah, yeah, the Brown's gonna trade him here anyway. Yeah, we mentioned Latimore. What about Jonathan Jones with the Patriots?
Which Jones is he? Is he the little slot guy or they have a lot of Jones quarter but corners.
Yeah, I think he is.
Is he the one from Houston that's real small? Yeah, he's really intriguing. I think he. I'm almost certain he had off the field stuff coming out.
Of huge And he's also thirty one. Now, oh then that's not the same one. Oh, because there was the one that was drafted a lot that's in like a second or third year. That's a slot slash returner, could even be like a offensive player. Too many Jones, I would say, that's why they're all boring. First name Jones. It's not like they distinguish themselves. Yeah, that one's okay.
I mean he's not in their long term plans, it'd be a depth guy, would be number three.
At this point, I'm more I want to see what Cam Sutton brings. Yeah to the Steelers defense.
And Trice isn't gonna be out long right.
No, he's eligible to return here in yeah, a week or two.
If you want to get Latimore for nothing, Yeah, okay.
The Steelers add to the defense. I think the defensive line is the way to go.
I totally agree. I totally agree. I'd like a big, established interior d lineman Chase Young with the Saints. I think he gets moved. Like, if I'm the Ravens, I'm calling. If I'm the Lions, I'm calling. He's had a pretty good year. He's a total He's a new Javan. Clowney, He's a total mercenary. Early pick be a new team every year. Clowney could get moved too. Yeah, he's an injury there. Goldinger put out a video of Clowney the other day. Look at all this great stuff he does. I'm like, show the low lights. Yeah. He also only wins one way. He's not bendy. I mean he runs through you. He's a very long armed power dude.
He had a good year. For the Ravens last year. But he's never lived up with the hype. No, and there's a lot of low lights. Yeah, I think Chase Young is a better player.
No, I agree. I agree. He can still bend the edge a little bit. Yeah.
Uh and then the big pass rusher. I can't imagine the Giants would move on from Zizo Jualai.
Is he up after the year?
I think he might be.
I mean, he's one of these situations where he's it's kind of a better version of Aaron Brows.
Twenty four years old.
Right.
I understand they have Burns and they have Thibodeau, right, but at this point Thibodeau, he's had half a good season m hm.
And he's injured now, yeah, I mean he's on IR. I think he's due back soon. I guess the reasoning for putting ozelari on there is you could get something for him, you know. Could you know the Cardinals traded for Browning, Well, they could get something for Brian Burns too, if they're going to.
Go that route.
Yeah. I don't think that's what they're willing to do, but yeah, yeah, some of these guys have moved recently. Could you get them I'm not saying even Davante Adams, but if you're the Jets, you should consider trading Davante Adams. You're not winning anything now, failed experiment, get out, you know, sell them for eighty eighty percent on the dollar.
That would be a bold move, they would now.
But nobody ever admits defeat like.
That, especially not two weeks after the owner said we're gonna kick everybody's you know what.
Yeah, there's any one one.
Now.
They think they're back.
Now, they think they're back in. Yeah, when you're not.
They're not. I think they're I don't know. It will be an interesting second half of them, but I can't imagine they get in the final seven. Yeah.
Uh, you know to me, you know, more realistic targets for the Steelers, if you know, if you're looking at a wide receiver.
Tyler Lockett.
Lockett would be intriguing for sure.
Yeah. I keep hearing DK Metcalf and I'm.
Like, I don't think they're giving up DK lot Yeah, I would be surprised.
I would be surprised to Lockett, I could see the moving n's ready. They like Bobo, you know, I mean, they lost everybody likes Bobo. You just like to say, Bobo, that's so much fun. Yeah, ive any other names we haven't brought up a hundred times.
Slayton would be interesting again. You know, if you're looking for a true slot type guy, Tyler Boy would make some sense, you know, feeling would make sense. But I don't know what he has.
Left, so he didn't play this week too. Some of there's some injury stuff out there with these guys too. I don't know.
Mike Williams just doesn't do it for me, though.
No, you'd get him for nothing, maybe get something out of him. He doesn't help on teams. Yeah, I mean it's okay. It wouldn't be the answer. No, it wouldn't be. I don't know if he'd be a starter. Yeah, I mean two receiver sets even out there.
