Steelers Podcast - The Terrible Podcast

11/22/19Season 10, Episode 46 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the latest transaction made by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday in addition to going over the team’s latest injury report.We move on to talk about the results of the suspension appeals stemming from the Steelers Thursday night game against the Cleveland Browns and that includes us discussing whether we feel like center Maurkice Pouncey received a fair outcome now that the dust has settled.Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has accused Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph of using a racial slur during the Thursday night scuffle between the two players so Alex and I closely examine that accusation and the responses from both sides and the NFL since it surfaced on Thursday. We discuss how long Garrett’s indefinite suspension will ultimately last in addition to talking some about whether Rudolph will be permanently labeled a racist throughout his career.Alex and I then welcome Paul Dehner Jr., who covers the Cincinnati Bengals for The Athletic, back to the show again. As usual, Paul brings Alex and I up to speed on everything related to the Bengals in addition to helping us knock out a preview of the Sunday game in Cincinnati. We spend a solid 25 minutes with Paul talking Bengals versus Steelers and more. If not already doing so, please follow Paul on Twitter at @pauldehnerjr and make sure to read his Bengals coverage online here https://theathletic.com/author/paul-dehner-jr/.After having Paul on the show, Alex and I dive deeper into our own preview of the Steelers Sunday road game against the Bengals and what we expect or would like to see on both sides of the football.As usual, Alex and I spend the last part of this Friday show giving you our picks of all the Week 12 NFL games against the spread. We also include our final score predictions for the Steelers Sunday road game against the Bengals.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/20/19Season 10, Episode 45 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the latest transactions made by the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. We also quickly move on from that topic and look at the injury updates provided by head coach Mike Tomlin during his Tuesday press conference.After examining the Steelers injury situation, Alex and I move on to go over other various talking points provided by Tomlin on Tuesday.Alex and I have both digested a large selection of the all-22 tape from the Steelers Thursday night loss to the Cleveland Browns so with that we give our latest thoughts on what went wrong and right in that game. We spend a lot of time talking more about the play of Mason Rudolph, plays the offense didn’t make that they probably should have and go over a few play calls we weren’t thrilled with.We talk some about the defensive play Thursday night and a few plays the defense gave up and the overall play of the unit against the run and in the second half. We also save time to discuss some special teams play from Thursday night that wasn’t good at all.After going down a rabbit hole that consisted of me watching all of the pass attempts made by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during his rookie regular season and charting the results, Alex and I talk about how his special traits were evident right from the start. We throw around some interesting passing stats from his rookie season and talk some about personnel groupings and scheme that was run that season.We move on to discuss what special traits Rudolph has shown to date and what he needs to work on to become a better overall quarterback with him not being one to extend a play.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/18/19Season 10, Episode 44 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Monday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the few transactions made by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday and what each of them likely means due to the perceived health of several injured players.Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey will have his three-game suspension appeal heard on Tuesday so Alex and I discuss what the best case scenario is when it comes to that. We also talk briefly about the fining of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and what he’s likely to appeal related to that.Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is currently begging for a job with the Steelers so Alex and I both weigh in with our thoughts on that topic. Also, has wide receiver Ryan Switzer played his last game with the Steelers? We tackle that topic briefly.Alex and I spend quite a bit of time talking about the Steelers woes related to the team’s running game and short yardage situations. We discuss how a return on Sunday of rookie running back Benny Snell Jr. against the Cincinnati Bengals might could be just what the offense needs right now.Alex and I recap what all transpired in the AFC in Week 11 and go over what the AFC North picture looks like with six weeks remaining in the 2019 regular season.We also spend a little more time talking some about Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and other young quarterbacks around the NFL.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/15/19Season 10, Episode 43 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night road loss to the Cleveland Browns and that includes with us starting that conversation off by going over the melee that occurred very late in the contest.We go over the roles played in the Thursday night melee by Browns defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Mason Rudolph. We discuss what the punishments should be for each and if the NFL will react swiftly.Alex get to discussing the Steelers loss to the Browns Thursday night and start with the defensive side of the football and the four explosive plays that were allowed in the first half. We also talk about how Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was able to extend plays quite often Thursday night and how that made a big difference.We move on to discuss the Steelers offense and try to go over all of what that unit did wrong Thursday night. There’s a lot to recap so we go over short yardage failures, run game failures and receivers simply not making plays. Fear not, we also make sure to spend a good chunk of time going over what all Rudolph did wrong Thursday night and how it was an awful game that he had on a short week.We go over the injuries and more and then move on to give our picks for the remaining Week 11 NFL games. Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/13/19Season 10, Episode 42 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers Tuesday injury report as the team puts the final touches on preparations for their Thursday night road game against the Cleveland Browns. Will the Steelers make any more roster moves ahead of Thursday night? We discuss that topic for a bit as well.Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and both coordinators met the media on Tuesday ahead of the game against the Browns so Alex and I discuss the main talking point to come out of those three sessions. We go over the trials and tribulations related to a short week and give our thoughts on if we think one team has an advantage over the other ahead of the Thursday night game between the Steelers and Browns.With the all-22 tape from the Steelers game against the Los Angeles Rams now mostly digested, Alex and I talk about a few other things we observed from that contest. We go over several plays on offense and defense that caught our eyes and more.With the Thursday game against the Browns now just a day away, Alex and I are pleased to have Scott Petrak back on the show again. Scott, who covers the Browns for The Chronicle-Telegram and Medina Gazette, gives us his thoughts on what all has transpired in Cleveland this season in addition to helping Alex and I start to preview the Thursday night. We talk both sides of the football with Scott and much more in this interview segment. Scott ends latest his appearance with us by predicting the final score of the Thursday night game between the Browns and the Steelers. If not all ready doing so, please follow Scott on Twitter at @ScottPetrak and make sure you read his work and listen to his podcast on Brownszone.com.After our interview with Scott is over with, Alex and I give our final thoughts on the Thursday night game between the Steelers and the Browns and what we expect to see on both sides of the football from both teams. As usual, we give our final score predictions for the upcoming game.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that's by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don't forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/11/19Season 10, Episode 41 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Monday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday home win over the Los Angeles Rams. That discussion begins with a look at the injuries suffered during Sunday’s game and the outlook for the health of the team as provided by head coach Mike Tomlin during his Monday afternoon press conference.Alex and I move on to give our initial overview of the Steelers Sunday win and where the team currently sits in the playoff race entering Week 11. We discuss the short week ahead as well as the Steelers will next play the Cleveland Browns on the road Thursday night.Alex and I start with a deep dive into the masterful play by the Steelers defense on Sunday against the Rams and that includes talking some about individual plays and performances from that contest. We go over a few stats from Sunday’s game as part of that conversation.After a long talk about the Steelers defensive showing against the Rams, Alex and I then move on to discussing the play of the offense and that includes talking about the lack of rushing attack, the several drops that took place and a few key plays and decisions. We discuss the offensive line combination that was used against the Rams, the play of quarterback Mason Rudolph and several other things related to that side of the football.We make sure to hit on special teams play from Sunday and that includes talking about the return game and punting.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/8/19Season 10, Episode 40 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday injury report and speculate who on it might not play Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Rams. We also go over the practice squad transaction that took place on Thursday.Who will run the football for the Steelers on Sunday against the Rams and who will play where on the offensive line? Alex and I try to answer those two topics thanks to a few reports that have surfaced since Wednesday’s show.The Steelers coordinators and quarterback Mason Rudolph talked to the media on Thursday so Alex and I parse a few things said during those interviews. We also discus some Rudolph passing stats related to distances thrown and compare them to the same set of stats posted by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger through eight games last season.In the second half of this Friday podcast, Alex and I are joined by Vinny Bonsignore, who covers the Rams for The Athletic. Vinny helps Alex and I get ready for the Steelers Sunday home game against the Rams by answering several questions that we both have about the Los Angeles offense, defense and how the team’s season has gone to date. As usual, we get our guest to give a final score prediction for the Sunday game. If you are not already doing so, please make sure that you follow Vinny on Twitter at @VinnyBonsignore and read his work online here.Alex and I then move on to give our breakdowns of the Steelers Sunday game against the Rams and what we think people should look for in that contest. We go over what the Steelers will likely need to do on Sunday to beat the Rams at Heinz Field and more.Alex and I close out this Friday show by making our picks against the spread for all Week 10 NFL games and that includes us giving our final score prediction for the Steelers game against the Rams.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/6/19Season 10, Episode 39 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the recent transactions made by the Pittsburgh Steelers as Week 10 of the NFL regular season gets underway. We also discuss the Steelers latest team health update that head coach Mike Tomlin provided on Tuesday during his weekly press conference. Tomlin provided us a few key talking points on Tuesday to discuss so Alex and I transition into those.Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch gave a detailed assessment of quarterback Mason Rudolph during a Tuesday radio interview so Alex I recap a lot of what he had to say. We also provide a detailed assessment of what we both observed concerning Rudolph’s play on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.Alex and move on to discuss several things that jumped out to us concerning the Steelers offense and defense after through reviews of the All-22 tape. We spend a lot of time talking about the good and bad from the game against the Colts in addition to talking about the play of several individual players.How are the Steelers key second-year players doing so far this season? Alex and I discuss that topic some.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/4/19Season 10, Episode 38 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Monday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday home win over the Indianapolis Colts from a quick reaction standpoint. We then quickly go over the Steelers decision to part ways with wide receiver Donte Moncrief on Saturday and also go over the health of the team exiting the Sunday game.As usual, Alex and I then get into our long recap of the Steelers game and that discussion begins with our thoughts on the play of the offense. We talk about several individual players and plays from Sunday and obviously spend a lot of time talking about quarterback Mason Rudolph. We discuss how Sunday’s game was the best that wide receiver James Washington has had to date and also breakdown his long reception.After wrapping up our thoughts on the Steelers offense, Alex and I move over to the defensive side of the football. We go over the big play made by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the touchdowns allowed and more. We discuss the Sunday play of several individual defensive players and that includes outside linebacker Bud Dupree. Our talk about Dupree turns into more talk about whether the team can keep him past this season.We talk about the decisions made by head coach Mike Tomlin late in the Sunday game and the job he’s done so far this season. We also talk some about special teams and how that phase contributed on Sunday.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

