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The Steelers offensive line hits its stride in France.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold.
Steelers Nation Radio. Rolling along here on the drive as we are trying to find our bearings and hopefully doing a good job for all of you out there between the balance of football talk, Paris talk, and anything and everything in between. And Matt, we didn't have time to do this conversation in the first hour when we talked about the Steelers' defense traveling, but you can certainly say the same about the other side of the football for the Steelers. That Steelers' offensive line was outstanding today. And my goodness, Matt, I am obviously, I'll be the first person to put my hand up and say that I am a Homer honk about Zach Frazier.
Oh, you don't hide it particularly well, yeah.
I watched him for four years in Morgantown. I've watched him for three years now for the Steelers, seven years in total for my two favorite football teams. You also, though, you've been doing radio with me for nine years now.
Yeah, yeah.
Combines and training camps and really intently over the last year and a half. I've never, as much as I'm a homer, I was never like, oh, you got to watch this guy from WVU. You got to watch that guy from WVU, except for Zach Frazier. I mean, I've been tweeting about how this guy was the answer to the Steelers problems at center since he was his senior year at WVU in 2023. Um, in fact, and it all works out in the long run, there was a weird part of me. I don't want to say that I thought that it was a benefit to the Steelers because peel back the curtain too. If people don't remember this, Zach and his very last game of his career at WVU broke his leg.
Yeah.
Yeah. At, at Baylor in Waco and crawled off the field to avoid the 10 second runoff and WVU scored to win the game and an iconic moment.
It couldn't have helped his draft stock.
He broke his leg three months before the combine. Yeah, yeah. That might have worked out for the Steelers. You might not have gotten him at 51 if he was completely healthy and was able to do everything. But regardless, all is well that ends well. And a lot of people on that offensive line deserve credit and deserve their flowers.
Oh, they do.
We're going to give them to them here.
But Matt.
I think my guy might be the best center in the world right now, especially when you consider the level of competition he's been doing it against these last couple of weeks. It hasn't been no-name Joe Schmoes. It's been Sexy Dexy and Vita Vea and DeForest Buckner and all these really good interior defensive linemen. He was, as a center, it's really hard to do. He was standing out on Sunday. Yeah.
Just how violently he was moving bodies and picking up two guys in sequences and reading stunts perfectly and clearing out space in the run game in short yardage situations. So many times it's third and one, it's third and three, and the Steelers are running right up Frazier's backside for the first down. My, my boy is cooking. I was telling you guys before we went on the show today, I actually, and all the chaos after the game. We're trying to get our equipment down to the Steelers equipment managers because they're flying right back to Pittsburgh and taking it for us. I'm in the hallway pushing our huge radio rack and I see Zach and we kind of like, you know, like see each other and smile. And he
gives me a fist bump. And I was like, Zach, I think that might have been the best game you've played in the NFL, dude. And he smiled and was like, thanks, man. Thanks. But it was it was a man. It was a dominating performance from that Steelers offensive line. But I think you got to start with the man in the middle.
You do, because he's been great since he's been here, but he's leveling up this year. Different people around him, different scheme, different offensive line coach, but probably more than anything, just growing into his paws in the league even more, hitting the prime.
Years of his career. He's got that NFL grown man strength and body now and all that stuff.
Your rookie year's not going to be your best year. This is how the league works. I know it's blasphemous, but I did a video today with Bob Pompiani, and he's like, how well is the line playing and who's standing out? I'm like, Frazier's playing at a Webby Dirt-like level right now. I'm like, you don't want to say those things, you know?
All right, hold on, Matt. Slow down. Whisper that again nice and slow into my ear. Because when you're saying it.
I mean, he's playing like the great Steelers setters.
And Brian Baldinger's saying it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And all these national people are giving him love. That means a lot, man.
I mean, maybe Creed Humphrey's playing as well.
Maybe. There's some really good centers in the NFL.
But he's got a case to being one of the best centers, which I think he's been since he's been here to a total superstar foundational player.
