HR1: Memory Lane

Alongside Bob Labriola, Matt and Dale share stories and bring up old memories of the Steelers Raiders rivalry.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black
and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to the Drive.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
I am Dale Lolly and he is the Matt Williamson.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
It's a Wednesday here in Pittsburgh and Steelers back on
the practice field today. So are the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
And they have made Wednesday. By the way, did you
mentioned that part?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Very nice and pleasant in Vegas today too, very match
I don't know who knows anyways, Matt, the Raiders coming
out not even trying to sugarcoat this or hide it.
Aidan O'Connell will be in the starting lineup against the
Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, I guess I'm not surprised. I mean, I'm not
saying they're cashing in their chips, but they sure look
like they're looking for towards tomorrow more than they are
today with the Davonte Adams stuff. And you've pulled Minshew twice. Now,
the Colts got a lot out of Minshew, but he's
a very limited guy, and frankly, the Colts are much
better designed offense than the Raiders. Be he does put

(01:13):
the ball in harm's way. I don't have a great
scouting report on O'Connell. I mean, I don't think he
has massive strengths or weaknesses. To me, he profiles as
a ten year backup. You know that will retire one
day with a bunch of millions in the bank and
be happy, but never be the answer for anybody. And
I think it's particularly hard to play against.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
He has appeared in thirteen NFL games in his career.
Ten of those are starts. He's five and five in
his starts, and one of those starts came in a
twenty to fourteen win over the Chiefs last year in
Kansas City, which sounds impressive. Yeah, yeah, until you look
at that game and you realize they won twenty to fourteen.

(01:54):
He was nine for twenty one for sixty two yards.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Oh wow.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
They returned a fumble for a touchdown and an inner
exception for a touchdown.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
That helps.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
That helps. Every time you scored two defensive touchdowns, you'll
even beat the Chiefs.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
That says a lot. Yeah, he has not put up
big numbers. He's had a decent supporting cast over the
I mean this is second year in the league.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
Post.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
You remember he's a rookie.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
But last year when he you know, you look down
the stretch when he was playing, he was their starter
basically for you know, for the final.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
They made the coaching change.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah it got hot.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yeah he had DeVante Adams. Yeah, oh yeah, he had
you know, the mayor and Myers, Yeah, Josh Jacobs and right,
and it wasn't a bad line. I mean, it was
a decent supporting cast. Yeah, playing well. I don't know
that they have that this year. I know they don't.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
They're not going to have DeVante Adams.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
Not gonna have DeVante Adams. They do have Bowers, which
is a very very very nice addition.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
But he's not DeVante Adams and they don't have Jacobs anymore.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
I just think the team's in a way different place. Yeah,
you know, I mean that was they were so happy
to get Josh McDaniels out of the building and breath
of fresh air. You know, everything's lighter and easier, and
then you realize we're still not that good, you know.
I mean, and now maybe they're they're I'm hard on

(03:08):
peers because I think he got a head job way
too early, you know, I mean, he's only been a
coach for like five years. I mean, like he's not
been a football coach.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
He was a coach in college long enough to get
a sanctions.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
NCAA sanctions against him last week.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Oh did he I didn't see that. He didn't see that. Yeah, yeah,
he got show clause stuff that I see. Yeah, so
you got out of that. But I do think they're
kind of looking at him.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah. I think they're the NFL. That might be a
NFC West thing. So I think people were starting to
question them within the building too, like, you know, what,
what value do you bring to the table. I mean,
our defense is okay, but on game day? How much
are you helping us? Are you making us a better coach?
I don't know. I mean I don't know that he's
long for that position.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
One thing I will say that O'Connell will do is
run a little bit more.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, it's a good point.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
He has twenty six carries for one hundred and ninety
two yards. That's six point four yards rush per rushing attempt.
He doesn't do it a lot, two or three times
per game, but if he's converting first downs with his legs,
it's like a hurts yard.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's substantial. I did dig up
his numbers. I mean they're not great, but where was
it here? I mean this, so, even just this year,
Minshew's completing seventy one percent, O'Connell's at fifty nine. Average
depth of target is deeper for O'Connell, he's a little
bit more of a risk taker at eight point two

(04:28):
is opposed to six ' four for Minshew. But yards
per attempt minshew's at seven to two and O'Connell's at
five five. It's not completing, it's not complete them. Yeah, right,
I mean, well that was something right.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
We talked earlier today and I mentioned that their deep
passing game has not been there, like anything past the
sticks is they're like six of fifteen twenty or more
yards down the field. They were like thirteen of twenty
with ten or more yards down the field within that
ten to twenty range, which isn't you know, they're not

(05:00):
They're not swinging and hitting a lot of pitches that
are in that range. Everything is more close to the
line of scrimmage.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Yeah, and I had just double checked too. Minshew has
does not have a rushing attempt this year. He hasn't
played a ton. But or O'Connell doesn't have a rushing
attempt this year. I mean Minshew has eleven, but he
doesn't played a ton either. I mean he's coming in
relief duty? Am I right on that? Are you look
at the same stuff I'm looking?

