The South Side Beat – Ep. 96: Now that it’s over, what’s next?

In this episode of The South Side Beat, Corey Crisan and Chris Halicke continue to react to the end of the Steelers’ 2023 season and the fallout that will take place over the coming weeks.

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Mike thought I was going to miss a second day in a row right off the bat before we even fire up the microphones and click live Mike in Texas says think Mia Corey will be joining us today here I am I’m ready to go let’s do this I was

On the road yesterday I was coming back from I tried to tell them that obviously Orchard Park you know DK and I hitting the road together and there was some snow on the ground in Eerie the most snow that we SN we saw on this trip was leaving the hotel in Erie Pennsylvania

To come back home on on Tuesday so like you know it’s a good thing they moved the game do not get me wrong I’m not gonna start that I’m glad they moved the game seeing everything in Orchard Park on Sunday was was absolutely miserable I’m glad they moved the game it was a

Much better experience on Monday but now Chris we get to talk about the offseason as obviously the Steelers a Wild Card round exit to the bills he’s Chris HCK I’m Corey Kristen this is of of course the Southside beat as we are Monday through Friday 3: to 3:30ish Eastern

Here on DK Pittsburgh sports and Chris step one what is it that’s what we’re talking about we got to start at the start here with this off season yeah we have to figure out how are the Steelers going to make these improvements going into 2024 obviously a long road between now and august/september

Obviously a long road between now and Latrobe a long road between now and April even where there’s an NFL draft but step one has to start today yeah where do they go that’s what we’re going to get into today well I think uh we’re really not going to get any true answers

On that until Mike Tomlin addresses the media um because obviously we know that they’ve got a higher an offensive coordinator um because you know it’s not like Eddie fauler was immediately deemed the uh full offensive coordinator had the tag interim you know next to it so

Yep uh the Steelers will go through a process in which they um in which they interview candidates and uh um obviously the the big question based off of President is um how do they go about that interview process Does it include several in-house candidates we know

Glenn Thomas is leaving um to to go to a college job um you it’s just it’s really interesting to see how that’s going to go but as much as I want to like touch on offensive coordinators and and I’ve I’ve already like I’m doing live cues on

The site today if you haven’t you know stopped by and dropped a question in there uh drop one in but uh um I’ve even already had questions about offensive coordinators Alex velt was obviously fired uh you know and so the former now former browns offensive coordinator and

So I got a question about him as much as as much as I I would uh like to address offensive coordinator I think we we really need to hear what Mike Tomlin has to say first and maybe that’s just the the reporter in me I I don’t know like I

Understand I’m not you know on the beat anymore or anything like that but the reporter me was like I want to hear what the head coach has to say not only regarding his status because he already addressed the team that but just overall his reflection on the season and how

They go into the offseason I want to hear his perspective on that yeah and what direction does he Envision taking this thing if he’s going to stay and it sounds like he’s going to and he tells the team he’s going to stay yeah he’s going to stay and look before we get

Into anything further about Mike Tomlin staying like yeah Mike Tomlin could say all that but Art Rooney could decide differently so it’s not to say that Art Rooney is going to but it’s not off the table this is still very early stage in the offseason that would be the only

Person who says Mike Tomlin can’t coach next year exactly now Robert says when does Mike Tomlin talk to the media we do not know yet um no word as of this moment when Mike tomlin’s going to give a press conference he usually gives one obviously you know postpartum if you

Will um postmortem excuse me goodness postmortem right after the season ends and um we haven’t been told as of right now when that’s going to happen now potentially tomorrow Thursday potentially Friday certainly by this stage so it’s not today it it wasn’t on Tuesday they they open the locker room

Tuesday yeah I know Mike it’s it’s that kind of week headache and everything set in it’s that it’s that postseason season uh you know all that yeah exactly anyway um so not yet but you know obviously there’s a lot to iron out and I think

Mike Tomlin will give a a um little bit of a preview of what’s to come so to speak for this off season and what’s expected now Barber yeah he’s he’s tired of talking about Mike Tomlin staying on his head coach think a lot of people are

Um because as I wrote after the Bills game the only person that has a say in that is we just said it is Art Rooney mikee tomlin’s under contract for one year which means he is contractually obligated to coach this team in 2024 unless Art Rooney says otherwise or Mike

