Drive10.28.26Hr1: Power Rankings

0:07 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold.

0:11 Steelers Nation Radio.

0:27 Good afternoon, Steeler Nation. It's The Drive on the Steelers Audio Network. Wes Shuler and Matt Williamson with you here on this Wednesday where we have got plenty to get into.

0:37 We're going to go around campus like we do on Wednesdays.

0:39 We're going to talk to our buddy Rob King here in about 20 minutes, the voice of the Steelers, all his thoughts on everything that happened in Paris, and we'll begin to look ahead to the Browns. But, Matt, we begin with a little Week 8 power rankings across.

0:52 The National Football League. I love it.

0:54 Let's do it.

0:55 Another beautiful day here in western Pennsylvania, Matt. And I'm kind of just hoping we can hang on to this as long as we can.

1:00 Oh, the weather is unbelievable, isn't it?

1:02 It's incredible.

1:03 I hope it lasts until Halloween on Saturday because that would make for a fun Saturday for sure.

1:09 I think I told you my kids came home this weekend from Kentucky. They get home like, man, it's cold up here. I'm like, you guys got soft really quick. Are you kidding me?

1:17 That's why you can't let your kids go to SEC schools.

1:19 Oh, I know. I'm like, this is the nicest it's ever been around Halloween in my whole life. You guys are soft.

1:25 They start wearing khaki shorts and polos around campus everywhere and sundresses, and all of a sudden they can't live with some 60-degree weather. Number 32 on the power rankings, Matt, and it's hard to say it's not deserved.

1:37 It is the Chargers.

1:39 They sat on a bye, but at least Miami and Tennessee has done some good things lately. Chargers haven't even had a chance to do anything good.

1:45 Yeah.

1:48 A lot of McConkie talk that he could be on the move. Derwin James, Khalil Mack. I think Khalil Mack definitely makes a lot of sense. I think Mack definitely has to go. But they could be making some moves.

1:57 They absolutely could.

1:58 Matt, I don't know, though, because if the Chargers and the Colts, as you like to say, would play in Wichita this weekend, Chargers might still be favored slightly.

2:06 I don't know. Maybe. There's bad things happening in Indy for sure.

2:08 There sure are. And we'll talk some more.

2:10 Just for immediate winnings.

2:11 We'll talk some more about that.

2:12 Yeah.

2:13 The Colts check in at 31.

2:14 Okay.

2:14 Okay.

2:15 I guess that's fair at this point. I think you could probably get anyone you wanted almost from that team. I think they're different than like the Eagles.

2:22 Yeah, that's a good point.

2:23 You probably could get just about anybody you wanted on that roster. Number 30 is the Arizona Cardinals. They kind of took one on the chin.

2:33 I would say that's fair. They've kind of fell back to earth. Buda Baker could be on the move. I mean, they're going to be selling too. They don't have a lot of pieces to sell, but.

2:43 No.

2:43 29, the New York Jets.

2:46 I mean, I get it. They just lost to Miami.

2:48 I get it because they just had a bad loss at home. But, you know, they're starting to get some stuff from Omar Cooper Jr.

2:53 Yeah.

2:54 Mason Taylor's a good player. They've kind of started to build a little bit of a nest there on offense.

2:59 And they're sitting there looking at the Colts like, keep losing. Yeah, absolutely. They kind of have a little bit of a Browns feel. Like, if they could put two good drafts together like the Browns did, with or without the quarterback piece, you could be like, well, I can– squint and see where this is going, you know?

3:15 Another team that we certainly expected to be down here in the bottom of the rankings, the Eagles check in at 28.

3:20 They look disinterested now, too.

3:23 It's officially late. It's officially late in Philadelphia.

3:25 Yeah, and way earlier than they expected, and it's officially late.

3:30 Did you see the Monday night game against the Cowboys at halftime? They inducted their owner, Oh, yeah.

3:38 They had a ceremony for him.

3:40 Into the Hall of Honor, into the Team Hall of Fame. And, hey, it's Philadelphia. They like to criticize everything.

3:47 Of course.

3:47 He took some flack for that.

3:49 Did he really?

3:49 For, you know, things are in turmoil right now and you're inducting yourself into the Hall of Fame.

3:54 You're kind of inducting yourself. I was wondering, like.

3:56 But still, I mean, look at what he's done with that organization.

4:00 Yeah.

4:00 I mean, look at what they've been over the last 10 years.

4:02 Yeah.

4:04 Top three successful organizations in the last decade for sure absolutely for sure i mean he's a big-time owner he's probably gonna go to the hall of fame which is not easy to do for an owner.

4:14 One thing we know about philadelphia fans they will not go quietly into the night i.

4:18 Hope this isn't the case but when you ever see something like that i'm always wondering like this is an odd time to do it since eagles are bad i hope he doesn't have like health concerns or something you know i mean like there's been so many up times in Eagles history and now you're doing it when you're like rock bottom.

4:32 Yeah.

4:32 Yeah.

4:33 That is a good point.

4:33 Hopefully there is nothing underlying there in terms of time sensitivity, 27, the Tennessee.

4:39 Titans, Matt.

4:40 Yeah.

4:40 It might be a little kind, but I also, their.

4:43 Last two games have been there very, very low bar to clear, but it's been their best performances.

4:47 I think respectable is a good spot for them. You know, they're getting there.

4:52 Up to number 26 after their first win of the season. It's the Miami Dolphins.

4:58 Yeah, I don't think they're favored against the Eagles.

5:00 I don't know about that. I don't know about that.

5:04 They're doing some good stuff, and again, the offense in particular is pretty fun. There's some young guys there, and maybe they can even be like, I'll take Jeremiah Smith and not draft a quarterback. Oh, that would be real fun.

5:17 I like to see Ollie Gordon playing well.

