GMFB | Mike Tomlin wasted Aaron Rodgers’ late-career run – Brandt on Steelers’ 33-31 loss to Bengals

GMFB | Mike Tomlin wasted Aaron Rodgers’ late-career run – Brandt on Steelers’ 33-31 loss to Bengals

I love doing this. I’ve been doing it such for such a long time when you’re out there with the guys and you’re and you’re doing what you want to do and you’re having success and you can look in each other’s eyes and just like you you get that feeling uh you know of you know bonding with somebody else and just the NFL you know we had a chance to really open up some space but we’re 4 and two still first in the division got a couple uh you know home games coming up back to back another Sunday night opportunity against my former team so Um, I’m not going to ride the roller coaster and I know Mike isn’t and hopefully you guys follow suit. Trying to instruct the media on Pittsburgh as to how to assess, evaluate, and move forward emotionally from that game. Aaron Rogers is Joe Flacco, though has been a quote machine since he arrived in Cincinnati. That’s two games played in about seven days since he was traded in the division to take down Rogers and the Steelers. Man, the Bengals, that was fire. That was electric. And Kyle, you delivered on the highlight. Manti, what did you take away from watching this game last night knowing you were looking forward to a matchup that delivered? Yes, the matchup did deliver, Jamie. And um, welcome to my childhood, everybody. Okay, so I want to say if you’re born past the year 2000, this is the football that we used to watch. There was a lot of talk about how is Joe Flackle able to come in here less than two weeks and do what he does. I said a quote last year and I stand by it and last last night kind of affirmed it and confirmed it. Football is a simple game complicated by coaches. You had two quarterbacks last night that know this game inside and out. Now in in an era of quarterback gurus, sideline um sidearm throws and fancy cadences. These are guys that understands the fundamentals of football. They know how to dissect a defense. There’s been a lot of arguments lately about today’s quarterback and that quarterback, those two quarterbacks. I believe that I grew up in the golden era of quarterback. These two gentlemen were in that in that era. Tom Brady was in that era. Payton Manning was in that era. Eli Manning, Drew Brees, I can go on and on. And why is it the golden era? Because to answer the question that was being asked on the broadcast, how is Joe Flacco able to do this? I’ll tell you how he was able to do this. The game plan was simple. get the ball to Jamar Chase. That was the game plan. In the event that they stick help over to Jamar Chase, Joe Flacco, go to T. Higgins or anybody opposite of T. Higgins. If they put both safeties over both sides, run the ball. That was the most success that the Bengals had running the ball in the past six weeks. Why? Because when you have a threat of a quarterback that can not only get the ball to the receivers, that makes the defense respect respect the pass game, that opens up your run game. And now you’re rolling. Now that locomotive that is the Cincinnati B Cincinnati Bengals offense starts to roll. So for all of those kids at home, welcome to my childhood. This is what it used to look like. I know in a day of of ninja pressure cookers, you you guys use all of these machines. You guys are too too focused on these machines and relied on these machines. The fundamentals of the game are simple and I’m so glad that these two re these two quarterbacks were able to show that for us last night. I’m I What a Did you just bring two brands together? Ninja pressure cookers. Yes, it’s a great machine. I get it. But my grandfather could cook the rice with just two cups of rice and put his finger in on top of the thing and cook the rice on the stove. He could do it. He could survive an apocalypse. I need my ninja pressure cooker. He’s like, “Your your grandfather’s like the rice is done.” The same way Joe Flacco was like, “That’s where Jamar is.” Yeah. Grandpa was like, “Man, back in my day, I felt like my grandpa last night watching the game. I was like, you know, back in my day, I was telling my wife, back in my day, this is how it was, hun. Like, we used to watch football like this. You know, this is unbelievable. I The crazy thing for me, when you talk about back in my day, these, you know, 40 and 41 years old, if you just turn on a TV and you didn’t know anything about the quarterbacks, nobody would guess that there was 81 years of life between these two quarterbacks. Like, they played so well. And like you’re saying, it did feel like, you know, the old school days. But you mentioned this. I think this is uh kind of like a run past complimenting each other type game. I mean, this Bengals team went into this game not really rushing unbelievably well. And then I I’m looking at it and I’m just thinking about what it’d be like to be sitting in these meetings Monday, Tuesday. I know Zack Taylor went in there and said, “Hey, this is a divisional game. This is a trench game. This is a O line Dline game.” And you saw that. I mean, you saw Chase Brown have the best game that he’s had all year. They had a 100 rushing yards in the first half. A manti. you’ve been in those halftime speeches and you’ve heard coaches talk, nobody wants to be in a locker room at halftime and you’ve given up 100 rushing yards. So, I think it’s exactly what you said. I think the rushing uh what they were able to do with Chase Brown, the rushing opened up the pass game and then then you can let Flaco be Flacco. You can let uh this you can just air it out and play ball. So, I was just pleased with that and I was excited to see it. And again, craziest thing for me was just these two quarterbacks playing so well, especially Flaco, you know, two games in seven days. So, proud of this rushing offense here. I um I I I don’t even know if I’m if I’m capable of talking about this game. I just all I want to do is just gush about the