Christopher Carter's Steelers and Pitt chat: 10.19.26
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Christopher Carter
2:05
I don't think anyone tells Chris Boswell what to do, expect Chris Boswell.

However, I do think Danny Crossman has not had a good start to his tenure with how kick coverage and return units have performed.
Footballtahn
2:05
Hi Chris, do you think roman wilson regains starter job when he comes back or has germie earned it.
Christopher Carter
2:07
I think Germie Bernard is the general WR2 for a while. BUT, Roman Wilson is better deep threat between the two, considering his speed. So I think they will still get him on the field to have that threat there.

But in general, Bernard is proving to be much more consistent and needs to be on the field more often as a priority to keep the offense going.
STEEL72
2:07
Chris, it seemed to be a universal reaction amongst fans that this game was way too hard. Obviously, we take the win and move on, but the team seems to be on a perpetual third down. Splash plays on defense-- like Dean's-- are squandered routinely. Our coach decides to throw twice in the red zone and target our receiver who displays a proclivity for dropping contested balls. We decide to give the kicker MORE TIME to set up for a tying field goal rather than take our chances with a "fire drill" rush job. It is always a stress game with the Steelers. And a final note... it's wonderful to have a gold jacket QB in his swan song, but the body language absolutely sucks. For much of almost any game, the skulking and death glares prevail over genuine leadership and rousing the troops at their lowest. I'm all for tough leadership, but A-ARON will pout when it's bad and suddenly behave like he's posing for a football card action shot when things go right. I dig his ability and I think his moods can be toxic.
Christopher Carter
2:09
I think that sometimes too much is made out of how Aaron Rodgers is perceived simply based off how he looks during a quick shot during a game.

Now, there are moments when he certainly does something over the top (like when he brushed off Robert Saleh a day before he was fired). But in general, most times he's just a veteran playing the game he's played in the NFL for the past two decades-plus.
2:10
As far as the game being too hard, I keep reminding people that winning in the NFL is never easy. Go look at the super team Rams who just lost at home to Jacoby Brisset and the 1-4 Cardinals, who are now 2-4 and the Rams are the same record and in last place in the NFC West.
Footballtahn
2:10
Why do you think McCarthy didnt gave jaylen warren in the game plan very much and abandoned the run game
Christopher Carter
2:19
I think part of it was how the Buccaneers shut him down. When they loaded the box, Warren averaged 2.6 yards per carry. The Steelers are at their best when Warren has space to run and isn't dealing with defenders loading up the line of scrimmage.

The Steelers called 17 straight passing plays in the fourth quarter at one point, and my understanding is that was to back the Buccaneers up out of those loaded boxes.
OT Question
2:20
Chris, thanks for doing these, and Locked On Steelers has been great!! Not this matters, unless you like prop bets lol, but what happens in OT if the Steelers scored their TD, Bucs get the ball back and throw a pick 6.  Does the pick 6 count and the winning team scores 2 TDs in OT, or is it a dead ball as soon as possession changes with the INT?
Christopher Carter
2:23
Thanks for being here and the compliments!

So, I was trying to do some research on this, and I could not find a definitive answer, but I lean towards the game not ending.

I lean that way simply because my understanding is that the interception itself doesn't end the game, but the killing of the play does. So, if the interception happens but the player returns it and fumbles the ball for the offense to recover it, the game SHOULD continue. Which is why the return for a touchdown should stand there.

HOWEVER, the NFL COULD rule that because the second team got its possession, and technically the interception ended the possession, the game is still over as they got the ball back for a second possession.

I still lean towards the former being the case, but man, I would hate to be the officiating crew in a hostile environment for such a situation.
Dan
2:23
Hey Chris, thank you for the chat. Any chance the Steelers trade for a corner before the deadline or do you think they just roll with Dean, Samuel and Everette? Thanks
Christopher Carter
2:25
Hello and thanks for being here!

The only way I see that working is if the Steelers see a cornerback available for cheap. Echols left the game with an injury, but if he's ready to be back, I think they should feel OK with their depth there.

