Steelers Afternoon Drive: Rodgers Fit with Smith, CB Interest Real?
Welcome to the Steelers Afternoon Drive, our new daily podcast featuring all the latest Steelers news and analysis.
Alan Saunders and Zachary Smith discuss all things Pittsburgh Steelers. On today's episode, we discuss if Will Howard's destiny is stamped as a backup following the arrival of Aaron Rodgers, which team has the greatest all-time roster, why fans are pressing the panic button over the TJ Watt contract discussions, Aaron Rodgers' fit with Arthur Smith and if the team is really in the market for Jaire Alexander or Jalen Ramsey. Let's go for another Steelers Afternoon Drive and discuss all this!
Advertisement
Let's go for another Steelers Afternoon Drive and discuss all this and more!
Check out the show on our YouTube page, or find it on Megaphone or wherever you get your podcasts.
Got a question for the guys? Leave a comment on YouTube, here on the website, or find them on Twitter at @ASaunders_PGH and @ZacharySmithPGH
Hey fans! We want to see your black and gold rides! Show us your car, truck or van that's painted in Pittsburgh colors, decorated with logos or Terrible Towels, covered in bumper stickers, or uses some other way to show off your dedication to the Black and Gold.
Click to check out more from Alan Saunders and the gang on the SN YouTube page.
Click for full archives of the Steelers Afternoon Drive with Alan Saunders and Zachary Smith.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Afternoon Drive: Rodgers Fit with Smith, CB Interest Real?
Advertisement
Related Headlines
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
35 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Why YouTube is trying to replace your favorite TV shows
A new golf comedy called "Shanked," which follows the hijinks at a country club where employees clash with pampered members, made its debut this month. The first episode runs about 20 minutes and resembles a low-budget comedy you might have once seen on Comedy Central. But it's not on cable. It's on YouTube. Welcome to 2025, when the big question in Hollywood isn't whether YouTube can work in the living room, but rather, how much of the entertainment landscape can it conquer. "Shanked" isn't the only scripted show on YouTube, with top creators like Dhar Mann and Alan Chikin Chow making TV-like series for the platform. Meanwhile, streamers like Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video are also updating their strategies, both by taking cues from cable TV — with ads and costly live sports — and seeing how they can mine social media for creator talent. For the creators of "Shanked," YouTube was a no-brainer. Ryan Horrigan of production company London Alley said he saw a lack of low-budget comedies on TV at the same time YouTube was increasingly favoring 20-minute episodic series. Why not a comedy, he thought. James Lynch, a comedian who co-created and stars in the show, said he felt the lines between entertainment platforms were increasingly blurring. "We love shows like 'Severance,' but every time I go to a friend's house, there's always something on YouTube," he said. Google-owned YouTube has nurtured a creator economy that Goldman Sachs estimated would grow to about $480 billion by 2027. Many in the entertainment and advertising world dismissed YouTube as a repository for amateur videos and movie trailers until it became the No. 1 viewed platform on TVs, per Nielsen, ahead of the "real TV" companies Netflix, Disney, and Prime Video. As YouTube and TV begin to converge, it looks like the Hollywood system as we know it will never be the same. But how the ecosystem will look when the dust settles is much more difficult to parse. YouTube is encouraging episodic series Lately, YouTube has been rolling out tools and features to encourage creators to make shows for the living room. It's also doing more to match advertisers to creators to support the kinds of shows you're used to seeing on TV. At Brandcast, YouTube's big annual presentation to the advertising community, it underlined the point by showing off top creators like IShowSpeed and Michelle Khare, who are making episodic series. And it's making a big push to win an Emmy to prove it can support quality TV. Viewership is one thing, but advertising, the lifeblood of entertainment, is another. Many major brands still want to be associated with buzzy scripted shows and movies that drive the mainstream conversation, like "The White Lotus," and most creators aren't close to that yet. Only a handful, like MrBeast and Dude Perfect, are making Hollywood-style productions. AI tools could reduce that friction, though, by cutting time and costs from video production. "Creator content is dominating TV watch time — not just on phones, but on the biggest screens in the house, replacing what used to be traditional television. Yet brands are still spending like it's 2015, chasing impressions over impact," said Nick Cicero, founder of Mondo Metrics, a media measurement company. Advertisers are closing the gap, though. Ad