NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Steelers-Colts MNF Recap + Favorite Rookies

Episode Date: November 29, 2022

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Phoebe Schecter to recap the Steelers-Colts Monday Night Football matchup. Then, Gregg and Phoebe discuss their favorite rookie performers so far this NFL season.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Second and goal, Ryan Enzone, Pittman, touchdown Colts. First lead of the night for Indianapolis. They hand off to Snell. Got it. Touchdown, Pittsburgh, back on top. Low snap.

Ryan lets it go, and this one is broken up. No flags. Steelers will take over. The minute that Matt Ryan was moved off the spot on a killer, fourth and three in Steelers' territory late in the game, I said, game over. And it was because Matt Ryan was not making any plays on the move. The Steelers go into Indianapolis. get a win on a ugly but fun Monday night game 24 to 17. Phoebe Schechter is with me.

You heard Phoebe on our show earlier, I think in the summer. She's a former coach with the Buffalo Bills, and she is a Sky Sports analyst, also talk sports. She's getting it done over in the UK, but she's back in the States right now. So at least it's not 4.30 in the morning. How are you doing, Phoebe? I'm doing great thank you

I really like that you've titled that ugly and fun I feel like that is exactly what that game was I was going to start that way was that a so bad it's good game that's another way to say it because when I'm home watching prime time or when I'm here

if a game is between two not great teams and there's some bad ball and there was a lot of bad ball here at least make it entertaining and to me this was a so bad it's good game do you agree yeah I would agree with that because it left people with hope

And that's what's the dangerous bit. Did it, though? Did it? Maybe the Steelers. It left the Steelers with a little bit of hope. It left us with a lot to talk about, at least, which I didn't think was going to be the case in the first half of this game. It was 16 to 3 at halftime. The yardage totals were outrageously one-sided.

It was 15 first downs to four in the first down in the first half. I think it was 230 yards to 71. It was just ugly, and it looked like the Steelers were going to walk the Colts up and down the field. And then the Colts came back and made it an entertaining game to the point that Jeff Saturday, the former ESPN analyst, as of three weeks ago, was in a position where he had to try to manage the clock at the end of the game. And I feel like we have to start there, even if it's negative. You're a former coach, Phoebe, watching Jeff Saturday. Tuesday, choose not to take timeouts as the Colts struggled to even get a first down,

not even inside the Steelers red zone. What was going through your mind and were you just kind of feeling bad for him in that moment or thinking like this is why you don't hire a TV guy to be your coach? I mean, I'd say it might be a little bit of the second. I had flashbacks of Nathaniel Hackett first game in the season with the Broncos. was, you know, I think what was really tough there is, first off, Matt Ryan's running the football. And then he's trying really hard, getting the ball to John and Taylor. And you're like, call the time out.

What do you do? What are you waiting for? And, you know, I think when you bring in an interim head coach or, you know, we've seen, again, with Hackett, you have someone that's there to tell you the situations, you know, on the sideline. Or Matt Ryan, step up and just make a decision for him knowing who you have as your interim head coach. That's a great point. And I also think it's worth noting that it's a first-time play caller, Parks, Frazier, who's never been close to this role, making the calls all, you know, in this situation. So I think you have to keep that in mind.

I understand not using the timeouts before the two-minute warning, although there's an argument for it. Then they come out, they run a short pass on fourth and three to Michael Pittman. It's a tipped pass, but they get it to keep the game alive, essentially. At that point, there's 1.35 left on the clock when Ryan takes his next snap. And I didn't have a huge problem with them not taking a timeout until that point, because he's still thinking if we don't continue the drive and we get another possession, we want to keep all three timeouts that can get us another possession. Matt Ryan drops back to pass.

Alex Highsmith gets pressure on him quickly. They did not get pressure on Ryan for most of the night. He gets sacked. He fumbles. They recover it. At that point, there's 120. left in the game. That's where you have to use a timeout. Even still, okay, we're still above a minute. And maybe you can make the argument, there's still a chance we could get a possession if we

don't pick up this first down. Matt Ryan scrambles for 14 yards, setting up a third and three. At that point, there's 51 seconds left. It is a crime against your team to not take a timeout with 51 seconds left. And this is something where I don't feel bad yelling about it because it's one of the few things as outsiders. I think we know what the right answer is. right? Like, you've been inside the game as a player and a coach, and there's few things that we actually know from the outside what the right answer for, but this is it. Like, there's no argument to not take a timeout with 51 seconds left there.

