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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 01.07.19
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:53
Welcome to my Steelers chat. Post your questions and we'll get started soon.
Bob R
11:55
Ray, I can’t wrap my head around AB’s current state of discontent. Does he feel he’s been slighted somehow? Does he believe he’s being denied something?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:58
I wouldn't try to understand Brown's state of discontent. He's a different cat. It's useless to try to figure out what makes him tick. Think about what he did. He walked out on his teammates in a week before what amounted to a playoff game. He was coming off a 14-catch, 185-yard, two touchdown performance a few days earlier against the Saints. He was in the midst of yet another monster season. And he goes AWOL because of a feud with a teammate and/or because he was not named team MVP? I've seen national analysts try to pin blame on Ben Roethlisberger or Mike Tomlin, and I think it's laughable. Brown is 30 years old and he's acting like he's 3.
DaquidoBazzini
11:58
Hi, Ray - Do you think the firing of Joey Porter last Friday means that DC Keith Butler is safe, or could he still go?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:59
I'm not entirely sure to be honest with you. I think there will be more changes on the coaching staff. Obviously, the defense struggled in some big games down the stretch so Butler and others on the staff are worth watching this week.
DaquidoBazzini
11:59
I know Art Rooney II is the decision maker with Steeler ownership.
Anyone that might be second in line these days on decisions?
How much input does a guy like Thomas Tull have?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:00
Thomas Tull is a minority owner. Minority owners don't have much say in the day-to-day operations of the team, but Tull does have more say than the other minority owners.
Clay
12:00
Hey Ray, do you forsee any more coaching changes? If so, when do you think they would be announced? I figured they would have been announced with the Porter news. Thanks!
Ray Fittipaldo
12:02
If there are any more changes I think they'll happen this week or next. Generally, coaches like to have their staffs ready to go for the college postseason games and the combine. Those games start happening later this month or next month. And the combine is at the end of February.
Sam
12:02
Do you think trading Brown would change what the Steelers choose to do with Boswell based on compiling dead money?  Doesn't seem like McCrane is a real long term option with a range of maybe 48 yards and no real touchback threat on kickoffs.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:03
I don't think the Brown and Boswell situations are related. The Steelers know they'll have to absorb cap hits either way with both of them. And you;re right about McCrane. He doesn't have a strong enough leg for kickoffs. He said his No. 1 priority over the offseason is strengthening his right leg so he can improve his distance.
Dave
12:03
Quitting on your team seems like the ONE thing teammates should never forgive you for.  Cap hit aside, do you see any way AB is on the roster week 1?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:05
Right now, I can't see how they keep him. He's not a stable force in that locker room. He's been a handful to deal with for a few years now. I can't imagine the criticism that would take place if they welcomed him back, and he did this type of thing again. I think it's obvious he wants to be traded, and I think the Steelers should accommodate him as long as they receive fair value in return. Nothing less than one first-round pick and maybe more would suffice in my mind.
Mar
12:05
Steelers cannot trade ab he is the best receiver in the game they have to figure this out this team will be worse without him our defense isn’t all that great and u weaning our offense this is easily a 6-10 team or 5-11 team
Ray Fittipaldo
12:08
I disagree. Ridding yourself of a distraction such as Brown could be addition by subtraction. Football is the ultimate team sport. Players step up. You learn how to win in different ways. It could galvanize the team. And I'm not minimizing Brown's accomplishments. He's been by far the best receiver of his era. But they've never won a Super Bowl with him. They did win Super Bowls with Hines Ward and Cedric Wilson as your top two WRs. In 2008, it was Ward and Santonio Holmes. JuJu Smith-Schuster proved this season he is capable of being a No. 1 receiver. They need James Washington to step up and play better or go find a No. 2 next season. But there is no doubt in my mind that they could be a better team without Brown.
Mark
12:08
With your proximity to the team, how often do you think Tomlin and Rooney speak to one another during the regular season?  As in, does Rooney advise/tell Tomlin to change something or handle something different regularly in-season, or does he let the coach coach and sets expectations and demands for changes in the offseason?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:10
They speak on the field almost every day after practice along with GM Kevin Colbert. And that's just what we see as reporters. I would imagine they have an open line of communication at other times of the day as well. Rooney doesn't mettle in xs and os, but I am quite sure he is involved in other matters with Tomlin.
Mark
12:10
Hi Ray, how did the Steelers miss on Darius Leonard?  Hopefully they will do a better job of evaluating linebacker talent for the upcoming draft....
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
Leonard is looking like a great pick. The Colts' system undoubtedly helps him. Their defensive line keeps him clean and allows him to run around and make plays. But he's very good at what he does, and he's a 3-down linebacker because he can cover too. I would have loved that pick. They took Terrell Edmunds instead. Edmunds started 15 of 16 games. He struggled early, but he played better late in the season. We'll see what the future holds for both players, but Leonard undoubtedly is ahead at this point.
jds317
12:12
The AB issue is grabbing all the headlines but isn't the bigger offseason issue on the defensive side?  Half the starters are below the line (Bostic, Williams, Dupree, Hilton Sensabaugh)  Do you believe they can upgrade positions on the D?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:14
Yes, they are going to have to upgrade. It's their only hope to get better. They have seven draft picks right now. The majority of those picks must address the defense and I would hope the first players chosen are defenders, just like 2016 when they drafted Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave. Of course, the Steelers will be hoping this time around that their first-round pick develops better than Burns did.