The only problem with trading for a slot receiver that you didn't have is again, it's it doesn't mitigate what happens. If George Pickens get hurt, gets hurts, you're still in the same boat that you are. Now you can you can adjust things a little bit more if you have a really good slot.
If Pickens gets hurt, it's doom. Yeah, I mean, it's gonna be hard.
Here's the thing, though, I think Arthur Smith's a bright enough guy. Oh yeah, to scheme it up with what he's got.
Yeah, but that's the thing.
I mean, he did it. He did that in Atlanta.
Oh, I know. I think he's done a wonderful job of it. But you got to have one, dude, Yeah, you know.
I mean you can. You could play a game without George Pickens.
A game, yeah, But if it was Pickens falls in a hole right now and is out for the year, I think he'd be in big trouble.
I think he'd be in big trouble. You know. Trading for Mike Williams doesn't solve that, No, of course, not right.
I mean, you're not going to get a Pickin's replacement. But I look at unless you go out to buy something huge.
And the reason I think Arthur Smith schemes things up to make it work, regardless of what pieces he's I really think. And what made me think of this. I was finishing up a story on Corderoo Patterson today and something that that Arthur Smith said a couple of weeks ago. When I asked him about Cordo Patterson, he said, we got him late in the process his first year in Atlanta, Arthur Smith's first year in Atlanta. Yeah, and we were basically we had just jettisoned a bunch of guys for cap purposes. Oh yeah, yeah, we're just looking for that anybody who could make place.
He inherited Matt Ryan end of contract.
Our contracts were app Yeah, they were in bad shape. Yeah, and so they got Cordell Patterson on the cheap, and he took him and turned him into a running back, put the RB next to his name and made him his you know, his primary runner, eature back, right, and he goes out and runs for seven hundred yards and catches fifty passes. You know, he did it.
He doesn't need great ingredients.
No, Kyle Pitts. Everybody talks about Kyle Pitt's rookie year. Well, he caught a you know, a thousand yards receiving. Well, then the next year they go out and get Drake London and so now they didn't lean quite as much on pits as they did the year before. They got Johnny Smith as well that year. So he just kind of mixes and matches with what he's got.
Yeah, makes worth that. I think that's one of his strengths. Yeah, without question. I mean, no one will tell you the Steelers skill guys are the most talented. You know, They're not Reese Hall and Wilson and all these hype London Robinson pits, you know, all the top ten picks. But he he builds a nice stew with potatoes and carrots and stuff you can find, you know what I mean.
And just finds a way to move the football that way. Whether it's you know, leaning on the running game, or whether it's throwing to the tight ends or throw into the backs or whatever it may be. He finds a way to move the football regardless of what he has.
Yes, yes, it's definitely.
Really honestly, I thought his Falcons team's overachieved every year, especially, but they won seven games every year with not seven game talent.
I've said this on the air before. The Steelers' quarterbacks while Arthur Smith was the head coach of the Falcons, were noticeably better than the Falcons quarterbacks. It was that bad. I mean, Mariota shouldn't be in the league. I mean he was hideous. Last year. Matt Ryan was worse than last year Ben at that point, I mean not even close. Ritter shouldn't be. I mean considered for a start.
What he did in those seasons is akin to what Mike Tomlin did in twenty nineteen, the Duck year, the duck year, winning games like.
That, Oh despite your quarterback, I mean flat out despite the quarterback, really low completion percentage. And they had a line and they had dudes too. Yeah, you know, for a lot of it.
So, you know, if the Steelers don't make a trade for a wide receiver, I'm not gonna it is what it is. They tried, they couldn't get one. A lot of it was. I had somebody, you know, come at me on social media. Well they you know they they because I said something about, you know, you can't overpay for these guys. We got to overpay. No, give me the definition of overpaying means you paid too much.
And frankly, it's been a really good year for the Steelers. But if the Chiefs look at it, like, man, we just lost Kelsey, I'm gonna go spend more than I should for a three peat. You know, something that's never been done in history. All right, overpay, you know, push all your chips in. I get it. Maybe you'll pay for it. Down the Road a little, but more often than not. In this league, that's bad.