holding company giant WPP recently estimated that creators would earn $185 billion between direct brand deals and platform revenue share, surpassing ad spending on TV companies like Disney and Paramount. Top ad spender Unilever also said it would move to spend 50% of its advertising on social media platforms, up from about 30%, and work with 20 times more influencers. Can Hollywood adapt? YouTube's growth could be a problem for Hollywood, which is built on direct ownership of IP and entertainment that moves the culture but costs a ton. Studios and streamers aren't spending like they were when everyone was trying to catch Netflix, but they still need new stuff to keep viewers coming back and capture younger audiences. Creator-led shows offer one way forward. But can they pull it off? There are promising signs. Amazon is the most prominent example of a company betting huge on a creator. It spent more than $100 million to make MrBeast's "Beast Games," which became its most-watched unscripted show, and just renewed it for two more seasons. Netflix has done deals with The Sidemen, kids' educator Ms. Rachel, and more. Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max has a new reality show starring Jake Paul and his brother, Logan, "Paul American." And Disney's Hulu has a hit in "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." Entertainment companies have gotten more sophisticated about how they work with creators. They're tapping them for their ideas rather than simply looking for a piece of their audience, in contrast with some past flopped creator experiments. Netflix is looking at YouTubers as producers as well as on-screen talent, an unscripted agent told Business Insider. NBCUniversal's Peacock just announced a slate of shows developed by creators via an accelerator program. Tubi has an initiative called Stubios to nurture up-and-coming filmmakers. Media and entertainment companies are also looking at other forms of low-cost content, like soapy mini-dramas and video podcasts. There are challenges, however. Creators like YouTube because there's no gatekeeper. It gives them a lot of data, lets them own their content, and gives them a relatively generous 55% cut of the ad revenue. Creator talent reps told BI some of their clients had walked away from potential Netflix deals because the streamer wouldn't budge from the Hollywood playbook, in which it owns ancillary rights to things like e-commerce revenue. Scott Purdy, a media consultant at KPMG, said entertainment companies would likely start to look at YouTube and other social platforms as potential places to actually launch shows, starting with low-budget fare. "For most companies, most options are on the table," he said. Meanwhile, producers like Horrigan are blue-skying other creator-led formats to put on YouTube. "Talent is still going to want to play in both sandboxes, but we're moving up the stack," he said. "What's next — is horror going to be a thing on YouTube, teen romance? I think that's going to be a thing as well."
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Jets HC Aaron Glenn downplays revenge game versus Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers
Jets HC Aaron Glenn downplays revenge game versus Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers Aaron Rodgers is headed back to New York in Week 1 — but Jets HC Aaron Glenn seemingly couldn't care less. Back in April, Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to explain the unprofessional nature in which his Jets exit was handled— with the description of events almost painting Glenn in a negative light regarding the situation. With that in mind, the Rodgers-led Steelers taking on Glenn and the Jets has been billed as one of the biggest revenge games in the 2025 season — a notion the head coach shot down at mandatory minicamp. When asked to share his feelings about facing Rodgers in Week 1, Glenn smiled and even acknowledged that he was fighting back the urge to — but ultimately downplayed the head-to-head matchup as just another game (courtesy of Paul Andrew Esden Jr): "We have 17 really good games that we got to play," Glenn said. "And I'm looking forward to playing every one of them." Glenn was then asked if the noise and distractions surrounding Rodgers returning in Week 1 worried him — and this was his response: "This is the NFL," Glenn said. "And, to me, every game there's a lot of noise because they're so critical — as far as wins and losses. We want to try and accumulate as many wins as we can, and I don't care who that opponent is." Rodgers is either the only one with Week 1 circled on his calendar — or Glenn has the best poker face in the NFL. Either way, the fans will be the true winners of this exciting matchup. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
Tom's Guide
3 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I just found the one racing movie you should watch before seeing 'F1' — and it's streaming on Hulu now