Samuel had a big game against the Colts, Dean and Everette were good against the Buccaneers, and Echols is a decent vet option in between all of that.
gary.oshell
2:25
Chris.....There have been a lot of mistakes made by this coaching staff this year, but is there one greater than the failure to bring in an experienced QB to back up Mason? QB's of the type Mason is get hurt all the time. How could Narduzzi and Bell be so unprepared for that possibility?
Christopher Carter
2:28
Man, I wasn't sure which Mason you were talking about for a second LOL.

But Heintschel, I think the biggest thing to remember is that QBs are expensive on the market, and Pitt paid A LOT to keep Heintschel from going to Miami in the first place.

I do think Holden Geriner could've been a third option while they went after another guy with experience, but who's to say said player would've been any better or affordable? Cale Berger made this point when we were on WPXI's Final Word last night, but the NIL QB market is wild.

Few teams can keep a group of ready backup QBs because of how every team is looking to buy a QB. Which requires teams to take shots on young guys or older guys who haven't played like Geriner.

Remember, Heintschel filled in last year as the backup behind Eli Holstein and became the guy after that. I don't think Pitt can expect to hit back-to-back on freshmen QB prospects when most teams don't hit on that at all and end up buying QBs in the portal.
Turk in MD
2:29
Hey Chris!  Did MM explain the play calling after the Dean interception? Tomlin would have taken three kneel downs and kicked the field goal.
Christopher Carter
2:31
Here's what McCarthy said when asked about it:

"Oh, absolutely. Now you're talking clock and the first down was a boot[leg] and the second down, you [have] to live with your runs. We caught them with 10 on the field, the substitution and all these things. [I] definitely was aware of the clock then.”

(On his quick hitters and short throws being a big part of the gameplan)

“It’s a good way to go. They have them all and they run them. So yeah, definitely – getting the ball out is important. It’s a starting point for me personally when you start talking about throwing the balls, protection first and [the] time clock of the passing game. They do a really good job with the pressure.”
So, not much of an answer there. I'll be interested to see how he talks about that in about 30 minutes when he gets here.
Ben
2:31
Hey Chris - how about a Pitt hoops update? What does the new team look like and did Capel recruit them or is now his job just to coach them? Thanks -
Christopher Carter
2:35
I haven't had much time to get a look at Pitt basketball outside of the precursory look at their transfer portal additions, considering I've been covering Pitt football and the Steelers every day since July.

There's optimism about the new roster because they actually got to spend a bit more to put it together whereas last year they really didn't put much into it.

But, Pitt basketball got smoked Saturday 87-64 in its exhibition with Providence. Exhibitions rarely mean much in the grand scheme of things, but considering the recent history, the program needs positive results to show it's going to turn things around.
Turk in MD
2:35
Thoughts on Germie?  Has he taken the slot role from Wilson, when everyone is healthy?
Christopher Carter
2:36
The thing that impressed me the most was his demeanor. When a rookie makes a mistake like he did when he had the fourth down conversion but then jumped backwards and lost it for a turnover on downs, he could've gone into a shell, especially with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback.

But Bernard stayed locked in and had a strong game, eventually scoring the winning touchdown. That's a great sign, as was his overall production.
JW
2:36
Muth and Mnt Wash saving the O line right now? Tough first half
Christopher Carter
2:37
Both are big factors in what this team needs moving forward to win the line of scrimmage. I don't know about saving them, but they're certainly a boost.
Dan
2:37
Hey Chris! Huge win yesterday but the play calling after Dean’s interception was hard to understand, Do you think they were trying to catch the Bucs off guard with that first down throw? They basically had the game won if they just run it 3 times there and kick the chip shot field goal. I was almost wondering if the Bucs would let us score just to save time if we called a first down run. They really shot themselves in the foot with that incompletion on first down. Thoughts?
Christopher Carter
2:38
Addressed this earlier but I think they were trying to catch an aggressive Buccaneers defense off-guard as it had loaded the boxes a lot and were stuffing the run.