Tomet says otherwise if he really was considering retiring or or taking a break so to speak which if you know Mike tomblin Chris and I know him on a certain level because we’re reporters Batman is as football junky as football junkie gets and that was never going to

Happen so no no all all it takes is uh being on the beat for just a very short amount of time you know once you see how I mean it’s one thing to watch him Coach during training camp you know but he also knows he’s putting on a show sure

Right he knows he’s putting on a show all those practices are are you know um you know open to the public and everything once you see how he coaches you know whenever it’s like week to week during the season and those are all private practices it’s a little bit

Different you see a little bit of of a different side of Mike Tomlin during those practices um when you have conversations with him like um for example Le a really kind of way to peel back the curtain just a little bit um when when we go cover the the owners meetings uh

That happen uh you know usually near the end of March um all the coaches you know there’s a there’s an AFC day and an NFC day um all the coaches sit down and do like a breakfast Round Table type thing but that’s open to all reporters yeah um

And now all coaches are talking at the same time so you have to kind of pick and choose which which talks or which coach coaches you want to talk to um but a select few of the local reporters get to sit down and talk with Mike Tomlin

You know just kind of off on on her own and this is usually on a different day yeah and now granted Tomlin still kind of puts up that wall it’s not like a hey let’s sit back and have a beer together type of conversation but it’s still a

Little bit and just every moment that I’ve had an interaction with Tomlin whether it be a question and a press conference whether it be observing a practice can confirm and confirm and then confirm again how much that man loves football um watching him at the Senior

Bowl get right up in there where the players are the dude just eats sleeps lives breathes football taking a year off never made sense um it’s when the report came out yesterday I’m like oh let me put on my surprised face that is football junkie as football

Junkie gets I I can recall over in lro at training camp and and there was a there was a dinner with the media Mike Tomlin Omar Khan joined and it was very relaxed very laid-back and getting to peel back the curtain so to speak and even in the moments that Mike Tomlin was

Not talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers he was still talking about football in in a lot of ways there was obviously some personal stuff and and I’m not going to share any details or anything but Mike Tomlin still talks football that’s what Mike Tomlin is that’s what Mike Tomlin does so to think

Otherwise you’re just not paying attention quite frankly now this offseason is gonna have to go through layers obviously and offensive coordinator talk you know Matt ask here any Ward on offensive coordinator we have a long way to go on that really we do and and there’s hasn’t been any

Interviews yet there haven’t been any um checks as far as who’s out outside um going to possibly come in be available or any of that so we’re early on the offensive coordinator search and I’m going to write about this at some point potentially later this week like the

Most important piece to this offseason to me is Kenny picket and it’s the determination of whether it’s going to be Kenny picket Mason Rudolph or somebody from the outside that’s going to be the quarterback of this franchise yeah starting in 2024 and moving forward now the Steelers could have a plan they

Could have it in mind what that is now they might not have that in mind right now truly we don’t know that answer as of right now but there is one option that is definitively on the table under contract and that’s Kenny picket I would be shocked if Mitch trabis is not cut

Just based on his contract situation that is a as cut candidate as cut candidate gets Mason Rudolph obviously now has played his way into options elsewhere so whether he wants to stay in Pittsburgh or go test the free agent Market again and potentially get a bridge job or or a more lucrative backup

Job somewhere or hell if the Steelers want to keep him on as the starter there are so many options that have to go forward with the quarterback however I love what bad says here extension for Mike Tomlin step one if that’s what’s in the cards step two is the OC step three

Is Mason or whoever at quarterback and of course that includes Kenny picket yeah that includes potential options outside I think those are the three most important things in this offseason right there as summed up in one sentence right there by bad here on the screen yeah no

I mean we obviously can talk about quarterback and it will be uh part of the conversation for a a long time um you know for at least a couple of months um just because you know Kenny’s not going anywhere he’s under contract for at least another two years yep um Mason

Rud off you know obviously he’s an unrestricted free agent but free agency doesn’t begin till middle of March so we gotta a ways to go before then unless somehow they can sign him to sign him to a new contract before free agency starts which if I’m Mason Rudolph I don’t do

