you know,
man, we got a lot of warts
but we here
and and and that's been our position
since September.
And so I'm just appreciative of that. Mental fortitude being
displayed
by those men in that locker room.
I love Mike Tom. I got a ton of respect for him. But I hate
that you guys buried us. When we were 13 cards. You buried
yourselves. You stunk. How dare we point out that you stunk.
You did stink good for you that you unstuck. But at the time
the Steelers stunk, they got destroyed at home by
the Bengals. It was over. It was done. That was it? And they
were on that roller coaster all year, Mike. They hadn't won
a road game since Halloween
in Cleveland. They the only reason they were still alive is
be kept.
Have this magical Vibe and Heinz Field where they don't
lose. They hadn't lost at home since that. Bengals game that
caused us to bury them, but they took the magic on the road
yesterday. That's what's so amazing about it. I thought,
after Monday night last week,
they get the win and big Ben does the Victory lap? And it's
all about Ben and this is great on and you're going to go to
Baltimore and then just not going to be. It's not going to
be what it was
Monday night at home against the Browns,
but that made it all the more spectacular
that they found a way. Way, this was the Steelers taking
the Heinz Field find a way Vibe on the road. All Phases timely
turnovers.
Just just football happening in a way that makes you say. Holy
crap. I can't believe they're pulling it off and that's
that's what they're going to need. If they want to have any
hope in Kansas City on Sunday.
Well that that's what it was. And listen. They did stink.
You're right even guys in a locker room had to be anything.
Can we're not good this year. We can't score points
this year. Every now and then our defense steps up and plays
really well though and keeps us in games.
So they were bad. They were a bad football team. But Mike
Tomlin is doing what he's doing to band together. That's what
you do, you know, it's us against the world. Nobody
believes in us so,
you know, but we're here and we got it done. So screw everybody
else. You know, I get it, I get that mentality. I've been in
a locker when that Was I until
I get it, but they were a bad team and
during the season,
they got blown out by the cheese put 36 on them. The
cheese can score points. The bottom line is a Chiefs, can
score points in Pittsburgh. Can't listen. It's a great job
by them, getting to the playoffs and as I've always
said, just get there because you never know what can
happen. He'll Kansas. City can play one of their stinkers at
they did this year and we've seen it. We've seen them not
play. Well, it could happen.
The, the defense for Pittsburgh could really step up
and kind of slow them down. They
In the regular season, but that could happen because we've seen
it happen during the year. You have no shot to win the Super
Bowl if you're not in the playoffs, right? So you have a,
you have a lot
better shot when you're playing.
My those are my analytics,
so they're in so they get to play.
But listen, they were bad, congrats to them.
You know, they beat this this raven team who lost? What?
Finished the year losing six in a row, but a heck of a finish
for them. All you do is take care of the players and
the game that's in front.
You they did another game going to overtime. Again, all of
a sudden, everybody's trying to think of
the ramifications. If these two teams tie
what what's going to happen,
who can still get in the playoffs.
But it turned out, you know, we as we saw a Pittsburgh, get
the win. So again, they're there and a decent football team
who played well at the right time and made the playoffs.
I don't see it going well for them in Kansas, see it at all.
But so what? Who cares? What I think, you know, they're in
that locker room. They're in the playoffs. They know they
got Beat
in the regular season but guys don't care about that. It's
a playoffs man. It's amped up, a whole other Notch and you never
know what can happen
at the risk of ultimately being accused. By Chiefs fans of
jinxing Patrick Mahomes, the one Dynamic that we need to
factor into this. Year's playoffs is Mahomes could get
covid on Thursday and not playing the game. Right? Well,
I mean, he could, he could wake up sick and and
no matter any effort by him to conceal the symptoms. It's
obvious. He's sick, they could And so, yeah,
if you're in it, anything
can happen. And I made the comment earlier, and I made
the observation on Twitter last night that this is the 2005
Steelers all over again,
where they were left for dead after losing at home to
the Bengals in December.