5:20 Yeah, you bring him up a lot for good reason.

5:21 I thought that guy was going to be a stud, and he hasn't quite become that, but he's become a solid NFL running back. Number 25, this one I don't know, Matt. They've lost four games in a row, the Las Vegas Raiders.

5:32 I don't know if any of these teams I put ahead of them. They put a little bit of money in the bank.

5:39 That is a good point.

5:39 I mean, they're all pretty bad right now.

5:41 They really are.

5:42 But I can't imagine the Raiders being much higher, that's for sure. They have lost four in a row, haven't they?

5:48 They have lost four in a row after the 3-0 start.

5:50 It's got to be Mendoza time real soon.

5:52 I would think so.

5:52 Maybe one more loss.

5:53 And Cousins has been playing fine.

5:55 Is there anyone that would trade for Cousins? Is he better than Kyler Murray?

6:04 Better, I think, yes.

6:07 That would really rock this.

6:08 Harder to play against, I don't know.

6:10 Yeah, right.

6:11 I know that's a weird way to frame it, right?

6:13 I mean, it'd be odd for an undefeated team to trade for a quarterback.

6:17 I was going to say, if you kind of look at the top 15, 16 teams on this list, they're all pretty set at quarterback, except for.

6:24 Maybe the Falcons. But I don't think the Falcons are going to trade for Kirk Cousins.

6:26 No, definitely not. But he was just there. Someone would have to get hurt.

6:31 I think so.

6:31 I think that would be the scenario if someone gets hurt and it's like, okay, we'll give you a fifth rounder for Kirk Cousins to ride out the season type thing.

6:38 I mean, huge knock on wood, but like if Rodgers would get hurt.

6:42 Then yes.

6:42 You know what I mean? Then absolutely. Here's a fifth or sixth rounder and fit right in.

6:46 You can still make the playoffs and not sink your season, no doubt. Because Kirk Cousins has played pretty well. But it might just become a, okay, what are we doing here? If we're not going anywhere, let's get the first overall pick rookie.

6:56 Oh, I think that's definitely happening in Vegas. No.

6:59 24, Matt, off their bye week, coming at a perfect time, the Washington Commanders.

7:04 I think they're better than everybody mentioned. I don't have a lot of faith that they're doing great things there.

7:09 Same.

7:09 But they might be another one of those teams that you could see some light. They're going to eat some vegetables, but you can see some light.

7:14 At the end of the tunnel.

7:16 That division is so weird, too. Should they sell pieces? They're still in it. I mean, the Eagles are still in it, but I don't think the Eagles even look at it that way. I think Dallas and Giants are buyers.

7:27 Absolutely.

7:28 If I'm Washington for me now, and I realize this is not how Dan Quinn's going to want to operate.

7:34 No.

7:34 He's coaching for his job.

7:36 No, his he taught.

7:37 They've got a lot of veteran, particularly on that defense, they've got a lot of veteran pieces that if they can open up a Super Bowl window two years from now are not going to be part of it.

7:45 Right.

7:46 I'd be answering the phone if you're calling.

7:48 I'm definitely more of a seller than a buyer. That's for sure. I'm not buying anything.

7:52 Right.

7:53 And I'm not necessarily putting a for sale sign on everybody's locker either, but if there's some of those veteran pieces on defense that you think you can flip and get some decent draft capital in return, I wouldn't be opposed.

8:04 Like McLaurin's not even healthy enough to move right now.

8:08 And there's not many other pieces on offense that anyone would want or they'd be willing to part with. 23, the New Orleans Saints.

8:16 Okay. I might have washed it ahead of them, but we're splitting hairs here. They were less than overly exciting to me. The Saints. I mean, not just this, the last couple of weeks, the last month or so has been pretty bad.

8:29 They've got no semblance of any run game.

8:32 The O-line's falling apart and they don't have the depth.

8:34 22 up a few spots after getting a win on Monday night.

8:38 It's the Dallas Cowboys.

8:40 Again, better than everybody mentioned. Defense still scares the heck out of me, but running the ball was a great step in the right direction.

8:47 Yes, it was.

8:47 Yeah.

8:48 And we all know they got playmakers on that off.

8:49 Yeah.

8:50 Yeah. I still would pick them to win the division.

8:53 I think so, too.

8:54 Yeah. I think they're a game behind the Giants or half game behind the Giants. A lot of football left to be played.

8:58 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 21 is the LA Rams, Matt. Up a few spots.

9:03 Some might say they're still a little too low. I might agree with that, too. We'll see some of the teams in front of them. But the Rams are 3-4. They got a much-needed win on Sunday.

9:11 Yeah.

9:13 Again, I bet they're favored over the next five teams we mention, whoever they are. But they're not scary, scary.

9:20 No, no, they are not. They could be here in the next couple of weeks. It could change very quick, but not currently.

9:26 So I mentioned yesterday that my co-host Brian Peacock said, you know, he's like, I bet the Niners trade for DeForest Buckner in the next 24 hours. And of course they did. And we were chatting about today and that's his division. He's like, I still think the Niners Seahawks and Rams could all still add pieces. I mean, it's such a power race in that particular division that, You see one team, I got Nelson. Well, I better get his teammate Buckner.

9:49 I'm like, let's go get Jonathan Taylor, baby.

9:52 Yeah, right. Don't say they're all really active.

9:54 Right, right.

9:55 Give me something. Right.

9:57 Number 20.

9:58 We'll talk more about trade deadline stuff. probably a little bit this week because there's some stuff going on.

10:02 Yeah, I mean, people can get moved then. Oh, yeah, yeah.

10:05 It'll work out well next week because it's the Steelers' bye and it's the trade deadline, so we'll have plenty of time.