That I want to see what’s out there I want to test the market and see what I can get um but none of that really matters until we know who the offensive coordinator is uh what kind of an offense you know will the Steelers have how much of an

Overhaul should we expect if it’s Eddie fauler coming like actually being promoted to the full-time offensive coordinator we have a little bit of a taste of what what we might see now granted he wasn’t it wasn’t necessarily his Playbook that we saw it was what he

Was able to do and Tinker with Matt Canada’s Playbook but still we kind of saw you know you know hint in play sequencing in in just in play call I understand Mike Sullivan was a play call but again Eddie fauler has a hand in game planning how they go into a game

So that was that was part of his decision so we have a little bit of a kind of a tidbit of how that might go yet if it’s Clint kubak if it’s um if Mike McCarthy gets fired from from Dallas and he’s all of a sudden

Available uh it’s Alex Van Pelt I mean I throw out a bunch of names all of those guys do things differently and who is hired will ultimately kind of dictate who is the best man for the job at quarterback and so the Steelers could in in that interview process say build a

Playbook to support Kenny picket because Kenny picket is our guy no matter what or they could say or they could bring Clinton kubak in and say Hey listen our plan is for Kenny picket to be the guy but if we can make something work and somehow bring Kirk Cousins in how about

You do what you did in Minnesota with with Kirk and and Justin Jefferson and kind of build an offense around that and they could go in either option or direction or that offensive coordinator whoever it might be could say listen we picked 20th in the draft I think we

Could get Jane Daniels JJ McCarthy Michael penck whoever and that’s an option and that’s a whole another option yeah we’re not even talking about free agent we’re talking about draft and new guys and all this kind of stuff and it’s a good classes year but the coordinator

As as Teresa says here let’s not mince words here Teresa says why wouldn’t they get the coordinator first so they have input on the quarterback that’s what’s going to happen yeah that’s the course of Direction here the coordinator nothing on quarterbacks on Mason on

Kenny on a Draft pick on a free agent or a trade is going to be decided until the offensive coordinator is hired yep and based on who that offensive coordinator hire is is going to be the direction they go as far as the quarterback goes so look right spy guy asked about Eric

Benamy is he good or available well yes he’s good he’s he’s very good he turned Sam how at one point Sam H how was leading the league in passing until he fell off and reverted back to a fifth round draft pick like Eric bamy is a

Good coordinator I think there is a lot of potential there however his contract in Washington might say otherwise uh Mark asks why does the NFL let reporters officials at a press conference wouldn’t they that hold them accountable so that is permitted there’s a bit of a process

To have to go through that now it runs through the Pro Football writers of Association and basically of America sorry yes pro football writers of America what am I I’m thinking of I’m thinking of bbwaa yes BB I’m like combining bbwaa with pro football writers with with uh football writers

Association of America which is college which is what I’m in oh yeah but anyway so the Pro Football writers thank you um I know what you mean basically request that they get to one representative gets to interview the head official there’s no press conference setting ever with the head

Official it is one representative of the Pro Football writers of America and they interview the official and they are what’s called a pool reporter y so typically what happens in these situations is there’s got to be something controversial or worthy of discussion this isn’t like oh George Pickins we think was held

There what did you see those kind of calls are all judgment calls they always happen and quite frankly we won’t get an answer that will satisfy anything it’ll just be the same canned it was a judgment call response yeah but when there’s actual explanation needed that is an option to interview an official

It’s one reporter and typically what happens is that reporter will get designated in the game they will field questions from other reporters hey should we ask about this should we ask about that that what do we think about bringing this to him and it obviously runs along in

Conjunction with the league and it’s that official in that reporter and then that transcript comes out it doesn’t happen after every game but when there’s something that is so either egregious or so controversial that it simply just has to be explained that judgment is made by the reporters by the pfwa chapter

President who in this case here in Pittsburgh is Joe Rudder of the trip and of course in conjunction with the NFL so that is an option it just doesn’t happen after every game no and I think you know while while there were definitely some calls that um weren’t great in this game

I don’t think anything was egregious enough or gamechanging enough um that you needed an explanation from the officiating crew I I really don’t like again there were some bad calls I didn’t like the I didn’t like the personal foul call on Miles Jack on on the slide I

