Steelers Podcast - The Terrible Podcast

Season 9, Episode 119 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately begin recapping the Pittsburgh Steelers third and final week of OTA practices and that discussion includes us covering quarterback Mason Rudolph and his first-team reps, the progress of rookie wide receiver Diontae Johnson and more.Alex and go over the Steelers wide receiver depth chart early in this show and discuss the quasi professional experience several at the bottom have. We then get into a long discussion about wide receivers Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer and the likelihood of both making this year’s 53-man roster. That discussion includes us covering some depth of target stats and more.Can the Steelers defense hit 60 sacks in 2019? Alex laid out a path for that to happen in a recent post that we both discuss. We go over each player and position group as it relates to possible 2019 sack totals.Will the Steelers defense be better than the one the Baltimore Ravens will field in 2019? Alex and I discuss that topic for a bit before talking some about the NFL possibly shortening the preseason and extending the regular season in the next CBA.Former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew attempted to predict the Steelers 2019 record Thursday night so we go over his game-by-game thoughts and talk some about our expectations for the team this season.Alex and I cover a few more items and then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 117 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Tuesday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers announcement on Tuesday that former players William Gay and David Johnson will serve as coaching interns with the team this summer.The Steelers third week of OTA practices will get underway on Tuesday following a team-building session on Monday so Alex and gloss over what all is on tap this week.Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler talked recently about his unit not producing enough turnovers in 2018 so we go over a few of his quotes in addition to going over some stats that Alex recently compiled regarding past Super Bowl champions and total turnovers.The Steelers defense missed out on 8 forced fumbles they caused last season so Alex and I quickly review those plays and how a few of the situations may have played out had those loose footballs been recovered by Pittsburgh.The Steelers now have less than a million in salary cap space following the signing of their 2019 draft class and Alex discuss why that’s no reason to freak out. We talk specifically about one Steelers players who might have his contact restructured later this summer and why.Some offensive line talk is mixed in during this episode as well. We also cover some quick news from around the league later in this show.Alex and I cover a few more items and then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 117 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers now having their entire 2019 draft class under contract after signing cornerback Justin Layne to his rookie contract on Thursday.With the Steelers second week of OTA practices now concluded, Alex and I have quite a bit to review from this past week. We go over quite a few reports and things said by and concerning Steelers safety Sean Davis, outside linebackers Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt, Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, and Sutton Smith.Steelers backup defensive back Kameron Kelly also had a notable second week of OTA practices so Alex and I talk about the latest related to him in his attempt to make the 53-man roster this year.We discuss Davis’ contract situation at length along with what the Steelers might ultimately decide is a fair price for defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who is also now in the final year of his rookie contract.Steelers guard Ramon Foster talked quite a bit about a few players that have impressed him so far during OTAs so Alex and I go over what all he had to say. We move on to talk some about the Steelers offensive line depth as OTAs begin to wind down.What kind of sack and turnover production will the Steelers defense need in 2019 for the team to be successful? Alex and I talk quite a bit about several stats related to that side of the football.Steelers kicker Chris Boswell addressed the media this past week so we go over his current situation a little bit more and talk briefly about rookie tight end Zach Gentry being asked to switch his jersey number recently.Alex and I cover a few more items and then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 116 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Tuesday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the start of the second week of OTAs for the Pittsburgh Steelers.Mike Clay of ESPN.com recently released some early stat projections for the 2019 season so Alex and I spend quite a bit of time going over those numbers for several players and if we think they are too high, too low or just right.When Alex and I get to the projections of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, we spend some extra time reviewing his 2018 seasons and areas he needs to improve in in 2019.There’s been a lot of talk so far about the Steelers possibly using running backs James Conner and Jaylen Samuels in the same backfield quite a bit in 2019 so Alex and I spend a little extra time on that topic. We go over a few recent comments made by former Steelers outside linebacker coach Joey Porter on Roethlisberger, rookie inside linebacker Devin Bush and the possibility of the Steelers using Conner and Samuels in the same backfield.Will the Steelers have a top 5 offense in 2019? Alex and I discuss that topic along with the reasons given by former NFL player Willie McGinest as to why he thinks the Steelers offense won’t be a top 5 unit in 2019.Alex and I cover a few more items and then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 115 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about what all has happened this past week during the Pittsburgh Steelers first week of 2019 OTAs.We start with a discussion about a few Twitter faux pas made by a few Steelers players this past week, safety Terrell Edmunds and outside linebacker Bud Dupree. We also discuss several other comments made by wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster about the current state of the team.Alex and I move