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Jason Mackey's sports chat: 10.10.24
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Jason Mackey
11:53
Hey, everyone. Welcome to my weekly chat. You know the drill. We'll get started momentarily.
John Vander Wal Fan Club
11:57
What are your thoughts on Project Rudy? I like the general idea, but I'm not sure injecting private equity into college athletics is a good idea. I don't see the SEC and Big Ten giving up their lucrative media rights. I also don't believe it's good for college athletics to have these two conferences be so far ahead of everyone else from an economic sense.
Jason Mackey
12:00
Man, did not expect that opener for this thing. But it is news. Couple thoughts: 1. I think it's premature. We don't know how the 12-team playoff is going to work, and we're moving on to another idea? 2. This is basically the NFL done differently. I dislike the lack of amateurism that already permeates sports. I'd rather see the pendulum swing in the other direction. 3. I do think it hits on something we may see: the loss of traditional conferences.
Guest
12:01
Why is Tomlin so bad with diva receivers?  Pickens is a punk and we knew that when we drafted him.  There were issues with Bryant, AB, JuJu, Claypool, and Diontae.  How does Tomlin not learn from his mistakes?  Is he so arrogant to believe that the 6th time is a charm.
Jason Mackey
12:03
It's an odd thing, isn't it? If I had to cite something, I'd probably say what he seemingly allows to persist -- the players' coach narrative, etc. That said, let's not forget he got more out of AB than anyone else. Don't know if diva would be the right way to describe JuJu. Was he really supposed to change Martavis? But I get your point. I think you -- and many others -- would like to see Tomlin be more of a hard ass and/or steer clear of guys who questions about character/attitude.
Guest
12:04
There are now reports that the Steelers misled Pickett by claiming they support him.  While Kenny got all the bad press, I suspected this to be the case because Tomlin and the organization have lied to and misled every QB since Ben.  The Steelers claim to be a model organization.  How can that be with this consistent behavior?
Jason Mackey
12:06
I think the reports you're referencing are from the spring. Honestly, though, I don't care if Kenny felt  misled. Nobody should. It's the NFL. He didn't play well enough to have a guaranteed starting job. If he would have stayed and worked hard, he would have had his shot. Look at Dan Moore Jr. and how he handled things. You can blame the Steelers for many things, but I'm fine with how they handled the Pickett stuff. Unless there's some report out recently that I'm missing.
The Dude
12:06
If Russell Wilson hadn’t been injured and started every game so far, what would the Steeler record be right now?
Jason Mackey
12:07
Interesting hypothetical. I'm saying still 3-2. I think 4-1 is a stretch. The quality of their schedule (or lack of it) tells me they're better than 2-3.
Seferg
12:07
The Steelers superbowl record with a hall of fame quarterback is 6-1 over 30 years.  Without a hall of fame QB is 0-1 over 90 years.  Other than Picket, When was the last time they spent a #1 or even a #2 pick on a QB? (not sure what round rudolph was)
Jason Mackey
12:09
You hit on a very good point: The Steelers should employ Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Don't know if they've thought of that, but I'll have to mention it the next time I get a chance. Before Kenny, last QB Steelers took in the first or second round was Ben. Before that, Kordell.
Cullen
12:09
Great reporting in the last week on Pirates fans sentiments and disconnect between them and the front office. I have been extremely patient with this club through the rebuild and ive been one of Cherington's biggest hype men in general, but you can count me in with those fans at the end of their rope after this past season. Frankly, this offseason will be a decider if I continue to give my dollars and attention to the Pirates. If the Pirates can't or wont execute some trades or free agent signings to surround their core and get some buzz going, im out. Luckily we live in an age where there are no shortage of entertainment options available and candidly, there are other sports with teams I am fans of that give a crap and demonstratably try to win. Im under no delusion that Nutting will change, but its heartbreaking that the Pirates have taken me and most of the fanbase to this point, but here we are.
Jason Mackey
12:10
Cullen, I was beginning to worry. At this point, my wife has you beat. ... Thank you for that. Glad you enjoyed it. I think your thoughts echo a lot felt by fans right now. They care. They want a winner. And they're fed up with being told to wait,  have patience or that the organization is "working toward" something.
Greg in Greenville
12:14
Jason, Will MLB ever stop the way Nutting runs the Pirates or are we doomed to be a low budget team as long as Nutting owns them?