Really cannot expect Jack to stop momentum at that point he’s already going down to try to tackle the guy um it’s just it’s so Bang Bang everybody wants to look at those plays like that in slow motion and try to say oh yeah he had plenty of time to pull up it’s like

He really didn’t but um obviously did not like the fact that there was no flag I went on on a rant about that yesterday on Conor McGovern on the cheap shot he had on on Joey Porter Jr to me that that’s not even a football play it’s just unacceptable

Um but nothing in the game was egregious enough and and and helped decide the outcome I I I I just you know when when you need the officials to even be kind of now you should expect the officials to be as in the middle as possible but

They’re not going to be perfect the the best response I can have is don’t get into a 21 nothing hole that’s the easiest response I I can get to don’t turn the ball over twice let them score two touchdowns over and fall down 21 nothing that’s the best way

To try to not lose that game no I’m G to play this clip for Miles Jack here pretty soon from postgame in the locker room but I really loved his explanation of literally why he couldn’t get out of the way and and you know for all of the

Talk about the hit in and of itself I think there needed to be more talk about the decision making and and literally that Split Second let’s not forget these athletes are running at Full Steam they’re grown men running at Full Steam like it’s a bang bang split decision to

Either go in for that hit or even just the action of itself whether he’s going to dive or slide or any of that let’s let’s listen to Miles Jack and hear his explanation it’s um it’s it’s damn near impossible because it’s like it’s like throwing a punch and then

Not throw like catching it as you like I don’t know how to explain it man it’s like once you commit to something you know what I mean there’s no way you can like pull yourself back out of it and then I tried to like I tried to do the best I could but

Yeah that’s it right there like that play is so bang bang and yeah in hindsight of course you got penalized on it it’s easy to sit here and say he never should have Dove or never should have got down there but that’s just the context I think of how hard of a

Decision is to make that play yeah um I just first off I I missed talking with miles miles is a good guy um he talked a lot about his hockey franchise no I’m tell you what I would love I’m I’m a gigantic hockey fan I would love to talk hockey with him especially

Because I’ve been to Allen American games so um but no it’s it’s definitely cool you might see him there now shoot man like yeah you’re not kidding him around now but uh yeah no it’s th those are those are like the the main thing that I that I just can’t stand this goes

Across the board is that defensive players are not protected nearly enough as offensive players this is this isn’t even talking about quarterbacks it’s talking about all offensive players and defensive players are have essentially no protection whatsoever the only way that that the NFL is making any kind of stride in protecting defensive players

Is like what they’re doing with all these fines giving out you know to like Jaylen Warren and other guys lowering their helmet that’s like the F the furthest it’s gone it’s like okay well how about stuff that actually has an impact on the field how about when Conor

McGovern throws his entire body weight into Joey Porter Jr’s back for no reason you give him a 15 yard unnecessary roughness call see that would have been one going back to what Mark asked about interviewing officials that would have been one where you could have sat there

And said why was there not a call on McGovern and even then I think the response would have been something along the lines of they didn’t see it or they didn’t or or I mean there sometimes they missed those kind of things though or like maybe the official that had the had

The play had the wrong angle I mean there are so many yeah it is wrong what happened to Joey I agree spy I thought I thought that was a bad call bad no call should have been called but it wasn’t so if there was one thing in that game I

Think that’s what it would have been is is a question about about McGovern um so I I really like that that topic right there um yeah what about defensive coordinator ask useless knowledge you got to evaluate Terell Austin too at this stage when you have TJ watt make a

Fitzpatrick cam Hayward I’ll be it injured at at varying points of the Season all three of them and when you have those three guys and your defense is being paid as much as it is like how much can you put on injuries and personnel and having to go off the

Couch for starting safeties and starting linebackers how much can you put on that as things that affected Terell lawon in his job and then how much can you say well that’s on Terell Austin like the the touchdown for example the first touchdown of the game right the the past to

Knox Patrick Peterson and Atlanta Roberts ran the wrong way they ran to the flat where they where none of them should have or at least one of them should not have and that’s why Knox was so wide freaking open in the end zone that’s why that play happened that’s not

