Drive @5 8-7-2026

Service Master. The Drive at 5. The stories driving today's headlines. Brought to you by Service Master of Greater Pittsburgh. When disaster strikes, demand the yellow van. On 100.1 FM and AM 1020, KDCA. All right, we get just past 5 o'clock on this Friday. So that's good. Let me bring in our sports director, Jeff Hathorn, to talk about a myriad things. And I want to talk to him a little bit extended today if that's okay by Jeff. Hi, Jeff. How are you? Hey, Colin. How are you? Fantastic. I might keep you an extra segment today if that's all right. I didn't run that past you before. We are right with that? Yeah, I am where reporters debrief after camp. Sharkies. Uh, how'd you know? You know, and I think it's the first time, you ever gone to a place where you've never been there in the daylight? And it's like, ah. This is what it looks like when it's still daylight. Yeah, it's like whenever you do day drinking for like the first time and you realize your buzz is like 30 times more potent and you go, wow, this is kind of crazy. It's kind of like when you're a little kid and you see your teacher outside of the classroom the first time. You're not allowed to be outside. What are you? You have a life out of here? What's this? You have a kid? Yeah. So, Jeff, first round draft pick. What's going on? I know injuries are tight-lipped in and around the Steelers. It's like the Kremlin, but what's going on with the first-round draft pick? It is indeed. He was at practice today, and he was... He stood around and watched drills for almost all of practice today. So from that standpoint, he's good. They said it's going to be a couple of days or being cautious. It doesn't appear like there's anything major with him at this point. Now, again, you mentioned it. They're super secret. But at this point of... camp of the season. There's no reason to take a risk. The only thing that where it hurts him is he was really coming on. He'd had some good days. He was building some momentum. now we're going to see if he's going to be able whenever he gets back and it might be as soon as next week if he can kind of pick up where he left off i don't put a lot of stock into uh how people perform at camp a lot of times there's always so many asteris who's going against who this that who are they flanked by is it a true first team all that but there are a lot of reports and so then i start to put stock into it

about the secondary and the performance of the secondary, seemingly from the number one guy to the number 15 guy. Does that jump out at you as well that the secondary has performed well? Yeah, which sometimes might make you look and say, what's wrong with the quarterbacks or the receivers? It has performed, especially with all the different bodies. And I want to add some with the Honature. You know, some of the things that we've seen good from him are reps against T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. And I think that's why eyes were raised with the first round pick. But as far as the secondary, you know, they don't have Katie Porter and Ramsey. Two key guys in that secondary. And yet they are making plays. They are, and they're all working with a new coordinator, first time working together. A couple of them are rookies. Yeah, they've been making some plays back there. And one of the things that Mike McCarthy has emphasized is disguise. And that's something they're really trying to throw on, even in camp. I mean, they're working on fooling their own offense with different ways they line up and their communication and guys being able to go make a play. And if one guy leaves to make a play, the others have to react. And so far, through practices. They've done a pretty good job of it. Let me ask you a logistical question. The new big indoor facility, which I gave all the money to at St. Vincent. Yeah, it was very nice of you. Certainly not a problem. Is that available to the Steelers when there is inclement weather? It is. And they got a window. Right now it's pouring here at camp, but they got a window. right during practice time. And part of the reason, and I know fans were ticked off because when a lot of them got here late or around when practice was going to start, it wasn't raining at that time. But they park on grass fields. that had a potential to get ugly. And if they would be out there, for instance, right now when it's pouring and there's still cars out there, potential for cars getting stuck and it's just being a quagmire existed. So that's why they made that decision. But they actually had a window from the time practice started all the way until the very end, right at the very end, just when we were about to start interviews, it rained, as if they had a machine that made it rain on us when we were trying to get our jobs done. They actually were able to get a pretty spirited practice. There was a lot of trash talking. And, you know, today, after yesterday, the defense controlled today was the offense that had the upper hand. Some of the pirates used to have a machine that would transport them right to the training room when they went 0 for 3 so they wouldn't talk to us. Do you remember that? Yeah, or there was a certain catcher would say, I'll be right back, my friend. And then that just never happened. He never came back. Nope, not once. People are still waiting by his locker, I believe. Mike McCarthy said something, and I'm going to paraphrase here, that he would have worried about this team if there wasn't a training camp fight or two. You know, people get testy and nerves fray, I guess, about this point in camp.

As long as there's not too many, I think I agree with them, and that every once in a while you're going to have a scrap. You've seen your fair share in covering camp. Is that your lay of the land, too, as long as it doesn't get out of hand? Yes. And to this point, it hasn't really come close. I mean, there's been some pushing and shovings. There have been some temperatures. But what you don't want to see is something cheap. And we haven't seen that to this point where anyone's been hit from behind or someone's grabbed a face mask or anything that could put guys in danger. Yeah, I mean, from the way you said that is correct. You want it to get to a point where it's at that line of boiling over and maybe just cross it occasionally, but not. take a huge step over it. We haven't seen that to this point, which I'm actually a little bit surprised because for defensive guys, they want to tackle, and they haven't been able to live tackle. And you know some of that's pent up, and maybe we'll see it unleashed on Thursday against Green Bay. Before we get to a break at about 90 seconds or so, what of Hayward and what? In terms of camp, are they in charge of their snap and rep count, or are they beholden to the coaches to do that, do you think? Yeah, I think it is the coaches right now. I would say last year they worked in concert with the coaches and maybe say, hey, how about a day here? And there was enough trust between Tomlin and these veteran players that he knew, you know, where everybody stood. And I think that's still building here. Yesterday, Cam Hayward got a day off. He said that was something that was mandated to him. He didn't pick it. I'm going to tend to believe him right now because we really haven't seen TJ take any time off yet. I'm sure that will come, and I'm sure we won't see them much in the starters much in the preseason game, but all of this is new to everyone. So we'll see exactly what's going to happen on Thursday. That's one of the things when you've got a new coaching staff. You really don't know how they're going to work a preseason, especially now with only three games. All right. Got a couple other questions for you. Could you hold through a break? Just real quick, Jeff? Yeah, absolutely. All right.