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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 09.08.20
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Ray Fittipaldo
1:58
Welcome. Let's get started.
JerseySteel
1:58
Hi Ray - Marcus Allen has struggled since he was drafted. He was recent;y moved to ILB and this struggling player is already listed ahead of Ulysses Gilbert on the depth chart. This has to be a very bad sign for the future of Gilbert, right? Had hope he would develop nicely before I saw Marcus Allen leapfrogged him so quickly
Ray Fittipaldo
1:59
For what it's worth, Allen and Gilbert are listed as OR for the backup to Bush. And looking at the way they did it for other positions I think they just went in alphabetical order. Allen was just moved to ILB. Let's see what would actually happen before we concern ourselves about a depth chart that Tomlin admits is meaningless.
marty v
2:00
Should we start to worry about DeCastro's health?  Usually when they are not specific on his conditon, it may be more serious.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:01
I still don't get the idea that it's a long-term deal. If it was, he'd be on IR. Even if it was a short-term injury he could go to IR for the early part of the season and return after Week 6. So it's nothing major. Tomlin said he might practice Wednesday or Thursday. If he's not out there by Friday then you can probably bank on Stefen Wisniewski getting the start.
BB
2:02
Ray - Am reminded every year at this time of how precarious life is on the fringes of an NFL roster.  The Steelers were pretty active over the weekend, maybe more so than usual.  They must not have seen anyone they liked to shore up the ILB depth?  Or, is that still maybe a move to come?  Marcus Allen the most likely candidate to be waived when that happens?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:02
Yes my guess is they didn't see anyone on waivers they believed was an upgrade. I still think it's an area of concern, but they'll have to hope Gilbert or Allen is capable if Bush gets hurt.
Mercury
2:03
Can a player on the practice team refuse to sign with another team that wants to add them to their roster? I would think someone like Hodges would be better off staying on the Steelers PT where he is likely to remain for the season as insurance, rather than going to another team and possibly ending up on the streets in a few weeks.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:04
Yes, but why would he want to if another team is paying him much more money to be on the 53-man roster. It's a business. There are occasions when teams will raise the salary of a practice squad player to prevent teams from poaching him and thus enticing him to stay, but all things being equal, a chance to be on a roster is much more lucrative then being on a practice squad.
Prine fan
2:04
Hey Ray, Happy Black 'N Gold week! Feeling like we fans can maybe allow ourselves to start getting excited for the kickoff next week? Cautiously, of course. My Comment/Question: Glad to see Heywood rewarded appropriately. Pure speculation: I foresee two more good years where his compensation level is appropriate. After that...doubtful. Whaddya think?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:05
Hard to say. Plenty of players can play at a high level into their mid 30s. I'm not going to predict Heyward won't. As always with older players, injuries will be a big factor in whether he plays out the final years of the deal.
virginiaSteelersFan
2:05
Hi Ray, I assume there will be a City-wide parade celebrating the storied career of the one-and-only Daniel McCullers?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:06
Maybe he'll have his own float if they win the Super Bowl.
livinthedream
2:06
Ray, there probably isn't much difference in yards per punt between Colquitt and Berry but it seems Berry's worst punts came when we needed a good punt most. I think Colquitt will make us happy because he will do better in the crunch.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:06
I agree and Tomlin talked about his experience being a big plus. You are right. Berry came up small in too many crucial situations for my liking.
Buster
2:07
If the Steelers were considering making this move, why wasn’t Colquitt brought in earlier? If nothing else to give him more time to work on his timing as the kick holder.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:08
I was thinking the same thing. It seemed like they knew what they had in Colquitt since he's been in the league for 15 years. I don't think they needed him in camp to see him compete. They had him in for a tryout to confirm he was still in good kicking shape. As for the holding, yes it's a concern, but Tomlin said he has plenty of experience doing it for the Chiefs, and he doesn't expect there to be issues getting on the same page with Chris Boswell.
KN
2:08
Hi Ray . Thank you as always for the chat . Two part question . 1) Who do you see as Back up to Vince Williams ? Have you seen enough from Marcus Allen to think that he can be back up LB  since they did not add no one . 2) Does it surprise you that they were ready to expose McCullers and feared someone will take Carlos Davis ? Thank you very much
Ray Fittipaldo
2:10
Robert Spillane is listed as the backup for Vince Williams. I think he can handle that role. He's sort of in the mold of Tyler Matakevich. As for Carols Davis, I just think he's a cheaper option than Big Dan. Not sure he'll dress for many games unless there are injuries. He does have potential, but I'm not sure in this COVID environment with no preseason games, if a team would have taken a chance on him. I mean, they had seven chances to draft him, and most every team passed on him several times.
Tom in Dallas
2:11
Are we expecting to see surprises in the first several weeks?  W/o preseason, players who switched teams and rookies, have not had a chance to play at NFL game speeds.  What looks good on paper, may not translate well early in the season.  I'm trying to get to: will we see some upsets early no one saw coming?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:11
I agree. I'm in a survivor pool and was looking at the Week 1 games. It's not as easy as it usually might be to pick a winner.
Guest
2:12
Who will be the starting right tackle vs. the Giants?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:12
I'm still saying Okorafor, but they're certainly taking it down to the wire to name a starter.
Robert
2:12
Thoughts on Heyward's extension? Too much? Too long for an old guy?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:13
No. He earned it. He's made All-Pro twice in the past three years. I still think he's got a lot left in the tank. I'm not saying he'll be an All-Pro when he's 36, but I am saying he'll play well for the next several seasons.
JerseySteel
2:13
Hi Ray - will Colquitt have longer punts or just better consistency that the Steelers were looking for?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:13
Better consistency. Their averages were similar last year. In fact, Berry might have had a higher average.
Melanie
2:14
Snell's listed as the backup. Does that mean Samuels is basically done?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:14
No he's still on the roster. He plays special teams and depending on the opponent he might be useful as a receiver out of the backfield.
Sarah
2:14
Any more contract extensions before the season starts? JuJu? Hilton? Conners?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:15
My dark horse is Matt Feiler. I wrote about it a bit today: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2020/09/07/The-answers-to...
Mary
2:15
Will Sean Davis be the backup at both safety positions days 1? Didn't Pitt let him go because he stunk?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:16
Yes he will be the backup at free and strong. He wasn't the greatest player the past four years, but he's a solid backup if Fitzpatrick or Edmunds gets injured. Most importantly, he has experience in the system.
Kenny
2:16
With Ben being healthy and Ebron added, do you see a pass/run imbalance like in 2018?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:17
No they'd be smart to have more balance in their offense.
Jared
2:17
What's the latest update on DeCastro's injury and status for week 1?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:17
He didn't practice yesterday. We'll see if he goes tomorrow. The players had a day off today.
UK Yinzer
2:17
Greetings Ray.  Will there be any concerns with a new holder for Boz, or is it old hat for Dustin?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:18
Tomlin didn't seem concerned about it. He's done it for 15 years.
Courtney
2:18
Why keep Duck on the ps? He was terrible last year. Why not use a roster spot for a better player?
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