Terrell Austin unless it is but it’s not Terrell Austin that is two guys that’s bad communication going to the same spot of the field where maybe one of them or maybe both of them should not have been yeah I mean anytime there’s miscommunication obviously it’s it’s on

The players but then if it’s con the one thing you really have to watch out for and this is whenever all of the like illegal formation penalties were happening with the offense that’s when you have to go back to okay is this a coaching issue why are why are these

Issues constantly creeping up why are they constantly happening this should not be happening that to me is more of a coaching issue one miscommunication that might not be on coaching that I think the main issue I have with Terell Austin and his Def and his defense and I’m definitely speaking more from an

Offensive mind more than defensive mind here but from what I can see is that it doesn’t look like the Steelers defense does enough to stress the offense and it’s kind of the same situation that the offense does but it’s it’s worse on offense than it is on defense just

Because the Steelers do have certain players if they only Rush four okay well TJ wat can still get to the quarterback you know I’m not worried about that I’m worried about okay if they constantly drop into Tampa 2 and they don’t disguise it well enough to drop into Tampa 2

Then quarterback is going to eat against that all day because Tampa two is kind of an outdated you know coverage I it’s it’s not completely you know it’s not a fossil or anything like that it’s not like other teams don’t do it they do it’s how do teams disguise it so that

Quarterbacks can’t see oh they’re definitely going to Tampa 2 here you know how do they disc do they show like cover zero do they show all out Blitz then drop guys back they’ve done now the Steelers have done certain things but I’m just trying to think of examples of

It just looks like that they can get to a different level when it comes to disguises and when it comes to how they manipulate offenses because overall across the league we saw offense kind of take a dip you know throughout and and I don’t think that’s just because all of a

Sudden Patrick Mahomes turned into a bad quarterback or all of a sudden like other quarterbacks like Joe burrow all of a sudden forgot how to play football I do think that it’s some credit to how defensive coordinators are now starting to counter punch what the trends are

Offensively yeah yeah so yeah I mean I think there is a legitimate need uh to look at defensive coordinator as Mike says here uh Mike Vel get it out of your heads now he’s not going to take a decord d job that’s a head coach that’s

An NFL head coach if for whatever reason he doesn’t get a get a a head coaching job then yeah that you swing for the fenes on that one but I I would not hold your breath on that one yeah I I if it’s gonna be Mike Vel at defensive

Coordinator first off dream first off first off that is a dream second off Mike Tomlin has to move on from Terell Austin first third off Mike Vel believe he’s third off Mike Vel would not land a head coaching job somewhere which it’s very possible he still could so I’m yeah

Unless unless rael’s picked up in that in that fashion I would not expect um I would not expect that Frank Reich as a potential offensive coordinator I mean look we’re gonna have plenty of time to talk names we’re gonna have plenty of time to talk candidates we’re gonna have

Plenty of time to talk about what they could potentially bring to the table there we’re talking about the formula and I think the proceed eatings that the Steelers are either going to go on or what we think could happen here in the next couple of months leading into the

Draft and the first step is figuring out what Mike tomas’s direction is which it sounds like we pretty much have by this point figured that out and number two is offensive coordinator and and getting that guy into the building and then and then obviously figuring out the offensive

Staff and the rest of it um because you never know what that new coordinators go into one uh Teresa asks what if they move up in the draft and swing for the fenes I’m assuming that’s for quarterback and regardless of what position it’s for like the Steelers

Showed last year that they’re willing to go up if they really like a guy yeah and they’re willing to make the right move for the right guy and I think the trade for brck Jones or the pick rather that select that that they selected bro Jones with I think that trade worked out

Wonders for them and at at the time before they made the pick it was a good deal to move up when they made the Pick It was obviously a good deal to move up and brri Jones was good for them this year so if there’s a guy they really

Like and they want to move up from 20 they’re gonna do it they’ll find a way Omar Khan has shown he’ll find a way to do it just really quick on on Terell lawon he was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season so that would mean that he just completed

His second season as defensive coordinator and typically and this is what happened with Matt Canada typically when a when a guy is promoted from within to a to a certain position especially a coordinator job they get a new contract and typically head coaches have gotten when they get a new contract