10:09 Is it Tuesday at 4 p.m.? Does that sound right to you? It usually is a Tuesday. I don't know why they always have 4 p.m., I guess, for the West Coast people.

10:16 And that's also kind of Wednesday's kind of like the really unofficial start of the next week, too.

10:21 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

10:22 Because teams on Mondays and Tuesdays aren't doing much, if anything.

10:24 Good point.

10:25 And then Wednesday's kind of when you turn the page. So that would make sense. Number 19, they're not dead yet. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

10:34 Not dead yet. Really impressive game. I'm sure Bucs fans are like, how could you have us below the Panthers who we just wiped the floor with?

10:41 No, they're one spot ahead of the Panthers. Panthers are 20, Bucs are 19.

10:43 Oh, okay, okay, okay.

10:45 Yeah.

10:46 I guess you have to. You know, they're in better shape at the moment.

10:50 In that division, they're technically still alive.

10:51 Who would you pick to win that division?

10:53 Right now?

10:54 It would not be the Saints for me. The other three, I think, have a case.

10:57 It'd be Carolina, I think, just because I think they've got the best quarterback situation.

11:01 Yeah.

11:02 They won it last year.

11:02 They have the best record, right? Best record. They're 3-3. Yeah.

11:07 I think I'd take Carolina, too.

11:08 I think I'd take Carolina. Tell you what, though. Tampa Bay might.

11:11 Not be bad.

11:11 Right.

11:11 I mean, they're good on both lines of scrimmage.

11:12 I don't think they're dead yet.

11:14 Number 18. Technically not dead yet, but, man, they're in trouble. It's the Houston Texans.

11:19 Yeah.

11:21 This last loss was rough.

11:23 2-5.

11:24 Yeah, the defense isn't playing very well. I watched, you know how JT O'Sullivan has his quarterback school that basically he just talks through all 22 tapes evaluating quarterbacks. I watched J.J. McCarthy last night with the World Series on. I never watch baseball. I'm like, yeah, it's game four of the World Series. I'll mute that and listen to this and end up being actually a good baseball game.

11:45 And McCarthy was Really good. He wasn't fluky good, but Houston's D is like, this doesn't look like anything close to the same unit as last year.

11:54 Maybe we can write this down for topics next week. If J.J.

11:58 McCarthy continues to play well for 10 more games here, what do the Giants do with their quarterback situation?

12:02 And would you be interested in Darter McCarthy?

12:04 No.

12:05 Not particularly, but, you know.

12:08 No, but it would still be a fun conversation to have.

12:10 Imagine if he plays like this the rest of the way.

12:13 TV, don't put your hands on you guys and your Baker Mayfields and your J.J.

12:17 McCarthy's.

12:18 He's got to at least explore every option.

12:22 Get back, devil.

12:23 They might prefer McCarthy over Dart. I mean, one of them they went and got, the other one they inherited. If he plays really well, they win the division this year.

12:31 Then you trade Dart for a third-round pick or something.

12:33 You get something pretty good for Dart.

12:34 Great.

12:35 That could end up being a really good trade by the Giants, grab McCarthy. I thought it was like a, nah. Absolutely could.

12:40 And speaking of the Giants, they check in at 17.

12:42 Okay, yeah, that's about their neighborhood. Their average football team.

12:45 I think that's fair for them.

12:48 They're talking about maybe they're in the Jonathan Taylor sweepstakes. Giants? Yeah. I mean, Skadaboo just went crazy, but he'll be healthy for like a week.

12:57 The Texans would be a perfect team for Jonathan Taylor if they weren't 2-5 and they hadn't just traded for.

13:02 Marvin Harrison Jr. 16, Matt. Finally, the lowest we've seen them, I think, all season. It's the Baltimore Ravens.

13:09 I like that the Steelers are Heather Ravens, and I think that's fair, especially with the Lamar current situation. I mean, is he on the horizon of coming back? Like, I think Schefter put out he's hoping to practice today, but every week he kind of teases you he's going to be in or out.

13:24 Okay. Tinfoil hat time.

13:26 Yeah.

13:27 Has Lamar kind of decided he's done with Baltimore, maybe?

13:31 I've kind of thought that at times throughout his career.

13:33 Maybe this is a separate conversation for.

13:34 Like, next week. Yeah, maybe that is a next week thing. I don't know. I know he's an odd bird, and it's weird that he doesn't have representation, like his mom represents him. So where is he getting advice from, good or bad, especially contractual stuff?

13:50 Matt, I always find it funny when regular Joe Schmoes like you and I and just fans in general. question athletes particularly football athletes toughness.

14:00 Oh come on yeah yeah come on yeah.

14:02 That i love it when you hear fans go that guy's soft that guy played yeah he's in the national football league and he's soft you're.

14:08 Right stand on the sidelines for two plays.

14:10 You're right yes he gets in 30 car crashes every sunday afternoon but he's but he's soft but man it's like you see some of these quarterbacks around the league who play through everything.

14:20 I think lamar has to be right And it's.

14:22 Like, and I wonder how much of that though, is just, he looks around and he's like, we continue to blow leads all the time. We continue to just find ways to lose games. My time with this organization is coming to an end.

14:34 I don't know. Pure speculation.

14:35 I know this is pure speculation too, but like, it wouldn't shock me if like 10 years from now, he's in the hall of fame and we're talking about, you know, football life. And he's like, yeah, I was undiagnosed bipolar for a while or something, you know, like he's just very uneven. It seems, you know, like, But he's incredibly good.

14:53 Oh.

14:53 Yeah, right.

14:54 And they could, if he decided he wanted to move on, they could get a ransom for him.

14:57 As much as they wanted, right.

15:00 15, the Green Bay Packers. Lost a close division game on the road against the Lions. They sit in the same spot.

