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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 02.09.21
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Ray Fittipaldo
2:00
Welcome. Let's get started
RJT
2:00
I keep seeing negative comments about art 2 saying he can’t run the franchise like Dan and he’s afraid to make the necessary moves. Correct me if I’m wrong but has he not been handling the day to day operations for a long time, even when Dan was alive?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:01
I don't know the exact timeline off the top of my head, but yes Art II has been in charge of the day-to-day operations for a decade or more.
Ralph
2:01
Hi Ray.I have heard rumors of Pittsburgh being interested in Kyle Trask.Have you heard anything of them interested in him and possibly drafting him in the first round.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:03
I have seen Trask tied to the Steelers, but honestly I'd be shocked if they used a first-round pick on a QB this year if Ben Roethlisberger comes back. Maybe at some point after the first round you could see a QB on their board but not first round. Trask has a nice arm, but he's not very mobile. That's why you don't see him mocked in the first round. I see him mocked more in the third round or thereabouts.
Jonah
2:03
Hi Ray, appreciate your work! Do you see the Steelers drafting Bama RB Harris in the first round if he's there? Or going O line?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:04
Here is my first seven-round mock draft for the Steelers: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2021/02/08/nfl-mock-draft...
2:05
And yes, I believe Harris would be a good value pick for them there. But I could also seem them taking an OL at No. 24 as well.
Ralph
2:05
Hi Ray.Do you see any chance Ben not coming back this year.Just seems it’s more then the money issue.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:06
I think he wants to know what the roster will be like around him. I don't blame him. The Steelers are in so called "cap hell" and they have some tough decisions ahead of them.
steeltowntim
2:06
Ray, was this the worst 12-4 team ever? It sad that we go to this point but how can we fix it before blowing it up?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:10
They should do everything they can to improve the running game. Did you see the Super Bowl? Tom Brady gets all the headlines, but the Buccaneers won with defense, and they controlled the tempo of that game with their running game early. Then they finished them off late with more healthy doses of the run game. It's not only committing to improving that aspect of your team, it's about a mindset and an attitude. All of the great Steelers teams have had an identity that was built around a certain type of football. Most of them had offenses that were good at running and could impose their will on the opposition. The Steelers have lost their way in that regard. I think Art Rooney II recognizes that. He has told Tomlin he has to do it, and now we'll see if Tomlin can follow through and do it.
RJT
2:10
In these chats several people have said the Steelers would be better off finishing last and getting a higher draft pick to start the rebuild. To me rebuilding a 12 win team is insanity and how often does tanking really work?  If tanking worked than wouldn’t the browns have Super Bowls in the past decade?  I always thought the best way to win a super bowl is to keep the window open as long as possible, eventually you will get over the hump.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:12
You make good points. And Steelers ownership never strays from that philosophy. But we in the media talk about windows opening and closing because it's reality at some point. Roethlisberger will turn 39 in March. He has to play better in big games. Pouncey is 31 and so is DeCastro. Several other key guys, including Cam Heyward on defense, are over 300, too. There does come a time when the team has to take a step back and evaluate how to move forward. It happens to every organization.
Bones from Iowa
2:12
I can't wrap my mind around Ben's decline the last 6 or so weeks of the season. He looked so good, he was in the discussion for MVP.  Even through the decline, he made some amazing throws.  Is that just how it goes with an aging QB, or is there a chance an injury occurred and as the Steelers sometimes do, it wasn't disclosed and Ben just played through it?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:14
You might have seen some wear and tear at the end, but I think what you saw most was opposing teams figured out the Randy Fichtner-led Steelers offense. He and the coaching staff had no counters (mostly because the Steelers run game stunk) and they were toast. No player feels 100% at the end of a season, but there were no big injuries that affected Roethlisberger's play late in the season.
Tom
2:14
Ray, great 1st mock draft by you.  Have you given yourself a grade yet ??!!
Ray Fittipaldo
2:14
A+ of course. What'd you think?
Donna
2:14
Hi Ray, I see you the Steelers taking Harris in the first round. If Harris and Etienne are both available at #24, who would the Steelers draft?  Does one significantly fit better into the scheme than the other?  Thanks.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:15
Both of those guys would be good fits for the Steelers. I view Harris as more of an every down feature back that can do it all. Etienne is a bit smaller and probably a bit more elusive, but you can't go wrong with either in my opinion.
Buster
2:16
Ray, if you had to predict right now, what team will AB go into the  HOF as?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:16
That's not a thing in the NFL like it is baseball. You just go into the Hall of Fame.
AJKdumbo
2:16
Ray, why would the Steelers draft a dynamic/powerful running back in the first round?  Why not just reach for a tackle at #24 even if he's more of a round 2 type of guy?  Steelers need lineman!
Ray Fittipaldo
2:18
You just said it! You don't reach for a position of need. You take the best player available at position of need. That's how you build championship rosters, not by reaching. Plus, it's a deep draft for tackles. The Steelers should be able to get a good one in Round 2.
Jeff
2:18
Thanks for the chats Ray.  Admittedly prior to watching the SB I felt good if we improved the run game we have a chance to get to a SB. AFTER watching we look to be way behind both teams.  Curious to get your thoughts, can we go from horrible to good enough in just one year?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:20
I don't know. Tall task. It's hard for me to forget how inept the Steelers were at running the football last season. You saw the Chiefs offensive line Sunday night, right? That's what it was like when the Steelers ran the ball last year. Guys coming in with no resistance and the backs getting tackled 5 yards in the backfield. But at least James Conner and Benny Snell didn't run around in circles the whole game.
Ralph LA
2:20
Do the players ever give insights into  the team’s late season fades or their seeming to play down to weaker teams?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:20
If they had any keen insights the late-season flops would stop.
Carl in Carrick
2:20
Ray,  in which round do you see Pitt’s Jimmy Morrissey being drafted?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:21
He's probably later rounds or free agent.
DaquidoBazzini
2:21
Hello Ray...I know it’s early yet, but what do you think it would take for the Steelers to trade up and get QB TreyLance?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:22
Not if Ben comes back. If he retires, then all bets are off, and we'll have some fun with these scenarios.
LivinTheDream
2:22
On Sunday night we saw why a Mike Tomlin defense will not return to the Big Game, let alone win it. Tampa runs a 3/4 defense and they actually used it on almost every defensive down on Sunday. Because they put pressure first and coverage second one of the best QBs in the NFL finished the night with 2 INTs, 3 Sacks and a 52.5 QB rating. Mike Tomlin says the Steelers base is a 3/4 but if you go by the snaps, they run a 2/5. Mike puts coverage first and pressure second.And if you want to talk about sacks, talk about the lack of sacks when we play playoff teams
Ray Fittipaldo
2:23
OK but they've led the league in sacks the past four seasons. You can point to the lack of success against the Browns and the Jaguars, but I will tell you the terrible play of the offense and Ben Roethlisberger early in those games did not allow the Steelers defense to play the way it wanted to play.
DaquidoBazzini
2:23
We keep hearing that Maurkice  Pouncey is considering retirement. Isn’t it kind of known in the NFL that if you’re thinking about retiring, you should?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:24
Yes. A famous coach once said if you're thinking about retirement you're already there.
David Cos
2:24
Are the Steelers really that far away? It seems things can turn on a dime in this league with a few right moves and a little luck.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:25
They need a competent offense to complement their defense. And a QB who can protect the ball when it counts.
David Cos
2:25
Did you see Brady fall on that bad snap in the Super Bowl? I thought in that situation you were supposed to look around for someone else to fall on it until the other team does.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:25
Yeah he's no Cam Netwon, that's for sure.
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