It’s four-year contract and when coordinators get a new contract it’s three-year contract so I have I don’t know this for sure so this is conjecture of my part based on what I know it would be that Terell lustin has another year left on his contract um unless for whatever reason they did not

Give him a a new contract when they promoted him then maybe he is maybe he is off contract now but that would be something to have to confirm with the team and I personally have not done that yet so uh I’ve I’ve seen Mark here says

We need a center first round that’s on the list of needs I think um I would be more inclined to go either tackle or defensive T offensive tackle defensive tackle linebacker cornerback Center I think those are the top five needs in no particular order right now I just don’t

Know if Center’s going to be the first round depends on what happens with the quarterback because if the Steelers absolutely do not like if they don’t get anybody if they don’t acquire how it like whether it be free agency or or trade if they don’t acquire Kurt Cousins

Russell Wilson Justin Fields any of those established guys who are already in the league and they somehow do like resign Mason Rudolph and your onew punch is Mason Rudolph and Kenny picket however that is when you go into the draft and for whatever reason if a certain

Situation comes up where who I I haven’t looked at the order whoever’s picking 11th calls Omar KH and says hey we’ll take this this and this you guys can move up to 11 and take the quarterback you we know you want you know or whatever it is and then yeah how do you

Say no to that if you talk about getting a potential franchise altering quarterback you just this is still at the end of the day for all of the other needs the Steelers have and they absolutely have needs tackles one centers one defensive tackles another one they have needs that they have to

Address but if quarterback is the most important position that’s not an argument somebody said it’s a team game yesterday it absolutely is a team game but this is a quarterback league and if you need proof of that look at what Josh Allen did to that defense and by the way

Look at the C I do this every year look at the quarterbacks are that are left in the AFC and the NFC okay look at how loaded the AFC is Jackson Allen momes stad are you kidding me do you think the AFC not it’s not a joke do you think not

You Chris do you think that Kenny picket Mason rol Justin Fields jayen Daniels any of those guys Kurt Cousins are better or at the level of Patrick Mahomes Josh Allen Lamar Jackson CJ Stroud the answer no no no no and no they’re not none of those options as of

Right now are better than or equal to those guys that’s what this is also about now could Mason Rudolph be who the hell knows probably not could Kenny picket be who the hell knows probably not but if if you need evidence that this league is a quarterback league and

Look at the NFC by the way Brock pie Jared Goff Jordan love Jordan love though I’m telling you what you dumping on him a bit earlier the year him he is he is uh making you eat a lot of crow man because he he is yes but but Jordan

Love is really turned into he is looking like a pretty darn good quarterback like not just making right reads but making phenomenal throws uh yeah they’re they’re doing something special up there in Green Bay I I think that’s uh I think that’s pretty pretty impressive um I do

Think you know as for as much as I stress quarterback I do think you I don’t think you you have to have a like one of the top guys or you have no chance of winning you can win if you have like a tier two guy and I would put

Like a Kurt Cousins in like that tier two Brock pie yeah Brock pie is tier two to me yeah you can have one of those guys as long as the rest of the Supporting Cast is really really strong and there are parts of the Steelers in

Which I’m like okay yeah I like I I love the ones two punch in the back field with Naji and Jaylen I love the the the the the top two of the receiver uh receiver depths chart with Deontay and George Pickins um I obviously love Edge

Rusher um liked what I saw from Keana beton like obviously you looks like you got a shutdown Corner in Joey Porter Jr you’ve got some guys now used this offseason to get more guys tackle did great like there’s a lot of pieces here there’s let’s make no

Mistake about there’s a lot of pieces here um and I want to wrap up with a couple couple quick ones here um yeah Brian’s right Josh Allen Patrick Mahomes do not grow on trees no they don’t and and you need to have the right offensive coordinator the right system to develop

A guy now can Kenny picket still be that who the hell knows the offensive coordinator will dictate that F I love this point from Jim here and I think it’s a good way to close the show Jim says really interested to see how Omar Khan’s second draft in offseason goes AB

Frutin lutely Omar Khan like like let’s not forget okay there’s so much Doom and Gloom right now I I I think around the Steelers and I get it like they were a team that underachieved they’re a team that is kind of directionless right now almost a quarterback they’re a team that