Speaker 2 (05:22):
I was looking, you know what, I was looking at
the wrong stuff before. I'm looking at his sack yards?
Oh no, so that's twenty six, twenty six and ninety two.
He has seventeen carries for eleven yards. I first pologized,
I am completely wrong. He is not a runner. He's
not a runner.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
I mean he can, I mean he's not a terrible athlete,
but he is not He does not have a rushing
attempt this year, and minshell, he just not. Yeah so
and even last year.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
I'm just looking at this year now that I got
the right stat lines lined up here.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
They'll take some sacks too, take some sacks.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
And his long rush for his career is three yards.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
So wow, would thought he was even better than that,
but yikes, yeah, so.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
Kind of more of a stationary target in the pocket. Now.
The Steelers, of course, won't have alex Higsmith. They won't
have a Nick Kurbig we'll see what they do it
outside linebacker here on the on the quarterbacks blind side.
But the Raiders also might be starting some inexperience at
right tackle if Delmark Glaze has to play.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, I'm want to go back something else you were
saying too about there's a lot of short throws. They
don't really have a deep threat. You know, it's a
Bowers and Myers centric offense. Neither one runs a four
to two you know what I mean. It's not Al Davis.
You know, give me Clifford Brand.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Run down the sideline right, throw it up.

Speaker 3 (06:43):
And then we were talking today about for our keys
for our video tomorrow, and I went and double checked.
Their yards have to catch aren't even that good? You know,
like that's what they're trying to do. But it's not
like they're the Niners of Debo and you know, getting
them in great spots and just watching them. I don't
see a lot of routes where they hit him in
stride and keep going. It's a lot of comebacks and

(07:03):
you know, static stuff. It's not great.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, So we'll see, we see what this means for.
You know, there is a little bit of an unknown
factor there. He has played in two games this year
and he's thrown thirty two passes, so it's not completely unknown. No,
he played a lot last year and he played you know,
all the way down the stretch last year.

Speaker 3 (07:22):
But again, the personnel different now than what it was then,
and the right tackle is not great.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
And the right tackle is not great, and you know,
the line in general is not great.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
No, it's not. And sporting cast is below average. The
running game is non existent. That's better than that, I guess.
I mean, we said the same thing about Dallas, but
they would like to run the ball, but they're very
bad at it. So they have a very high pass percentage,
which isn't great when you're probably have the worst quarterback
situation in the league.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Well, so Zamir White didn't play last week, right, and
so it was all Alexander Madison. He you know, he's
ever three point nine yards per carry, and then you know,
a mire Abdullah came in and he finished with seven
carries for forty three yards, but he had a forty
yard run. He had a forty yard run, so his
other six carries got him three three yards.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
A weird Abdullah note. And maybe just because the game
is out of hand, but he's the only running back
that played in the fourth quarter, so he played all
twenty two snaps in the fourth quarter. I assume its
just to get him out of the game.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
Yeah, you know, don't get Bryson hurt as well.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Right exactly. But man, some of their their running back
numbers are so bad. I mean, their running backs are
lasting success rate and last with in terms of rushing
attempts gaining a first down or touchdown. I mean, unless
all their rushing numbers are at the bottom of the league.

Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, and on the other side of that, without Christian
Wilkins in the middle of their defense, who they gave up,
you know, a lot to get from Miami. It's gonna
be John Jenkins and either Nest or Jade Silvera or Adam.

Speaker 3 (09:02):
Butler, a bunch of borderline dudes.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
And really, you know that one of the strengths of
the Steelers offensive line should be it should be the
run blocking. He should be a power running and this
is a game that sets up don't mess around with
tosses and things like that. To Harris, we.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
Run power, get him going downhill. Yeah, yeah, I don't
want him going left and right. You know, he's gonna
be the primary ball carrier, I mean, as he usually is.
But the other guys behind him are questionable at best,
you know, who knows. So he's gonna get a lot
of touches really work to his strengths. And rewatching a
Steeler game, no shocker, Linn Bel Joseph was a problem,

(09:42):
but Fraser had a really good game. Still, I thought
McCormick played really, really well. Like I'm pretty confident about
him being a solid right guard next year, legit starting player,
you know what I mean. So that to play your strengths,
you know, and I'm sure see them all play well,
and it's I can get back to you.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
Yeah, I mean I think some of you last week
was just him getting his legs back under him.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
Uh So.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
Looking at the Steelers injury report, a lot of guys
rested today That included Nage, Harris, Maker, Fitzpatrick, Isaac Sayamalu,
t J. Watt, Cam Hayward, and Larry Ogan Jobi.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
That's a pretty long list.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
No, none more injury related. Russell Wilson a full participant
out there today. And I'm not giving away anything here
by saying he looked he was.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
Doing looks healthy and doing.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Everything everything they needed them to do in the pocket.