15:06 Yeah, I'm not going to hold that too much against them. I think that's about fair. Yeah, yeah. I think that's fine. 14. Ooh, speculation that Parsons might see the field this week.

15:15 That could be the real difference.

15:16 Yeah.

15:17 They could definitely use him. I didn't think they had Jonathan Taylor. And maybe all of a sudden.

15:21 Right.

15:22 I didn't think they'd tread water. Early in the season, I'm like, their season's shot. They've treaded water to get to the Parsons point much better than I thought they would.

15:30 Number 14. We're from the town with the great football team. We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.

15:38 I would still have the Steelers ahead of the Browns.

15:40 Also, this is bugging me. They have the Falcons at 13. How are the Falcons ahead of the Steelers?

15:47 Falcons would be like five spots lower. I'm out of the Ravens ahead of the Falcons.

15:50 I think from what the Falcons were at the start of the season to what they are now is impressive.

15:54 Stefanski deserves credit.

15:56 Oh, he might be coach of the year.

15:57 I thought they were going to win three or four games all year.

16:00 Now, the Cooper Rush stuff aside, I thought they'd be bad. I mean, like he was horrendous.

16:05 They're three and two since they weren't playing Cooper Rush. I mean, that's who they are. That's who they are.

16:10 They're a nine-win team. Right, right, right.

16:13 12 is the Cleveland Browns.

16:16 They better be soon. I mean, okay, they're ahead of the Steelers in the standings. This might be the highest.

16:21 I've ever had a Cleveland team. It has to be.

16:24 It has to be. I still think the Steelers are better than the Browns. I probably think the Ravens are better than the Browns. Certainly with Lamar.

16:32 Number 11, the Detroit Lions.

16:34 Okay.

16:37 Tell you what, the They could be in the market for something.

16:39 They sure could. And getting Brian Branch back for them was huge.

16:43 Yeah, his running made it safety. Joseph supposedly might practice this week, too. There was talk his career might be over.

16:51 Getting those guys back would go a long way for the stability.

16:53 And then maybe add one more piece in the trade deadline.

16:56 Yeah.

16:57 Sauce Garner? Number 10, the New England Patriots.

17:01 That's fine. I still think their weapons are lacking.

17:07 Agreed.

17:07 In a big way.

17:08 And A.J.

17:08 Brown has not done much to move the needle.

17:12 No, and I don't feel like there's a great chance he will.

17:16 Number nine, duh, Bears. Big Thursday night win against those Patriots.

17:21 I'm a believer.

17:22 Me too.

17:23 I'm very much a believer. I think their defense is harder to play against than I thought. caleb is just getting his feet wet and could be i think he's going to win like mvps in his career i i completely agree and you know now like loveland and uh burden are all starting to find their uh their role there's none of this khalif raymond early stuff i think this team's really figuring it.

17:45 Out number eight probably their most impressive game of the season although it was against the cardinals to be fair but it's the denver broncos hey man they're five.

17:53 And two Yeah, and they're hard to play against. If they can dedicate to running the football and taking the air out of it a little bit, I think that would go a real long way.

18:05 Number seven, down five spots after their first loss of the season, it's the Kansas City Chiefs.

18:11 I also think their weapons are very lacking. I mean, their pass catchers in general are Kelsey in, like, Worthy is not anywhere close to being what they want him to be or a featured player. Defense is fine. Losing Seattle in a nutshell doesn't break my heart or say, wow, they're a mess or they're exposed. But other than Walker, there's not much on offense to get excited about.

18:42 Number six, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

18:45 I think they're about as good as any team in the league, but What kind of went under the radar because they were overseas for two weeks and then had a bye? Their best offensive lineman, Harrison, is out for the season. And I think their O-line was their biggest weakness before that. Yes, it was. So will they overcome that?

19:02 And that's something you can't really add.

19:04 No, right. That's why Nelson was so rare. That's a rare exception. That's why Nelson got more than Buckner in trade.

19:10 It's a lot easier to get a Khalil Mack or a wide.

19:13 Receiver at the deadline than it is a Quinton Nelson.

19:16 Absolutely. They're not going to find a left tackle.

19:18 Number five, the Cincinnati Bengals. Might be a little rich.

19:22 It's a little rich.

19:23 A little rich for me.

19:25 I don't know if I'd have the Chiefs ahead of the Bengals or not, but I definitely would have the Jags ahead of the Bengals. What they did in the second half, though, was wow. I mean, Burrow was tearing them apart, the Ravens D.

19:37 Number four, probably off their best performance of the season, it's the Seattle Seahawks.

19:43 I might have them higher, especially with Nelson. I mean, I think they made a weakness of strength. they still should probably be in the market for some kind of receiver or something like that but i think seattle's back in the hunt of being super champ.

19:58 Number three knocked off their perch is number one after suffering their first loss of the season it's the 49ers at number three i think.

20:05 I still haven't won That loss isn't something I would greatly hold against them. I mean, McCaffrey was banged up all through the game. They didn't have Bosa, didn't have Evans. Going to their bye, they'll come out of it like gangbusters, I bet.

20:18 Number two, the Buffalo Bills, Matt.

20:21 Another team that should be just kind of standing there.

20:25 Go trade for Derwin James.

20:26 Dude, great call.

20:27 You know what I mean? Do something like that. Make a big splash. Absolutely.

20:31 Max Crosby?

20:31 Yeah, exactly.

20:33 And number one, the lone undefeated team left in the NFL, it's the Minnesota Vikings.

20:37 I wouldn't have them close to one. I wouldn't either.

20:39 I'd have them towards five.

20:41 Yeah, yeah.

20:42 But their offense needs some work.

20:44 So I forget what exactly they were. You know how I'm into like hidden yardage and all that stuff now. The Vikings have the best turnover differential in the league, which isn't that shocking.

