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Gerry Dulac's Steelers chat: 02.14.24
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Gerry Dulac
10:45
OK kids, we will start our chat in just a few minutes so get ready....
10:50
OK here we go kids....fire away!
Stairway to seventh seed
10:50
Gerry:  After AJRII's media appearances, it would seem that it is likely the Steelers will bring back Cam Heyward.  When Dan Rooney was still alive, the Steelers parted ways with legendary players for cap savings like Hines, Troy, and Joey Porter with one year left on their deals.  All three of those players had more succesful Steeler careers (at least on the field) than Heyward.  None took up as much of the cap on a percentage basis as Cam will.  Arguably two of the three were more effective players in the year before being released.  Did Dan Rooney simply have more of a ruthless desire to pursue championships than AJRII?
Gerry Dulac
10:53
Well for starters, Mike Tomlin has a hand in those decisions, too, maybe even the upper hand. So I'm not sure it as easy as suggesting Dan Rooney was more ruthless than his son. And I would dispute your assertion that all three had better careers than Cam. But to your initial point, I believe Cam will be back.
Danny
10:53
Who do u see the steelers targeting in free agency an will there anymore releases an if so who
Gerry Dulac
10:55
That's three questions you condensed in one sentence, so I will condense my answers. Don't know just yet, probably and those were the biggest ones.
SMF
10:55
Hi Gerry:  Thanks for the chats. You would think from all the yinzer noise the Steelers were 2-15 this year and Pickett was Ryan Leaf.  They were 5-1 against the AFC North and KP had about the lowest interception rate in the league.  Pickett has a real open sore—few TDs in the redzone.  Is that on only him, the OL didn’t give him enough time, or the receivers weren’t open?  The Canada stink is gone and I don’t think Arthur Smith would have signed on if he thought KP was a lost cause.  Thoughts?
Gerry Dulac
10:56
I agree. All the hysteria about Pickett has turned to skepticism in one year. He was never the QB everyone hyped him to be and he's not the bust a lot of people are now thinking he is.
Johnny Schmidt
10:56
Gerry, Jackson Powers looks like a dandy, wouldn’t it be better to draft a surer thing than a riskier pick at maybe a more important position of need?
Gerry Dulac
10:57
He does look like a dandy, and I wouldn't rule it out. The Steelers like Mason Cole, but they would like him more as a backup center/guard.
Bill in LA (formerly just "Bill")
10:57
Does the release of Mutch Trubisky officially expose Mike Tomlin's failure to properly evaluate Mason Rudolph and also his refusal to allow a fair quarterback competition 2 years ago?
Gerry Dulac
10:58
What it does is expose the fallacy of signing Mitch Trubisky in the first place and pulling the rug from under him 3 1/2 games into the season. That's on them.
Bill in LA (formerly just "Bill")
10:58
I say Presley Harvin will never get another NFL punting job, do you agree this is likely?
Gerry Dulac
10:58
Perhaps. But I think someone will bring him in.
K in VA
10:58
Do you think the Steelers would be better off filling defensive line needs through free agency, since this class of college linemen or not that abundant, then focus on more pressing needs such as a offensive tackle, receiver, linebacker, and corner?
Gerry Dulac
10:59
You could be right, but the Steelers need to rebuild their defensive line through the draft, in particular, finding that stud future Pro Bowler. That being said, I know the draft isn't top-heavy on those types of players.
Bill in LA (formerly just "Bill")
11:00
I think there is still the unspoken negative about Mason that owners are terrified of having to answer to if they signed Mason: the (false) assusation of Mason having made a racial slur by star player Myles Garrett. No owner wants to have to deal with this, so Mason won’t find a market. How do you assess the chances of Mason Rudolph resigning with the Steelers?
Gerry Dulac
11:01
I don't think the Garrett incident has or will have any impact on Rudolph signing with another team. And the chances of him re-signing depends on two things: 1) Will he get an attractive offer from another team in free agency, and 2) how swiftly will the Steelers move to sign him to prevent that from happening.
BBpolka
11:02
Would you offer TJ, Pickens, and a first rounder for Bears #1 overall pick?
Gerry Dulac
11:02
No.