Speaker 4 (10:32):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Demonte Kyz did not practice. As Mike Tomlins said earlier
in the week, he is quite doubtful to play this week.
He's got that ankle injury. Nick Krbig has already been
declared out. He didn't practice. Alex Heismith the same for him.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Michael Pruitt limited, step in the right direction, step in
the right direction, as was Jaylen Warren.

Speaker 3 (10:56):
Oh wow, that's great. I mean, so at a minimum,
you would think those guys are back next.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
Week at the very least. But I think there's a chance.
And so the NFL has changed what they consider limited
in terms of how you have to report that. If
a player is working on the side with trainers, you
have to list him as limited because he did something.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
He did something. He's not just standing there in a
boot or whatever.

Speaker 2 (11:26):
So when you see a DMP next to a guy,
he did nothing in.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
Practice, didn't do one thing, he didn't walk on the field,
didn't do any Okay.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
When you see a guy as limited, that could mean
he was limited taking some he could have done some
position drills and things of that nature, but he also
could have been working to this with on the side
with trainers and things of that nature. He could have
done both.

Speaker 3 (11:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a pretty wide range. Obviously,
you could do very light work.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
Well, it used to be if a guy was off
working on the side with trainers, he didn't.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
He just listened to me. He didn't participate in practice.
He was just out there.

Speaker 4 (11:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (11:57):
Okay, I don't know which rule I like better, but
either one. I mean, so, I mean he could have
just done team or just on drill work or whatever.

Speaker 2 (12:07):
Typically if they do team stuff, you get a full participation,
I would assume.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
So, yeah, because you're actually out there doing true football stuff.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
So it's worth at least keeping an eye on Warren
and prew it, you know, the next two days to
see where they're at. And they could certainly use They
could use Warren for sure, but they could use.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
Pro I would really love to see Warren back, but
prove it would be useful as well. There's no question,
because a more more versatility with their personnel packages, and
I mean more thirteen even more fourteen. You know, they
haven't run the ball well without Proud in there. No,
they haven't, they absolutely haven't. He's more valuable than you
think he's kind of a glue guy, you know, like
he can detach a little, he can be in the

(12:46):
backfield a little, he can be in line. I don't
think he's the kind of a jack of all trades
master of none. But that's valuable, you know, because there
are other tight ends. We say it's all the time.
Hayward and Washington are two different beasts altogether, and he's
like halfway in between.

Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah, so we'll see where that goes, you know, with
that injury report the rest of this week. Of course,
we don't have the Raiders injury report yet because yeah, yeah, West.

Speaker 3 (13:06):
Coast time, but you get their share of stuff too.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
If the Steelers, if they can get Jalen Warren back, oh,
I would love that would be a big get. I
think in the running game, I know, again you're running
your offense and Naugy Harris's last couple of games again
without a competent second runner. It hasn't looked the same
without Michael Prude. I don't know if there's anything to

(13:31):
this or not, but it hasn't looked the same without
Michael Prude in there.

Speaker 3 (13:34):
No, and boy, i'd love to see Warren get a
bunch of carries, you know, I mean I almost feel
like he's out of sight, out of mind for how
much he contributed last year and all the things he
brings to the table. He's a really really.

Speaker 2 (13:45):
Good the third down stuff alone. Yeah, how many times
did they check one down to Warren? You know, it's
third and nine and he gets ten?

Speaker 3 (13:54):
I think Warren or I think Nausey played one snap
on third down this week, which means less guys are
out there, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (14:02):
If he's going to be your your every down back, right,
you gotta spell himself. You've got to find some way
to not have him out there one hundred percent of
the snap.

Speaker 3 (14:08):
Right, and he still played a lot.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
Yeah, I mean a lot, And so I think, you know,
in that respect, less might be you know that that's
where was he at last year? Fifty five percent of
the snaps something like that. I think, well over and
warm was it forty five percent? That was a nice
balance between the two.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, and they both are good at what they did,
and you know, I mean there was a lot of
value there.

Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yeah, So see if they can get back to that
once Jalen Warren is back hopefully this week.

Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah, that is discouraging. I'd love to see him even
next week. I think he's been missed. Yeah, I do
as well. Let's get to a break. He is the
Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to the
Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. When we return,
will be joined by the Lord of Living in his Fears,
Bob Labriola right after this.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
At least he's the Drive if with Dale Lolly and
Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of
the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
Welcome to the Drive. I am Dale Lolly. He is
the Matt Williamson, and we are joined on the phone
line now as we are every Wednesday here in the
beautiful studios here at iHeart Radio, Bob Labriola, the Lord
of Living in his fears, the Dean of Doom and Labs.

(15:43):
There's plenty to be living in your fears about right now.

