Is it Time to Panic in Pittsburgh?

0:00But we got a reset. We talked about it earlier in the show. I want to talk about it more. What an incredible Thursday night football game That was last night coming down to the wire Way more offense way more points than a lot of us expected in a total that was 38. It's the Cleveland Brownies The first place Browns as you heard that chant first place Browns first place Browns first place Browns At Huntington Bankfield the dog pound was rocking They sac Aaron Rogers five times to Sean Watson leads another game winning drive and Schmidt happens baby Andre Schmidt The kicker who looks like he should be in finance and Doing your taxes every April Andre Schmidt hits the 56 yard field goal two for two on field goals three for three on extra points The hero at the end the Brownies beat the Steelers 27-24 They win again on Thursday they beat the Steelers again on a Thursday and yes the Cleveland Browns

1:00You heard that right are in first place in the AFC North and it's time to embrace it as much as That's right as much as you maybe like to run from the truth as much as I hate to see it as the truth Cleveland Browns are only getting better they are legit playoff contender and The Sean Watson's playing good football I got to brush my tongue after saying that but it's the truth right? I mean I gotta give you the facts I can give you my opinion then I'll I feel about it, but I gotta give you the facts This Cleveland offense they They they're not that great the numbers will tell you that their middle of the pack in the NFL in yards per game They're middle of the pack in EPA in offense But late game situations man in the clutch they get it done It's three straight game winning drives led by Dishon Watson And he did it again last night. I mean he stepped up and he makes him big time throws because the Browns scored all

2:03Their points in the second quarter They didn't get they didn't score in the first they didn't score in the third They had three straight touchdown drives in the second and outside of that they didn't do a whole lot of anything And then the fourth quarter came And after the Steelers scored a touchdown To make it a two-point game or to tie the game excuse me Or no hold on rewind one second all after the the Steelers scored a touchdown and failed to get the two that would have made it a Field goal game that made a 21 16 Cleveland was able to go seven plays 40 yards and they were able to bang through a long field goal from Andre Schmidt And that was their first point since the second quarter And then the Steelers go down and they tie the game and you're thinking oh this game's over Alan Rogers It took him a while, but he's inevitable. He was incredible on that final drive for the Steelers and they had everything working And the Browns haven't really done anything

3:04Like all right is Dishon Watson really gonna do this again here and when you know at the first play of that final drive He finds guess who Jerry Judy But there's some trade rumors right now going around Jerry Judy and he had gotten off to a super slow start to the season but All of a sudden Dishon Watson with pressure around him what looked like pretty good coverage from the Steelers He throws it over the linebackers in front of the safety's hits Jerry Judy in the middle of the field for 17 yards and That put him in position To get in field goal range Two passes later after a fall start he hits Harold Fanon out in the flat for 12 yards Then he hits Jerry Judy again on a wide open crosser over the middle And Then hits KC Concepts the own over the middle on a quick slant everything that the Steelers tried to throw at him when Patrick grand started to ramp up the blitzes Dishon Watson had the answers

4:05When Pittsburgh sat back and played soft zone he took the easy ones He took he had the answers now again He threw a pick in this game and he had a strip sac so you I mean he definitely wasn't perfect and he hasn't been but When they've needed to went go out and win a game. He's done it for them that that being said he nearly Shot themselves in the foot here on that final drive. It wasn't all poetry. It wasn't all beautiful. It wasn't all fantastic You know the second and four with the clock ticking under a minute and he takes a sack that he shouldn't have taken rather than throwing the ball away And then on third and eight he had KC Concepts the own open in the flat and completely throw it behind them and that's what forced a 56-year-older from Andre Schmidt when it looked like it could have been a whole life shorter than that But the kicker comes on and does this thing and it's a game-winning drive no matter how you slice it Even though it was ugly that that's that final drive. I'll say this for Dishon Watson has been emblematic of his season in the Brown season

5:05Has it been pretty it's been very ugly at times But when they've needed it most they've gotten it and he's got it Game-winning touchdown drive two weeks ago against the Bucket ears Game-winning touchdown drive Last week against the Panthers Game-winning drive to set up the field goal last night against the Steelers and And the Cleveland Browns they're it's time to embrace the hard truth and I think the truth that none of us Ever thought was possible through four games of this season. They're in first place. They're three in one The Sean Watson's playing well Todd Monkin looks like a good head coach And the Browns might be better off I Won't go that far. I was gonna say better off without Miles Garrett Maybe down the road because of all the draft capital they come back for Miles Garrett and yes See in a Zon Andrew Reserve right now. We have to one game

