Chapter 1: What are the initial thoughts on Will Howard as a quarterback?
We're back with more here on this snowy Monday in Pittsburgh. Bob Pompiani, Jim Colony sitting in here extending his already long day for another hour.
I got nothing else to do, Bob.
We appreciate that, Jim. Sean Myers behind the glass. And, Sean, you have somebody on the line. We should get to it. 412-928-9370.
We will go to enemy territory, Baltimore, where Todd wants to weigh in. Boy, Todd.
Todd Monken. Hey, good morning, guys. First-time caller. Thanks for taking my call. Sure. I'd like to talk about Will Howard today. Now, somebody made the point earlier in today's show that the current NFL quarterbacks that are still alive in this year's playoffs were top draft picks, which is, that's a great point. But I'd counter it by saying, okay, here's my hypothesis, guys.
The NFL is not all that great in selecting the players that will translate really well in the NFL. For example, Trubisky was taken ahead of Mahomes. Brady was taken at 199. And Mr. Irrelevant is the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Sometimes they get it. Sometimes they don't.
But I would submit that the Pittsburgh Steelers may have a bit of an inside lane on figuring out what they have in Will Howard. And his name is Aaron Rodgers, one of the biggest students of the game, a huge quarterback IQ, NFL IQ. And if they can get this inside lane to figure out what they have in Will Howard, It totally changes the calculus on what they need in this year's draft.
You've got to figure out if Will Howard would work well in the next system that the next head coach would bring. It, to me, is the single biggest challenge.
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Chapter 2: How does CJ Stroud's performance impact the conversation?
decision that needs to be made I'll stop there I think it's an interesting point Todd and you're right they don't always get it right there are a lot of things that have happened but also to the point of like Sam Darnold sometimes it does take a few different offenses to go through before you figure it out I'm not willing to say that Will Howard can't be a significant quarterback I'm not willing to say he's going to be a star either I don't know what he is but
But your suggestion is, and tell me what you think, I don't know how you're going to determine what he's going to be like unless you get through games in the preseason, which he was denied this year.
No, and then you got training camp for what it is, but at least they would have gotten a look at him. And I'll take that a step back. And I know people have completely given up and maybe for good reason on that Mason Rudolph can ever be anything. but there's still a part of me that would like to see what they would do.
Let's just say, for example, that we do the thing that a lot of us are in favor of, which is you bring in the Rams guys. So Shule is your head coach, and then your OC is going to be the passing coordinator.
Okay, if you've got a guy that comes in from that system, or even one of the Kubiaks who comes from the Shanahan system, and if you've got an offensive coordinator that knows what he's doing, how would Mason Rudolph do? He might do much better. With a decent offensive line, which the Steelers have, and they're going to have moving forward. They should have anyway.
But with Will Howard, Art II talked about you don't want to have a lost season. Well, that's what Will Howard had, and through no fault of anybody's, but there's no way to get a really good look at that guy. And even next season in training camp, you're not really going to get a good look.
You could if you don't necessarily ā this draft is going to be interesting. There was a time at the beginning of this NFL season, Jim, where I think we all thought there are going to be 10 quarterbacks taken in the first round. They all have high pedigree. They're all going to be tremendous. Turns out, not the case.
They're making more money in college now.
Fernando Mendoza's name was not really among those names we were talking. Now he is. Drake Moore is going back to college because he's getting paid more. It looks like the quarterback opportunity is not going to be there this year for them, and I don't know that they should stretch anyway. They have a lot of things they need. So if that's not the case, then most likely what will happen next?
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Chapter 3: What factors contribute to evaluating NFL quarterbacks?
I would have benched Stroud. Sean, would you have benched him? He was terrible. I'm sorry, that first drive of the second half was better, but the rest of the game he still was off the mark.
I thought he was pretty bad against the Steelers for long stretches. He looked horribly nervous. I don't know why, because he's a guy who's been there before. He looked like he was a rookie quarterback. But when he was a rookie, he looked more comfortable in the postseason. So you could sort of see that coming for whatever reason. He's made a major step back.
I do want to make a point about you're talking about Sam Darnold. I'm a Niners fan, as you might know. I think his rehabilitation in San Francisco before he went to Minnesota was key. That's a good point. Mac Jones is in that process now. They signed him to a two-year deal, meaning he will be in San Francisco next year unless the team wants to trade for him.
Would you give up maybe a fourth-round pick to take an extended look at a Mac Jones who's under a very affordable contract?
That's a very good thought becauseā You're right. Darnold went there that one year, but the caller suggested that about Aaron Rodgers, too. If you keep him around, I don't know if he wants to coach or be anything. I think he would want to play if he's going to do anything, but my answer to you for a fourth-round pick, probably yes, I would do it if I didn't have any other options.
Well, the Steelers do have a surplus of those types of middle round picks, and that might be good use of it. But that's something, though, that I think we all agree that depends on whoever the coach is who comes in. And I guess if it would be, I guess to his point, that maybe if it's Clay Kubiak... Because where is he coming from?
It could be that.