Speaker 4 (15:47):
I was just gonna say, you guys all happy they're
in those beautiful iHeart studios yourselves? Am I the only
one who is you know, a little bit concerned about
this uh two game losing streak maybe, and maybe even
more than that, the growing injury list.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
The injury list is concerning Matt and now we're just
going over this week's injury report, and uh, well, there
were a lot of guys who weren't practicing. A lot
of them were because they were resting. But at the
same time, it was a who's who list of who
didn't practice as opposed to his and and it's cluster injuries, Bob.
It's it's all at two positions right now.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
Yeah, I mean it's you know, I get the whole
you know, injuries are part of the game. I mean,
that's the way you have to look at it in
this business. And I also get the you know, next
man up philosophy, because that's what you have to tell
your team. I mean, you cannot be saying, oh my god.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
I'm gonna lose right or or look at look at
all of the offensive linemen that we have lost.

Speaker 4 (16:59):
Either they're you're on injured reserve now or they're you know,
somehow not one hundred percent or just getting back from
the injured reserve list, or you know whatever. Yeah, the
cluster injuries, the situation at outside linebacker, you know, it's

(17:22):
just uh it, rosters can only absorb so much. I mean,
that's all there is. It's not like college where you
have one hundred plus people at practice every day. Uh so, yeah,
it's the injury situation is disturbing. I mean, if you're

(17:45):
asking me to flip it around and what am I
hanging my hat on this week, I'm kind of encouraged
about the possibility of Russell Wilson moving his way up
back onto the field. I think that I certainly have

(18:06):
been impressed with Justin Fields, and I'm I'm surprised in
a good way what he's been able to do and
how he has improved and all of that stuff. But
Russell Wilson was signed for a reason. And one of
those reasons, I mean I heard and don't don't hold
this against me, okay, but on Sunday in my car

(18:29):
because the traffic was interesting, a lot of people in
and around the North Shore last Sunday for that Steelers Cowboys.
But I had, but I had, but I had the
PURSUITA and Charlie Batch on Steelers post game. And one
of the points that Charlie Batch made and I'm giving
him credit for this because it really kind of sparked

(18:51):
us in my head, the Steelers have no on field
leaders on offense, they don't. He's not wrong, and I
think that that's you know, over the course of an
NFL season, that has value. I think that it has
value in a lot of different ways. And you know,

(19:13):
Russell Wilson is the only guy who gives you that.
I mean, you need it has to be. It has
to be a position of well, unless you're Marquise Pouncey,
you need to be, you know, one of the premier positions.
Certainly Marquith Pouncey was a premier player and person and

(19:37):
presence all of those things. But when you look at
the Steelers offense right now, Uh, it's got to be
Russell Wilson. And he really does, in my opinion, check
all the boxes and.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
For a reason.

Speaker 4 (19:52):
Well yeah, and the way he has carried himself, what
he has experienced. I really think that they need that now.
And I'm not you know, Russell Wilson can't make up
for everything, all of the weaknesses in the roster. And

(20:16):
I believe this about Ben Roethlisberger too, And I'm not
saying they're the same kind of players or anything, but
a good quarterback, a veteran experienced quarterback who knows how
to win, who has won. He's an eraser. I mean
he can erase things, bad things for your team quickly,

(20:37):
answering a touchdown with a touchdown. If you're having a
tough time of it and your defense comes up with
a takeaway in plus territory, he can stick it in
the end zone quick. I mean, these are the kind
of things that when you're playing good teams in the
NFL on a weekly basis, it's a few handful of

(21:01):
plays that determining outcome. And if you can get a
guy who can maybe make a couple of those plays
in your favor and he's a quarterback, that's I think
that's pretty significant. The other thing, and the other.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
Thing that a veteran quarterback does, Bob, is you don't
go into a half like you did last year last weekend,
where George Pickens has two targets and Pat Fairrenmuth has none.
One thing that Ben Roethlisberger always did early in games
and you looked down at the end of the first
court and be like, wow, they had seven different receivers
targeted in the first quarter. You get everybody involved early

(21:40):
in the game, and that way you don't have guys
kind of moping around or doing this or doing that,
or thinking they're not part of the game plan.

Speaker 3 (21:47):
I would also think there'll be less botch snaps are
an obvious one, but less procedural issues too.

Speaker 4 (21:56):
Yeah, you know, because the other thing is your coordinator
and your head coach are much more willing to you know,
I won't say live on the edge or anything, but well, yeah,
you can call more things and and I don't I

(22:17):
don't think the the restrictions are the same. For example,
they would never have told Ben don't throw in the
middle of the field Atlanta the opener, you know what
I mean, just absolutely right, Hey Ben, read the field,
you know, get the ball to and so then you

(22:38):
have more I.

Speaker 3 (22:40):
Know that stuff, you know, don't bug me.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
Yeah, and even and even then, even then it didn't always, it.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
Didn't always work out sometimes you.