6:06That's like the rage bait take right there the Browns are better off without Miles Garrett but They look like a competent football team for the first time in years For the first time in years So I want to hear from you 310 840 4910 are you buying into the Cleveland Browns? Do you think they're legit? Or do you need to still see way more wins out of them before you start putting them in the playoff conversation That boil bet MGM tonight westwood once sports. Let's get to the Steelers side of things So it's a tough loss. I'm not surprised. I picked the Browns yesterday Brad picked the Browns on the show Short week Steelers defense they've been Unimpressive they've had their moments they get their turnover still they get their their havoc plays TJ Wad had another one last night with a strip sack But for 80% of the games this year outside of when they played Cooper rush in the Falcons

7:10They are a middle of the pack defense if not below average Their secondary is not very good and yesterday they trade away Joey Porter Jr So they're definitely not getting him there. There's no contract agreement to be made he's gone It's an aging team You know TJ want comes up with those one or two big plays a game. That's really about it Patrick Queen looks like he's lost the step Jalen Ramsey looks washed And on a short week with an aging defense I I Thought the Browns could move the football and they did now that they didn't run the ball all That well for the majority of the game They had the one big chunk play from Jalil McLaughlin who came out of nowhere But for the most most of that game it was tough sledding for Quinshaw and Judkins But the Sean Watson made some big throws and they made some big chunk plays I mean that's 60 yard catch that they gave up to Denzel Boston on

8:13Was it the last drive of the second half like that's unacceptable to have that giant of a breakdown on defense that can't happen Just cannot happen and so many of those plays have been happening too often this year for the Steelers and I like Patrick Ram I think he's a well-respected defense accordion or I think he's doing a decent job, but He hasn't been perfect the Steelers players sure as hell haven't been perfect and You know again like I said that part of it is yeah the Browns are actually a good football team But the Steelers gave up nearly 400 yards of offense to them and For stretches they were good, but for three possessions in a row in that second quarter they couldn't stop a lick they couldn't stop a nose bleed So I feel like that's kind of gonna be the whole Steelers season as it feels like it's been for the last several years Ups and downs wins that they shouldn't have losses that they shouldn't have and they'll slog their way to a

9:159-8 record maybe 10-7 maybe they get in as a wildcard team and Then they'll probably get pummeled in the wildcard round I if you feel like you're watching the same movie you are As a Steelers fan and I know that it's painful and know that it's frustrating It's like a clockwork orange your eyelids are taped open watching the same thing over over over again You just knew You just knew That on that final drive to Sean Watson was gonna beat you And if you thought otherwise then you are too much of an optimist 310 840 4910 That being said I did pick the Steelers as a playoff team I did pick them to go 10-7 this is kind of exactly where I thought they would be at 2-1-2 through four games now I didn't think they would I didn't think they'd beat the bingles and then lose to the Browns. I probably had that one opposite

10:18but they're 2-2 and Rogers is also emblematic of this team Wildly high ups and wildly low downs He's a roller coaster right now 22 of 40 299 yards three touchdowns two hundred sections last night He has some plays. He still has some throws where you just go. Wow only Aaron Rogers can do that And again on that final drive well the penultimate drive where they score the touchdown and get the two-point conversion to tie it I Mean every single throw he made was right on the freaking money Every single one I mean the the 22 yard fade down the sideline to Metcalf to get you know he gets pushed out of bounds Two plays later goes right back to him and puts the ball only where DK Metcalf can catch it I mean that was it was a gorgeous throw and then the touchdown pass To Pat Fryer-Muth that touchdown pass earlier in the game to Darnell Washington

11:22Beautiful. I mean there's vintage Rogers But then you have the Interceptions that he threw the interception to start the second quarter when the Steelers had all the momentum They come out of the gate with a 17-play 78 yard drive that takes up 10 minutes and The Browns barely have the football they punted away twice and you're thinking all right. This might be a blowout And then out of nowhere Rogers throws up a meatball to Denzel Ward And late in the game the final throw of the game You might think well pat it was desperation mode and they needed a they needed a near-Hell-Merry to get in field goal range If you go back and watch the final play they snap at the Rogers He rolls out to the right kind of a quasi-Hell-Merry. They had a time out So he tried to throw it like 40 yards. They can get field goal range and he tries chucking it up For Roman Wilson it gets picked off by Grant Delpitt if you go back and watch that