If you're drafting a team to play in the Superbowl on Sunday, you could maybe say to me, I'm still taking Creed Humphrey. Cause he's been to three or four of those already. And he knows, you know, he's been in that situation, but, Just in terms of their current form, it would be hard not to have Zach on your.
He's got the wrong choice.
Starting right now, best team in the NFL for a game this weekend.
He's playing at that level. And he didn't play against Vitavia this week, and it showed. I mean, he's crushing those dudes. And I thought the interior of the Steeler line, but especially the left side of the Steeler line, was utterly dominant in the run game. So I know some people... A little bit of a Faltani rant here. People seem to be a little down on him, which I understand because at that position, when you get beat, it gets noticed.
No doubt. That's a way different world than playing center.
Yes.
The grading curve is different.
It is. Or playing linebacker and getting beat over and over by a tight end or in coverage or whatever. But I also think because in basically my lifetime, the Steelers haven't been able to get first-round tackles The bar is a little higher for these pair. And that's fine. I mean, they're first-round offensive tackles. But people that are down on Faltano, I think, are out of their mind.
He has some technical things to work on, which I want to talk about in protection. He probably is too aggressive. I would love to have this conversation with Max Starks and be like, there's some patience to play and tackle, too. I mean, he takes the fight to the opponent, which can be great. But sometimes you swing and miss. He's kind of a home run hitter there.
Sometimes you do want to make the other guy make the first move.
Yes, or wait him out. And you'll see, too, he's real big on two-hand punching. You'll see a lot of guys now are individuals. But when you go two, it's kind of, again, like swinging for the fences. I'm really going with everything I got. And when he lands it, they go flying. But sometimes against better pass rushers, You get a little overextended, and it's a problem. But the thing is, at that position, not as much as, like, if you're Trent Williams, that's what makes him an all-time great.
But Werff's got beat by the Steeler guys, too. I mean, he got beat by Herbig. Like, you get beat at tackle in this league. There's just so many unbelievable edge rushers in this league. You're going to have to line up against Verst this week, and he's going to get beat, too, guys. You know, like. You can beat twice a game in protection.
People lose their mind.
The best ones that we've ever seen. You can still find some highlights of when they just got beat. Yeah.
I mean, no one... Herbig's beaten worse. I mean, that's the same thing. It's the same thing. It happens a lot. More than people around here seem to realize. Chase Young... Has 17 sacks in his last 19 games.
I can't believe we made it this far into the show and not mention his name.
He is a superstar, guys.
Because he was outstanding.
He was a second pick in the draft.
It took him some time, but he's finally living up to it.
He is back to being that guy.
Like our brother Dale Lawley would have said, you are allowed to get better, and my goodness has Chase Young gotten better.
We brought him up previewing the Saints, but not enough. I mean, Olave and Young are great, great players. And he's going to do that to whoever the Saints play next week and the week after. But in the run game, I thought the left side of the line, starting with Frazier all the way down the line, was mashing people, including Young. I mean, the run blocking stuff was phenomenal.
And I can't say it enough, but I say it a lot. The Metcalfs and Bernards and Washingtons and Friar Moose are all really chipping in in the blocking department, too. I mean, everybody's buying in. And there was times when this was a weak limb that I went out. The limb that I went out on was getting a little creaky.
But you heard me say in the offseason, I wouldn't trade this offensive line room for any in the league.
You held your stock, brother, while a lot of people were selling it.
Oh, I heard about it a lot. You know, like, you're out of your mind. You don't have any idea what you're talking about. I'm like, I think we're still not the tip of the iceberg, but we've not seen the whole iceberg yet of what this line will become and is massively trending towards.
Just like Novocaine, give it time.
Give it time. It's coming.
It sure is, man.
And it's here already.
It is.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I thought it was another solid, like, again, they lost some battles, but I thought Mad Max held his own.
Rookie tackles have a really, really hard time, guys.
They really do.
And he's going to have some tough moments. He just will.
And I also.
But you also have some wild moves.