Speaker 4 (22:49):
Sure, but anyway, you're more willing to, you know, play
a little looser with it, and so you have an
opportunity to get the Baltimore people. Maybe you have if
you convert more third downs because you're a little bit
more aggressive on third's third downs. And then also maybe
you're aggressive on first and second downs and you're not

(23:10):
in as many third downs as the Steelers offense has
been in either. So again, this is kind of what
I'm hoping for that Russell Wilson can bring. And you know,
kind of that's what I'm hanging my hat on right
now in terms of being optimistic.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
So labs are want to get back to present day
in a minute. But I love chatting NFL and Steeler's
history with you. And this is another franchise that's rivals
Dallas for Steeler history and can you educate our younger
folks listening about who Al Davis was.

Speaker 4 (23:48):
Al Davis, Well, if you want to just keep it
Steelers Raiders, Al Davis was I think his official title
was the managing General Partner or something, but Al called
all the shots and Al in the early days of
the a f L, Al was a coach.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
Al and Chuck nor were on the same coaching staff.

Speaker 4 (24:15):
Right, So Al as the other as the owner, as
the guy who called all the shots, I mean, Al,
he was involved in personnel way more than Granry. Well
maybe you know, maybe Jerry Jones is up there though,

(24:37):
but historically probably, I mean, I don't you know, being
that wasn't what was in in in vogue in terms
of what owners did in that era.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
And not only that, but he was also like they
ran his philosophy offensively and he.

Speaker 3 (24:55):
Didn't own home depot and bought a team, right.

Speaker 4 (25:01):
Right, So so anyway, but Al always believed that the
that the NFL was against him, you know, him and
Rosell had the feuds, and so he believed he got
screwed in the Amaco reception. And so that became the

(25:24):
foundation for you know, the Raiders hatred of the Steelers
and a lot of the you know, and once you
started hating Joe Green and those people, they were really
willing to hate you back that it was not you
didn't need you did not need to be motivated for

(25:48):
a game against the Raiders.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
And then they're the only two teams, the Steelers and
Raiders in the seventies are the only two teams in
NFL history that met five consecutive years in the playoffs. Wow,
think about that. Yeah, it only happened.

Speaker 4 (26:04):
If the Raiders were in the NFC. It would have
been Steelers Raiders' Super Bowls because my opinion, all those years,
the Raiders were the second best team in the NFL,
I mean Dallas who they were going through to get
to the Super Bowl, to me, was not as significant
as the path you had to travel in the AFC.

(26:25):
And I believe, and there are significant Steelers players who
believe that the nineteen seventy four AFC Championship Game was
the most important game in franchise history because that showed
that both themselves and the Raiders in the NFL. When

(26:46):
you can go to Oakland and beat the Raiders for
a championship game after the Raiders had beaten the Dolphins,
that's a statement. And that wasn't a close game, regardless
of what the score was. So you know, that was
a real butt kicking. And then you know, after that

(27:10):
it kind of got good with the you know some
of the side show stuff. I mean, al Al was
convinced he got screwed by the league at the mclar reception.
He is convinced, he was convinced of the day he
died that the Steelers did the hocus pocus with the
tarp in the nineteen seventy five AFC Championship game so

(27:31):
that the sidelines were icy, which was where Cliff Branch
liked to operate. And so then you know the wrong
with that, well, I mean the writing on the footballs,
vasiline on the footballs. I mean that was I think
that was seventy three in Oakland. But there was a

(27:54):
lot of just you know, it was it was very
much Steelers Havens of the seventies, only in the seventies
you could what they did to Lynn Swan was criminal.

Speaker 3 (28:07):
Not seriously, Oh yeah, like.

Speaker 4 (28:09):
Literally James Harrison was vilified for what he did. He
never got close to what Atkinson and Tatum were doing.
The Swan's head over the middle off the ball. I mean,
you know what you did in the seventies in the NFL,
they put you in prison for now on an NFL field, Yes,

(28:35):
very much so. And then there was that.

Speaker 2 (28:37):
Old thing for those who don't know, for.

Speaker 4 (28:40):
Those who don't know, uh, you know that Chuck Mole
he responded to that nineteen seventy six opener and said
there was a criminal element in the NFL and referring
to the Raiders and what they've done to Swan in
that game the day before. And then that led to
the whole lawsuit thing, and oh man, it was you know,

(29:05):
at one point my blunt was suan Chuck.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
No. But even like rivalry aside, like him or hate him.
He's one of the most influential people in NFL history, right.

Speaker 4 (29:17):
Oh, absolutely, it's the only thing is you know a
lot of Then Al really really kind of put himself
in a bad light with the other owners when he
moved to la and then because you know, the moving
back and forth thing at that time, again, it was

(29:42):
not it was not as common for teams to move cities,
especially a flagship city. You know, Oakland was in the
original a f L. So that whole movement in the
in the middle eighties and stuff that was seen as

(30:03):
a violation of trust I think by the other owners
from a business standpoint. And so there was that too.
So Al was, yes, very influential, very much hated. I
think that is a fair.