When you overpays, it's called the definition is that you paid too much. You don't want to pay too much. Second round draft picks their gold Zach Frazier, Joey Porter, Keon Hu Benton, George Pickens. I mean that's look what their cap hits are at Friarmouth nothing. Yeah, these are good football players on your on your team right now.
Maybe your most important, some of your most important.
Yeah, now we were second round draft picks. I'm not interested in giving up a two. I mean, we're talking about a half year rental.
Right, if it's DK Metcalf, it's under a contract, I'll listen. But not for trying to get you into the playoffs or to win one playoff game. No, that's that's.
Not how this works, right right right, And you know.
It was Christian Kirk. It wasn't gonna be for a two. Yeah.
The guy came back to me as well, you know these other teams that they haven't overpaid for this, you know, And I'm like, okay, maybe they didn't like DeAndre Hopkins. He might be shot. We don't know. He's got fourteen catches.
This year. Yeah, he's not the same guy.
He's not He's not that guy.
A good game that night, he might help them win down stretch, There's no question. But what they paid for on tape is not the hop from five years ago.
They couldn't trade for Deontay Johnson. Big rules prohibit that. Amari Cooper wasn't coming here. The Browns weren't going to trade Amari Cooper.
To the Steelers. He cost a third round pick too.
And he cost a third round pick. So who else you got? Davante Adams? Okay, they were in the mix of that, but Davante wanted to go to New York. The Raiders said, Okay, we're gonna We're gonna take care of you here. We'll send you with your buddy.
They it's not like they've been sitting around doing nothing. I mean, I definitely had Ayuk talks and who knows who else.
You just know it hasn't worked out. But I'm not just going to throw a pick at somebody just to throw a pick at somebody. Well, we'll throw this guy mix and see what he is.
Obviously, they've had a price in mind, a type of receiver in mind, and realize it's a need or a want, right. But just because the trade deadline is TikTok coming doesn't mean we we've talked to t X for three months. They want to three. We want to give him a four. Oh, we'll do it now, that's something going to happen. No, I mean it's still the same cost. The business model hasn't changed.
No, And I think you do and so and many cases. It's why they're called negotiations. You do have to stick to your guns somewhat because you know, if you start giving in on those things, then the next guy's going to come in and go, well, I can get them to if all I have to do is ride this out, I can get them to give up something that they didn't want to give up.
And I get the impression just from Afar watching Omar work trades, because he's done quite a few pretty patient six by his guns, you know, like crocodile blood.
Well it's not just Omar, Yeah, Wow, somebody above Omar has to sign off on this stuff. And he's a pretty patient guy too.
Yeah. And the whole organization as a whole. Yeah, it's not a just.
Flying colllect shiny new things. How's that worked out for the Jets, by the way, Panthers.
Yeah, they're definitely shiny new thing electors. Yeah.
The teams that do that typically don't do real well. I mean, hey, DeAndre Hopkins could go off tonight. Yeah, but he might not. I don't know if he's still any good or not.
Yeah, I don't know.
I have no idea.
I'm trying to remember what they gave up for him. Is it a five? Yeah, conditional or something like that. That's a fair price.
It's a fair price. Fair price, you're rolling the dice that. I mean, you're talking about a guy who was missing games early in the season because of a knee injury, and he's thirty two years old.
Yeah, so he's done very little this year. Yeah.
Now you know, if you can get Adam Feeling for conditional seven, all right, Yeah, but I'm not interested in giving up a two or three for some of these guys that are out there.
No, I mean it had to be a star. Yeah, you know, like before you got hurt, I'm like, what would it cost to get a lavee? You're in a mess. You probably shouldn't trade that guy, but you got such problems. Well, it ain't happened.
It's not happening right now.
No chance it's happened next twenty four hours.
Yeah, I mean I you know, Tyreek Hill for a three.
Okay, yeah, yeah, well I mean somebody like that. Yeah, yeah, we're easily talking that that neighborhood. But are they on the market.
Right, you just I mean it takes two to tango.
It's this.
This is not mad in football, where you just all, I'm gonna throw this trade together and I can make this work, and yeah, it just goes through.
Or like our pre draft trades, like we're gonna move up three spots and throwing a seventh deal. You know that doesn't quite work that way. It's good for radio.
Human emotions here with guys who also have to sell tickets in answer to their owner. Yeah, hey, what do you mean we just traded this guy? What are you talking about?