And then, they just started winning football games. And
they started chipping away and chipping away, and they got to
the playoffs and holy crap. They have no bit. They went
back to Cincinnati and they want a game. They
had no business. Miss doing that, they went to Indianapolis
beat the best team in the NFL. They had no business doing
that. They went to Denver and beat the Broncos, had no
business doing that and they landed in the Super Bowl and
that when you have a quarterback speaking of Denver
because this reminds me a little bit. It's a different
setup, different quality of season, but Peyton Manning's
last year in Denver,
you have a quarterback entering a playoff run knowing this. Is
it
different mindset than a quarterback. Who knows? Well,
alright, if we lose
load up the can Get ready for next year. This is it. This is
it. And you, you're starting to see that urgency creep into
everything he does, and
it's giving him. I think a focus. Think about that fourth
down, play that extended the drive, that allowed them to get
themselves in position. The Raven Cloud throw, we were
watching the game and even though I'm not in the NBC
viewing room,
I'm plugged in remotely
where else was the ball going to go when he threw it to Ray?
Ray McCloud, but that's, that's the laser focus. He has that
a defense may not have and, you know, he plays
Within his abilities. Now, he's not trying to run around and do
things that maybe he shouldn't do gets rid of the football
makes quick decisions and Mikey knows this. Is it no matter
what happens in the playoffs. He knows that the next time
they lose is the next time he walks off the field
and it's the last time ever.
And that's it. That's a different vibe that not many,
quarterbacks our teams carry into a playoff run. That's what
makes it. So exciting for me.
I completely agree. And as I said it already amps up.
Anyway, you don't from regular season and postseason when it's
losing your done.
I mean, it's that quick. You made it to the postseason
then as soon as you lose the next day,
you're on your locker room
packing. Everything up. Let me tell you it's a wild feeling
when you have these, you know aspirations of going deep into
the playoffs or making it to the Super Bowl. Then it's over
and everybody's cleaning out their locker and the team's
going to be different and knowing
that this would be the last time bends cleaning out his locker.
That adds a little more oomph to it.
I mean, because again, this team, I mean,
I don't know what the early spread was in this game. But
I mean,
can anybody name three starters on that offensive line? I mean,
it's been a revamped offensive line, you know, and but give
them credit. I mean for what they're doing. Nausea Harris is
coming to been phenomenal
as a rookie in the backfield, especially catching the ball
out of the backfield. So you do play with a different vibe.
That's why people look at the regular season. Say, okay.
Kansas City smoked them. It'll happen again. Men. Don't do
that.
Don't don't get fooled into that because
outside of, you know, looking at your one-on-one matchups
with guys, you're going to play against and you throw
the regular season out the window. Certainly, you'll learn from it
and can watch it, re-watch it and try and learn
some things from it, but don't sit there and say, oh, because
that happened, it's going to happen again. It might, but
again, it's a different vibe man. When it's down to one
game, one game and the deeper, you get into that game and
the closer it is. And that's
We see what Pittsburgh needs to do.
They need to hang around because if they get down
a couple scores in this one, it's going to be difficult because
they're not built to come back from scores down like this
to do it on a consistent level,
but it's the playoffs man. And when
when one guy, when a guy who's going into the Hall of fame's,
career is over, as soon as you're out of the playoffs
again, that adds a little more mustard to it.
Two things about blowouts in the regular season and
rematches in the playoffs. First of all, a lot of times
that final score that makes you say, oh boy. They got the crap
kicked out of them. It's a play here and it's a
play there. That breaks the dam.
And you take away this when you take away that one and maybe
it's not as ugly as it was. And secondly, if you do hang
around, you start to develop that Vibe
where,
hey, we got a chance here. And that has an impact on the team
that had the blow out, the Last time that entered the game
thinking, oh, well, the ho ho this, you know, we were much
better than this team. You get into the third quarter and
you're thinking, wow, we really got ourselves into
a fight today and that starts to creep into the players
Minds. A little bit on both sides. You have confidence on
one side
and lack of confidence on the other side. And
and who knows? Now
the last time I engaged in this analysis, let me tell you this.
