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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 06.03.25
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Ray Fittipaldo
10:33
Welcome and let's get started.
Stairway to seventh seed
10:34
Ray: are you hearing anything about the Steelers trying to sign DeShon Elliott to an extension?  Elliott is only 28 and seemed to be very effective last year.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:35
No I haven't. The main priority now is Watt. If they want to re-sign Elliott they can do that later this summer or even after the season ends.
Bob
10:35
We all know the Steelers will foolishly extend Watt and blow most of their cap space. DO you think he will implode and be hurt all the time like his big brother was around this age too?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:36
No one can predict the future, but other than the pec injury Watt hasn't had any other long-term injuries. Just because his brother broke down late in his career doesn't mean the same thing will happen to TJ.
Pittfan
10:36
Hi Ray. When do the Steelers typically begin contract extensions with 3rd year players? Will they allow Joey Porter to play out his 4th year and make this year a prove it year?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:36
If Porter has a good season they would negotiate with him at this time next year.
TVC15
10:37
Hi Ray,  If Tomlin could only get 3 playoff wins in the past 14 seasons -- which included Big Ben, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown all in their prime -- why do people think that drafting a rookie "franchise" quarterback in 2026 will suddenly send the Steelers to the Super Bowl?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:38
Well, for most of that era the defense was not that good. That was the problem. They had a prolific offense and a defense that couldn't stop anyone. Now it's the other way. The offense can't do anything and the defense carries the team (except in playoff games ha ha). If the defense can remain strong I think the belief is a franchise QB could make a big difference.
Pittfan
10:39
Hi Ray. I know it's football in shorts season. Do you have any information from the Steelers that they are optimistic Will Howard can be their QB of the future? Or are you of the opinion they believe he can be their next Landry Jones/Mason Rudolph?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:39
Way too early to tell. That's what training camp and the preseason games are for.
Steeler Nut
10:40
Ray, good job on Sirius/XM NFL Radio the other day.  You mentioned that Tomlin fully owns the decision to wait on Rodgers.  If by chance Rodgers doesn't sign, is it safe to assume they would go find a veteran to compete for the job, or at least add depth...or, do they view Skylar Thompson as that guy.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:40
Carson Wentz is still out there. Maybe one or two other vets like him. I think they would try to get one of those guys before keeping Thompson, but Thompson does have some experience, just not a lot.
Steeler Sycophantt
10:41
Hi Ray, Does Aaron Rodgers have any appreciation for the damage he is doing to his relationship with team mates and fans through this silly holdout?  I realize it is a business, but it is never good to have disruption in the locker room or a disgruntled fan base that will now give him no slack if he messes up on the field.  I can only imagine the fan reaction if he throws an untimely interception in the opening game..
Ray Fittipaldo
10:43
It's not a holdout. He's not under contract. He's deciding whether to sign or not. And a reminder: these are voluntary workouts. TJ Watt wasn't here the first week. The only mandatory thing in the offseason is minicamp next week. And obviously, that's not mandatory unless he's under contract. But to your point, if Rodgers does plan on being this team's QB in 2025 signing sooner rather than later would go a long way in building up relationships with teammates. It would be hard to do that if he just showed up July 24 on the first day of training camp.
Yunzer Jake
10:43
Which 8 or 9 O Linemen make the squad to open the season?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:45
Oh man, you want a 53-man roster projection in May? Just off the top of my head, McCollum and Anderson probably make it as backups at C/G and T. Dylan Cook would be in the mix at T with Anderson. All of that stuff will play out in training camp.
AK
10:45
How do you expect the Steelers will use their RBs this year on offense?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:45
They've used a rotation the ,past three years. I think I would expect something similar this season with Warren and Johnson with some Gainwell sprinkled in.
AK
10:45
Do you think the Steelers might pick up their swing tackle from roster cuts from other teams?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:46
They signed Anderson to a two-year deal so I think they like him in that role. If they weren't sure they would have just signed him to a one-year deal.
