Chapter 1: What is the Bechtold Breakdown and who is hosting?
It is now time for the Bechtold Breakdown. Austin Bechtold is not here. So Logan Arblaster will do a damn good job of filling in. And Logan, the floor is yours. Thank you, Jack. I appreciate it. I love this music, by the way. I have to compliment Austin on that before I get started. This was one of my best friends' walk-up music in high school. For baseball? Yeah. Did you play baseball?
Not in high school. Okay. Okay. I always listened to Travis Scott, so my walk-up music was... Upper echelon by Travis Scott. Now, Jake Mangum's walk-up song, a fan tweeted him and was like, dude, what's your walk-up song? And he responded, and it took Bucko Nation by storm, myself included, Your Love by The Outfield. That is awesome. That's a great walk-up song.
He seems like he's a fan favorite already. Yeah, because of the walk-up song. I'm sorry to steal your thunder. No, you're good. The Bechtold Breakdown, the day after Christmas, 12-26-2025. It's not Bechtold. It's not Austin Bechtold City Limits. It is Logan R. Blaster. You can call it the R. Blaster Analysis. Wow. I guess today, in a sense.
So I have two topics for you, Jack, and I'll get through them, then we can capitulate back and forth on them. The first one being... There's two veteran wide receivers that were added, and most people listening probably know where I'm going with this. But last offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not address this issue. They did not address it in the middle of the year.
This season, fast forward to 2025 and 2026 season, they did not address this issue at the trade deadline. So back-to-back years, the Steelers have had highly questionable decision-making regarding not trading or acquiring a wide receiver two for the second straight year and just rolling with their three tight end sets. A wide receiver one who can't win in man coverage.
I mean, within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, if it's anything past that, he can't get open. And I'm referring to DK Metcalf. So he's had a lot of help the last three weeks by two guys who were laughed at And I was sitting in the fourth floor of Buell Hall where we went to college, or I still go to college. You used to go to college, Jack, whenever the Steelers signed Adam Thielen.
And everybody in that room, as we were getting ready for a Plead Your Case episode, which is brilliantly produced by my friend Ethan Spazarsky... The Steelers acquired Adam Thielen off waivers from the Vikings, and then not too long after that also activated MBS Marquez Valdez-Scantling off the practice squad for the game in Baltimore.
So what seemed to be like the world's coming to an end when the Steelers lost to the Bills at home against Buffalo, and They rebounded the next week, and they activated MVS and Adam Thielen for those games. Yep. So let me tell you why they've had such an immense impact so far, because it's not just you can look at individual numbers. Their statistics have not been that great.
They haven't put up 100-yard games. They haven't had a ton of catches, but they still have had a large amount of significance on why the Steelers have had such a great three-game stretch, this three-game winning streak that they're on. So let me list off to you Aaron Rodgers' stats week one through week 13. He averaged about 160 yards per game passing the football, 67% completion percentage.
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Chapter 2: How do the Steelers' recent acquisitions impact their offensive strategy?
So I will tell you, being at the game last week with Donnie Football and the Nasty Boys, where we were sitting, and there were like 18 of us, so we had to divvy up. I didn't watch the game with Donnie. I was with some of our other buddies. But where we were sitting, and Lions fans were, with the exception of the doofus that egged DK Metcalf on, Lions fans were great.
They were a joy to sit around. And when they got down to the nitty gritty, like when Boswell missed the field goal, the guys that we were talking to pretty much the whole game were like, because they could obviously go down the field and win it. He's like, whatever happens, please don't get mad at us for cheering if we go down and score. And it's like, it's all good, man. Don't worry about it.
Thielen made a catch over the middle at whatever point in the game that that was. It was a third down, too. I remember what you're talking about. It was like a 14, 15-yard gain. Yes. And the PA announcer goes, Steelers wide Adam Thielen makes the catch. And the dude came down. He's like, you guys have Adam Thielen? And I was like, yeah. 17-yard gain. Four catchers on four targets, by the way.
Again, he's like, that guy sucks. We hate him because he played for the Vikings for so long. They saw that guy twice a year. And look, he's not a world beater by any means and definitely not the 2018 Pro Bowler like Seth Robar's tweet that went viral suggests. That's not him anymore. Aaron Rodgers isn't the same guy anymore either.
Now, granted, Aaron Rodgers is playing much better football at the quarterback position at 42 than Adam Thielen's playing wide receiver at 35. But there's something to be said for the way that those guys operate and go about their business and have for a long time. The same could be said for MVS. More so because of the chemistry that he's had with Aaron Rodgers.
So, yeah, I think they're better off. at wide receiver without the number one guy than they were without George Pickens. But we have a segment coming up, uh, that will probably push till the next hour. My 2026 Pittsburgh sports wishlist, uh, wide receiver is on there and we'll get, I'll get into more detail with that. But with what you've said, like I, I'm impressed that,
on what I've seen from guys like Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdez-Scantling. Well, how about Scotty Miller, too, who got thrown in the mix? Yeah, Ben Skoranek had a touchdown way early in the year. Scotty Miller had that toe tap against the Lions. Well, he only had one play, one catch the entire year until last game, and then he came in and he made a couple big plays there.
It goes to show you, and I get the 12-13 personnel aspect of it, but Aaron Rodgers completed 27 passes to nine different guys in the win against the Lions. That was an afterthought, a pipe dream last year with George Pickens and everybody else. So they've added better...
But do they need a wide receiver to somebody a little bit more threatening than Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson opposite of Metcalf going into 2026? If they're this good right now with Aaron Rodgers, who's 42 years old, if you go out, you get a legitimate wide receiver to a guy that's solid and can be relied upon.
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Chapter 3: What role do Adam Thielen and MVS play in the Steelers' success?
I thought we had another one there at 1225, but we don't. Coming up next, we'll get to your phone calls at 412-928-9370. In the spirit of Christmas and in the spirit of believing, do you believe? Do you believe the Steelers can come out of the AFC and make the Super Bowl? 412-928-9370. PennLive.com.
Steelers beat writer Nick Faribault will join us at the top of the hour, so it's your phone calls next right here on Pomp and Joe. I'm Jack Hillgrove filling in for those fine gentlemen on Sports Radio 93.7 The Fan.