Yeah, I mean, it's blatantly, I know, I feel your anger. But it's blatantly obvious, you know. Yes, you're in the situation. It is always tough, but come on, like, see what your opportunity is here. See who you've got. Just get the time out in quickly, and they just weren't able to do that. Well, the reason is I still think he's still thinking what he started the drive thinking, and he hasn't had enough experience in this situation, which is, I want to keep my three-time-outs in case the Steelers get the ball back.

But there's no point in having your three-time-outs if the Steelers get the ball back once you're snapping the ball on third and three with 34 seconds left. That's it. That possession is all you're going to get. They weren't settled. Jonathan Taylor gets stuffed on a run call at the 26-yard line to set up their first timeout, and then they call the fourth and three. They didn't get it. Very frustrating. But I think a fitting ending because I didn't think the Colts deserve to win this game.

Let's spin it positive for a little bit before getting back to the Colts. Let's talk Kenny Pickett. What did you think of Kenny Pickett in this game? I really liked him in this game. I thought he did a great job of leading his receivers. He kept it in a place where it was away from the defender. I mean, from his first throws in the beginning of the game, for the most part, I'd say he was pretty steady throughout.

There weren't any times where I felt like he was really. worried or stressed. I think he kept a pretty cool lid the entire time. I'm really liking what we're seeing from him. And I think he's become a really nice leader and a nice fit for this team. I agree. I think this was his best game of the season by a lot. I think the first half of last week's game against the Bengals was his best half of the season.

And then they fell apart, like they started to do here in the second half, wasn't all picket. although he didn't miss a couple early throws in the second half. And he missed a couple throws in this game. But overall, his accuracy was really good. He was decisive. They were down 17, 16. They blew a 16 to 3 lead. It would have been 20 to 3 if he hadn't missed a layup for a touchdown.

One of his few misthrows that would have given them a 20 to 3 lead going into the half. Before that, he was almost perfect. And he had a couple misses. And then you're down and everything's, going against him and he had a third and nine play to start the fourth quarter where he ends up rolling left to extend the play and just kind of move the pocket and he throws the ball against his body right and finds George Pickens great throw has a dime to Fryermuth later in that drive and then a great throw on the goal line to Deontay Johnson who drops it and a great throw for

the two-point conversion that was the best drive I've seen from picket all season and to considering it was in that spot where they had just given up a 16-3 lead, that's really impressive. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I just think that he's developed so much. And from the time that he came in and, you know, I just think that he's done a really nice job there. And it's been great to see.

And I think the fact that he also has so many different weapons that he's able to pick from. I mean, you look at, yes, the Colts aren't a great example, but you look at the amount of different people that he's been able to throw the ball to tonight as opposed to potentially the Colts and he's he's really spread it out and the relationship that him and Pickens have is awesome okay speak speak to me more on that what do you mean there just like the way that they know like he knows what Pickens is going to do or just like the body language or what are you talking about I'd say it's a bunch of things right so bring it all the way back to training camp and those guys are both your second string your third string whatever that

looks like for them, you know. And I think they were able to really develop this relationship in training camp that they've been working on consistently. And now you see it in game time. There's obviously a lot of trust in Pickens. And we've seen him make these unreal catches. But really great body language. He trusts the timing of those routes. And he trusts that he's going to be there with, I mean, his hands are amazingly strong. He knows that wherever he puts the ball, how many times this evening did we see Pickens pretty much on his knees catching that football, you know, and for me, that's just absolute faith in your receiver to be in the exact right spot at the right time. That's a great point. And the two-point conversion was a play where that really stands out

because he had to know Pickens. It's ultimately a scramble drill at that point. He's rolling right and he has to know Pickens is going to fake his defender inside and then he goes back out to the outside and that that's a veteran type of play by those two yeah and i mean i love i love that play like because you watch him come back and he finds his way behind the defender you know literally put himself in a position where only he can catch that and normally you would think if you're in the back of the end zone that ball should be high in a way but he actually goes the opposite there and puts it really low where pickens is on his knees catching that football i mean the relationship and body language that you have to have to be able to do that is insane that was a seed and he kept