There were a lot of outside noise created about Mike Tomlin even though it was pretty for gone he was going to come back anyway like a lot of talk about the Steelers other than what they could potentially do in this offseason everybody they called him the con artist

For a reason in last off season with the draft and signing sealo and getting Patrick Peterson in and doing what he did over last offseason bringing Robinson a veteran into the receivers room all of this stuff that Omar Khan did last off seon was ranted and raved

About for months and he got the con artist nickname out of it and everybody loved what he did and then things kind of fell flat and obviously they fired the coordinator and things went sideways throughout the season and that’s kind of sometimes what just happens you could build great rosters ask the Philadelphia

Eagles ask the Philadelphia Eagles Howie Roseman Jeffrey Lorie built top to bottom one of the best rosters in the entire NFL and then they got absolutely Smoked by Baker freaking Mayfield in Tampa Bay in the first round this past weekend you could build an outstanding roster and still get smoked in the

Playoffs this is how this business Works in a very harsh way but as Jim said Omar Khan his first off season was tremendous as the GM it’s reasonable to believe that if the Steelers are going to improve that Omar Khan could have another good offseason like that yeah I

Mean you’re GMS are never going to B a thousand when it comes to no matter what it comes to when it comes to certain hires for their for their staff the coaching staff The Scouting Department um anything else um obviously when it comes to free agent signings who they

Select in the draft you’re never going to bat a thousand ever it’s how many do the do the good decisions outweigh the bad decisions do the do the you know and I think based off of the first off season like yeah probably the biggest probably disappointment is that they didn’t they

Weren’t able to resign cam Sutton and and you know for as versatile as Patrick Peterson became down the stretch you’d still rather have Cam Sutton playing that role than Patrick Peterson because cam Sutton right now is a better player than Patrick Peterson is however when you look at everything else you brought

It up sealo great signing I mean rough a little rough to start the season but turned into to their 100% their best offensive lineman and was I don’t think he allowed a sack this year no he did not he did and honestly that’s what they brought in seu SE in for they brought

Him in to be a decent run blocker which he was but to mainly be a good pass protector which he was with Philadelphia and he was a great pass protector this season like you said didn’t allow a sack and you look through everything else obviously the draft looked great

Bradrick Jones Joy Porter junor Kean Benton nick herbick uh Darnell Washington those guys contributed and contributed in a very positive way really good rookie class as of right now obviously you don’t judge a rookie class based off what they did as rookies you got to judge from what they do off after

Three four Five Seasons you know um but overall First Impressions yeah it was a really good first off season I’m really curious it’s a really good point to bring it up um to to really see uh what Omar does in the second off season and like you know like we talked about after

Mike Tomlin addresses the media whether it be later this week or first thing next week whenever it is all attention will turn to who do they hire now granted that’s still more of a Mike Tomlin thing who do they hire to OC but then once they get all that stuff in

Order then it’ll be Omar Khan’s time time to roll up the sleeves and get to work and and Andy WID off we go Andy WID too and Andy widle is the guy who’s uh who’s in charge of putting the draft board together obviously he’ll have a

Hand in free agency as well um but yeah it’ll be really interesting to see what they do in second off season again look at last off season this team can turn a corner pretty quickly that’s just the nature of the NFL you can turn a corner

Pretty quickly if you have a couple of really good off Seasons well look what the Texans just did got the right quarterback got the rad coach and now they’re one game away from playing in the AFC Championship they’re two games away from playing in the Super Bowl I’ve

Submitted my ballot for the PF this will be my final thought submitted my ballot for the pfwa awards uh just to kind of you know go on that both coach of the year and executive of the year I went with the Houston guys sure I mean that’s valid I

Mean I went with Deo Ryan it was close I I I almost voted for stansky because he deserved it with all the injuries he had to deal with still getting Cleveland to to the record that they did thought he did a great great job but demo Ryan’s turning Houston into what everybody

Thought they were going to be into playing the divisional round and I mean legitimate chance I mean like legitimate chance of being able to go and and make it even to a conference Championship game um and then obviously with the with the way that they built the roster I