12:23DK Metcalf was open underneath Rogers never took his eye off Roman Wilson He wanted to throw the ball there and there only if he looked back across the middle of the field DK Metcalf underneath could have Absolutely made a play to get him to like the Browns 45 40 yard line. Yeah, it would have been like a 60-yarder, but He was open and Rogers missed him and His greatest Aaron Rogers is and yes, he's got his flaws at 42 years old and yes He's not very mobile anymore and yes He got sack five times a lot of that was on the Steelers offensive line I mean they can't protect him the Browns pass russians all over him. So a lot of this was not his fault Steelers offensive lines still has major question marks But right I mean there were certain plays Roger snaps the ball and he's got Browns defenders literally in his face Me and being coms were laughing about her like dude. He is under fire. He got sack five times. So again that being said

13:27There are times his pocket presence It's not that of a Hall of Famer a lot of times he kind of steps up into pass russians. He moves around in the pocket right into sacks so He's a roller coaster right now man. He's got some plays that drops your drawings got some plays are like oh Geez like he's cooked he doesn't have anymore And it's crazy that they can have those wild swings from possession to possession from within a possession They need to find some consistency And then the other biggest takeaway I have of this game 310 840 4910 pap oil bet mgm tonight westward one sports is I'm not worried one freaking bit About the the riffs and the arguments and the cursing at one another between Aaron Rogers and Mike McCarthy They've been around one another for basically two decades now Obviously not all together in green Bay now here in Pittsburgh. They know each other their competitors

14:30Rogers knows this is his final year to do anything. I mean literally he's retiring And And so Yeah, he's not afraid of let you know when he's pissed off I'm not worried one bit about Rogers and McCarthy that you got he gets caught on the broadcast yesterday in the huddle waiting for the call to come in from McCarthy And he goes then pleap and call it And he kind of he's showing up his head coach. They pan the McCarthy. He'd quite easily with the lip reading says you F and A hole Like it's it's so obvious because McCarthy take a listen to the stealer said coach. Here's Mike McCarthy afterwards was asked about that That back and forth if you will that dialogue with with this quarterback Aaron Rogers and and if the relationship between them is okay Listen to Mike McCarthy Something about some some on the TV But communications sometimes is not the best choice of words, but we're everybody's competing on the field

15:31And I think what's said on the field The way I grew up in this game, you know usually stays on the field. That's not the case today. I understand that but Yeah, any Negative communication on my part. I wish I wouldn't use those words Yeah, I wish I wouldn't have called Rogers a bleeping a hole That doesn't bother me. I'm not worried about their relationship falling apart I mean, it kind of it basically fell apart in green Bay now They're forced to be with one another here because they know that this could be or the for Rogers It's his final chance and for Mike McCarthy It could be his final chance at a head coaching gig like it has to work They have to put their differences aside and make it work when it was in green Bay Rogers was still in his prime McCarthy was still a young coach somewhat and you know, there was a breakup And if that's it felt like it was an obvious one now they're like the two And and I and I say this you know jokingly they're like the two like senior citizens that like get back Together later in life because they're like hey, I don't want to die alone. So you want to be together? Sure

16:34Let's make this work even though we might not like we might hate each other and I don't think they hate each other but And they do either way doesn't matter. I'm not worried that their relationship is gonna deteriorate and like And cost the Steelers their season Their competitors they want to win It does hurt me that Rogers is uh Very if like he'll he'll easily show up as teammates or show up as coaches, you know, you lip reading last week when Michael Pittman dropped the pass looked like he basically said he bleeping sucks this guy bleeping sucks And you know what what would happen with McCarthy that that that dialogue What one another not afraid to show up as head coach When When things when adversity is has faced Aaron Rogers so far this season he's easily irritated and I Again We we would always cherish Tom Brady for that when he smashes a tablet on the sideline or when he when he yells at a teammate or

17:40What have you was oh Brady just why just wants to win man. He's the ultimate competitor So I don't want to I don't want to sound like a hypocrite here and again, I Don't care that he Said what he said to McCarthy and I don't care that McCarthy said what he said to Rogers It just it kind of does hurt me though that that Rogers does will easily show up his teammates or his coaches As if he's as if he's played perfectly As he hasn't Because he hasn't so I don't know maybe it's the stealer the stealers seem like they're in panic mode. Maybe that's what I'm getting out here TJ Watgrab the headset and looked like he was barking at Patrick Graham in the middle of the game when the brown score three straight touchdowns It just it gives the vibes of a team That is not great at dealing with adversity That is flappable