going back to Pickens. Pickens did have a key drop on a low throw, but a key drop that ended one of those three and outs in the third quarter. He had another catch he couldn't come up with on the sideline, but he kept going back to him. He's a freak, George Pickens. And if they can just get him to mature in terms of just the finer, you know, aspects of route running and just being a professional, all that stuff. I mean, he's already showing what kind of talent he has. Deonti Johnson is someone they've paid long term. He gets open all the time. And Fryermouth is a great tight end.

What do you think of this Steelers group all on their rookie contracts except for Deonti Johnson growing together? Because until the last couple of weeks, I guess I was on a wait and see a vibe with Kenny Pickett, but I think he has shown some things that maybe this group can grow up together. You know, a little bit like the Bengals group. I'm not going to say they're as talented as that group, but at least the same. same idea where it's a bunch of young players growing up together. Yeah, and I think that's a mentality shift, right?

You look to the Rams, for example, from last year, who really sold out and went all in to win the Super Bowl. And now what do they have, essentially? Nothing really from a young perspective. They got Super Bowl rings, though, but the Steelers, the Steelers aren't going to be going that route. They are the opposite of that, absolutely. Precisely, like the Bengals, like the bills, people who are actually invested in building

from the ground up. you want to have those guys around building together, learning, growing, because all of them are going to have to go through these growing pains. And if you can really raise this kind of rookie class together, imagine what this team will be like. And you've got a guy like Mike Tomlin leading the way who is very much so rooted in the Steelers, rooted in his culture and his beliefs, and he's going to be able to really guide these guys the right way. Right.

And we've seen them develop receivers before. and so you just have an idea I know the coaching staffs are different but Tomlin's there and I've talked to people that have been in that organization and I think it's just underrated how Tomlin can push

the right buttons. It's just one of the things you can't like get into the schematics of being a coach but you've been a coach and you've seen what it's like behind the scenes like what do you think a coach like Tomlin or what people have talked to you about what he does is so

unique because it seems like he has a way of developing players in a way that goes beyond just X's and O's. Yeah, and he's invested in people as well, which is, you know, the biggest thing. Whatever organization you're in, it always has to come down to vulnerability, trust. How can I make this culture as quickly as possible? And you look at someone like Tomlin, and that's not probably the first two words you think of, but that is absolutely what he's doing behind closed doors. And he will stand up for his players no matter what.

and he's always there to back him, but he's got a very clear vision on what he wants for the Steelers Nation for everybody within that building. And everyone buys into that. They've got this kind of rough edge. They've always carried with them. And the players that they recruit to come to the Steelers,

they all have that little bit of too cool chip on the shoulder. And I think that's what makes them so special because you see games like today where it starts coming together and you start seeing that vision really click a little bit, especially in that first half for the offense. And then you've got guys on defense just killing it like Fitzpatrick and also special teams. I mean, how many times you see a team making big plays on special teams?

I mean, blocking that field goal was major for them today. That's a good point. I was going to say not them tonight because they gave up a big kick return. They gave up a few big kick returns, but one that really changed the game coming out of halftime. He almost took it to the house. Who was that Dallas for the Colts? So the Steelers have not been a good team this year. Tomlin has never had a record under 500.

They're now at 4 and 7. And again, I think they can start feeling better. Pickett's a little bit of an older quarterback. So I think you do want to see him show something as a rookie. And he is improving by the week. They have the Falcons next week. They have the Ravens at home, then at Panthers, home for Raiders, at Ravens.

home for Browns. It's going to be tough for them to get to 9 and 8. That would mean winning five games the rest of the way, but it would not surprise me at all. And they've won two out of three now and played the Bengals very close to see them finish strong, see them finish with seven, maybe eight wins. Who knows, even get to 8, 8 and 1 like Mike Talman did a year ago.