Speaker 3 (30:18):
Rather unique fair.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
I can remember reading a story about the old AFL
days when he was an assistant coach and uh he
was with the Chargers with Chuck Noll was also on
the staff, and the Chargers were and and Broncos were
a rivalry back then. And one of the one of
the Broncos players had played for the Chargers at one

(30:40):
point and he looks up in the locker room a
couple of days before the Chargers are playing, are set
to play the Broncos, and Al Davis is in the
locker room pretending to be a reporter, asking asking players
questions about scheme and stuff like that, like there are
reasons why there are rules in place about things like that.

(31:02):
Because Al Davis crossed those lines, he was fine.

Speaker 4 (31:07):
Even and seriously even. I remember Ron Earhart telling me,
you know, when Ron Earhart came from the Giants with
Bill Kher's inaugural staff, and we were just bs one time,
and Ron Earhart was telling me about interviewing for head
coaching jobs, which he had done, you know before he

(31:30):
came to the Steelers, and he said, now you go
to any of these teams and then a lot of them,
they'll put you up on the whiteboard and ask you
to diagram some stuff. He said, when I went to Oakland,
Al had like an artist drawing pad, you know, big
white pieces of paper, and Al would give you the

(31:52):
think marker and want you to diagram it, and then
he would just flip it over for the next question.
So he saved all of your so Eron said, you
know I did that once. You know, he flipped it
over and he asked me another question, he said, I
you know, did it again. He flipped it over and

(32:13):
he asked me another one, and I told him, I said, hey,
you want any more answers like this, you got to
hire me. So, I mean, that's that's the kind of
guy I was. I mean, he was looking for every
edge he could get. He didn't care who he screwed
or trying to screw whether they were the league, or

(32:34):
make some of his own players.

Speaker 2 (32:35):
I'm sure I just sort of imagine Marcus Allen.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
Marcus Allen, Yeah, you know it was Yeah, I was.
I was ruthless, Macheavellian in a way.

Speaker 3 (32:47):
But it sure seemed like a lot of those lifetime
Raiders would run through a wall for him. Absolutely adored him.
He hired the first African American coach, I mean.

Speaker 4 (32:55):
Like yes, yeah. And when there also was talk flash
rumors about an unofficial rule that for any Raiders who
were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, AL
was the presenter. Seriously, that gave him a lot, a
lot of eyeballs, a lot of exposure. And Al had

(33:18):
you know, access to grind and he was not above
using that at that time too, you know, uh, get
make his points. Let's put it that way. So, yes,
Al al Davis was a very unique individual, significant owner

(33:41):
in the NFL. Oh here's one more story. All of
the all of the merchandise partners for the league, you know,
a starter for a while, and then Nike got involved,
and you know that those people that supply all of
the uniforms and stuff to the league, well they had
to make you know, the way it works is all

(34:04):
teams have colors, primary colors, and that's what these merchandising
companies make because they can't make everything. So but for
the Raiders, you know, he had your primary colors. So
the Raiders were black and silver, so that was their primary.
Most of their merchandise was made up in that color scheme.
But for Al, only for Al, they had to make. Remember,

(34:27):
Al had the white sweatsuit.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
First I saw him, he was wearing that white sweatsuit,
standing in my spot in my seat in the press box,
and I had to wait for Al and in Al
Lucasio his henchmen, they're standing there looking at the field
at three of her stadium. I'm like, all right, do
I I'll just wait.

Speaker 3 (34:46):
I think he only wore black, silver and white his
entire since this day he got employed by the Raiders.

Speaker 4 (34:52):
Yeah, but I mean that that particular color scheme for
the Raiders was only to be made for al right,
and they didn't sell that. You couldn't find that, Like
you could buy the jackets and stuff that Kyleer wore
on a side jacket. They had them, yes, because that

(35:16):
was the whole idea behind him. You'd see, you know,
and Kyleer with those startered things or you know whatever hats.
I mean, that's and you saw that across the league.
Not with the Raiders though, And you know, Dan Rooney
wasn't a guy to wear.

Speaker 3 (35:30):
Yeah, Dan wasn't wearing a silver, white, white tracksuit.

Speaker 4 (35:35):
But the jackets that he that Dan Rooney would wear,
you could also buy those, yeah, you know, they were
pretty much the the main line of merchandise for his team.
But no, with the Raiders, Al had his own thing.
He got it, nobody else did, and it kind of
didn't adhere strictly to the letter of the rule in
terms of what they were supposed to be manufacturing. So

(35:58):
you know, again there are rules, and you know then
there's dueling out once and you know a lot of
times that happened.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
Bob, it looks like, well, it's definitely gonna be Aidan
O'Connell this weekend for the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
Quarterback.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
Got to see a little bit of him last season.
He's played a handful of snaps this year, but still
just a second year guy.

Speaker 3 (36:24):
Does that alleviate some of your fears in this game
or does that?

Speaker 4 (36:28):
You know?

Speaker 2 (36:28):
Do you do you fear the unknown more?