We've spent, and understandably, because that's where the Steelers really invested their resources, we've spent a lot of time talking about the first round tackles. We've spent a lot of time talking about Zach Frazier. Heck, we've spent a good amount of time talking about Mason McCormick. Brock Hoffman is all of a sudden looking like... like he's settled. He knows what he's doing. He's knocked off the rust after not having played for a couple of weeks there at the start of the season. I mean, him and Zach Frazier.
they were like, they were like Jordan and Pippen on the, I mean, they.
I would say the concert block.
Yeah, exactly. Everything working in concert.
That's the playing together thing.
The drummer and the bass player, you know what I mean? Hitting the notes perfectly. They were so in sync.
I know he's talking to Max, but I think he said, because Rob King references it a fair amount, that it takes about six weeks of playing together to really get a feel for your, the guy you're shoulder to shoulder with on the line, which I could buy that.
That probably matters for that group more than any in the sport. Oh, yeah, yeah.
I mean, Wolf and Tunch, you know, We were kind of grunting at each other. They would be.
Yeah.
They would be eating up this line.
They would be loving watching the Steelers offensive line.
I think it's only getting better.
Same.
I'm not saying they're scratching the surface. They've already smashed the surface. But it's a top five-ish line now, and it could be number one.
And I got a feeling, Matt, that they're going to have some vengeance on the mind, some nasty intentions on the mind when the Browns roll into town.
And I love how nasty they are, too.
Even the personal foul penalty with McCormick, you're kind of like, come on, dude, just tone it down. Your knobs don't have to go to 11 every single second. But at the same time, you'd rather say woe than sickle.
Yeah, I don't need it on 8 either.
And honestly... The last time the offensive line probably wasn't, you know, standing in the ring after the 12 rounds with the referee raising their hand wasn't Cleveland on that Thursday night.
Yeah, yeah.
It was probably the Browns defensive line that was getting their hand raised after that fight.
I'm sure they remember.
I got a feeling that there's going to be some, hey, last three weeks have been really good, no doubt. But you better not be feeling yourselves just yet because let's go take care of business against a Browns defensive line on Sunday that gave us some trouble a few weeks ago.
And we'd be remiss. I mean, they brought out a sixth offensive lineman yesterday. For the first time all year. I'm glad you mentioned that. That, to me, told me a lot about McCarthy in that I'm an 11 personnel guy. Go get me Pittman and Bernard.
Great, great, great.
Hmm. I got this Washington and Fryermuth crew here. Maybe I should play more 12.
You know what? This guy, Spencer Anderson, he's for a sixth offensive lineman. He's pretty good. Yeah.
I remember him. I like Spencer. I wish I could get him on the field. And we're pretty light at that third receiver spot. Let's have a chat with Tom Arth and see what they did last year with the 6-0 line stuff.
I love it.
And they ran the ball a high percentage of the time when he was out there, but really successfully, too. I mean, it worked.
And that's a great calling card to have.
I don't think it's going away.
Exactly right. Great calling card to have.
They may still have the fullback in their back pocket, too. I mean, he plays two snaps a game. But he might be like, well, if I need that chapter. Right, right, right.
Absolutely. Especially with the bye week coming up, too. That's a lot of fun to keep an eye on.
But these, like, receiver injuries have helped in other ways, too. You know, bad things happen through the course of an NFL season. Most things are bad. You always say that.
Only bad things for the most part are going to happen from here.
But they've really found good things in bad times. You know, like, this Spears-Jennings guy might be a starting safety. You know, we would have started Elliott and Brisker and not known that. You know, but, like, the D-line's a little banged up. But we're still stopping the run with light boxes. You know, like, okay.
Mm-hmm. And all of a sudden, we've got something we think may be in those Rubio and Jabbity guys here, too.
Yeah, and needless to say, the Warren Dowdle combination is exactly how we drew it up, if not more.
They had to play with those ingredients in the kitchen for a few deals.
Dowdle being out for a couple weeks, it's like, okay, we know Warren's better, but let's not forget that Rico's pretty useful, too.
No doubt. Yeah.
No doubt.
One more segment to go. I shouldn't even call it a shorty on the other side. We'll have probably about seven or eight minutes here on the other side. Let's hit on some of the reaction on X on the YouTube comments as we close this thing down on this Tuesday. Euler and Williamson, it's The Drive. Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