20:55 Sure.

20:55 They have not missed a kick all year. They're like the only team that has not missed a kick this year. And there were something, Oh, they're the least penalized team in the league. You know, like that's how you're sick. That's right. I mean, it's a great defense. We know that, but the offense is bottom 10 for sure.

21:11 They need some help.

21:12 I'm like, they're in the margin.

21:14 Another one, Jonathan Taylor would look real good.

21:16 Yeah. They've kind of been linked to that too. And just lean into giving them the ball over and over and over.

21:21 There's your power rankings.

21:22 The voice of the Steelers, Rob King joins us when we return, just getting started here on this Wednesday, Tuesday, Wes Shuler, Matt Williamson. It's The Drive, Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

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22:03 Louis, Missouri.

22:05 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable. So I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag.

22:15 And after what went down in the.

22:16 First round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called.

22:20 All the picks.

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22:59 Rocking and rolling here on the drive on this Wednesday afternoon.

23:02 And joining us now on the phone lines, the voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers. And, of course, the host of In the Locker Room right on this network every day at noon with Max Starks and Willie Colon.

23:12 It is Rob King. It is the king in the castle. Bonjour, mes amis. Monsieur King, how art thou?

23:22 Uh i'm doing well my friend it was good to spend some time with you in paris and uh good to see the students come away with a victory as well who.

23:29 Enjoyed their time in the city of love more you or chris hoke.

23:33 Oh i think it had to be hokey man and french i mean he was you know so he spent a couple of years there um uh doing uh you know during school doing some mission work around the country and he's fluent you know i mean there's uh you know, when we got to the airport, as you know, Wes, we were all like, where are we going?

23:53 Oh yeah.

23:54 I didn't tell this story. Upsteps, Chris Stoke, Chris Oak, Deletus, you know, Pied Piper, Moses to the promised land, whatever it is. He got us through the airport, man. If it wasn't for him, we might still be in Paris right now. So I, and, uh, you know, he's such a wonderful guy and, uh, and there with his wife and just, uh, I think, but I, I had a good time, man. Uh, I did. And it was fun to hanging out with you and the rest of the crew. And, um, uh, it's a great city and it was a lot of fun.

24:22 So I think you're selling yourself short, at least the way Wes described it as you as a tour guide. I mean, it sure sounded that you guys got a lot of steps in, saw a lot of stuff. You guys kind of led the way, had lovely little breakfast with charcuterie boards and espressos and bottles of wine on Sunday night.

24:41 Yeah.

24:41 Yeah.

24:42 Uh, Yeah, so... I need to hear.

24:44 Stories, man. Wes went on and on yesterday.

24:49 Well, I do love... Look, my wife and I love to travel. I mean, people spend their money on different things. I'm looking at my odometer of my car right now. It's got 151,506 miles on it, you know? Other people want new cars. Everybody spends their money on the things they want. We just love to travel. And one of the things I love over there in Europe is these breakfasts with coffee, but then they serve like, you know, basically not ham, but, you know, the, oh, my God, I can't believe I'm not, my brain isn't still all the way back.

25:26 It's kind of like, it's kind of like capicola.

25:29 Oh, yeah.

25:29 It's like prosciutto.

25:30 It's like prosciutto, that kind of thing.

25:32 Sounds so good. The gabagool.

25:33 Like, I don't eat, I don't, I normally don't eat breakfast. It's uncommon for me to eat much of anything before noon. But when I see that ham and cheese and coffee, I'm like, man, sign me up.

25:43 Why aren't we doing that over here?

25:46 Yeah.

25:48 And the sandwiches, too. I was thinking the same thing. So Dan Quinlan, our esteemed producer, and his lovely wife, Lauren, they got a foot long. Now, it's on Italian bread or French bread. So the bread's fantastic. And it had chicken. Parmesan, not Parmesan, mozzarella, tomatoes. It looked fabulous. I mean, it just looked incredible. It just looked so good. It was $ 5.

26:13 50.

26:14 I'm like, you've got to be kidding me, man.

26:17 I mean, I would eat that for later. Yes, that sandwich would cost you $ 18 here.

26:24 And Wes was saying the wine is the same way. Like they have a house wine that's 15 bucks for the bottle and it's tremendous. Yeah.

26:30 Yeah.

26:31 I never, when I'm, when I'm there and I, and I, I, you know, I, I like it. I like, uh, one of the things I like about that over there too, is that, uh, especially Italy and France is, and I'm sure it's with other countries too, but you know, the whole glass of wine thing at dinner is, it just lengthens the dinner. They want to enjoy their food. They don't rush through it like we do. They're not watching Netflix in their lap, with their food in their lap, you know, over dinner, as I frequently do. They enjoy it.

27:02 They enjoy it. And so you just get the house wine, and it makes you laugh, and it makes you extend the meal. I love a lot of the way they live over here. Of course, I love a lot of the way we live over here, too. But you just see the differences and the things that you like to import from their culture and uh and and that's part of why i like to travel enjoy the things that are different and celebrate the things that are different knowing that there are lots of great things right here at home and i'm.

27:30 Matt one uh one more including.

27:32 Big mugs of coffee by the way i tell people at every restaurant i'm like look man i'm american bring the coffee whatever you think i'm going to drink triple it more and that's you know Yeah, I'll be drinking a lot more than you think I'm going to drink. So anyway, I'm sorry.

27:49 That's it.

27:50 It was a great trip, and the Steelers won, and it was all wonderful.

27:54 All right, one more story before we get into the X's and O's here.

27:56 We're walking around with Dan Quinlan, his wife, Michael Birch from Steelers PR, Brian Bacco, Missy Matthews, a whole crew of our people, Alyssa.