I wouldn't want to play them down the stretch. No. Yeah. And the way, imagine if they get their defense together, like when they play the Bengals and, you know, even parts of their offense. If they start putting all those pieces together, like, they could be a real dangerous team. Right. Watts been quiet since he came back relatively. They don't have a great pass rush. The defense has been a little overwhelming overall.

Even in this game, letting the Colts back into it, I don't think was a great look, but it is the NFL giving up 17 points is not a bad thing. Let's flip to the Colts because, yeah, Matt Ryan. in the first half looked confused by the pressure that Pittsburgh was sending his way. That's been a problem for the Colts all year. It felt like they had improved on that the last few weeks. And when pressure was getting there, he just doesn't have an answer. And it's unpleasant to watch as someone that's like watching Matt Ryan for his whole career. You don't like seeing a player struggle as much as he was.

I think he was five for 13 for 30-something yards and an interception at half-time. before throwing better balls overall, you know, in the second half. Yeah, and it's really tough. I mean, the second they start giving him any pressure. And, you know, they did cook up some nice pressures and stunts and blitzes in there this evening. But when he has to roll out or do anything that looks mildly, athletic, it just feels like the end of the play. Like, just sit there. Let's move on, you know, save yourself a little bit.

Troy Aikman was getting frustrated. Do we actually have some of the sound? Troy Aikman is a former quarterback. of course, and he does not like bad ball. Let's hear a couple of the Troy Aikman clips from tonight, Justin, when they was struggling in the first half. That was his fourth pass, and nothing good has happened yet when they've tried to throw the football.

The first pass should have been intercepted. The second one was. The third one was a sack, and now this. I don't know. Do you? I don't know. You're a player and a coach. Like, I don't know.

Does it pain you to Chris? criticize, like, players now at the – because he's been at the top of the mountain, and to see, like, a team struggling as bad as they were offensively, it just seems – it's painful, man. Yeah, and, I mean, everyone thought, with Ryan going to the cold, you know, having Johnson Taylor, like, that they would just be explosive. And we have probably seen one of the worst versions of Matt Ryan, which is such a shame, because he think he could have been, you know, a Hall of Fame quarterback and potentially still could be, What a not nice place to go and rest the rest of your days.

I think this might be his last year unless he really wants to be a backup, which might not be what he wants to do. He definitely gives him a better chance to win than Sam Ellinger, but he just doesn't. He can't make plays after it. There was that one drive, you know, at the end of the game where he moves the ball well and has some nice throws, Jalani Woods was a freak of nature tonight. He had more catches in this game than he had all season combined coming into it.

He's a 6'7 combined Marvel went 8 for 98 tonight. They have some receivers. Pittman went, you had 61 yards and made one nice play down the field, but they weren't trying it. And that's because of the offensive line for the most part. They are now at 4-7 and 1. And I vote, and you can tell me if you agree or not, Phoebe, to take them out of the, playoff in the hunt graphic that they show on television you know how they show who's in the

playoffs and then they show in the hunt and the cults are there and they're at four six and one which is just an ugly record and now they're at four seven and one and I vote to officially take them out of the in the hunt graphic yeah that too are you okay with that are you okay I totally am on board with this. I mean, this is just the fact that there's a one in there at all already makes me feel like you shouldn't be there. You and the Texans have your one in there. I don't think we should count you for it. Right.

And if it's a tie with the Texans, it's kind of like our producer, Gravedigger, had such a bad pick in our lock competition last week. We do our locks of the week and he picked a team that lost 43. Yeah, and

he got an extra half loss. I think if you tie the Texans, actually, That should count as a loss. I don't know what you're going to say to that. There's nothing to say. Sorry. This passing attack is pretty dreadful. That was at a point where they were struggling to score inside the 10-yard line,

and the crowd at one point actually booed because they called the pass. It was just second and goal from the nine, and they called the pass in the crowd, booed. Like, do you – I don't know. Is there anything that this team can do. Give me something positive that you liked about the call. It's defensively, offensively tonight. Yeah, I mean, I think you have to look to Jolani Woods. And even the fact that that first pass to Jolani Woods, he dropped.