Yeah, exactly. Maybe that's something that makes sense. But whatever it is, it's fascinating. And the NFL is a year-round ā every week there's something going on. I know this is the coaching search season, but to have all of a sudden Sean McDermott get fired today ā And now he's out there. The Buffalo job is out there. And, you know, how quickly... Steeler's job, all these jobs.
But other coaches that people are talking about, they're not available yet for interviews because their teams are still playing. Exactly. The Seattle coaches, the Chicago coaches are now available. So are the Houston coaches, not any that those guys have been mentioned. Steeler coaches are all out there. But it's just stunning news today.
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Chapter 4: How do different coaching systems affect quarterback performance?
No doubt, yes. And that whole program, it's going to yield so many NFL guys just because of the great success. They're getting extended looks.
prove themselves but I think the argument with Ohio State is they have Jeremiah Smith or a few years ago Jackson Smith and Jigba all the great receivers they've had Harrison yes that it makes the quarterbacks look better than they really are if they were elsewhere well quarterbacks can make receivers look good too
Exactly. I think it's a two-way street there. I think mostly it's the quarterback.
We'll see what happens tonight, what happens. But could his stock go lower tonight if he has a really bad game against Miami? And then they come back through the workouts and the combine. It's just, I don't know. Even if he is drafted first overall, if he ends up in the Raiders... Okay. Who's the coach? There are so many things that have to be put into place.
That's not exactly the best organization right now to get into, too. And you can fall prey to many of the same guys who went to guys like the Giants and the Jets. The system has to be good. You have to have something that works. He may be very talented, but if he doesn't have a system that works for him or them, it could end up being a bust. Not that I'm predicting that.
Do you have another call before we go to break? Yeah, we can go to Jim in Washington. Hello, Jim in Washington. How are you?
Really well. Hey, Bob, what an honor it is. You're a quality man. Really enjoyed you over the years. And Jim Colony, I mean, wow. I'm in my 60s, and just listening to Jim over the years, wow.
It's an honor. It's like comfort food, isn't it? It is, wow. It's like comfort food.
At the end of the day, I just want to mention, I want to talk about the catcher a little bit. Ironically, like Jim, as far as everybody talking, Jay Starkey's a fan of having the number one pick to get a quarterback. You just got to reference Ryan Leaf. Josh Rosen, Kyler Murray, two, I've tanked him for two, all that. So it's a hit or miss, but it has a lot to do with coaching development.
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Chapter 5: What is the significance of the catch rule in the NFL?
I remember listening to you and Joe probably a month ago, Six weeks. I can't remember when it was. The last time there was a what's it count. Maybe it was the Isaiah Likely thing. Probably.
Did you think that was a touchdown? Yes. Yeah, but. Not but. Yes or no. When you saw it, yes or no?
If they had ruled it a touchdown, I would have been okay with it.
That's not what I asked you. That's not what I asked you. Okay, now I'm going to contradict myself.
I'm waffling, Bob. I've heard you waffle before when they've given you a thing. I'd have to go back. I guess watching it from a detached point of view, but more from a Pittsburgh point of view when they said, I was glad it wasn't a touchdown, okay? I understand that point. But it's ā
I guess I go back to the old, I think it was Potter Stewart, who was a chief justice of the Supreme Court, when asked to define pornography, said he couldn't define it, but he knew it when he saw it. And I guess I kind of put myself in that category when it comes to figuring out, you know, I know a catch when I saw it.
I didn't have a problem with the ruling in Denver because I thought it was a simultaneous possession, and then the defender came away with it. Well, simultaneous does go to the offense. Well, yeah, yes, okay. But I didn't have a problem because, to me, it looked like an interception.
The way it happened was boom, boom, like that, and they both went down to the ground with the ball, and then the defender came away with it. They ruled it an interception. I didn't have a problem with it.
John, what is the catch? So one thing that I think is, and I did think likelies was a touchdown, by the way. I did, too. There's usually the requirement for a football move or a football act, as they call it, but sometimes there isn't. Like if you're going out of bounds, you don't have to make a football move. So even within different parts of the field, the rules are completely different.
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Chapter 6: How has the catch rule evolved over the years?
But the more I see it, the more I like it. You?
Yeah, I do agree with that. And, man, that dude from Seattle, holy crap. You could have been here.
The Steelers, there were rumors that he could have been here, Shaheen. Well, he wasn't, was he? No, he wasn't. Boy, what a fast dude. All right, Jim, I appreciate you stepping in. You had a long day. Go get a massage, you know, relax, go hit golf balls, do what you do. I was just played on Route 8 I drive by that I'm curious. No, I'm just kidding. You'll know it if you see it.
Okay.
All right, we're going to take a break. We have Neil, we have Roy coming up on the hotline. I want to remind you about fan weather. It's brought to you by Myers Law Group, Pittsburgh's choice for affordable legal solutions. We've got a few snow flurries. Temperatures are going to be cold. A low of Ben Roethlisberger, 7 degrees. And the wind show tomorrow morning is supposed to be minus 15 or so.
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