Utah Jim
12:14
If they trade Brown what will be the cap hit to the acquiring team?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
His base salary, which over the next three years averages out to about $11 or $12 million in each of the final three years of his contract.
Gus from Mars
12:15
Has the window closed? I think it has. Rebuild the defense. Reign Ben in..run the ball
Ray Fittipaldo
12:18
They should retool the defense. No need for a complete rebuild. Watt is a budding star. Haden and Heyward are aging, but they're still quality players. Tuitt needs to play better, but he's quality too. They need to add to the talent that is there. And yes I agree with your points about the offense. They should tell Roethlisberger he has to be more careful with the ball. They also need to run the ball better. They were 31st in the league in rushing. There is no need to change the offense. Roehtlisberger is still among the top 8-10 QBs in the league. But at 37, why rely on him to make every play? Shorten games, learn how to win in the fourth quarter again. That's what I'd do.
Utah Jim
12:18
Tomlin has had three players basically quit on him, Brown, Blount, and Harrison.  Did that ever happen to Cowher or Noll?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:20
You're testing my memory. I am sure Cowher and Noll had some challenging players to deal with. And I would argue it's much tougher to coach in this era. Players such as Brown who make $17 million a year know they hold the cards. Do the Brown and Harrison situations make Tomlin look bad? Absolutely they do. I think it's clear some players don't have respect for him as a coach. However, I think the majority of the players in the locker room do respect him. Tomlin should have taken stronger stands with Harrison and Brown. You live and learn. A lot of people are watching to see how he and the organization handles this Brown situation going forward.
Rico Steel
12:20
Realistic return for AB?  Can they get multiple picks including a first rounder?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:21
I don't think you can do the deal if a first-rounder is not involved. Not unless you get Patrick Peterson in return. In that case, I'd take Peterson and the Cardinals' second-round pick.
Gus from Mars
12:22
Could the Steelers beaten any of the 8 teams this weekend? Seriously..maybe the Texans.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:23
Sure they would have. They would have handled the Texans easily just as the Colts did. And remember, they were up 23-7 on the Chargers before a few unfortunate things happened to them in the second half -- some of their own doing and some by the officials. As Bill Cowher once famously said: "There is a fine line in this league..."
Jeff
12:23
why the conflicting stories?  I get AB has not handled this well but if Ben truly said "find me someone else" during a practice, I would be honked off as well.  again, not excusing AB quitting but if Ben is really calling him out like that then some of this should fall on Ben
Ray Fittipaldo
12:27
So let me get this straight. The quarterback wanted someone in there who knew what he was doing during the week of a do-or-die game. And you're blaming the quarterback, not the diva receiver who went AWOL because his feelings were hurt? Remind me to never choose you as a teammate. This is the sort of garbage that is being puked by national analysts, most of them former players that seem to have a problem with Roethlisberger. I'm not saying Roethlisberger doesn't have his faults. He does. He should volunteer to stop doing his radio show. It causes more problems than almost anything for this circus that we call a football team. But blaming him for this Antonio Brown situation is the dumbest thing ever.
Utah Jim
12:27
It feels like every Steelers game the last two seasons has come down to the final play.  Some of that is certainly due to the competitiveness of the league., but there has to more for the Steelers.   What is it?  Bad defense?  Lack of commitment to the run game?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:29
You're right. Twelve of their 16 games this season were decided by 7 points or fewer. The final seven games were in that margin and all came down to the wire. They were 6-5-1 in those games this season, but they lost four of them in the final six weeks. They can't do that going forward. They have to find ways to win more close games or be better so they're not involved in so many close games.
Sam
12:29
If the Steelers absorb all this dead money from Brown, and I know they'll recoup some from Bell, how can they possibly address all of the following:  losing the game's best receiver, upgrading a horrendous linebacking corps, and getting Joe Haden a capable partner.  I never thought the Steelers needed Bell at $15M to win, but filling another all-pro whole on offense with the needs they have on defense doesn't sound too promising.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:31
They can address some of those needs in the draft and that's cheap labor for at least four years. No guarantee those players will work out, but that's how they usually operate. They don;t usually go ot and spend big in free agency. No doubt they'll have to learn how to win in different ways than what they've been used to in recent years with Brown leading the way in the passing game. But I'll remind you of this stat. Since 2011, when Brown became this team's dominant offensive playmaker, they've won a grand total of three playoff games. They can win without him.
Utah Jim
12:31
Has Tomlin really done enough to earn his apparent lifetime contract?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:32
Who said it was a lifetime contract? Chuck Noll was forced out. I'm quite sure Mike Tomlin, who has three fewer Super Bowl wins, can be forced out too.
Rico Steel
12:32
Is Bud Dupree safe?
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