on to discuss a lot of news that surfaced this past week in regard to several of the Steelers wide receivers. That means quite a bit of talk about James Washington, Donte Moncrief and Diontae Johnson. Is Washington the key x factor for the Steelers offense in 2019? We discuss that topic.Several other players are also discussed in this show as we cover what’s going on with cornerback Mike Hilton and his contract situation, rookie outside linebacker Sutton Smith being given some fullback reps this past week and which players missed practice time during week 1 of OTAs. Cornerback Joe Haden and the comments he made this past week about interceptions are discussed and we briefly cover the limited news on rookie inside linebacker Devin Bush from this past week.Alex and I revisit the Steelers need for another tight end after they attempted to claim one of waivers this past week and we also talk a little more about the team’s undrafted free agent signing process.We then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 114 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Tuesday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about my recent vacation to Seattle and Los Angeles and how much I walked the last week while trying my best to stay unplugged from the internet.The Pittsburgh Steelers made quite a few transactions since we last recorded an episode of the podcast so Alex and I review all of the moves and discuss which ones were the most surprising.Do the Steelers currently do a good enough job of signing undrafted free agents and cultivating them? Alex doesn’t think so, so we discuss the Steelers process when it comes to them signing and developing undrafted free agents.Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was interviewed recently by Bob Pompeani of KDKA-TV so Alex and I review all of what he had to say about former wide receiver Antonio Brown, the status of his radio show and more. We discuss how Roethlisberger should proceed with interviews at the start of OTAs and if he should keep doing his radio show.Should the Twitter likes of Steelers players be heavily scrutinized and questioned? Alex and I briefly address that topic in light of safety Terrell Edmunds liking a tweet from Brown on Monday.The New York Jets had an interesting past week so Alex and I review the recent news concerning that NFL team and how their new running back Le’Veon Bell likely feels entering this week. We also discuss some other main headlines from around the NFL.Alex and I then move on to preview the Steelers first week of OTA practices and things we’ll be looking to hear about the next several days. Alex also talks about a few players the Steelers might show interest in.We then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 113 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp getting underway this weekend and that includes us reviewing the players on the 60-man roster that will participate in that annual event.Alex and I go over the several Steelers transactions that have taken place over the last few days that includes us discussing the draft picks that have been signed and the two players who have been cut.Should Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson be considered a legitimate candidate for the annual AP Rookie Offensive Player of the Year award for 2019? We discuss PFF having him ranked 9th overall as a candidate.Alex recently attempted to defend Steelers punter Jordan Berry being given a two-year contract this offseason in a post so we talk more about what he does well in this show that might be severely underrated.Will Steelers cornerback Joe Haden sign a contract extension later this offseason? Alex and I discuss the possibilities of that happening, what Haden’s current value might be and more.Speculation is picking up that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin might be given another contract extension this offseason so Alex and I discuss that topic for a while in addition to discussing how much longer he might want to coach and if general manager Kevin Colbert will still be with the organization past the 2021 season.Alex and I talk briefly about Steelers sixth-round round draft pick Ulysees Gilbert III after watching a little more of his college tape.We then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 112 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Tuesday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the winners of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 mock draft contest that we ran on the site.We go over the contracts of the first two rookie undrafted free agents that the Steelers signed, guard Fred Johnson and punter Ian Berryman, in addition to talking a little about both players and their chances of making the 53-man roster this year.After talking some about Berryman, Alex and I go over the stats review of Steelers punter Jordan Berry that I recently posted on the site. That discussion concludes with us discussing what Berry does well that has led to him sticking with the Steelers and signing a new two-year contract earlier in the offseason.Steelers rookie running back Benny Snell Jr., who was selected in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the team, appears to now enter the NFL as a fairly reputable pass protector, judging by his Kentucky tape. Alex and I discuss the deep dive I recently did into Snell’s college blocking and how we expect him to excel in that area during training camp and beyond.Can the Steelers first-round selection this year, linebacker Devin Bush, ultimately make a legitimate run at winning the annual AP Rookie Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019? Alex and I discuss the early odds related to him doing so and what might need to happen for him to have a shot at doing what former Steelers linebacker Kendrell Bell last did for the Steelers in 2001.With the NFL’s annual compensatory draft pick period coming to an end on Tuesday, Alex and I discuss the likelihood of the Steelers signing a few more unrestricted free agents between now and the middle of July. We go over some Steelers history related to such transactions as part of that discussion.Alex posted his first 53-man roster prediction of 2019 on Monday so we review his choices from top to bottom in addition to his early practice squad guesses.We then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received recently to close out this episode.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!

