SPEAKER_00 0:20

Welcome to the F3 Podcast, Football, Food, and Fantasy Football with Aaron Hallishuk and Chef Jonathan Frazier. F3 Spotlights football teams, matchups, and fantasy football picks, and the tailgate recipes that make watching even better. From locker room talk to kitchen talk, F3 has you covered. Now here are your hosts, Aaron and Jonathan.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Welcome back to the F3 podcast. The Steelers are our team of the week, but there's a lot more going around in the NFL. Pittsburgh sits two and two. With a wild loss to Cleveland, we've got lots of other unbeaten teams. Some of the teams are already in serious trouble, and fantasy football is starting to get interesting. And then, of course, there's the food of Pittsburgh, which apparently means fries on everything.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Yes, this is my type of food.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Alright, let's get into this. Erin, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I am good. It's nice to actually sit face to face for one week this week.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

That's right, because you were away for a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

We've been on the go for a little bit, and uh we've recorded some podcasts across the country, and it's nice to have spent the day on the couch watching football and just soaking it all in where I'm supposed to be. So really happy to be back here recording, watching Sunday night football. It is like the the best right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

That is incredible.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Talking about football. Yeah, can't get any better.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Well, we've been spending all afternoon watching some games. We have. And getting a little bit caught up and just seeing what's happening there. So, but there's a lot happening out in the world. But let's get into the fantasy. How are you feeling about fantasy right now this week?

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Well, if you would have asked me that question probably two hours ago, I would have given you a completely different answer because I was struggling, and I know last week I um I mentioned that I definitely was struggling, and that was a little bit oh, like any good fantasy manager, I will a hundred percent blame injuries. But you know, after swallowing my very painful loss last week, I was, you know, feeling a little bit more confident, made a few switches from my bench, had quite a few injuries, oddly enough, but most of them are now on the bench. May have to jiggle my bench players a bit, but felt confident coming in up until this afternoon. That confidence faded very quickly, let me tell you. I was uh not feeling so good, but with the Sunday night game with uh with a couple of players on Carolina and then with Jared Goff as well as one of my quarterbacks, feeling a lot more confident. So I've got a solid, probably about 40, almost 40 point lead over my opponent uh going into the Monday night game. And uh I feel pretty good about this week. Much better than last week, I would say.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

That's right, that's right. Now, looking at this and moving ahead, like going preparing for the next week, because you feel like you got this one maybe in the bag. Right. Who are the top players that are coming out that are really catching your eye right now?

SPEAKER_01 3:12

That's a good question. You know, I it's funny because we mentioned this and I sort of mentioned it in passing to you just before we hit record. And I said, you know, this is sort of the second week in a row where Matthew Stafford for LA, he was one of my is one of my quarterbacks. He hadn't had the best week yet again, and it's kind of an interesting fall from Grace from the MVP quarterback last year. There was some talks about him retiring, and so far this year, he hasn't had an overly remarkable start to the season. It is only week four, but I have mentioned to you in passing that I actually have Bryce Young on my bench as one of the quarterbacks, and there is some thought about perhaps switching him and Stafford for next week because Bryce Young is looking pretty remarkable, at least from a fantasy points standpoint, so far this season. So I would say he's really a good one to watch for sure, not only because he's on my bench, but you know, he is uh some surprisingly getting some good points for a quarterback, and you know, there's some solid, you know, running backs, some good receivers in the mix, as per usual. Just for example, you'll you'll never know. Sometimes receivers are so hit and miss, and it's it just depends on the game, on the opponent. So many factors in the Sunday night game, Carolina versus Detroit, for example. McMillan has just been going off the charts for for the Panthers, and that's not a name that I would normally say, hey, that's somebody you should pick in fantasy. But again, it's one of those things that like there are definitely the solid go-to players, but then every week it almost seems like there's a different superstar. So some of it is a little bit of luck.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Of course, you know, you gotta you gotta play those stats and and watch watch your team and see who's there and really take time. And then I guess that leads to the next big worry is injuries. Who lost this week? Or where are the big concerns right now?