11/1/19Season 10, Episode 37 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing a few recent transactions the Pittsburgh Steelers made this week that have resulted in outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo being back on the 53-man roster. We also talk some about the Steelers Thursday injury report and how the inactive list might ultimately shake out Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.The Steelers coordinators talked a little on Thursday so Alex and I cover a few of the talking points represented by Randy Fichtner and Keith Butler. We talk a little more about Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and particularly one piece of analysis from Pro Football Focus on him.New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell recently claimed that the Steelers inquired about trading for him at the deadline so Alex and I discuss that topic in addition to talking about the likelihood of the Steelers adding former New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon to the team.I recently recapped the Steelers 2020 salary cap situation in a post so Alex and I spend some time discussing what potentially lies ahead for the team next season. We go over several things that might transpire next offseason and also discuss costs that need to be accounted for in addition to talking about how inactive the team might be in free agency.The Steelers will host the Colts on Sunday so Alex and I welcome Zak Keefer back to the show to help us preview the game. Zak, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, has been on the show before and as usual, he does a great job of letting us know what’s going on with Indianapolis this year and what to maybe expect on Sunday. We talk offense, defense and special teams with Zak and he closes his interview out with a score prediction for Sunday’s game. Please follow Zak on Twitter at @zkeefer and make sure to read his work online here.After Zak’s interview, Alex and I talk more abut the Steelers 2020 salary cap situation. We also discuss the likelihood of the Steelers trading or cutting Ben Roethlisberger after the season is over.Alex and I start winding down this Friday show by giving you our picks for all the Week 9 NFL games against the spread and that includes us picking the outcome of the Steelers Sunday game against the Colts.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

10/30/19Season 10, Episode 36 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the transaction the Pittsburgh Steelers made Wednesday morning and how it is related to injuries the team has had at the running back position. We go over what running back James Conner said Tuesday night about his shoulder injury and possible status for Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.With the all-22 tape now out from the Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins, Alex and I go over a few more observations from that contest from both sides of the football. We also talk quite about about the Steelers offensive line, depth at the position and futures of a couple of playersAlex and I go down a rabbit hole related to a few other contract decisions the Steelers might face during the offeason. This discussion includes several players such as guard Ramon Foster, center B.J. Finney, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and cornerback Joe Haden, just to name a few.We chew on a few other things that head coach Mike Tomlin had to say on Tuesday during his press conference and talk a little about the play of the defense to date and a few recent schematic changes as well.We update the latest legal issues that running back Benny Snell Jr. and outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo are both dealing with currently to close out this show.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