It was a couple of years ago, when the Packers in the 49ers
are getting ready for a rematch
in the NFC Championship.
I went back and watched their
Sunday night regular-season game, watch the whole game
looking for any clues because I wanted to get this one right
looking for any clues. It's like, you know, the 49ers blew
them out, but
it's just this play here
and this play here
and they got fooled here. They went back to George kill on
a play, where they set them up for you. Take away those plays.
It's a close game and the Packers can win this game.
I think the Packers are win this game. I picked the Packers win
this game. Mike, the
49ers Bloom out again.
So if it gets so history, can repeat itself,
but, but
If the stick this has been the Steelers formula and they took
it on the road again, yesterday, which is critical
because they hadn't been able to, if they can take that,
whatever it takes Vibe
on the road and, and support their offense, where I agree
with you. I can't name one, offensive, lineman from
the Steelers.
If you can take that vibe to Arrowhead Stadium, you got TJ
W. Who got 22 and a half sacks in 15 games tying,
Michael Strahan's, asterisk
record because he got the Brett.
Or
whatever that was in 2001 and you got. So you got TJ W. You
have Mike Tomlin yet. Let's not Overlook the fact that you have
Mike Tomlin
one of the best coaches. The NFL has ever seen
who's going to know how to get these guys in the right frame
of mind and he's gonna have him ready to execute and
that's Sunday night game.
Look, it could very well be a blowout and it could be like it
was last year Wild Card round Sunday night where it's over by
the end of the first quarter when the, when the Browns came
in
and kicked the crap.
Up out of the Steelers, but the fact that that happened just
last year.
I don't know. I don't want to get, I don't wanna get ahead of
myself. I just feel like the Steelers are going to give him
more than, than we expect right now.
I may feel differently come the weekend. But right now, I think
the steel is going to give them more than we expect.
Listen, I and you said it in your right, you know as
the game goes on and things are happening all of a sudden, you
know, there's a little of
oh, they're hanging around. Hey, we're hanging around
things can change, you know, we saw Tyree kill all of a sudden
have a heel issue and was out for a little bit. He came back
in, I mean little things like that. You don't know
what's going to happen.
You're right. A TJ W.
All of a sudden there's a sack fumble at the right time.
You don't know you do it just built. I mean, it's not, you
know, maybe it is.
Apples apples will see, it's the same sport.
You look at the title game tonight. George against Alabama
for other times,
to top 5, AP teams met in the regular season, then met in
the postseason. All of for the other four times. This is
the fifth time the other four times, the team that lost in
the regular season
1 in the postseason.
So I mean, you just don't know
it's different. You can throw out that regular season game
different factors different ending different mentality.
When you know what to one and done situation, you don't have
Next week to make up for it. You don't know. No,
I'm not picking the Steelers to win this game. I'm certainly
picking Kansas City to win this game. I think that the better
team, but it were both making the point that everybody knows
you're in.
You never know what can happen on that game day.
We had so much conversation last night about the idea that
the Raiders wanted to avoid the Chiefs and get the Bangles. And
again, the rest angle is important, but
I wonder what the chi. I don't know that they're ever going to
be candid about. About it and truthful about it. I wonder who
they were hoping to see
on Sunday night. Did they want the Raiders again? Do they want
the Chiefs again? Any that, you know, they beat both of them
handily. I'd love to know
what Andy Reid. Maybe, if you buy the big enough
cheeseburger. He'll tell you the truth as to, who he really
wanted to see coming to town. But between the two coaches,
all due respect to Rich besought, shh,
I'd rather face him than Mike Tomlin
in a single elimination setting because Tamil knows a thing or
two about about
coach. Being a team in situations like that.