You got to go to Miami's owner and be like, we just re up Tyreek an Waddle and you want a deal?
Yeah, just because so you're telling me that the season's over.
Is that you're telling because quarterback got hurt for a little bit, Yeah, and now we can't compete. It's a tough sell, right, we'll see there'll be a fun twenty four hours.
Oh yeah, we'll see what happens here. Maybe something gets done, maybe it doesn't, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't. Again, we won't have as much to talk about, you know, because we've been talking wide receiver stuff for a long time.
It won't break my heart not to No, the AUK stuff was associating. Yeah, that's a part of my life.
I mean, if there was a dude, it was an obvious upgrade, all right, I get it. Oh yeah, but just making a deal to make a deal, and.
A lot of it's just dried up weirdly, you know, like the Kirk injury and things like that. Yeah, there's been some bad timing luck involved in every step.
Yeah here two, Yeah, I agree. He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lollie. You're listening to the drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. When we come back, we're going to go through the Steelers real quick, position by position du a little first half grading here, all right, we'll do that right after this.
At least is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the black and Gold in Steelers Nation Radio.
Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly. He is the Matt Williamson and Matt as I mentioned, We're going to go through the Steelers roster here real quick, position by position and give a grade for each position. We'll start here offensively, the wide receiver position. What do you got up till now?
Or how I feel this second?
See?
I think pickens numbers are not close to how good he is. But I don't think it's a high end receipt a room.
I'm just talking about how they've performed, not what you think of the group as a whole.
Well, I was comparing them to thirty two other wide receiver units. Is that not how you want.
To structure the What what you're if you were grading this as a sole course by itself, not looking at anything else. What what how they have? I would say a bee.
I think they've gotten a lot out of that group, especially lately, that I didn't quite see coming. I think Pickens is developing into a star even more rapidly than I thought.
Yeah, i'd say I mean, I'd say be minus. I think they've gotten some above average plays from guys that you know. I mean Scotty Miller had the one game where he had two big catches that kind of helped them win that game. Calvin Austin's made a couple of big plays. Van Jefferson's made They've made some plays.
Yeah, yeah, uh the offensive line, but it's tough. It's been ever changing. I think there's a lot of hope there and I think it should be frasier coming back is going to do a lot. I'm gonna say, B minus, there's not always been holes and they've they've allowed a fair amount of pressure over the course of the year.
Yeah, I would agree with that, you know, for what they've done and what they've done it with, it's been you.
Know, it's an ever changing environment. I wish Jones was further along. Yeah, that's the minus part of it. Yeah, the tight end position. B plus prewit's a dude. I mean, he's a I'm not saying it's Gronk and Hernandez, I'm not. I'm not comparing to Washington. No, I think it's, you know, an important player. I think Washington's turning into a real asset. Friar Moose somewhat underutilized but high quality player.
Yeah, I think I'm more of a B minus there too. I think there's more. I think it's kind of an untapped m h.
I think the Washington stuff starting to get tapped.
Yeah, I agree with that quarterback.
Again, I'm not comparing them to Mahomes and Allen, and you know, I think they've gotten a lot out of what they've invested. I mean a ton.
From that perspective, I give that an A minus. I think they've gotten way more out of it than I think a lot of people certainly nationally expected to get out of that.
I'm kind of looking at it from the perspective of if I Genie came out of the bottle on opening day ready to kick it off and said, you'll get this out of.
Your quarter fourteen touchdowns out of their court.
They give me that all day long.
Yeah, yeah, running back.
Better than that. But I still feel like we haven't even gotten a thing out of Warren, you know, like I just know what he's capable of. I thought he was amazing last year, but Naugy's been better than advertised, I mean, better than it's ever been.
Yeah, I agree. I think that's a that's a solid A.
Yeah, it's been a really good day group.
Yeah, defensive line, last couple.
Of games have been great. Cam has been unbelievable. B minus. Ogan job, he's a little hit and miss.
Yeah, and i'd like to I'd like to see Benton take that next step. He's been good in flashes. I'd like to see more better run consistencies. Yeah, really good prospect. Yeah, Outside linebacker eight A plus. It's hard to knock that group.
I mean, Herbig's really good.