10/29/19Season 10, Episode 35 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Tuesday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers list of injured players following the team’s Monday night win over the Miami Dolphins.We go over what all head coach Mike Tomlin had say about several injured players Monday night and Tuesday afternoon and attempt to speculate which players might sit or play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.Alex and I then get into our long review of the Steelers Monday night win over the Dolphins. We go over key plays from the game and spend extra time talking about how quarterback Mason Rudolph played from start to finish and why we came away from that performance excited overall.We go over the play of fullback Roosevelt Nix Monday night and make sure to give kudos to the wide receivers and their collective play in the win.After finishing our offensive play discussion, Alex and I turn our attention to reviewing the play of the Steelers defense Monday night. We go over several stats related to the defense and also go over a few explosive play stats from the last ten seasons.We talk defensive takeaways, sacks, player snaps and more in our talk about the Steelers defense.The trade deadline is today so Alex and I discuss that topic, the officiating from Monday night and more during the back-end of this episode.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

10/25/19Season 10, Episode 34 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers latest roster moves and that includes discussing outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo being moved to the commissioner’s exempt list and outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott being re-signed. We also talk about the Steelers not claiming rookie outside Tuzar Skipper off waivers from the New York Giants.The Steelers first official injury report of Week 8 was released on Thursday, so Alex and I go over it thoroughly. Coordinators Randy Fichtner and Keith Butler both talked to the media on Thursday, so Alex and I recap the main talking points from their respective sessions. We discuss quarterback Mason Rudolph and the value of explosive plays and much more based on coordinator comments from Thursday.How will the Steelers rotate their defensive linemen and outside linebackers Monday night against the Miami Dolphins? Alex and I discuss that topic and ponder how many snaps a few players on both sides of the football might wind up playing in that contest?With the Steelers set to host the Dolphins Monday night, Alex and I preview Miami on both sides of the football with us being unable to secure a beat writer to interview this week. We let you know what the Dolphins do well and not so well so far and what we both expect to see Monday night.As usual, Alex and I use the final few segments of the podcast to give our picks against the spread on all of the Week 8 NFL games and that includes us giving our final score predictions for the Steelers Monday night game against the Dolphins. One of us has the Steelers winning in a blowout.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

10/23/19Season 10, Episode 33 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers latest injury updates that were provided by head coach Mike Tomlin during his Tuesday press conference. We take a guess as to which players might be back Monday night against the Miami Dolphins.Tomlin provided quite a few talking points to go over on Tuesday, so Alex and I do just that. We go over Tomlin’s thoughts on trades, what he had to say about outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo, cornerback Cameron Sutton and how he feels right now about the team’s depth at the outside linebacker position exiting the bye week.The New York Giants waived rookie outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper on Tuesday so Alex and I spend quite a bit of time talking about him and if the Steelers will acquire him back via waivers on Wednesday. We also talk about the Steelers possibly signing outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott back to the roster as well and what kind of other moves might be made this week.There have been quite a few trades around the NFL with the annual deadline now getting close, so Alex and I review a few of those. We also talk some about the impressive start of the season that the defense of the New England Patriots has had and address if we feel the league is biased toward them.We talk some about the Steelers 2020 salary cap situation during the latter part of this show due to an email we received from a listener.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!

10/21/19Season 10, Episode 32 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Monday show, Alex Kozora and I get right to discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers bye weekend that included outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo being arrested on simple assault charges.We review all of the information that ha surfaced concerning the Chickillo arrest at the time of recording and go over what the Steelers options are related to the outside linebacker. We discuss the contract that Chickillo signed back in March and much more related to his current situation.Not a lot has happened since our Friday show so we quickly review a few things that Steelers team president Art Rooney II had to say during his recent interview with Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on his podcast.Not too much went right for the Steelers in Week 7 NFL action. Alex and I quickly recap all of the key games in the AFC that took place on Sunday and that includes spending extra time on the Baltimore Ravens beating the Seattle Seahawks. We discuss how that Ravens win really hurt the Steelers and if we can now expect Baltimore to reach at least 10 wins on the season. We go over the Ravens remaining schedule for good measure.Alex and I finally close out this show like we close out most episodes and that’s by answering several email questions we received from listeners.As always, several other smaller talking points are mixed in throughout the show that are not highlighted here in this post.Thanks for listening and don’t forget to call or email with questions or comments and please pass us along to your friends!