Speaker 4 (36:32):
Again, I think even though it's the the sixth week
of the season, sixth game, the two quarterbacks are that
are playing are in the position they're in because of turnovers,
and you know, we talked about Russell Wilson before. I'm

(36:53):
just worried about the Steelers. You know, yes, he's a
young quarterback and all of that's stuff, but I mean,
who do you got at outside linebacker besides t J. Watt.
I mean, the reality of some of these roster weaknesses
to me, again, as I said earlier, you can only

(37:15):
absorb so much of that stuff, and so I don't
really think it has anything to do about the Raiders,
Well not anything to do but I think it has
less to do with the Raiders on Sunday more to
do with the Steelers. I mean, what are they going
to be able to put out there. How coordinated is
it going to be? You know? And and who's going

(37:37):
to make the place to help win the game right
as opposed to you know what Aidan O'Connell might might
or might not be able to do. Who knows, man,
Maybe if I'm if I'm gonna believe everything I've been
reading lately, maybe Devonte Adams will just jump on the
charter flight home.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
What do you think they're going to trade Russell Wilson
for him?

Speaker 4 (38:03):
Right? Who knows, dal, Maybe he'll be sitting in your
seat on the plane Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (38:12):
If that's the case, and I will not be on
the plane, probably I will be staying in Vegas or something.
I don't know. Who knows, but we gotta let you go.

Speaker 4 (38:20):
Bob.

Speaker 2 (38:20):
We appreciate your time as always, and we'll talk to
you next week. That's our guest on the phone line,
Bob Labriola, editors of Steelers Digestics, Steelers dot Com. Always
good stuff. There knows Steeler history like nobody else. And
well that's why we have him on. He is Matt Williamson.
I'm Dale, Lollie. You're listening to the drive here in
the Steelers Audio Network. Matt and I'll be back with
more right after this.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
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.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
And welcome back on Dale Lolly. He is Matt Williams
and this is the Drive on the Steelers Audio Network.
Of course, you can hear us here from four to
six live every day on Steelers Nation Radio.

Speaker 3 (39:08):
They can also on demand.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
Podcast is available on the Steeler's official.

Speaker 3 (39:12):
Mobile app, and you can also watch it on YouTube.

Speaker 4 (39:15):
You start.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
Our YouTube numbers are down. What's going on out there?

Speaker 3 (39:19):
People?

Speaker 2 (39:20):
You should be sharing this.

Speaker 3 (39:21):
Let people they lose the game or two you guys
tune out jumping off the bandwid right right, We're here
all season long. That was fun with labs. By the way,
I like going down memory lane with some of the
old stuff too. Yeah, that's pretty interesting stuff. Yes, you know,
you have to listen to your elders. They've seen a
lot of this stuff. I mean it's amazing though to
go to the total opposite direction. I'm not picking on
Al Davis, but his last ten years or so on

(39:43):
the planet until now, Man, that franchise. They were trying
to run things exactly the way that they had run
them in the seventies, and the game had changed and changed, right,
you know, he got older and probably had too much power.
No one's telling him no, and then he hands it
down to his saw who pretty much just learned from him.
And they have not been successful at all for a

(40:04):
long time.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
When I when I first started covering the league and
the draft and everything, if there was a fast guy
in the draft, the fastest guy in the draft was
going to be a Raider.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
Yep, there's Harry Bay who was the corner that they
took the one I'm trying to think now, most of
them didn't make it. Yeah, they were whoever ran the
best forty at the take him, you know. Yeah, I
mean they even did weird things like remember John Jet
and like they they wanted to find a next Swift brand.
It was a great football player that was fast, and

(40:35):
they would go get track stars and anyone that could
run fast, and really rarely did they get much out
of them. Yeah, you know, like Tim Brown wasn't the
fastest guy, he was a great player.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
Yeah, And people may like I mentioned the whole thing
with Marcus Allen. Like Marcus Allen had two careers. Yes,
he had his first like six or seven years at
the Raiders, and then Al got mad at him and
benched him for like two years.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
Well, bo Jackson had something to do with that.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
Bo Jackson had something to do with it, but they
let him just languish on the bench. He goes to
Kansas City and all of a sudden he's a touchdown machine.

Speaker 4 (41:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (41:09):
Yeah, and he was a legend. He was one of
the best backs in the league and they treated him rough.
But the Bo Jackson stuff's kind of interesting too. Like
bo Jackson comes out of Auburn, Tampa uses the first
overall pick on him, which they weren't a model franchise either.
Bo's like, nah, I'm going to play baseball. So they
just wasted the first overall pick. And then Al takes
him in like the seventh round the next year, convinces

(41:30):
him to come and be a Raider, and he was
great until he got hurt. Yeah, the typical like Al
Davis kind of.

Speaker 2 (41:36):
Moved because he was the fastest guy in a draft, yeah,
and pretty good two and forty pound.

Speaker 3 (41:41):
His highlights are insane.

Speaker 2 (41:44):
Anyway, So this Raiders team not built quite like that one.
The old wide receiver you're looking at, well, you won't
see DeVante Adams. So it's gonna be Trey Tucker in
Jacoby Myers, like Jacoby Myers as a player. Yeah, but
Joey Porter Junior, if they decide to match.