game. I I just want to gush. I I I I man, you you got me going to a place that I’d already been going. I woke up this morning like like inspired. I really mean that. I’m like I I want I like I got out of bed and like did push-ups and I’m like I was going to have a bagel and bacon. I’m like no, I’m going to have some egg whites, some fruit. Like I I want to take care of myself. I want to perform at a at a great level and middle age. Uh I the second half like mant what you’re talking about about these these young guys. I’m like is there any way after this after halftime like could Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan come out? Like I want to see them bring him back like get get out of here. Get out. Like I want to see Peyton. Like I I think he can still do it. I swear I want to see them. This This had this great feeling. I’m getting goosebumps right now of like I I I’m I’m a younger and like I’m watching those guys and I feel like it was the senior tour, but they’re still killing it. And there was this this amazing generational image that, you know, it was kind of a cool deal that that Joe Burrow was there. And like Joe Burrow looked like he was from a different century than the other two quarterbacks. Joe Burrow’s standing there. He’s got this crazy hair hanging down and like he’s so cool. Like that guy’s playing in the same league as Flaco and Rogers who had gray beards and whose like skin was all wrinkled and who’s just so Rogers was so ornery all night. It’s just it was an incredible confluence of generations and age and football and excellence. Excellence. Because guys, there’s two ways this game could have gone. It could have gone that all the hype for we do and Amazon does is haha these guys are old and said this and that and then the football’s just kind of crappy. The football was excellent. These guys combined for seven touchdowns. I thought Rogers was going to complete that Hail Mary which at 41 years old was the longest pass that has been thrown in at least eight years. It’s a phenom. It is really really cool. Guys, in the wake of what happened in the Bengals loss, Rogers entered top five all time in passing yards. top five ever. And you know who we passed? He passed Ben Rothosberger, who also should have been out there playing last night for the Steelers in spot duty. I wanted Ben. Um, the Bengals won. The Steelers lost. Flaco’s awesome. The Steelers had problems on defense. Jamar Chase is is a an an alien. But as a sports fan and as a football fan and a guy in his bleeping 40s, I’ve been entertained by many football games. I can’t tell you how many football games have inspired me. And I woke up this morning and I feeling like I wanted to attack the day and attack the weekend because of Joe Flacco and Aaron Rogers. And thank you for that. Can we see that video? The first one that you saw of the quarterbacks for Cincinnati sitting across the bench together. It’s Flaco Browning and Burrow sitting there in street clothes. Joe Flacco everything about him in the last week. Nay, the last two years of his life. He approaches the podium this that the Browns made that trade. Put on last night’s tape. That’s why he was mad. You could give the guy one day, you know, one day. And somebody who used to play for the Baltimore Ravens that was that is the Pittsburgh Steelers greatest rival who used to dissect them all the time. Not all the time, but a lot of times now is suiting up for the Bengals and is about to play against the Steelers. A lot of people thought, “Oh, is this gamesmanship by Mike Tomlin?” No. Mike Tomlin knows what Joe Flacco can do. The reason why, Jamie, to your question, Joe Flacco sits over there with his arms folded. is like I ain’t surprised. Like this is what I do. When you understand football, the technicalities of football and why this is so simple. That’s why you can do that. Just just watch that. I love that. I just think Flaco I think the adjustment is so simple. You know how it is. He’s going to come in and they’re like, “Well, we actually say it this way here instead.” He’s like, “Yeah, I know. I know. You say when when it’s left, you say Lake instead of Lucy.” I I get it. It’s I’ve done this a thousand times. It’s not that hard. But honestly, like the my my favorite most hysterical image last night and as I’m gushing about this game, you reach a certain point, whether you’re a professional football player or you’re a teacher or a dentist or anything, you just the worst thing that could happen really in your life is like you don’t want to get injured. Like injuries when you get to a certain age and we celebrating. It’s great. It’s great. Hands on everything. But as Rogers goes to the sideline, watch this. Boom. He goes down and watch how pissed Rogers is. He’s going to get up. He is so mad and he’s Don’t tell me that’s him celebrating being fired up. He is so angry. He just got tackled by his own lineman. He’s like, “Come on, get off me. I’m 41 now. You can kill me by doing that.” It’s so relatable and so funny. It’s the funniest image I’ve seen this year. I I I get it. Kyle, on the different camera angle, when he first is doing that skip, I had the real life thought that I said that man’s skipping without leaving the ground. That is how cautious he is about his body. He is trying to celebrate in the most age appropriate way that he possibly can. And then the reverse angle being taken down by this man. I mean, frankly, this is how I feel when my kids do that thing where they hang on my leg and they’re like, “Wop, walk.” And I’m like, I don’t want to lift your body weight on my foot. I hate when you do this. Stop it. Oh, it’s perfect. It’s so perfect. Well done, Kyle. Way to bring it up. Uh, all right. That was it for Thursday night. We’re not done talking about that game, though, because we got to talk Jamar Chase. We got to talk about how the AFC North moves forward from this. But we also have games this weekend.

GMFB | Mike Tomlin wasted Aaron Rodgers’ late-career run – Kyle Brandt on Steelers’ 33-31 loss to Bengals