Season 9, Episode 112 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers deciding to not pick up the fifth-year option of cornerback Artie Burns. as part of that conversation, we discuss the players selected in the first-round of the 2016 NFL Draft who have had their fifth-year options picked up and those that haven't.How far were the Steelers willing to trade up to draft linebacker Devin Bush? we discuss that topic thanks to a recent report by Peter King of NBC Sports. We also talk about the process of trading up during a draft and go over a few more plays Bush made during his college career that justifies the team moving up to select him.Alex and I look at the drafts of the other three AFC North teams, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, and let you know which one we liked the best.I released my first mock 53-man roster on Thursday so Alex and I go through it position group by position group. We also take time to talk a little more about the strengths and weaknesses of two of the Steelers draft picks, wide receiver Diontae Johnson and outside linebacker Sutton Smith, who is likely going to be a fan-favorite by the time training camp gets underway.Alex gives reports on safety P.J. Locke III and kicker Matthew Wright, two of the team's undrafted free agents who have been signed.Alex and I then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received since the draft ended on Saturday.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!

Season 9, Episode 111 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Wednesday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about several things related to the Pittsburgh Steelers draft and that includes discussing a few players who were already under contract with the team that you could probably view as being big winners based on the selections the team made. The players mainly discussed are safety Marcus Allen, inside linebacker Tyler Matakevich and tight end Xavier Grimble.Is Allen indeed being moved to a linebacker or dimebacker role in the Steelers defense? Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin certainly seemed like that would indeed be the case during the post-draft press conference. We discuss the possibility of such a move happening and talk a little about the dimebacker role in the Steelers defense in 2019.Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has had quite a bit to say about the team’s draft picks this year in addition to discussing cornerback Artie Burns and outside linebacker Bud Dupree. Alex and I spend quite a bit of time parsing quite a few of Colbert’s recent comments made since the draft about several players, both new and existing.After doing a few more recent breakdowns on two of the Steelers draft picks, outside linebacker Sutton Smith and running back Benny Snell Jr., Alex and I discuss the findings that are mostly related to sack quality and explosive runs, respectively.We move forward to start closing out the show by discussing a few comments made by Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown after the Steelers traded up in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft to select inside linebacker Devin Bush.Alex and I then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received since the draft ended on Saturday.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!