But Matt Ryan went right back to him and gave him the opportunity. And he kind of took off the rest of the game from that. I mean, for me, I felt like there was a really big momentum shift going into, I say really big. I mean, it's all very relative, isn't it, for this game? Going into the half, I felt like their defense stepped up. It was starting to feel exciting. And then you come out on the other side of the half and Matt Ryan's going. But it was like the saddest series of events because you have this awesome special teams.

Like then you get Matt Ryan probably the longest time of possession they've had the entire game. They're making some things happen. Johnny Woods is taken off. Seven minute 16 play drive that you're talking about. Or sorry, yeah, seven minutes 16 plays. Yeah, continue, sorry. Yeah, and that was probably the most successful back-to-back first downs. I mean, they hadn't really had any first down to convert down third down at all.

And so for me, that's probably their most successful. But the irony that it ends with a fumbled handoff to Jonathan Taylor is probably, and you look at it back, I mean, that wasn't even really in Jonathan Taylor's gut enough. It was just kind of like a sad. Oh, I don't know. That felt like it. I was sitting next to Morrie's. Jones Drew, you know, doing the Channel 5 telecast. He was like, that's on Taylor.

It didn't seem like there was anything that Matt Ryan did wrong, was there? It just was sad luck. It was sad when the Steelers player, who was it, Wormley, just came in and took the ball from Ryan. Because that was like if me and you were playing football, Phoebe, as kids, and I just fell on the ball. And then you came over and you were just like, I'm taking that from you, you little man, you little boy. And that's like sort of, that's sort of what. What Wormley did to Ryan there? Yeah, I was surprised that that was, I mean, I did feel a bit tight, especially because, I mean, the Steelers had caused a lot of penalties to get to that place that were unnecessary.

It was like some bad football back to back for a little bit there. And then, yeah, it was just not really good the rest of the game. I'm disappointed that the Colts are in primetime next week. They're in Sunday night football against the Cowboys. There's so many good teams out there. We haven't seen enough in primetime. And we're getting the Colts two more times. We also have them on another Monday night football in a few weeks.

I forget who that matchup is against. Maybe Gravedigger, you can tell me. It's against the Chargers, and that's in Indianapolis. And by then, I don't know. I just feel like they got a little bit of a bounce from Jeff Saturday getting there. It's nice that Jonathan Taylor looks healthy again. Najee Harris, we should mention, left this game with an oblique injury. I don't think that hurt the Steelers at all because I think Anthony McFarlane and Benny Snell

might have had a little more juice overall than Harris and so they were able to run the ball so I think the Steelers are going to finish strong I do not think the Colts will let's move on the more fun stuff Phoebe like how is this season going for you by the way? You're back in

Connecticut right now right yes I am enjoying good old CT you know okay but you you are spending the season as a sky sports analyst and you live in London Yeah, my life is kind of a mystery, really.

I'm here with NFL flag for two weeks, and then I go back to my sky sports and talk sport duties on the 8th of December. Okay, so you've been Kelly in the studio with Neil Reynolds. Neil's going to be here in a couple weeks, and we're going to see them there. And I know you've been watching this entire draft class. And so with Kenny Pickett in this game and George Pickens in this game, who was my preseason. in pick for offensive rookie of the year, George Pickens. It's not going to happen for him, but he is stacking up good games. This is three good games in a row for Pickens, three improving games in a row, certainly

for Pickett. I thought we'd throw out our favorite rookies that we've seen this year before we get going. Why don't you start? Just throw out anyone. And this isn't like the top six for offensive rookie of the year or defensive. We're just throwing them all together. We're just saying our favorites, some guys that we've liked. So it's going to sound like I have premeditated this, but I did go with George Pickens as one of my top rookies.

I think that even coming into this game, 453 yards through his first 10 games, you know, I think he's just kind of a freak of nature in terms of his catching radius. I know you alluded to earlier, he does need to work on some of his bedside manner in terms of how he actually holds himself as a professional. but I think rookie year what he's able to do once he starts to really refine his skill set I think he could be unstoppable he draws a lot of double coverage since Chase Claypool left I think he's really picking up on those targets