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Right, and that's something we talked about last week as well. And it is really early in the season so far to be talking about so many injuries, particularly to quarterbacks, and that was something I know we talked about in week three, and we're going, we're just kind of wrapping up week four, and again, more quarterback injuries. I know Lamar Jackson went out this week with an ankle injury and he was seen on the sideline wearing a boot and he didn't finish the game. But from the sounds of it, it sort of sounds like he might be day-to-day. So hopefully that injury isn't that severe. And if you are a fantasy manager with him on your team, that might be something to keep an eye on, depending on who else is on your bench in the quarterback position. But that's something definitely to keep an eye on. I know, like I mentioned, my bench is just riddled with injuries. I've got just Dallas Goddard, he's out. I've got Keenan Allen, he's out, my backup receiver. I've got Devon Achen, he's out on injured reserve. Like there is just a mess of players that are out. So depending on what your bench is looking like, what positions, you know, it's it's still early in the year, but there seems to be a lot of injuries so far.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Maybe it's just me. You may have to be doing some trading later on, is that what you're a little worried about?

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Because that's never the fun part of the never the fun part, but you know, it adds that extra layer that uh fantasy always brings up every year.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Of course, of course, of course. So let's slide into now. We'll get into a little bit of what what's happening around the league in the NFL. Yeah. Because there's lots of action happening out there, of course.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

That there is. You know, it's uh it's never a dull moment. And I love this part of the year. I know most people love it, you know, coming into more of December, late November, December, because that's really when teams are starting to solidify their playoff spots. But this is always really a fun time of year to see how predictions and how teams sort of are playing out from their acquisitions over the summer and their draft picks and things like that. So um, just looking at some of the scores this week, it's been kind of exciting. I know our team of the week, the Steelers, is coming up, but they unfortunately lost this week. Uh, the Patriots, this was the one that surprised me the most. I didn't get much of a chance to watch this game, but the Patriots won 29-26 over the Bills. That would not be something if you asked me three days ago or two days ago who I thought would win that game, but here we are, you know, any given Sunday. So that was a surprise. And, you know, the Rams yet again pulled out a win. I did not think that they were honestly going to win that game, nor did I think that they deserve per se to win that game. But they ended up beating Philadelphia 24-20. So those are some surprise ones. And then, of course, the Chiefs just squeaked out a victory 30-27 over the Raiders. But the Raiders are looking pretty good this year. So even though they lost, I would say that's a team to watch. We still have a few undefeated teams out there, too. We do, we absolutely do. You know, Seattle's probably biggest nemesis, the 49ers. They are currently sitting at 4-0, and they defeated the Broncos this week 24-14. So there are a couple of teams, the Vikings as well, sitting at 4-0, and of course, the Kansas City Chiefs.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Incredible. Yeah. Yeah. You never know what's going to happen in the league, right? You never know. There's new excitement, there's always fun things happening.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

And injuries.

SPEAKER_02 8:11

And injuries, which change the game day to day. Let's jump on to now is our time for our actually, and I know this is one of your favorite players that we're going to get into.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

I feel this episode should come with a warning because uh there might be some substantial, interesting terms coming about.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

But it's time to get in and let's talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the place to be, the Steel City, as they like to call it, right? Let's get around. Like, what is about this team? What can we say about the Steelers without you getting into too many curse words? Because I know your favorite player is there.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Yeah, oddly enough, you know, it's really funny because I do appreciate Pittsburgh. They are, I think, you know, one of the perhaps the third oldest team in the league. They've been around since the 30s. You know, they've gone through some absolutely incredible players, coaches, quarterbacks, all of the same. Funny enough, they have they had and currently have, I should say, two of my least favorite quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. And you probably have one guess who one of them is, Aaron Rodgers, and of course the other one being Ben Rothensberger. And they, you know, that is nothing to say, I don't want to take anything away from either of those two players from their on-the-field performance. And I can be diplomatic and somewhat unbiased about how they are both incredible quarterbacks in their own right. And they are deservingly have the right amount of accolades for those performances. And they brought Pittsburgh, I mean Rothensburger brought Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl, and he is, you know, considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL. And I completely understand why. Do I have to like him? Not at all. Do I think if you're a star quarterback and you ride a motorcycle without a driver's license, without a helmet, and crash into a car, I think you should be a little smarter than that. But, anyways, those are my own my own thoughts about him. You know, he's got quite the history with the team, but yeah, I mean, like I said, the on-field performance between him and Aaron Rodgers, who probably is my least favorite current playing member of the NFL right now.