28:09 And Alex from video and photo on the Steelers side.

28:13 We all go to Notre Dame together and then everyone kind of scatters to like grab dinner. And we wanted to see the Pantheon and they, Missy wanted to go shopping at some famous French sweater store and all this. And so, uh, Quinlan and his wife and Michael, Michael B from Steelers PR, Michael Birch, they go into like this little English pub. They're like, Oh, this looks like a great place to have a pint. Let's go in here.

28:35 Kinger whispers in my ear. He's like, I'm not going into an English pub in France. He's like, I got this place right around the corner.

28:42 You want to come with me? And I was like, let's do it. I was like, dude, I'm your shadow.

28:45 You jump off a bridge.

28:48 I'm jumping off the bridge. Rob King, I'm with you. We go into this little cafe.

28:51 I'm going to interject real quick. Rob, I made the joke that it sounded like Wes was like her big following around watt at training camp.

29:00 Maybe a little bit.

29:04 And so Kinger takes me into this little cafe around the corner, right in between Notre Dame and the Pantheon.

29:09 We sit at this little table.

29:11 He starts talking to the waitress in French, you know, orders us some onion soup and a glass of wine and And he looks at me and he goes, this is the same place I brought my wife on our honeymoon 30 years ago. And I was like, wow.

29:22 Same table.

29:22 I think we were at the same table.

29:24 Wow.

29:24 I started having some weird thoughts. Very romantic.

29:28 So romantic. That's what I say.

29:31 Easy now. Easy.

29:33 And that just got the night started.

29:38 It was kind of cool and kind of bizarre. I'm like, man, I was, I told the woman, I, I don't speak like, you know, I would try a little bit of French.

29:44 I don't speak French.

29:45 Um, and that's certainly being oversold, but I could, you know, I figured, Hey, listen, you know, uh, the 896 days of Duolingo, I better try something. Um, But I told the woman that I'd eaten there 30 years ago with my wife, and she's like, yeah, it hasn't changed. And I was like, no, it hasn't, man. Anyway, it was all a fun deal, man. It was fun to be over there.

30:08 Just a great time.

30:09 And then we did go to a Canadian place, and they had a framed picture of Mario.

30:13 He sent us a picture of him, yeah. He's international. He's cult. He's continental.

30:19 Well, Kinger, of course, the cherry on top was the victory Sunday against the Saints and then the steak frites dinner that we had afterwards.

30:26 But that's a different conversation for a different time.

30:30 And Matt and I kind of I would say the theme of yesterday's show, Rob, was how you get to this point in the NFL season. Everything's on tape. You know, the data is starting to become trends. It's starting to become concrete. Yes, you can still get better and teams will improve. But you are also starting to to show your spots and who you really are at the same time.

30:50 and kind of how who we think the Steelers are currently is a team who can travel in the trenches. That Steelers defensive front, that Steelers offensive line, it doesn't matter if they're in Pittsburgh or if they're in California or if they're in Cleveland or if they're in Paris. It doesn't matter if it's 70 degrees and sunny or if it's windy, rainy, snowy in the elements. I am starting to love just the bully that the Steelers were starting to love, the bully that the Steelers have built on both sides of the trenches.

31:17 Yeah, I mean, it is what they want the identity to be. And what you're talking about, I remember going to a press conference and Andy Weidel in the preseason a couple years ago, that's exactly what he said. That kind of ball travels and plays in any kind of conditions. There's other kind of ball that does not play in winter, in December, in Pittsburgh or Cleveland. It doesn't play there.

31:43 And so the Steelers aren't interested in that kind of ball. They want ball that that can play anywhere. And yeah, we're seeing, we're seeing that. And I think the other thing is, is I believe, you know, I always kind of divide the season into thirds, like just when the first third, of course, just went all the time, but just when the first or it doesn't matter how, and then start to build an identity in that second third of the season, and then start to sharpen that identity in the last third of the season. Now, of course there's, you know, There's always health and other things. But, you know, I think the Steelers are beginning to sharpen their identity.

32:20 They're a team that is very difficult to run against. Very difficult. They're a team that is starting to find their running game. I also think that there's upside. I mean, they're doing this without Derek Harmon. I believe that, you know, if you get Roman Wilson and Pittman back, and I don't know the prognosis on any of these guys yet, but that will help your passing game, I think, a little bit. I do think the offensive line is going to get better. So, You know, I'm bullish on them because I think they're a good team, but I also think that there's some upside still remaining. And I'm not sure that we've been able to say that as confidently about the Steelers in the past couple years that I feel about them right now.

33:01 So I think what's interesting and really encouraging, too, is obviously starting with Coach McCarthy, but the whole coaching staff seems very adaptable. I mean, like, it's been pretty obvious that they've had their really thought-out, detailed plans. with everything they absolutely do, but they're also adjusting on the fly.

33:19 And I use the example of McCarthy comes in as a heavy three wide receiver guy, but then he's like, wow, this Washington and Fryer moves character. I don't want to take these guys off the field. So we're going to be stronger 12 than he's ever been. And then, you know, you get kind of dealt, you get a little short at the wide receiver position. Let's go back to that six offensive lineman thing that they did last year. It's not really my cup of tea, but it worked for them.

33:43 Let's give it a shot. You know, so, I do think their adaptability and thoughtfulness of the moves that they make are pretty impressive.

33:54 I agree with you wholeheartedly, Matt. I think that's a great point. What did they use Spencer Anderson a dozen times, something along those lines?

34:00 Yeah, I think so.

34:02 Yeah, something along those lines, and you're right with the tight ends. One of the things that he said and one of the things that Patrick Graham said, now what coaches say and what they do is not always the same thing. whether that is just sort of falling back on things that they're comfortable with or whatever the case may be. But, you know, Mike McCarthy said, look, I'm going to build a game plan around the strength of my roster. He said that in his opening press conference.

