JotCast | Paul Zeise's sports chat: 04.30.20

Paul Zeise's sports chat: 04.30.20

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Happy Day

1:27

The Steelers would be also rans or worse without Ben

Paul

1:28

Sigh. The ten years before Roethlisherger arrived were better than the last ten years with Roethlisberger. That’s not to say he isn’t a great QB it is to say the franchise and organization are strong and as long as that is the case they will be fine

Bill

1:28

Thanks for answering my question in your mailbox article. It feels like the decision to sign Ben to that big extension will hamstring this franchise for years. They are forced to build the office around his preferences, and don'

Jon

1:29

Big Ben has a HUGE cap hit next year (~$40M). That clearly means this is his last year, no?

Paul

1:30

Ben’s contract will only hamstring the Steelers this year and next. The big thing is they need to find out if Rudolph is his successor or not and if he isn’t, come up with a Plan B

Blackhawk Bob

1:30

Do you think Ben Bell and Brown could be classified as the most talented and least successful trio of all time in the NFL ?

Paul

1:31

I would think they would be in the discussion. They won almost nothing with those three together but they did have some exciting moments

Dennis

1:31

I think Tampa jumped the gun signing Brady. It seems Rogers will be available looking at the draft by GB. What say you?

Paul

1:31

He won’t be available for at least two years - and by then Brady will be retired

Bill

1:31

Do they really believe Mason Rudolph can carry this offense as presently constructed if Ben goes down? I know people are saying The helmet bashing and subsequent racial slur allegations really shook him up last year, but they seem to be forgetting what an ugly game he was having in Cleveland up until that point. Feels very short-sighted.

Paul

1:33

He has the tools, he just needs to put it all together. Last year was his first year as a starter so let’s give him some time before we decide he can’t play

Jon

1:33

How will the Steelers handle Ben's $40,000,000 cap hit next year? Will he retire? Extend? Cut him?

Paul

1:33

They are gonna hope that the salary cap goes up like $20 million as it is being predicted to

Southside Jimmy

1:34

What up Paul...with the upswing of the local basketball programs, any chance the Steel Bowl will be resumed down the road?

Paul

1:34

Probably not - too many egos involved and there are way too many excuses for why those kinds of games can’t be played

Jeff

1:34

Hearing anything on what the NHL is planning?

Paul

1:36

Last plan I heard was one city per division would house all the teams in the division to finish the season and then playoffs at a centralized neutral site. But again these plans seem to change almost weekly with these leagues so who knows

Bill

1:36

Some of the best QB's ever to play the game finish their careers with a different franchise because they thought they had a couple more productive years left while the team looked toward what was best for the future of the franchise. Montana, Manning, Farve all indeed had a couple more productive years, but the teams made the right decision, and time will tell as to whether the Patriots may direct decision moving on from Brady. But it feels like the Steelers made the wrong decision by giving Ben that huge extension. It's hard to believe that even if he stays healthy, this offense as presently constructed will be enough to get the Steelers past the top teams in the conference.

Paul

1:38

I agree and have said it several times - the Steelers would have been better off signing a guy like Teddy Bridgewater a year or two ago and letting him be the bridge quarterback to whoever is next. It would have saved them a lot of money they could have used to make the team better elsewhere

RJT

1:38

You’re assuming Winston would be an upgrade because of his starting experience. I understand that. But he is a turnover machine. The backups are supposed to manage the game by not throwing picks. Winston is a turnover machine.

Paul

1:39

He was a turnover machine THIS year. And he got lasix surgery on his eyes. For his career he has like 122 TDs and like 80 Ints. He is absolutely better than Mason Rudolph right now

RJT

1:40

Give me Andy Dalton over Winston any day of the week.

Paul

1:40

Give me Winston and you take Dalton and I’ll beat you just about every time

Daniel

1:40

Do you see any legal problems between a player and owner if the player refuses to play and doesn’t feel safe because of the virus if and when sports are cleared to start up again? Would the players union get involved? Thanks .

Paul

1:41

Nope. I think it a player doesn’t want to play because of the COVID-19, I’m sure the league and owners aren’t going to want a fight about that. I’m sure something would be worked out

Donna

1:42

Have you seen the ESPN promo for Project 11 which chronicles Redskins QB Alex Smith attempt to recover from his catastrophic leg injury? I understand he’s had about 17 or 18 surgeries. Any interest in watching? Thanks Paul.

Paul

1:43

Sounds like a great story but I haven’t seen it. That was a gruesome injury

Steve S

1:43

Paul, do you think the Steelers would have any interest in Dalton if he came in for a Winston-type minimum deal? Thanks!

Paul

1:44

I can’t see it. They have been consistent in saying that Mason Rudolph is their backup quarterback

Ken

1:44

McFarland was a 5 star recruit even with broken leg in senior year of HS. Played 2019 with high ankle sprain and had ok year. His 2018 was lights out. I think he has the chance to be the steal of the draft. What say you?

Paul

1:45

Like I said - he has a chance to be a big-play player for them. He has that top end speed and can become a difference maker

steelcity!

1:45

Paul . where do the steelers place in the North and in the pecking order of the AFC.

Paul

1:45

I think they finish third in the North but are a wild card team

Sports Harder

1:46

Need a lunch suggestion Paul. Best fish sandwich in town ?

Paul

1:46

I’m allergic to fish!! But I’m sure Archie’s in the South Side has great fish sandwiches every Friday!!!

1:46

What proposed MLB plan to play this year is most appealing to you?

Paul

1:47

The current one - three ten-team regional divisions and all the teams playing in their home stadiums with no fans. That seems like the most realistic

Les

1:47

Hello, would yo rather have Big Ben for $30+ million a season or Andy Dalton for a few million? That's a lot of extra money that could go into other players.

Paul

1:48

That’s a good question. If you could get Andy Dalton for like $3 or $4 million, I think I would rather do that. Think about how much better you could make the roster with an extra $32 million or so to spend

RJT

1:49

I’m only 31 so I don’t remember the NBA much in the 90s. Was Dennis Rodman really that dominating on defense? He only averaged 7 points a game but he is a hall of famer

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