SPEAKER_02 10:11

Well, I mean, I think your thing is you're like, you should he should retire, but he's still performing.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

I well, he is and he isn't. Like, I mean, there is an argument to say that he is, and I think this is where I have a lot of issues with him, where for a variety of sort of reasons and topics, he has a massive ego. Right. And you know, one can argue that he has rightfully earned that ego 100%. But I think a lot of his off-field comments really bother me and a lot of other people. And there comes a point in somebody's career, and I feel like I could argue this with somebody who is a very big Aaron Rodgers fan, where your ego is sacrificing your team's performance. And I feel that there are questions that could be raised where that is the case with Aaron Rodgers, where he wants to keep playing and he wants to keep breaking records and proving to himself and to other people that at his age of what 43, 44, whatever he is right now, that he can still play professional football. And does that come at a cost or does that come at a sacrifice for the team? And so that's something that can be certainly argued.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

It is and I'm ready to argue. And if I remember, it was 43. Is it 43? If that was what I heard. And then someone said if he's available to get into the seniors line.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Oh, yes, that. Yes.

unknown 11:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

They were saying when he eats at a buffet, he always eats first because he has he's got the seniors pass.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

Is it is it the seniors pass or is it his ego pushing people out of the way? Maybe it could be either.

SPEAKER_02 11:35

Anyways, can we get on to some of the other players we've gotten?

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Yes, gladly. Anything but Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, no, I think it's uh Cleveland has a lot of again, I think it's one of those teams that has a a lot of potential, and unfortunately, they've gone through their fair share of quarterbacks within the last few years, honestly, since they got into the Super Bowl, and then Roth and Rothensburg retired. Then they ended up getting in 2024, they got Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears, who honestly during that draft year, I thought he had a he was a good quarterback. I thought he had some potential, but I don't know about that. That might have been my my incorrect pick with him. I I really saw some potential with Fields, but uh that didn't really work out for Pittsburgh because then they ended up trading or sort of getting Russell Wilson, and he lasted for a year, I believe. Then that was when he was released from Denver with the big trade from Seattle, and then of course Aaron Rodgers came along. So, you know, it's it's really interesting because they got uh Mike McCarthy, who used to be the head coach of the Packers. So, of course, he is now reunited with Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. So that's an interesting dynamic. And again, there's a lot of potential on that team. Like they got Medcalf, DK Medcalf from Seattle, who really speaking of egos, uh really should have a really good connection with Rogers and should be putting up, I think, better numbers than he actually is. But I think him and Rogers are oddly enough make for a really good pair because side note, I think Medcalf maybe is a bit of an overhyped receiver. And I think the combination between him and Rogers, there there's definitely a lot of potential there. But uh, I don't know. It seems like Cleveland likes to attract the big egos. So we'll see how that plays out right now. They're at two and two and see how their season goes. Of course.

SPEAKER_02 13:32

Everything can change overnight or takes one bad hit or yes, it does one great throw, and it changes the whole season, right? Exactly. Yeah. Uh anything else about the old uh Pittsburgh that we want to talk about?

SPEAKER_01 13:45

I'm curious to see. I've never been a massive Mike McCarthy fan. Uh he, I think, got a lot of credit when he was in Green Bay. A lot of that probably goes to the players, uh, certainly the coaches as well, but get this feeling that he might have been maybe relying on his players a little bit too much. To see him in a different, uh, completely different team with sort of oddly enough, one similar player. But it'll be really interesting to see what he can do with this team. The potential is there, the players are there. I expect this team on paper to go quite deep. So we'll see how the rest of the season plays out.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

I'm sitting beside you here on the couch to watch it just the same way to see what happens. So let's let's let it happen.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Now I have to do my zen breathing about Aaron Hartman. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Well, and you know what? Now we can just sit back and enjoy some of the regional foods of Pittsburgh. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

I am very curious.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Yeah, no, and and like I I got I dove into this because I really didn't know where to go with this. Pittsburgh is heavily shaped by immigrant communities, especially Eastern European tradition, in mixing the industry of world-class history.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

And that's something we've talked about before.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Yeah, that's where Pittsburgh gets interesting. I don't think there's just one famous dish from the area, right? We got pierogies, kabasa, we can stock cabbage, chipped ham. There's all these great things. So I sort of started in and looking at some of those things. And the other thing I realized, French fries belong in everything in Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

I feel like I should move there then.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

You would, I think you would do well there, yeah. You know, so the first one I thought about was hey, why not game day pierogies? That's perfect, right? Like it's always a great dish, you know, some potato and cheese, you know, sauerkraut onions, little dipping sauce. Of course, if you're a Manitoban, what do we always use?