I really like him I think he's exciting to watch right they drafted him essentially to replace Claypool and I think he's already a better version of what they thought Claypool was going to be And to be clear, when I say being a professional and stuff, I think they love that he wants to win so much and is such a competitor. And some of the things that made him drop in the draft,

people talking about maturity and all that, the Steelers are the perfect team for a player like that to go to. They've shown that they can develop young men who want to win so bad. And what I'm saying that, I'm basing on some things that Mike Tomlin has said, specifically about his practice habits and improving things and that he's going to get there and that they're working with him. And so I'm basing that on Tomlin's word, based on how he's matured and how he dominated

from what I heard in training camp, like he already knows how to be a pro in terms of playing football. And that's sort of the hard part. And I think he's going to be great and that they're going to develop him just like they've developed a lot of great receivers over the year. Let's stick with receiver. I'm going to go Garrett Wilson. because I think Olave and Garrett Wilson

was a debate going into the draft. And the answer was both. They're going to be stars for a long time. And I've talked a lot about Olavi as my favorite rookie in this class that he's going to finish with the most yards. He'd be my choice for offensive rookie of the year. But that's partly because of opportunity. If Garrett Wilson had been in a different spot,

and I think we'll see it over the next seven weeks, he's showing me things that I didn't quite understand in the draft process of his suddenness. The way he can make moves after the catch that he's so smooth, he's got a little bit of Stefan Diggs to him, maybe? Like, what are you seeing from Garrett Wilson so far in this season? Yeah, and I think the game last week was a great showcase for him. You know, it really felt like he had a lot more opportunities.

The relationship he has with white in that situation, I just think that exactly like you're saying also, you know, the yards after catch, what he's able to do, finesse that he brings, again, another guy, strong, strong dude when it comes to catching the football. I mean, he's really exciting for the Jets, and I really want him to be positive. You know, the Jets have had some struggles throughout this season, and I really want him to be a guy that they can look to. Right. I think there's some players that, look, he's had production.

He's had some big games, but even in games that he doesn't, or even just isolating those games, Some fans or fantasy owners like, well, he's only had this amount of good games. It's like you can see in just a handful of plays the talent that he has that you just can't coach. And one thing going through all the rookies for this exercise is like almost all the receivers are hitting these days. If you want to make a good pick, take a receiver.

They're just almost always hitting. And the rest of the class, except for maybe cornerback, are struggling. So it's very interesting to me because the conventional wisdom used to be receivers take a little bit to get going. cornerbacks take a bit to get going. And at least right now, most of the best players in this class are receivers and cornerbacks.

You know, we could have thrown out Christian Watson. You know, you just threw out a receiver. I think Drake London's looked great. Olavi was my favorite. There's a lot of great receivers in this class. Traylon Burks is coming on. Gravedigger would remind you me. Give me a defensive player if you have one.

Yeah. So my pick was Tariq Wollin. I think that he has been phenomenal for the Seahawks. I think the fact that he, in terms of his size, six foot four, 205 pounds, and he came into this, like into the NFL, he'd only played quarterback for two years, had been a receiver previously, which is like your Trayvon Diggs, who I love. Like I love the way that guys like that play that DB position because they basically run it like their receiver. And I think it just changes the way that they approach the game. But, I mean, you know, already had block kicks. So he's making plays on special teams.

He had five interceptions, four of which were like back to back in games. I mean, it's just unreal to be a rookie and come in and make such a difference in a game. And I like the way he plays versus receivers and sense that a lot of rookies or a lot of these young guys will come in and they play that kind of soft off coverage because they don't have that confidence or they might be faking that confidence. But he comes in, he plays it like he's been in the league for a while. He's not faking it. For me, he's not, no, 100%. That is straight confidence from that man. It is amazing that he was a fifth round pick because he's sort of the type of guy

that you think an NFL team is going to overdraft sometimes almost and take, I would say, early too. And there was talk about him maybe going in the second round. And everyone said that his tape was just bad at you. The lower level of competition, but another guy who landed in the absolute perfect spot. And sometimes that's what football is all about, but you can't, even though the Seahawks are the perfect spot for him in Pete Carroll, like you can't fake what he has. What a steal to step in right away. Reminds me a little bit of Marshawn Latimore just coming into the league and just from minute one being great, except this guy was at UTSA and was playing receiver a couple years ago.