34:30 And I think he's largely done that. And Patrick Graham said, we're going to change from week to week. And I think he's gradually done that as well. Now, I do think that we're seeing some we're seeing some of the personality come through. I go back and forth on this a lot. How important is it to have an identity?

34:53 I think there's some comfort in an identity. If the Steelers' identity was you can't run the ball against them and we can run the ball against you, well, that's a great identity. Going back to the Steelers of the 2000s, their identity was We're going to run the football. You're not going to run it against us. And when you go to pass in the fourth quarter, you are in big, big trouble because our pass rush is going to clobber you. Now, I don't know what the Steelers' identity will eventually be, but I also think in this day and age, adaptability is important too. I mean, just look within your own division.

35:24 One week you've got to stop just on the defensive side. You've got to stop Derrick Henry. The next week you've got to stop Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase. That's two completely different challenges. You have to be able to be adaptable. So I think that they've shown– We're starting to see a little bit of both, some identity, but also I think, as you said, Matt, we've seen sort of all along that there is some adaptability on the offensive and defensive side for the Steelers that I think should be embraced.

35:51 Rob King with us here on The Drive, voice of your Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course, the Steelers' next game Sunday, 1 o'clock at home there on the North Shore at Accresure Stadium.

35:59 Against the Cleveland Browns.

36:02 Kinger, I tell you what, of all the games that we had circled on our schedule at the beginning of the season, I don't think this was on the list.

36:08 No.

36:09 But all the but all of a sudden, this might be this might be the game of the week across the NFL this weekend. You've got two teams that are five and two, two traditional rivals. The Browns really feeling themselves after a big win against the.

36:22 No, sorry. That was part of me. That was Cincinnati who beat.

36:25 Well, they beat the Ravens two weeks ago and then beat Tennessee this past week. Um, but all of a sudden to Rob, like, I think it has been when this rivalry is at its best. We saw this a little bit during the Baker Mayfield Browns era. Uh, there's some, uh, there's some war of words going on between these two teams leading up to this one as well. This is, this is going to be a lot of fun on Sunday afternoon.

36:47 Yeah.

36:47 Jared verse had some interesting comments, you know, and I got to thinking about this, but at the tail end of in the locker room earlier today, you know, we were talking about the matchup and, You know, we're trying to keep our eyes on what we're talking about, but we're all really, really pumped for this game. Talking about Max and Willie and myself. But, you know, so I think the Browns are building something. I truly do. They've had two very good drafts in back-to-back years. They brought in– I thought they thoughtfully brought in some guys. Maybe some of those guys aren't the right guys. We'll see along the offensive line. But, you know, trying to build in the trenches– a little bit and, you know, drafting Mason

37:26 Graham in the first round a year ago, he's, he's blossoming into a better player that I think, you know, some may have thought he was going to be at this stage of his career, but, you know, they're also, you go back to last year's draft class. And again, short, short member, Jared verse, who had some comments, they're two in one against his dealers.

37:44 Yeah. You know, they're kind of getting used to it. Yeah. Yeah.

37:48 It's not like they're, it's not like they're looking, you know, looking back and, you know, sort of dragging their heels, scuffing into Akershire stadium, like, you know, like a dog that's, that's been whipped and is ready to get whipped again. Now, a lot of these guys are like, they're like, they're, I'm sure they're thinking, Hey man, it's time to build a new identity. And we're two in one against these guys and let's go in there and beat them. So I, I, there's so many layers to this game, each team being five and two each team, probably from a national perspective, certainly the Browns, but I think the Steelers as well being better than people's would have thought at this stage of the game. You know, the closeness of the rivalry,

38:25 the tradition of the rivalry. I can't wait, man. I just think this is going to be so much fun. And I think in a lot of ways, they're trying to do the same thing. You know, I mean, the Browns want to, you know, they want to run Quinshawn Judkins at you. They want to stop your running attack. You know, it's fun, man. I can't wait. I think it's going to be a great.

38:48 Game and a lot of fun.

38:51 Yeah, I think we were all kind of, when the schedule came out originally, rolling our eyes a little bit. Like, really, we couldn't get a bye week after Paris. We have to wait an extra week and all these different things.

39:01 At least it's the Browns. We'll roll right over there.

39:04 But I'm with you.

39:06 I'm glad that this game has happened on Sunday because it feels like two teams at 5-2 at the top of their division that are only about a two-hour drive away from each other and have some history.

39:15 It's going to be a lot of fun.

39:16 And of course, you can hear Rob King on the call with Max Starks and Missy Matthews Sunday, one o'clock on the Steelers Audio Network. Of course, on your flagship 102.5 WDVE. Kinger, fun stuff as always, man. Thanks for letting me be your shadow in France there, and thanks for taking the time for us here today.

39:37 Thanks, guys.

39:38 See you, partner. There he goes. King in the castle. Great stuff, as always, with our buddy Rob King. He's underselling it a little bit. He can speak some French.

39:45 Not like Chris Hoke.

39:46 Yeah, you said... Pokey's like fluent.

39:48 So here's the story too.

39:50 And I, again, we, you know, we were downloading a lot of thoughts yesterday and I told you there'd be some more stories throughout the week.

39:56 We get to the airport and it's, you know, a going or coming. This is coming home.

40:01 Okay.

40:02 So we're going Paris to Dublin to Pittsburgh, flying home, probably 60 different Steelers employees.

40:07 You know, people like myself and.

40:10 Brian Backo and Rob and Missy, a lot of the camera and video and content employees, probably I would say 50 or 60 of us that were making that flight. We get to Paris to check into our flight to Dublin and we were having some issues because they wanted us to check in on the manual kiosks. But since we were flying as a group, we had to like check in at the desk to get our boarding passes and Oh, if.

