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Gerry Dulac's Steelers chat: 5.16.18
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Gerry Dulac
9:36
OK, kids, we're going to start our chat in less than 30 minutes, so get ready....
9:57
OK, here we go....
Koby
9:57
Who is currently slated as Steelers kick and punt returner?
Gerry Dulac
9:57
Nobody really, tho I suspect JuJu could be returning kicks and Cam Sutton will return punts. James Washington might fit in there somewhere too
leonard
9:58
Hi Gerry:  I believe the steelers have been good and lucky in their drafts over the years, considering they are always drafting near the bottom, ( that said), this would have been an ideal year to change philosophy and draft up.  Most of their draft picks would quite possibly have been available in later rounds. (missed opportunity)?
Gerry Dulac
9:59
To some degree, I agree with you. I thought they need to do all they could to move up and get the ILB they wanted (Smith or Evans), though the price woulda been steep. I don't think Edmunds would have lasted that far into the second round for them, and Washington wouldn't have been available on the third round.
SteelersinDetroit
9:59
Matthew Thomas looks like an interesting product on paper but wasn't drafted.  I know he's had off-field issues but is that the only thing that caused teams to pass on him?  His measurable are good and he was fairly productive when he was on the field at FSU.
Gerry Dulac
10:00
He's athletic, but he looks a little light to me. We'll see. He certainly has a shot to make the team because they are not abounding in talent at inside LB
Ryno
10:00
So hypothetically, if Landry Jones is clearly the number two quarterback after all the preseason activities (based on performance), and Josh Dobbs plays better than Mason Rudolph, what would the Steelers do in that case?  Keep FOUR quarterbacks?
Gerry Dulac
10:02
The only way Josh Dobbs stays on the team is if the Steelers trade Landry Jones, who is in the last year of his contract. The only plausible scenario is that Rudolph plays so well in the preseason the Steelers think they can afford to let go of Jones and get something for him, maybe a third-round pick. Right now, though, that is not in their plans. But it is not far-fetched.
Adam Grego
10:02
Good morning Gerry, the Steelers seem to keep setting themselves back by drafting guys who are good athletes but not natural football players on Defense (lack instincts and feel for the game) what will it take for them to realize that Bud, Davis, and Artie have all been underwhelming and they maybe should look past combines when drafting guys?
Gerry Dulac
10:02
I disagree with your assessment of Sean Davis. On the others, I won't argue, especially w Dupree.
Jim
10:07
Is the plan to play Edmunds a lot at safety ala Troy in 2013 when Foote got hurt and they only had rookie Vince Williams as an option at LB?
Gerry Dulac
10:08
The Plan is to play Edmunds as the fifth (or sixth) defensive back, close to the line of scrimmage, in their sub packages
Al in Nj
10:08
Gerry, Will legalized betting on the NFL change anything? Any concerns?
Gerry Dulac
10:09
I don't bet so I don't know. I don't pay attention to all the possibilities
Shashi
10:13
Do you think Steelers have filled the gap that is left by Ryan Shazier for this year? Do you think the defense got better than last year?
Gerry Dulac
10:15
No I do not think they have filled the gap. And I don't think the defense is better than it was prior to Dec. 4. I think they are better than they were post-Dec. 4.
Ryno
10:17
I saw the comment being made by one of the Steelers that the coaches wouldn't allow any of the other players to lift weights like James Harrison. What exactly did they mean? Don't they all pretty much do powerlifting to increase strength?
Gerry Dulac
10:19
Yes they do, but I'm not exactly sure what the restrictions are, if any. I think a lot of the heavy lifting James was doing might not be good for everyone
Persy
10:19
Is the front office concerned about the players kneeling?  I know Pitt hasn’t but I believe there would be serious blow back from Pitt fans if it did happen.
Gerry Dulac
10:19
No
SteelersinDetroit
10:19
Any lingering injuries from last year that could impact us this year?
Gerry Dulac
10:20
Eli Rogers ACL. Hasn't been re-signed and won't be ready till past training camp in all likelihood
Al in NJ
10:20
It seems like the loss to the Jaguars in the playoffs is now being primarily blamed on the absence of Shazier. I thought it was more due to very poor DL play. Do you agree?
Gerry Dulac
10:21
It was blamed, and rightfully so, on the Steelers players failing to be as physical as Jax and getting dominated on both lines of scrimmage
jake
10:24
I think Burfict was picked in the 7th round out of Arizona St, I remember all the talk about him during his last year and leading up to the draft about how good he was and could be, but he also had off field and behavior issues which obviously led him to fall to the last round. I watched our undrafted free agent Matt Thomas play at Florida St and I'm also aware of what he did at the combine. Would you say these situations are very similar ?
Gerry Dulac
10:24
I don't think Matt Thomas was ever considered a first-round talent such as Burfict. But, any time a player has off-field issues,  he is going to fall in, if not out of, the draft. It is not a reflection of talent, just the type of character that a lot of teams prefer to avoid.
Persy
10:25
Regarding Bostic, I watched him play on a few pretty bad teams and he seemed to be a stud and tackling machine.  His coverage of TE and backs seemed fair to good.  Being on Pitt surrounded by better players should only improve him game in my mind.  Your thoughts?
Gerry Dulac
10:26
We shall see. He is with his fifth team in six years. They can't all be wrong about him.
mtsteel
10:26
Hi Gerry and thank you. So with the cap money saved with the Bryant trade and the other cuts made wouldn't it make sense to bring another ILB in due to Bostic's history of injuries and lack of depth there? Thank you sir
Gerry Dulac
10:28
They didn't save a lot of cap money with Bryant, who was still on his first contract. I think there is room for another backup ILB, but after spending money on Bostic it is not the Steelers style to go spend money on another ILB, especially if they haven't even seen Bostic on the field in pads yet
jake
10:28
I see Navarro Bowman is still out there, I would hate to see them go into the season of even training camp with the ILB's we currently have on the roster. They found a way to make cap space for Haden last year, why not find a way to sign Bowman to a short term contract? Hes def an upgrade over Williams and Botics whos always injured.
Gerry Dulac
10:29
Hey, that could still happen. The Steelers talent at ILB is average at best, a far fry from Timmons-Shazier, Farrior-Foote.
Persy
10:32
Your opinion on Haden.  Still a better CB or just regular at this point?
Gerry Dulac
10:33
I like him. Very solid.
jake
10:33
Along with ILB, our depth at WR is also very concerning. First off, we are relying on a rookie to be our #3 WR right off the bat, secondly DHB and Hunter have proven they aren't worthy of being on the field and they aren't getting any younger. If we have any sort of injury we are going to be looking at a replay of the AFC championship game a couple years ago when no names were trying to catch passes.
Gerry Dulac
10:33
Not as bad as the lack of depth and TALENT at ILB
John
10:33
Vince is actually really good at rushing the passer, thoughts on putting him on the edge and TJ in the middle on certain downs?
Gerry Dulac
10:35
Uhhhh....don't hold your breath on that. VW is good at rushing the passer when there is a nice gap up the middle. Not the same as rushing outside, as Lawrence Timmons quickly discovered when they moved him outside a couple years ago because of injuries. Do you remember how many sacks Timmons had at OLB? I'll remind you -- NONE.
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