The 'F1' movie with Brad Pitt is due to hit theatres at the end of the month, and don't I know it. I feel like I'm seeing ads for this $200M sports drama flick everywhere right now, from in-cinema trailers to YouTube pre-rolls. Obviously, the marketing blitz is working because I'll be there opening night to check out this new high-octane blockbuster from Joseph Kosinski, director of 'Top Gun: Maverick,' but June 27 feels pretty far away. And my need for speed requires quenching a little bit sooner. That's why I was delighted to discover this week that 'Gran Turismo' has just arrived on Hulu (it was on Netflix previously). Based on a true underdog story, it's a pretty underrated racing movie, and incorporates the long-running PlayStation game, too. If you can't wait to see 'F1' on the big screen, "Gran Turismo" is the perfect stopgap to keep your adrenaline high before heading out to your local multiplex in a couple of weeks. Based on the story of real-life race car driver Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe here), 'Gran Turismo' sees a gamer go from playing driving video games in his bedroom to getting behind the wheel of supercharged cars on some of the world's most iconic tracks. At first, Jann is just a dedicated Gran Turismo player, but when Nissan teams up with PlayStation to launch the GT Academy, he's given the chance to take his virtual driving skills onto real tarmac. Helmed by Nissan exec Danny (Orlando Bloom) and former racer, now trainer Jack (David Harbour), Jann's gaming skills prove surprisingly transferable. Dreaming of competing in some of the biggest races in the world, Jann faces several hurdles both on and off the track to prove that he's not just a seriously good Gran Turismo player, but also capable of becoming a professional racer. Before 'Gran Turismo' was released in August 2023, I was fairly dismissive of the concept. It came relatively early in PlayStation's push to adapt its numerous popular video game franchises into movies and TV shows, and I just didn't understand why, out of all the company's many successful IPs, they had selected 'Gran Turismo,' a sim racing series, to convert for the big screen. Well, I was definitely wrong in this case, because Jann's story proves to be perfect material for a feel-good underdog tale. There are all the usual trappings with Jann's humble beginnings, and personal obstacles, including a father who disapproves of his dreams, adding some emotional drive to the mix. One of my favorite aspects of 'Gran Turismo' is how director Neill Blomkamp incorporates the video game elements through some slick transitions and nifty effects. Viewers are constantly reminded that Jann's origins come from racing in the virtual world, which only serves to make his successful transition to real-world racing all the more impressive. It's an especially easy and enjoyable watch because of its eye-wided and almost innocent tone. There are a few deeper moments, such as when Jann is involved in a tragic on-track accident, but largely, this is a movie about chasing your improbable dreams and proving doubters wrong. As should be the case in any motorsports movie, the racing sequences are the highlight. They're tightly edited, seriously fast paced and slick as oil. Even when the narrative becomes a little cookie-cutter, it's never an issue because you're eagerly awaiting the next time that Jann gets behind the wheel and puts his foot to the floor. The ever-reliable David Harbour is also great in a supporting role. He starts as the traditional cynic, sure that gamers can't become racers, but softens as the movie progresses and becomes firmly entrenched in Jann's corner by the end. Bloom and Madekwe are also strong in their roles Critics certainly didn't trash 'Gran Turismo' at release, and it currently holds a respectable 65% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, this probably wouldn't qualify it for a spot on the podium. One of the key criticisms was how the story reworks real-life events to better suit the structure of a movie, but this wasn't an issue for me. After all, "Gran Turismo" is far from the first movie to play a little fast and loose with the 'true story' that inspired it. It's just part of the game. Meanwhile, viewers seem to really love the film. It holds a near-perfect 98% score on RT's Popcornmeter (the site's silly name for its audience score rating), with recent reviews calling it 'excellent from start to finish,' 'very entertaining,' and 'one of the best car movies ever.' If you have a Hulu subscription and want something to bridge the gap until 'F1' arrives, then 'Gran Turismo' is a great candidate. It might lack some of the cinematic flair of rivals in the genre like 'Rush' or 'Ford v Ferrari,' but its underdog story is charming, and the high-speed races are seriously thrilling. If you're looking for more top options on the Disney-owned streaming service, here's our guide to the best movies to stream on Hulu right now. And yes, I will be spending the next few days trying to convince my colleagues that 'Gran Turismo' is worthy of inclusion on the list. Watch "Gran Turismo" on Hulu now