40:36 That makes sense.

40:36 It wasn't like you check it individually.

40:38 Correct.

40:38 Okay.

40:39 It's kind of how, like when we go to the owner's meetings and stuff, you kind of check in as a group and we were having some language barrier.

40:46 Issues and we were.

40:48 Unable to figure it out. I mean, we're for probably 10, 15 minutes, um, myself, Dan Quinlan, our boss, Reagan, you know, trying to like communicate, what do we do here? And all of a sudden Reagan's like, what are we doing?

41:01 Hokey.

41:01 Yeah.

41:02 Okay. There you go.

41:03 Get up here.

41:04 Yeah.

41:04 He's like, Bonjour, es una buena, big, big group of Pittsburgh Steelers.

41:10 And before we knew it, we were in the right line, and we were checking in, and we were in good shape. That's awesome.

41:16 It's like, here comes Chris Hoke to the rescue, and we would have been in trouble without him.

41:19 Wow. See, I didn't realize, I assume it was from his BYU Mormon mission he ended up over? Okay, okay. When Rob was describing him, it was kind of putting two and two together.

41:29 And enjoyed it so much, he learned the language and kept going back.

41:32 And loves it.

41:32 And loves it. All that stuff.

41:34 He was like the mayor of Paris there for a few days. Let's get to our last break of the first hour. Matt, when we come back on the other side, you're going to want to be watching this segment of the show on YouTube. I'm just giving everybody a warning because Matt has something pretty cool in studio with him that is a bit of a homage, a bit of a tip of the cap to our brother Dale Lawley.

41:55 We'll explain when we return and close down the first hour of The Drive. Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

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42:35 Louis, Missouri.

42:36 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable. So I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag.

42:46 And after what went down in.

42:47 The first round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

42:53 I told you they were building their own line.

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43:03 Get that hot dog costume ready.

43:05 Bruh.

43:10 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold.

43:14 Steelers Nation Radio.

43:26 Heading down the homestretch here of the first hour of The Drive on this Wednesday. Matt, we've got just a couple minutes left in our final segment here.

43:33 And you've got a.

43:35 Yeah, how about this?

43:36 A pretty special guest, pretty cool piece of hardware in the studio here right now sitting on your desk.

43:40 Of course, if you are watching on YouTube, you'll be able to see. But explain to the people what you got here.

43:44 Yeah, I think I mentioned before, Dale and I used to talk about it all the time, that 12 of them started a fantasy league at the Observer Reporter in Washington. And that's the name of the league. It's actually on this trophy. It's the ORFL, the Observer Reporter Fantasy League. Yes, exactly.

44:03 And.

44:04 They had two or three people leave, and the one day he comes in there, he's like, you're in a new fantasy league now. I'm like, what are you talking about?

44:11 I'm in too many fantasy leagues.

44:12 He's like, oh, no, no, you're in. They're like, there's no choice. He also grabbed Chris Carter and Chris Halleck. Nice. So I guess they had three spots open up, and he's like, this league's been going on for 30-some years. You guys are filling in. Do you like it or not? I'm like, all right, fine. And he took fantasy very seriously, as you can imagine. Yes, he did.

44:31 So.

44:32 We just, we're in the, in the midst of our third, my third season, the league's been going on forever and ever, I guess. Um, so the first year I was in it, Dale and I were definitely the powerhouses. I mean, and we talked a lot of fantasy on the drive back then. And it went down to the super bowl. I lost to him by, it was less than a point. It was like a fraction of a point, which couldn't have made him happier. Of course. I mean, like you heard about that.

44:57 Yes.

44:57 And then the next.

44:59 Year, To be fair, during the draft, he was pretty sick. My second year in fantasy, and shortly into the season, as everyone knows, he passed away. And his one son was already in the league. His other son took over Dale's team, the Lollygaggers. Of course, how could you not? But I ended up winning last year in fantasy. Yeah, so I've been a runner-up by a point, and then I won the title. So Dave Bowden was just here.

45:36 He's our commissioner. He started the league with Dale way back when. Had this trophy made, which is the Dale Lawley Championship trophy, which is pretty cool. I mean, it has his placard on there, like Stanley Cup, and then me. And then I'll be on here again today, this year.

45:51 Yeah, you'll be on there for about once. You'll do your Michael Jordan thing here and win six of the next seven.

45:57 Yeah, you get to do the Brady rings, you know? So pretty cool. They just dropped it off. I mean, the champion gets it year-round type of thing. And we've been trying to hook up. And to Dave's credit, he's like, you should have had this long ago. He tried to give it to me a couple times, and I wasn't able to. He's like, I'm coming to the station. When are you going to be there? I'm like, great.

46:16 That's pretty cool.

46:17 Yeah, and then... They were so kind this year. I had the third pick in the draft. They let me get Bajon Robinson with the third pick. And then coming around, I got Kenneth Walker. So I'll probably get pretty used to this thing.

46:27 So you should just go ahead and book your engraving appointment for this 2026 fantasy football title.

46:33 No, fantastic. Really cool.

46:35 But Dale would love this. I mean, this is so right up his alley. Yeah.

46:38 I mean, I think a lot of people have fantasy football trophies and stuff like that, but that thing, you've got to see.

46:43 It on YouTube.

46:44 It's pretty cool. It's legit.

46:47 And I'm sure you'll have some fun with having that thing down in the basement for the next five or six years.

46:51 Before you stub your toe and lose in the championship.

46:57 Hour in the books, another hour to go.

46:59 When we return on the other side, chuck on your favorite collegiate apparel because it's time to go around campus.

47:04 Ooh, baby, nice.

47:05 Wes Shuler, Matt Williamson, halfway home. Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.