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Gerry Dulac's Steelers chat: 05.27.20
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JDaven
11:05
Do you think NFL players will have to take a pay cut this season because they are missing practices?
Gerry Dulac
11:06
Nope. Do you think coaches will take a pay cut because they don't have to conduct them??
BB
11:06
Gerry - the obligatory golf question....did you watch The Match?  If so, what did you think of it?
Gerry Dulac
11:06
I liked it better than the first one, except for the same old typical Tiger behavior, especially the final 9 holes.
Steeler in Virginia
11:07
People keep talking about the nose tackle position being our biggest weakness, which I get but don't agree with. Surely depth at inside linebacker is the biggest concern, right? At least at safety (depth) and nose tackle we could go out and get a free agent if it came down to it. ILB is slim pickins
Gerry Dulac
11:08
You are correct. How can nose tackle be a major concern when they don't use a nose tackle 70 to 75 percent of the time? People act like losing Hargrave is losing Aaron Donald. Don't get me wrong, I thought Hargrave was a nice player. But how good can a guy be when his he plays more and his numbers go down, especially playing with 97, 48 and 90???
JerseySteel
11:08
Hi Gerry - is it me or is there very little need as we sit today on the offensive side of the ball for the Steelers? Defensive needs seem mostly depth - do you agree?
Gerry Dulac
11:10
Correct again. A little better depth on the d-line, though I will wait till I see how Chris Wormley performs and Isaiah Buggs develops. And what to do at ILB next to Bush and a backup at safety. Otherwise, all good.
Dennis
11:10
Would it be wise for the Steelers to make a trade for a player like Rashaan Ridick, ILB, if they could get him for a 6th round pick?
Gerry Dulac
11:11
It's still possible, once they get to camp or if they play preseason game, they could add an inside LB. But I don't expect that to happen, not now.
Jim
11:11
With the drafting of Highsmith, do you think that rules out signing Bud to a long term deal?
Gerry Dulac
11:12
With or without Highsmith, I don't think Bud was getting signed to a long-term deal. But, if Highsmith shows he can be a starter-capable guy, that will only seal the deal.
Stlrdave1
11:12
Gerry, Thanks as always for your chats. As a transplanted life long Steeler fan now living in Nevada, my appreciation of the Steeler organization   is never in doubt. I would think stable teams with the same coaches and staff would have a leg up due to this unusual season upon us. Agree? And thank you as always.
Gerry Dulac
11:12
Absolutely. Stable staffs, veteran players, most starters returning. All in their favor in these strange times.
Vince D
11:13
Hello Gerry,  James Connor seems to be a very level headed and honorable guy.  Given how attached he is to Pittsburgh, do you think he will demand top running back money as a free agent, or would he take less to stay here ?
Gerry Dulac
11:13
James is a good person, but I don't think the Steelers are going to offer him a second contract unless he proves he can stay healthy in 2020 and repeat what he did in 2018. But he is not a RB who will command big money as a free agent.
Alan in Nashville
11:14
Good morning, Gerry. One thing I’ve noticed through the years is that the term “Steelers insider” is used way too often. Even a HOF guy like Eddie Boo obviously doesn’t have great access anymore. That being said, you appear to be as close to the real deal even though you’re not advertised as such. Especially when you answer a question resolutely like “They are not going to...” My question, and I’m not asking you to give away the farm, do you have sources above and beyond the others? You do a great job.
Gerry Dulac
11:15
You are very wise and perceptive. Humility prevents me from answering your question. But someone please pay the man!
seferg
11:15
Will there be any 'camp battles' to keep an eye on or are the starters pretty much all set?
Gerry Dulac
11:16
I'm just hoping there will be a camp to have a battle. But, if there is, the only real "battle" will be to see which player can best move into that Mark Barron role when Vince Williams is out of the game -- Marcus Allen, Ulysees Gilbert, possibly Terrell Edmunds in certain packages? Antoine Brooks? Otherwise, all set.
Jim
11:16
Was there a particular reason (other than no Ben) for Switzers decline last year? He looked a lot slower than the previous year.
Gerry Dulac
11:17
He wasn't slower, but he did get injured. He was never a big production guy anyway, but Ben likes him.
JerseySteel
11:17
Hi Gerry - do you think the 53 man roster players are currently on the 90 man roster or do you think there will be a trade or post cutdown pickup to bolster depth at ILB, S, and/or DL?
Gerry Dulac
11:18
They are always looking to add better players, so, yeah, that can happen once they get on the field and get close to the start of the season.
Jim
11:18
Excited about the offense this year, do you think we are being overlooked this year? With basically no offense we almost made the playoffs last year. Without Ben teams were just teeing off against the run, not sure people though about what a big loss Ben was to the offense, no team respected our passing game.
Gerry Dulac
11:19
Ben's absence affected every aspect of the offense, even the running game. There was no no-huddle, shifting and sliding protection, changing out of running plays or passing plays, everything.
Harold B
11:19
Are you in the train of thought that that the brownies are the brownies or are they for real this time? I mean in real they have a team like never before..
Gerry Dulac
11:19
Until they show me they can do it....
RD
11:19
Initially I was skeptical of the McFarland pick. I agreed with many of your associates that if they didn't pick a RB in round 2, it wasn't worth wasting a pick. Since then, I've watching video of him and have been impressed. Seems like an every down back; can catch, not just fast but quick. If he can learn pass pro, do you think he could affect the decision on Connor for next season?
Gerry Dulac
11:21
I've said all along I like the concept -- drafting a change of pace back who is a playmaker -- so long as you use them the right way. It's possible that could affect the Conner situation, but I don't think rookies, without OTAs and maybe preseason games, are going to see a lot of time in 2020.
Jeff
11:21
Gerry, knowing Steelers fans as we do - if the games are played without fans, can you see throngs of the faithful showing up to party outside the stadium anyway? I envision a situation where the Steelers score and you can hear the roar of the crowd from outside the stadium.  Not that I would encourage that, being it defeats the purpose of not allowing fans inside.
Gerry Dulac
11:22
I don't think fans will be allowed outside or around the stadium or even in the parking lots, if fans are not allowed in the stadium. So I don't see any of that happening.
AK
11:22
What positions of depth would the Steelers most likely to be able to fill through roster cuts from other teams or trades?
Gerry Dulac
11:22
Either safety or ILB. Beyond that, not any at all
Michael
11:23
Hello Gerry: Now that the draft has settled a bit, and the Steelers did take a RB, do you sense the Steelers have had ANY contact with veteran free-agent RBs like McCoy, etc.?  It seems that the lack of ground game in recent years would mean they must have all angles covered...not to say the lack of effective O-line play is not a factor.  Have you heard anything and might we see someone added?  I am hoping so based on the question marks presently in that RB room. Thoughts?
Gerry Dulac
11:23
They have no immediate interest in McCoy or a player like that, and have had no discussion about that.
Les
11:24
About how many tickets for Steeler games go to season ticket holders? I'm always curious as to how many tickets are sold to the general public.
Gerry Dulac
11:24
I don't know the number available to the public, but not as many as you think.
John Strange
11:24
In April of 2019 the Steelers signed Big Ben to a 2-year $68 million contract and he rewarded them by scorching the Patriots for a sweet, sweet 3 points before having a season ending injury in the second game. In hindsight would the Steelers have been better off moving on from Big Ben after his contract ran out last season or will he somehow rebound from his dismal 2019 performance?
Gerry Dulac
11:24
No.
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