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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 06.17.25
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Ray Fittipaldo
12:22
Who was thrown under the bus after last season? The DBs and ILBs coach? I actually think Austin is in the final year of his deal, but he's the only one.
RunItAgain
12:22
Thanks for your great chats! Do you think Kaleb Johnson is an upgrade from Najee?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:22
That remains to be seen, but he fits Smith's system better than Najee.
Guest
12:23
Hello Ray! Arthur Smith used a lot of play-action and zone runs here in Tennessee. He had a monster for a RB and a great offensive line.
Does this work with our current roster?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:24
Maybe, but we shouldn't compare Derrick Henry to anyone. He's in his own category and for that reason we shouldn't expect similar results to what Smith had in Tennessee when he was the OC for two years. He had prime Henry, AJ Brown and a QB in Ryan Tannehill who could distribute the ball.
Ryan
12:24
Good afternoon Ray how did Logan Lee look in Otas and mini camp it will be nice to see him play this year
Ray Fittipaldo
12:25
Can't make any judgments on the DL or OL until training camp, but Lee will be battling for a spot in the rotation.
62 Stack Monster
12:25
What of Skylar Thompson? Do the Steelers keep a fourth qb or are he and Howard competing for the third spot?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:26
My sense is that he's a fourth camp arm, but we'll see what transpires at camp.
Eeyore
12:27
So Rodgers and Jets had less yards and points than Steelers last year and was 27th in time of possession (Steelers 15th) with more weapons and better line but Rodgers will be BETTER with Steelers?  Help me with how that will work?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:29
Did he have better weapons? He might have had more well-known names, but I don't think Rodgers ever meshed with them. It's going to be all about how Rodgers develops chemistry with his new teammates. I think there are some challenges associated with doing that in a small window, but I don't think anyone who watched the Jets last season thought Rodgers had a stacked offensive roster.
62 Stack Monster
12:29
Are Lowdermilk and Leal pretty much done at this point?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:30
We'll find out in late August when the rosters are pared down to 53. I don't think either is guaranteed a roster spot.
Greg
12:30
Do you see us getting more creative than run/run/incomplete pass/punt as our base offense this year? It just seemed so incredibly predictable last year that when I watched another team like KC do a shovel pass I thought "wow" !
Ray Fittipaldo
12:32
Well, as Arthur Smith said last week the Steelers didn't bring in Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf to "run the wishbone." I think you'll see an offense and the play-calling tailored for Rodgers' unique skillset.
Jim Bow Dean
12:33
I’ve heard conflicting information on whether teams can waive fines for missing mandatory minicamp. Can they?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:33
Yes they can and will in Watt's case once he does sign.
the real guest
12:35
Ray, I am glad to see the optimism in the burgh regarding a potential contending year. But no matter what happens I hope MT realizes this is the year to play and develop the young people. That means Harmon, Benson and Yahya play a lot and the OL gets most if not all season to gel. Except at QB I don't want to see old vets who aren't part of the future taking playing time away from young people who are. What say you?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:35
I agree and I think you saw that in their mentality in March when they cut Larry Ogunjobi. At that point you pretty much knew they'd be starting a rookie on the DL.
MikeM65 in Florida
12:37
I saw a social media post asking who was better:  Antonio Brown or Hines Ward?  My take is AB was a better receiver and Hines was a better football player.  I looked up Hines' stats and saw he was second team AP three times, made the pro bowl four times, and was a super bowl MVP.  I remember Ed Bouchette made the argument for Troy P. to get in the HOF that it shouldn't be just about the stats, but about how the player played the game.  So with that said, how is Hines not in based on his fairly decent stats and how he played the game?  Also, Hines was on a run first team for many years.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:37
I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. And I would advocate for Ward to get in before Brown.
Pittfan
12:38
Hi Ray. Is the Steelers roster currently constructed to win at least 11 games and a playoff game?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:38
Hard to say because so much will happen between now and January, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Rich in Hawaii
12:41
If the best case scenario happens and we win big and go far this year with a healthy AR, do you think that we could run it back with if him but still draft a QB high in the ‘26 draft? Or is it “One Last Ride” no matter what?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:41
Probably one last ride no matter what. I just have a hard time seeing Rodgers getting through an AFC playoff field with Mahomes, Allen, Burrow and others.
12:43
Thanks for participating in today's chat. I'll be taking some time off in the next few weeks, but I'll be back for another chat before the Steelers report for training camp. Until then, enjoy summer.
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