Season 9, Episode 110 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Monday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about several of the things said by Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin during the team’s post-draft press conference on Saturday night.Tomlin had a few interesting things to say about Steelers safety Marcus Allen on Saturday and the member of last year’s draft class certainly appears to be the big winner coming out of this year’s selections because of the team not picking a safety. Alex and I discuss what the future might hold for Allen in 2019 and how he might be used defensively during his second season with Pittsburgh.After diving back into the tape, Alex and I give a few more thoughts on a few of this year’s Steelers draft picks. We talk more about tight end Zach Gentry and his 2018 targets at Michigan in addition to going over more of what we’ve uncovered about running back Benny Snell Jr.. We compare a few of Snell’s college stats to those of former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell. Additionally, Alex reveals a few other things related to new Steelers defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs after going back through some of his college tape.Alex and I then proceed to answer a few listener emails we have received since the draft ended on Saturday.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!

Season 9, Episode 109 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Sunday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday evening release of linebacker Jon Bostic that came immediately after the conclusion of the 2019 NFL Draft. We discuss why Bostic was released, the salary cap implications related to his releases and more.After discussing Bostic’s exit, Alex and I then proceed to thoroughly discuss the Steelers six selections that they made during day-three of this year’s draft, Benny Snell Jr., Zach Gentry, Sutton Smith, Isaiah Buggs, Ulysees Gilbert III, and Derwin Gray. We add in a few comments made by a few of the Steelers position coaches concerning a few of the drafteees as we discuss each selection.After going through all six players selected by the Steelers on Saturday, Alex and I then quickly review the 10 undrafted free agents that agreed to sign with the team Saturday night.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!

Season 9, Episode 108 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Saturday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers two day-two selections that they had in the third-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, wide receiver Diontae Johnson and cornerback Justin Layne.Alex and I attempt to breakdown the good and the bad of both Johnson and Layne in roughly 30 minutes and also let you know a few other details related to each player. We talk about where we had both players being drafted.After discussing the drafting of Johnson and Layne in-depth, Alex and I talk about several potential day-three targets for the Steelers during the final 15 minutes of the show.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!

Season 9, Episode 107 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Friday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers selection of Michigan linebacker Devin Bush Thursday night in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft.We discuss the Steelers decision to trade up in the first-round with the Denver Broncos to draft Bush, what the team gave up to do so and why. We also recap the Steelers pre-draft process the Steelers had in regard to Bush.Alex and I then move forward to discussion the great character that Bush has and how he checks every box as far as what the Steelers normally look for with their first-round draft picks. In that, we discuss the video message that Bush received from his family just prior to the draft getting underway Thursday night.We move forward to breakdown Bush’s play on the field at Michigan and that include us reviewing both his strengths and weaknesses along with a few other tangibles he brings to Pittsburgh. That discussion leads to Alex and I discussing how quickly Bush can get on the field during his rookie season as a defensive player and what his addition might mean for a few other inside linebackers currently on the Steelers roster.After discussing the drafting of Bush in-depth, Alex and I talk about several potential day-two targets for the Steelers in addition to the team possibly moving up a little Friday night. We then do a quick review of the entire first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft and go over a few players who were selected and several who were not.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!

Season 9, Episode 106 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can and in this Thursday show, Alex Kozora and I immediately talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers signing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday. We discuss what Roethlisberger’s new contract likely looks like based on the early numbers that are floating around and potentially why it took so long to get the deal finalized.Alex and I move on to have a long conversation about Temple cornerback Rock Ya-Sin due to him being the late and hot prediction to be the Steelers first-round selection this year. We discuss Ya-Sin’s college career, his tape at Temple, his Senior Bowl week and a few of his stats from last season as we try to make sense of the late buzz concerning him.With the first-round of the NFL Draft getting underway Thursday night in Nashville, TN, Alex and I go over a list of players we think have a best shot at being the Steelers selection. We attempt to leave no stone unturned when it comes to the possible players and even talk a little about the small chance that Michigan linebacker Devin Bush will fall enough in the first-round to give the Steelers a shot at maybe trading up for him.My final Steelers mock draft was released on Wednesday so Alex and I go through it from top to bottom as we discuss not only my 10 selections, but several of the other 40 players I considered including in my final prediction.As usual, Alex and I then close this episode out by answering a few emails we have received from listeners over the course of the last several days.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!