Jason Mackey
12:16
I get asked this a lot, Greg. I don't think MLB is going to step in. Sets a bad precedent. Are they going to remove ownership from teams that simply bad make decisions? You can't do that. Financials, you'll argue. OK, what about the Marlins, who have spent less than the Pirates? What about years where the Pirates did spend? Now, what I would like to see is MLB audit the Pirates: OK, you're getting this, this and this from us. Where's it going? If it's all on the up and up, great. I'd share that. Let fans know. If not, we have a problem.
Seferg
12:18
Agree or disagree with this statement: the Pirates have a major league ball team and a minor league owner?  I read somewhere that someone went to Nutting telling him that improvements were needed at the ball park and Nuttings response was that the money had to come from the operational budget.  Does that mean that they had less money for signing players?
Jason Mackey
12:21
I don't know you're meaning of minor league, thus I'm not sure it's fair to label Bob Nutting as such. Here's what I do know:
--The Pirates do have a halfway decent team, starting with the rotation.
--The complacency, obviously endorsed by Nutting, is what ticks people off. Because they could be close.
--Nutting's ownership and spending habits have not been good.
So, if you wanna criticize or feel unhappy that Bob hasn't done more, go nuts. Certainly not going to disagree.
That said, not sure I would describe it as "minor league." I think it's sticking with things longer than he should or running the Pirates more like a business and less like a pro sports team.
you're = your
Eric
12:25
In what was a pretty embarrassing night for the Penguins, I thought Cody Glass really stood out in his Penguins’ debut. Were there any newcomers that caught your attention in the home opener?
Jason Mackey
12:26
Yeah, Glass was OK. But, Eric, they lost 6-0. That's tough to find a bright spot. I guess McGroarty. His line was OK. But again, I think it's all relative. That was a rough one. But it's also only one game. Need to bounce back tonight.
Retire21
12:35
I’m rooting for the Tigers as long as they stay alive.
Jason Mackey
12:36
I'm with ya. Such a big fan of Detroit anything. Great, underrated city. And I agree with you on the Tigers. Very likable team.
Retire21
12:36
whoops….about fhe Tigers. The 36 year old GM Jeff Greenberg is from Pittsburgh…..son of a key Mario advisor. Worth a story?
Jason Mackey
12:37
I'm sure it is. I've gotten emails about it. I write basically a column a day. That's a pretty crazy pace and one I've been trying to get to change. But I'll see what I can do.
Black N Gold
12:40
If both are healthy and have a good grip on the gameplan, are you starting Russ this week? I know Fields has not done anything to deserve benching but Russ may provide the Mason Rudolph like spark this offense needs to get out of nuetral.
Jason Mackey
12:41
Yeah. If Russ is healthy, that's the way I would go. Can always go back to Fields. Offense hasn't been good enough. You brought Russ in to do a job. I think now is the time to have him do it. I think it could help Pickens, too. Just need to see what you have. If it's not good, go back to Fields.
PQ
12:41
Jason, is the local media covering for me because I'm a nice guy?  James Farrier was a nice guy, too.  But he made more than the occasional tackle, if I recall.
Jason Mackey
12:42
I don't know. But it would be hard to draw any definitive conclusions after five weeks with a new team. I also don't see people covering for him, other than trying to remember that it's a new team, new defense and the fact that he has hardly been the only issue.
Cullen
12:43
Did you ever find out where Block stands on the Kendrick/Drake beef?
Jason Mackey
12:43
Darn. I did not. Thank you for the reminder. Next week.
Shelty
12:43
Jason, will I get booed vociferously on Opening Day? Or will yinzers have the patience to at least wait until our first major baserunning gaffe in the bottom of the second?
Jason Mackey
12:43
Um, yeah. I would imagine so. I think Yinzers are out of patience.
Najee
12:51
Jason, can one acquire "the vision thing" after four years in the league? Or more likely, is that one of those attributes that you either have or you don't?
Jason Mackey
12:53
I don't know if it's vision. I think it's more of a style or desire. And I give Najee a ton of credit for being physical. But he's probably more of a creative runner than direct ... and I'm not sure that's working out. I think that's why the Steelers didn't pick up his fifth-year option or at least part of it. And, yeah, not sure how much of that can change at this point.
12:55
OK, that’s it for this week. Thanks so much everyone. Sorry, have to end this a tad early. Pat Narduzzi speaks at 1 p.m., and I’m on the South Side for it. Hope you have a great weekend!
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