Yeah, I mean they've gotten you know, Jeremiah Moon's on the field for like one play last week and he hit gets a quarterback hit on Beanie Bishops, and it's like they've gotten more than they got. Three stars YEA. Inside linebacker B minus. I still still think that's kind of working itself out. Queen's getting better and better. But didn't burst on the scene there, Nickel. Run defense is fact in on that. Roberts is a certain type of player and a valuable one. I guess I would have expected a little more from what I thought was a loaded room.
Yeah.
I still want to see more splash plays.
Yeah. Yeah about the big pick or you know something like that.
You have some force fumbles and that kind of stuff.
Cornerbacks B minus. I think Jackson's been a success, but I think a little bit of recent history hasn't been kind to him. Porter's really good. I know, Beaanie, Bishops made big plays, but Nickel has not been a strength and depth. They've gotten away with a little bit. I haven't had to test it.
Yeah, a little bit here and there, but not Yeah, not a great deal.
But it's about to get reinforced in a big way. Safety A minus. Yeah, I'm still getting questions. Why is Mica having a terrible year. I mean, he's not having a terrible year.
I don't get it.
He's one of the top three safeties on the planet. Yeah, and he shows it every week. Elliott's been a massive success.
Elliot's been great.
Yeah. I mean he's not a needle mover, but like Edmunds, falls in your lap and he's useful, you know, painting for him.
Specialists, you would break those up, you want to go.
Special teams is in A plus.
Special teams overall is yeah, kickers in A plus. Putner's a B, which I would take every day of the week. B plus.
Maybe. I mean I thought Johnston was going to be an A and when they he got hurt I'm like, it's gonna be a d Yeah, certainly, isn't that.
Austin's been good with the punt returns even before, even before he had the return for a touchdown, he's been you know, he's averaging ten yards of a return before that.
Coverage units overall been good.
Yeah, the kick recurrent return coverage could be a little bit better. They've given up some Yeah, it's not some some returns here and there, but not the big one. And they they really have a team we haven't.
Seen they haven't.
We haven't gotten to see that.
Yeah, and we opened the show talking about that and come full circle here. Yeah, because like that. But maybe that's best to you yet to come.
I think that's whether something that's going to change.
It's healthy and all that good stuff.
And I mean, for a large chunks of this, you haven't had your two best guys back there, the guys who you've planned to have, Patterson and Warren.
You've had the Shamplings of the world and those type of dudes, right, I mean, so I'm not worried about it. No, I'm not seeing it at all. I think it will be even I'll think it'll make it.
This way I'll be surprised if by the end of this season they don't have one of the best kick return units, return units, kick on kickoffs in the league.
So of like the four major unit punt, punt return, kick kick return, and know by the way field goals. I would say kickoff coverage has been their weakest or kickoff return, but it's more of an incomplete grade. Kickoff return is going to be a strength. Yeah, you know that.
I believe I've gotten seven chances seven right, just not enough and it's not with the guys that you want to do.
It with seven chances with backups basically in a new role.
Yeah, so we'll see. But I mean overall, you have to be pleased where they're at. I mean six and two. Yeah, I think it's a B plus a minus start.
The season, first half of the season. Everyone listening would take these results.
Yeah, I mean, I think if you're looking at what the coaching staff has done, we gave a couple of a's here to the running backs and the quarterbacks. I think the coaching has been really good. They've won with two different quarterbacks, they've had multiple offensive lines.
Those offensive lines. Yeah, they're not the only team with injuries. Don't get me wrong. I mean, some guys have lost catastrophic players, of course, and it hasn't been the most brutal schedule. But boy, I'd love to play the Coultre Dallas again. Yeah. I mean, I'm not saying you should be eight, No, but you could have been. Those are winnable games and they're against winnable teams. I think you're better than both those teams. Yeah, I do too.
We'll see how it goes in the second half. But Matt, that is going to do it for our show today. We'll be back tomorrow. Mike Tomin will hold his press conference on Tuesday. We'll get some of my injury updates on some of these guys. I expect a lot of good news tomorrow from Mike Tomlin. But for my partner Matt Williamson, for Justin Miller here on site running the Justin Miller hotline, which we did not use today, and for Tyler Hittmeyer making sure our video gets out there on YouTube. I am Dale Lolly. We thank you for listening to this edition of the Drive on the Steelers Audio Network.