Jay
11:02
Good morning Gerry.  If Steelers are to trade for Fields, likely a high pick and picking up his option.  Is the plan to just be competitive whilst limiting our path to something greater?
Gerry Dulac
11:02
I can't imagine Fields wanting to sign with a team where he won't be the No. 1 QB. And I don't believe the Steelers are in the market for a No. 1 QB.
Tom
11:03
Hi Gerry love your chats!  Given 2025 draft qb prospects are viewed as very weak, should we suffer 2 more years with Pickett or be super aggressive this year and trade top 3 pick?  What is your pov on this idea
Gerry Dulac
11:03
They won't make a trade to go get a top 3 pick, trust me. And if they did move up that far (which they won't), it wouldn't be for a QB
Anonymous
11:04
17 of the last 21 QBs to win the Super Bowl are HOF or future HOF QBs. 3 of the remaining 4 ran west coast offenses (Stafford/McVay from the Shanahan-Gruden branch; Folk/Peterson from Reid-Childress branch; and Wilson/Bevell (OC) from the Reid-Childress branch). The Ravens with Joe Flacco are the only team in the last 21 years to win a Super Bowl without either a HOF caliber QB or a West Coast Offense system. Don’t you think the Steelers are going about it the hard with Picket/Smith?
Gerry Dulac
11:04
Not everybody can find a HOF QB
Anonymous
11:04
Notwithstanding the success Tomlin had in the early years with the HOF caliber QB, culture, team, and coaching staff that he inherited, do you really believe MT is the right coach to rebuild/retool the team to return to that level of success?
Gerry Dulac
11:05
I don't know that they will return to that level of success unless they have an elite QB .... and you know my thoughts about that.
Anonymous
11:05
It’s been 7 seasons since the Steelers last won a playoff game. Additionally, Tomlin failed to identify the best QB on his own team in both 2022 & 2023.  Do you believe the Steelers will win a playoff game in the next 3 years?
Gerry Dulac
11:05
Yes.
Stan the steeler fan
11:05
Gerry  how do you think it would have played out if Coach Cowher  would  have taken the offensive lineman instead of Big Ben? We can see now it’s not easy replacing Big Ben.
Gerry Dulac
11:06
How do I think it would have turned out....??? (Insert Tommy Lasorda-Dave Kingman audio here)
TS
11:06
Good morning Gerry.  Do you believe Rooney is truly getting “impatient” with the team’s mediocrity and lack of playoff wins or is he just saying that for the fans. Thanks.
Gerry Dulac
11:06
No, I think he is! But it does bode well for him to let the fans know it.
George K.
11:07
Good morning.  Do you think the talk of the Steelers trading for Justin Fields has any basis?  If so, what would you be comfortable giving the Bears in return?  Thanks.
Gerry Dulac
11:08
It has basis in that the Steelers LOVED Fields when he was coming out in the draft. But, with their commitment to Pickett, and for reasons I stated earlier, I don't think it has a significant amount of basis.
Arthur not Art
11:08
Good morning, Gerry.  Thank you for your time and the chat.  You have been of the opinion that the Steelers need to draft a DL in the early rounds (1st or 2nd, I believe) for at least a couple years to get a replacement for Cam. Agree, this is a priority need. My question - is Benton not capable of being Cam's replacement? He seems better suited to DT than NT. Should they be looking for Ogbunjobi's replacement instead? If not, then they need to get 2 high end starter quality DLs in the draft or FA, no? Thank you.
Gerry Dulac
11:09
I like Benton. I think he was a great pick at No. 2. And if develops into that, even greater. But, whether he does or doesn't, don't stop there. Do I think he's the next Cam? Probably not. So go find someone who you think can or will be.
Guest
11:10
These "rumors " spun up by these "insiders" are a joke. How did these massive dorks end up in these positions making gobs of cash just by pontificating? Can you please ensure that the post never mentions this bs??!?
Gerry Dulac
11:12
The problem in today's world of social media and "journalism" is that rumors are floated, people repeat them and the people who are supposed to be more professional react to them, even if it is to debunk them. Of course, the problem with that is that many of those so-called professional people don't know enough to know the rumor is either unfounded or ridiculous.  My approach: I don't respond at all to anything I know is not true.
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