18:42That it's easy to get under their skin. It's easy for them to get rattled now. I'm sure again the dog pound had a part in doing that Had a part in doing that But I know there was probably a lot of people today. There will be a lot of people on Monday Oh Rogers and McCarthy that this is they're saying gonna work now it will work if they win And they can curse at each other every single week. I don't give it damn But Rogers needs to play better Steelers defense needs to play better the offense of line That's probably the biggest issue that I'm worried about is the fact that he was under pressure Constantly and he's gotten used to having to get rid of the football quickly But it's a that's gonna be a big concern for them down the stretch if they can't consistently protect him because you know what I don't want to see this in his final year But if he's getting sacked four or five times a game and he's getting hit as much as he has he's gonna get hurt And I don't want to see that happen

19:43I don't want to see it happen because my heaviest debate my my most heated debate with Brad this summer Was that he's gonna throw more than 20 touchdown passes and he's already at seven through four games So I like the uh, I like the trackies on I'd like iron Rogers to stay healthy I'd like to watch him make the playoffs one final time in his final season But man, they've got some big problems the Steelers do Night's not surprising. I think they can work through some of them But again, it's just classic Pittsburgh Steelers the last couple of years They win a game against the Bengals that you don't think they'll win and then they lose the game against the Browns that You would think they would win that game 3 108 40 49 10 let's get to your phone calls here dan is in Jersey next up on bed mgm tonight is a big Steelers fan Dan What's going on man? How you feeling 24 hours later? Oh Bro, there's so much frustration man. I could be on it to show for a half hour talking about it Um, yeah, go ahead Sorry about this all more to say

20:44The the thing with the Rogers game sacked if you go back and look at that The offensive line gave him time for those five sacks He just held on to the ball and you kind of made the point when you were talking about Well, I played a game when he threw that almost half hell in the area Which I didn't think was needed with a dime out Um Man, I lost my train at block, but I'm just so frustrated. I'll get to my other point You know, you see Rogers yelling all over the place. You see the players yelling all over the place You know, I know it's probably time for Tom and the go but you never saw this with his teams He always had to pull the teams people are freaking out all over the place and Rogers is missing throws all over the place Yeah, and so Dan does that does that worry you that it seems like the um The emotional the emotional volatility has been ratcheted up so much Or do you think that maybe that it could be a good thing that guys like TJ want and Rogers need to light some fires under some guys Asses

21:45I look at Rogers more complaining because when I see him miss throws he's not complaining But if he sees a receiver running the wrong route he's over there yelling I'm like And it's just too fresh. It's like a leadership. I really think Rogers more running this team than McCarthy Yeah, I mean that's fair Dan. I appreciate the call man. I appreciate the call. Thank you for making it And it's again, that's a very visibly stealer frustrated stealers fan there You know, you look at their um, they're upcoming schedule here They better find some wins coming up they play the cults the Buccaneers the Saints across the pond and then the Browns again Those are four winnable games and you know what Unfortunately where they should be able to go three and one they'll probably end up going two and two And they'll probably be at four and four coming off the by week and then things get tough They play the bingles eagles broncos texans jaguars ravens and a six game span

22:46So I might need to rethink if they're actually a playoff team or not if they are foreign for going into that by week They're five and three You like their chances Four and four but that schedule after the by week. I'm not so sure I don't know how they get the ten wins at that point if they're foreign for going into the by week 3 108 40 49 10 but yeah, Rodgers is you I can see how it is um How it it is more complaining Then leadership then firing guys up. There's a time and place to do that and yeah when things go wrong It does seem like he flies off the lid easily And we're right you didn't see that with Mike Tomlin last year They were here. They were consistent now they were consistently average Some game again on Sunday again since an adi man they they they were peaking they looked awesome They look great the offense look great The defense yet you would expect them to give up some chunk yards to burrow in the bingles But they got the turnovers when they needed it. That was a big emotional win

23:46And they had some highs in this game You know that fourth quarter offense look great Rodgers making every throw the defense gets two turnovers at the Sean Watson in the second half But the lows in that game last night like 21 points unanswered in the second quarter The game winning drive They're gonna be a rollercoaster all year unfortunately, so stillers fans buckle up 3 108 40 49 10 when we come back Go back to Cleveland because we got trade rumors Especially now it to Sean Watson playing so well do the browns ship out one of the most polarizing quarterbacks and football I'll explain when we come back 3 108 40 49 10. I'm Pat Boyle. This is bet mg mton item westwood on sports