Gave credit to both Ryan and uh oh what’s his I can’t think of the thank you cerio they could beat the Ravens like I would not be stunned if the Texans beat the Ravens at all no not one bit not one bit Ravens are really good

Though the the two teams that I thought had the best chance of beating the Ravens in the playoffs are out and that was those were the Browns and the Steelers uh Barber I remember Mike Tomlin telling a story and this would be my kind of final like thing before we

Get out of here um about how when he was basically scouting George Pickins he was down in Athens Georgia at the University of Georgia asking who is the guy they’re going to be back for next year that guy was brck J don’t so Mike Tomlin loves

His ug Mike Tomlin loves his Alabama he loves his if you want you love the SEC if you want well right but if you want more evidence about Alabama go back to the week leading into the Texon game when I asked him about scouting Will Anderson and the absolute transcript he

Gave of an answer about why he loved Will Anderson that’s your indicator of where Mike tomlin’s thinking and where he loves to Scout and where he loves to find his talent all right we got to get out of here DK and Ramon are coming up in about 25 minutes here where you found

This live on DK Pittsburgh sports on YouTube remember we’re live every Monday through Friday it’s offseason mode time but there’s still tons to talk about Darren comes in with the with the with the comment of the day man draft Dino for a championship got to take Dino

Tomlin out of Boston College man that’s going to be the guy that puts that receiving core over the top sure sure go get uh that was hilarious dude good job I think I think part of the fun was manufacturing the pit uh the pit draft from last year trying to figure out

Which one of Kenny’s buddies are gonna come in by the way by the way kijah cany kijah cany wo he’s come along really good for the Buccaneers really nice looks really good in Minnesota yes he did so either one those pick guys I mean they got a good one at brck Jones first

Round let’s not oh yeah revise history but let’s just see if he actually plays left tackle next season well we’ll find out there’s a long road ahead and we’ll have those answers within months but for today on the day start working on your golf coverage funny enough Brent I I

Talked to DK in brief about a certain US Open that uh is coming to town you never know that’s right you never know that’s right is gonna be there would be one thing that is a bucket list cover it item is the US Open for me I love golf

I’ve always played it I’ve always loved it the biggest the the the dream tournament for me no matter what is uh is obviously Augusta uh for the Masters but US Open that would be that would be pretty darn cool for sure um yeah that would be St Andrews uh for the British

Open too uh no you know love Alex love Taylor love you Chris obviously Jose coming along I want it I want that I want Oakmont baby I want it that’s my that’s my plea that’s my pledge yeah Mr CJ JR says nice to see Cory made to work

For a change yeah you know what it is it’s nice to be back it’s nice to be back and not on the road and it’s nice to not be caught in snow and back in some warmth listen I had heat issues in this place that I live in I had a heat

Issues last night I was see seeing breath last night night I’m thankful to be back under a roof under Heat home it’s nice it’s good to be home we have a long offseason ahead of us Daren trying to correct it’s well if we really want to get completely technical it’s the

Open Championship technically but I mean I just I’m just talking about I just it’s it’s in British or it’s in brit it’s in Britain it’s in the United Kingdom the United Kingdom it’s the open that’s in Britain peaky Blinder cap there and I think that was about me and

Would be cool though because my stepmom’s Scottish and so I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland and St Andrews is awesome no py blinders cap but uh Chris I think you know this uh from a certain movie franchise oh come on oh yeah yeah yeah

Yeah yeah yeah on yeah yeah I’m not I I’m not as like when it comes to like all of the stuff that be be classified as nerds I’m not as hip and up to date on the Harry Potter stuff I’m just not so for those listening I have a I have a

Herbology shirt on uh as a no as as a no to Harry Potter as a nod to Harry Potter and as a nod to my significant other who bought this shirt for me and I really like it so all right CJ says appreciate you guys well we appreciate you all

Again live Monday through Friday 3 Eastern DK Pittsburgh sports on YouTube there that’s awesome jealous there that’s also we’ll have to revisit that point when we have more time this offseason to talk about your your trips to Scotland we’ll have to we’ll have to

Do that um but for now D Ramon in 20 minutes he’s Chris he’s over here I I like it’s mirrored I’m Cory christen this has been the Southside beat cheers everybody have a wonderful day