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Oh, honey dill. There's nothing better than a Manitoba honey dill sauce.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Right. Which is really what, honey mustard, but that's right.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

To the next level, because it's not just more intense and a lot of fresh dill.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Well, yeah, and so like that was one thing. And then, of course, you know, what goes better than nice Polish sausage? So good old kobasa sausages, great for grilling, great on a bun, you know, easy with just mustard, definite game day one, whether you've got them, you know, on a bun or just grilled off straight themselves.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Seems very appropriate with the pierogis.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Yeah. And then I was looking at Haloski's.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Yes. Did you call me?

SPEAKER_02 16:09

That's what I so it's like soft noodles with cabbage and onions, simple comfort, very Eastern European. You definitely can see that as an amazing, just delicious food. The other thing I was looking at, and famous for the area, is uh chip-chopped ham. I'd never heard of that. Yeah. So thinly sliced ham, yeah, usually served soft on a bun, often with barbecue sauce. It's very Pittsburgh thing, and it's like definitely a staple for around there. Of course, there's the Pittsburgh salad with French fries. That's where I was going, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

Yeah, so now you're seeing where I'm coming. So, you know what? Putting fries on salad along with other vegetables and protein, it is an okay thing. But let's get real. We're watching the game, we're sitting down. F3 pick this one, the Pramante sandwich. Oh, we cannot get better than this one. Definitely grilled meat with some melted cheese, usually pro Volone, and that's where we put our beautiful French fries with a nice coleslaw, like a vinegar coleslaw over the top of it. Ah, this is a delicious sandwich. So it dates back to the strip district during the Great Depression. The original business served truck drivers, right, and shift workers. So they needed a food where they could hold their sandwich, a one-handed meal. So, of course, the fries and the slaw were put right into the sandwich with the melted cheese. So, you know what? Let's talk about game day meal right there. It's definitely why it works, because you can easily put it together. You've got all your favorite substances right there in one bun, and you can hold it there with one hand. So you have a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other. I don't think you can get much better than that, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:54

I feel like that's taking everything in your plate and just like putting it into two buns. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 17:59

And so a nice easy one. And like, hey, you know, maybe a little pastrami with some provolone on top of there. You know, the nice slaw with that little acid in the vinegar dressing to go over it. Oh, I'm just talking about. That's great. And then hey, a little crunch from some French fries. How could life be any better? That is the perfect combo. Exactly. So I think we've done quite well on this uh episode of the F3 podcast. So, what did we learn about fantasy this week?

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Don't pick Aaron Rodgers. Oh, sorry, wait. Fantasy, yes. Uh my brain just went there automatically. Uh, be prepared for injuries. That's the biggest one. And I think that's something that if any good fantasy manager knows, you gotta have some backups on your bench. And this week is just compiling up with the injuries like it was, it's just building up from last week. And uh be prepared. Think, think two players ahead.

SPEAKER_02 18:46

All right, and in football, can the top teams keep that 4-0 record going? Who's gonna keep it going and who's gonna drop off?

SPEAKER_01 18:54

It's a good question. I would say if I had to pick, my money's on the 49ers. You think so? That's what I'm gonna I'm gonna say. They're gonna keep rolling. That undefeated roll going?

SPEAKER_02 19:03

That's right. Excellent. And so for Pittsburgh, we're talking about some great creations and great home comfort food, Eastern European influence, but of course, it's the Pramanti sandwich. Oh, yeah, a good old Permante sandwich. That's what I'm talking about this week. So, there we go. That's our three of the week. And it's that time again, Erin. What are we doing? It's the spinny wheel. Here we go. I'm reaching up, I'm getting my hand up there, and oh, we are back on the East Coast.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

We're staying on the East Coast. We're heading to New York. The New York Giants.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Ah, another team from New York. What can we do with that one?

SPEAKER_01 19:49

I am very actually really excited about the Giants. They are kind of the team that everyone loves to hate. New York's got a ton of teams, and I'm really excited to talk about them.

SPEAKER_02 19:58

Well, that's another episode of the F3 podcast. We're glad you could join us again. And Aaron's struggling to figure out what to say next as we say. I've got Aaron Rodgers on my mind. Oh, he ruins everything. Well, thank you for listening to another episode of the F3 Podcast.