Speaker 3 (42:02):
Up and do that, Yeah, and I think they will
because just to I don't I don't need to find numbers.
But in the last two weeks with Adams out, Myers
is almost exclusively an outside guy now, which isn't ideal
for him. You know, he's more of a slot, do
everything type. But without Adams, he's been like the primary
outside guy, which I think means you're getting Porter yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Yeah, and he's the main target outside of Bowers.

Speaker 3 (42:27):
They're the two.

Speaker 2 (42:28):
Yeah, so they have to be, you know, cognizant of Bowers.
Michael Mayer. I don't know if he gets back to
playing this game. He's a good player though as well.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
Absolutely anything. I'd love to have him in the early
second round pick. And that Darnell Washington loaded tight end draft. Yeah,
but they planned they want those two on the field
all the time.

Speaker 4 (42:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:45):
The offensive line, Colton Miller, the left tackle, was average
to above average at left tackle.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
I'd say above Yeah, he's their best lineman paid well,
you know.

Speaker 2 (42:55):
Uh, then you got Cody white Hair at left guard.
Andre James. Did you figure out the pronunciation of that?

Speaker 3 (43:00):
No, that was called Andre James. I think you're probably right.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
Dylan parrhum and then their Mumford is a regular right tackle,
but he's hurt. We'll see if he's able to come
back this this week. If it's not, it could be
DJ Glaze the rookie, and boy, that would be trouble.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
Soo, that would be troublesome. You described him really well
yesterday that he was drafted for another day. He's a project.
He his tape at Maryland isn't great.

Speaker 4 (43:21):
No.

Speaker 2 (43:22):
I remember looking at the draft stuff and like he
gave up like eight sacks his senior year at Maryland.
I'm like, you're supposed to be a high picked. People
were talking about him being a you know, potential first
round draft pick. I'm like, you watched the tape.

Speaker 3 (43:33):
He's a year away from being your way. Yeah, who'd
you say left guard was h It's Cody white Hair, Okay,
because Powers Johnson factors in. He has played he started
two games he's played and know how that's going. Okay, yeah,
I mean I it must not be going great. I
actually have an injury. I mean, if you believe the
Pro Football Focus grades. I actually looked he's up today
because I've been meaning to because I kind of want

(43:54):
to see who's been lining up.

Speaker 2 (43:55):
Where they list him as at guard because that's when
he's played, and of the guards in this year's in
this year's draft the rookies, he's well out of all guards.
He's forty fourth for Football Folk and their grading system.
You know, you're you're looking at, uh, Mason McCormick as

(44:16):
snaps as he played those. I'm sorry, he's sixty third
among guards. Oh yeah, Whereas Mason McCormick, who has played
for the Steelers about the same amount of snaps by
the way, okay, they've played played almost the same amount,
is forty third in their rankings.

Speaker 3 (44:29):
Okay, McCormick's played well. I have not watched a lot
of Powers Johnson, but I did like him coming out. Yeah,
I thought he was a legit center prospect. And you know,
I think that was their plan, was playing MC guard
for a year or so, bump him inside in his
most natural position.

Speaker 2 (44:43):
But if all the rookie guards, actually the only guard
who ranks ahead of Mason McCormick is Dominic Pooney.

Speaker 3 (44:50):
Really, he's had a really good year. Yeah, he's uh,
I think he's McCormick is really good. He's like nineteenth,
So okay, I think they got something in McCormick.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
Yeah, Fraser is number four among all centers that doesn't
chock easily leads all the rookie centers.

Speaker 3 (45:04):
Oh, I bet, I bet he's a number one rookie
O lineman far away. Yeah, and it's a great tackle class. Yeah,
at least in terms of prospects.

Speaker 2 (45:12):
And yet this is the problem of being an offensive lineman.
This maybe this is another segment, but like I saw
some early stuff here for you know, offensive Rookie of
the Years and that kind of stuff. The offensive lineman
never get mentioned. It's always skill position guys like, yeah,
he may be the best rookie in the league right now.

(45:34):
Not named Jade Daniels. Jane Daniels is on the list
for obvious reasons, of course, But some of the other
guys on there, I'm like, are they.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
Really having better years than Crazer neighbors or even Caleb
Williams if he just plays all game, you know, I mean,
it's it's unfortunate. I mean, it's not a glamorous position.

Speaker 4 (45:50):
It is not.

Speaker 2 (45:51):
But people in Pittsburgh appreciate good center play.

Speaker 3 (45:53):
They sure do, and they notice when it isn't so
good to the last couple of years. I heard that, right,
a right, and they get a little spoiled. What do
you mean we want of the best center in the league?
What the heck?

Speaker 4 (46:03):
You know?

Speaker 2 (46:03):
Right? Yeah, absolutely, let's get to a break. That's gonna
do it. For our number one of the drive here
on the Steelers Audio Network, Matt and now will be
back with our number two right after this