I'm going to pick another Saints cornerback. They know how to draft cornerbacks. Alante Taylor's been awesome. He was injured early in the season. He was a guy that people thought they over drafted because, again, they have a certain type of physical receiver who can play. Man coverage. He's six foot, but he just feels bigger than that. He moves really well, and he plays with an incredible amount of confidence, a four-year player at Tennessee who's just been under the radar because that Saints team isn't playing well.

and, you know, it's not at a splash position, but I love me some Alante Taylor. Look, I love Soss Gardner, too. We know he's probably the favorite for defensive rookie of the year, but I just wanted to highlight another player who I think's going to be around for a while. Give me one more rookie,

and then I'll let you sleep. It is past midnight in Connecticut, and you stayed up to talk about the Colts and the Steelers. Obviously, I love it. But my last one has to go to Aidan Hutchinson. I know he's more of a bigger name in terms of the rookies, but any D-line that gets an interception twice against you got Daniel Jones, and the one against Daniel Jones for me was so special

because he is playing like he's pass rushing and then drops into coverage. He is a rookie. He's understanding the nuances that it takes in this league to be able to, you know, do multiple things, right? Have multiple roles within the D-line. So that one, getting an interception against Aaron Rogers as well, I mean, and he's just playing it cool. I feel like, you know, he didn't have much of an effect at the Thanksgiving game versus the bills. I doubt he was a bit of a non-entity.

However, I think previous to that, he's just been an awesome dude, getting after it, you know, every play. Probably I think he's leading the league for rookies in terms of tackles for loss, solo tackles. and sacks. Yeah, he's always moving. I thought he started a little slow, even though he had that big sack game. But if you watch us down to down, after the buy, he really has been coming on. And you mentioning those two picks, they weren't fluky. Like, they were just great plays in coverage. And it reminds me a little bit, Trayvon Walker, some of his best plays have been in coverage. We're seeing these players that just play football a little differently than you used to see football being played in terms of defensive lineman being able to do that. My pick is Kavon,

who we had on this podcast in a couple somewhat infamous appearances. I asked him if he would be our friend. He said acquaintances. And then he had an appearance with Mark and Dan, which they still don't really tell me what went on, but some strange things went on. But I noticed that, I mean, everyone noticed that Thanksgiving game, seen him have nine pressures in that game.

I love that he can do a lot of different things. He kind of reminds, like Hutchinson, he's not just a pure edge rusher. they ask him to do a few different things. He's good in the running game, and I think you're starting to see him play with a lot of confidence. So I just wanted to highlight that Kvon Tibido is coming on to get five QB hits and four more hurries in a single game on Thanksgiving.

I like it, and I think he's gotten better and better. He plays with a lot of energy, a lot of swagger. Swagger. Need some D-Lyline with some swagger, you know. You've got swagger. You're out here promoting and working with flash. Flag football. Everyone check out Flag online and check Phoebe out at TalkSport when she's on the radio. Are you doing the Super Bowl this year again? I hope so. Yeah, but I'll be with Sky and Neil and. Look at you. Okay. So she'll be at Sky Sports at the Super Bowl. Check out Phoebe in all of Sky's coverage. You do an awesome job. I love to have you back on with the rest of the gang soon. And yeah, thanks for

staying up. Thanks for, first of all, coming all the way over to the states to make the time zone work just for us, going to Connecticut and then staying up for Steelers Colts. This was fun. Thanks, Phoebe. Appreciate it. All right. For Phoebe Schechter. And of course, Justin Gravedigger, who's been behind the glass

this whole time. Sorry I didn't get you in there, Graver, but it's too late now. For all the, you're just happy that the Colts lost in a big spot. He'd the call. I didn't feel like time was really of the essence at the moment. I thought we had a good play. I thought we would get to... Yeah, and I felt like we would get to it.

You know, obviously we don't do great on the backside, so it's worse than it, you know. But I felt good about the call before. I felt like we had time. We would have timeouts afterwards. We were in striking distance. So, yeah, I never felt like the pressure of needing the timeout. Like I said, I thought the call was good.

And, you know, we had... Again, we were in that mode pretty much the whole second half. so it was pretty consistent with what we were doing. So, again, it wasn't like a change for us. We just didn't execute it. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game

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