Doesn't mean they were right to do so, but that's what I saw as the reasoning.
George T
2:38
Hi Chris, was it me seeing things but it looked like on the last play Ramsey sack that TJ was forcing the TB tackle down the line and into other so it would free up Ramsey to go directly to the QB and get the sack.  Did you see it that way and do teams do that.
Christopher Carter
2:41
Hello! And for the most part, yes!

I don't think Watt was trying to force them down the line, but the way I saw it, the Steelers sent an overload blitz where they were trying to get a free rusher, and Watt knew with the sidecar RB pass protector on the other side, him taking on the RT while Queen rushed the guard would give Ramsey the best path to the QB. Was definitely by design by Patrick Graham.
George T
2:41
Chris would you call the overtime drive one if not they best drive of the year so far.
Christopher Carter
2:48
It's up there, and is certainly the most clutch. A 12-play, 70-yard TD drive that takes up 6:45 of clock is pretty crushing in overtime. It's tied for the second-longest drive by the Steelers this season.

So as far as value to a game, that's the best. But if you're assessing it based on just individual performance based on time, there are only two that could really compare.

Last week, the Steelers also had a 12-play TD drive against the Colts. That one took 8:38 off the clock, and it up them up 14-6.

Against the Browns, the Steelers opened with a 17-play, 78 yards TD drive that took 9:48 off the clock to open the game. Technically, that would be the "best" drive. But it also came in a loss and didn't help lock up the game like Sunday's did.
Tim
2:49
Commented on the chat yesterday when things looked bleak that while your hosting was elite, the entire team and coaching may receive 3💀.  What a difference a half makes!  Still think had they lost after Dean interception, Coach MM would get 4 skulls for his game management.  Still baffled by that whole 17 second sequence of 3 plays.  You?
Christopher Carter
2:49
Like I was saying early on, there was a lot of time left!
2:50
Live I've said above, I do think that whole situation was mismanaged. Even if the Buccaneers were shutting down the run. Burn the timeouts, and give the rookie QB as little chance to settle as possible.
epiballo
2:51
Hi Chris! Thanks for the chats! While criticism is often warranted, I find it curious that many pick out certain negative things to magnify to the detriment of the whole picture. Aaron Rodgers showed what he brings when it matters the most. No player plays great all the time. But Rodgers has a clutch gene and that is why we should be glad he is QBing for the Steelers this year. If the D keeps it close, he had what it takes to pull out the 'W.' Just my thoughts. Thanks!
Christopher Carter
2:52
Hello! And thanks for being here!

I agree, that's why they welcomed him back this year. He managed the end of that game the way a longtime vet would, and it paid off. I doubt if one of the other younger QBs are in there that the Steelers get the plays Rodgers gave them.
McCarthy’s Foot
2:52
Hey Chris, did you also get some diontae johnson flashbacks on that 4th and 3 grab by Bernard?
Christopher Carter
2:53
Ha. I put that in the chat yesterday. Certainly was that kind of moment.
Buffalo Joe
2:53
Hello Chris, I was at the game yesterday. Just wanted to give a shout out to Steeler Nation. The fans were tremendous. Hard for me to know, but I’m guessing there were more Steeler fans than Tampa. I think every fan in the building was baffled by the play calling after the Dean interception. Not sure what they are saying locally, but have to believe Tomlin would be getting blasted.
Christopher Carter
2:54
My father and uncle were there too! They said the same thing about the fans. Apparently the Steelers fans really took over when the offense got moving and even started doing the "and that's another Pittsburgh Steelers FIRST DOWN" thing. The Steelers fanbase is still one of the best at taking over opposing stadiums.
Phil
2:54
Regarding Pitt: Who do you think is Pitt's best option against Miami? It's a real shame Pitt isn't playing Little Sisters of the Poor this week.
Christopher Carter
2:55
Well, they only had two such games, which is less than most of the power conference teams out there.

I have to think give the freshman QB another chance. He has a higher chance to be part of your future than the 5th-year senior who will be gone next year.
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