Jack Splat
10:46
Ray, love your work, you do a great job.  Is there any thought, on the Rooney’s part, to selling the franchise to a more dynamic ownership group that would not allow the team to wallow in mediocrity as it has for the past 8 seasons?  Take the $billions and run, Art!
Ray Fittipaldo
10:47
That's not happening anytime soon. After Art II steps aside it's young Dan's turn. They've been grooming him to the next team president.
Guest
10:47
Good morning Ray; a shame to see so many Steeler fans turning on Mason following his appearance at Trump's rally, do you think he'll get booed by all the whiny fans now?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:49
No i don't think he'll get booed, but Rudolph and Killebrew had to know they would be open to scrutiny for appearing at a Trump rally. When you wade into politics I think you have to be ready for some negative feedback from 50% of the population. Especially in today's political climate. But to each his own. If they're OK with that then they can can appear wherever they want.
FirstTimeLongTime
10:50
Ray - If the FO decided to make a play for a legit #2 (is Aiyuk cheap now) and we assume we get better line play.  Sign AR.  This roster actually looks like a double digit win team (I still have CB questions). Now can we pull that off without mortgaging the future?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:50
Aiyuk is almost impossible to trade because of that contract. I think the choices are guys like Gabe Davis, who apparently is coming in for a visit later this week.
Mike from EriePA
10:51
Hi Ray, Just one more thought on the recent review of the Playoff structure: Record alone is not a good indicator of which team is better.  As Steeler fans we remember times in history where our Division contained at least 2 playoff caliber teams - a very tough schedule.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:51
I'm actually OK with rewarding division winners with home games. Winning your division should count for something.
Emilio
10:51
Hi Ray, Good morning! The Steelers defense was much better the first half of the  past season then in the second half. What happened?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:52
For one, opposing offenses figured out ways to scheme Watt out of games. And there were tons of communication problems in the back 7. They couldn't sort things out and there were way too many big plays. Patrick Queen said last week they're shoring up some scheme-related things so the same thing does not happen in 2025.
FirstTimeLongTime
10:53
Ray - I miss the fun of watching the Zone blitz.  I feel like it added to level of confusion for the QB.  We know Tomlin has implemented his own defense and they draft to that personnel but wouldn't this potentially generate more turnovers and does MT do this again to be less risk adverse.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:55
Yes, but the Patriots figured out the zone blitz and other teams copied that. I think you can still do elements of it, but offenses developed checks and got into plays that worked against certain looks. It's all part of the cat-and-mouse game. Whatever he does Tomlin and his staff have to be innovative and free up their best players to impact the game. That did not happen in the second half of last season with Watt or Fitzpatrick.
Guest
10:55
Hi Ray - as of today, with all the proper caveats of football in shorts, how do you feel about it OL, started and depth.  More to be done before Sept?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:56
The starters are set. I don't think there will be much competition unless there are injuries. They're hoping those young guys blossom together. They put a lot of draft resources into the unit. Those guys have to do the work now and become the dominant unit the front office projected they would be.
FirstTimeLongTime
10:56
Hey Ray - do you envision us running a 4-3 look more often this year.  Thinking of the harrison signing, could they use Wilson as the coverage backer in a kind of nickel roll in situations?  Let's be real we run a 4-2-5 defense anyway.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:57
I wrote about it some last week. They definitely have options in how they'll deploy their ILBs. They have a versatile group especially if Holcomb is healthy.
Bill Cowher
10:57
Ray, thanks for the chats. what is your opinion on the steelers starting quarterback situation. Its hard to move on with this hanging over the team.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:58
They've waited this long. What are they going to do now? Look at it this way, we'll have some resolution one way or another in the next month or so.
Tommy from FL
10:59
Good Morning Ray, Why wouldn't we bring in Carson Wentz and call it a day? Coach Ried had pointed out several instances last year and this offseason where he felt he was a legit starter in this league.  What are your thoughts? Thanks for your time in advance.
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