You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 09.10.24
powered byJotCast
View Full Chat Next Page
Ray Fittipaldo
1:49
Happy Tuesday! We'll get started soon. In the meantime, post your questions.
Tom
1:52
Wouldn't it have been nice to see Brandon Aiyuk dropping a touchdown pass in the endzone for the Steelers? Seriously though, in this offense what impact would a bigtime WR2 have this year?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:54
Well, you saw how Arthur Smith and the offensive staff approached the game. There were a lot of 3- and 4-tight end sets. Get used to it. MyCole Pruitt and Darnell Washington played more than Calvin Austin and Scotty Miller. Smith likes to utilize his tight ends, but in this case he's merely relying on the personnel he has available to him. His No. 2 receiver (Van Jefferson) played almost 50 snaps, and he only had one catch. Other than George Pickens, the other Steelers receivers had two catches for a grand total of eight yards. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. We all knew the depth behind Pickens was iffy way back in the spring once they dealt away Diontae Johnson.
Wild Bill
1:55
Were you suprised to see C.Patterson get so many carries?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:57
He only had four carries for 13 yards, and he only played nine snaps. And I think he played that much because Jaylen Warren is still bothered by his hamstring injury. Warren only carried twice for seven yards. I get the feeling we're going to see a lot of Najee Harris in September as Warren works his way back from his hamstring injury.
Let_Russ_Cook
1:57
Any front office leaks or whispers about potential WR acquisitions? Sure seems like we could use one more! And man the D looked good, no?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:59
They had all summer to acquire a receiver. That ship has sailed. They might look to get one at the trade deadline, but that's a couple of months away. Unless there is an injury, they're going to roll with the guys on the roster now... And yes the defense looked really good against the Falcons. T.J. Watt was T.J. Watt. And Cam Heyward looked like the old Cam Heyward.
Hollywood Rob
1:59
Is Matt Canada still calling the plays? I understand a conservative game plan, but the backwards passes, obvious formations that signal the play and refusal to throw down the middle will be exploited by better teams.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:01
You are probably right, but against a team like the Falcons it's a winning game plan. It's early, but the Steelers can make the playoffs with such a formula. There are plenty of teams out there that are worse than the Falcons, and the Steelers are playing one of them Sunday in Denver. The Broncos are starting a rookie QB who led the team to 231 total yards in his professional debut. Guess what kind of game plan Arthur Smith is going to have again?
Mediocre Mikey
2:01
Ray, a quick look at Fields ' passing chart shows that the Steelers once again ignored the middle of the field. Is this a case of MT living in his fears? It doesn't seem to matter who the OC is or who is playing QB. The last time they threw the ball all over the yard Todd Haley was coaching Ben.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:03
I did see the passing chart. It looked very familiar. Dare I say, it looked like a Kenny Pickett passing chart. I looked at it and knew exactly where all three of Pickens' catches were on the field because they were the only ones that were 10 yards or more down the field. As he gets more comfortable in the offense maybe the Steelers will give Fields a little more freedom in the passing game, but he's not a polished intermediate passer, and he definitely struggled throwing over the middle of the field in training camp. After seeing that in Latrobe why would they attempt to do it in games?
Toast
2:04
Ray, I have followed the Steelers religiously for 50 years and I can’t recall a season that I was less enthusiastic about than this year. I just can’t get past the organization’s treatment of Mason Rudolph after he not only bailed them out of a losing season, but put them in the playoffs. Tomlin chasing after Russell Wilson like a teenage girl seeing the latest heartthrob on the cover of Teen Beat is despicable. Kind of hoping they crash and burn because of it. Not necessarily a question, just wondering if you have sensed this from any other people as well.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:05
Not really. I think there was more interest in this team over the offseason since I've been covering the team. New QB, new OC, free agent additions on defense. The mandate from the owner to win a playoff game.
No O
2:06
The offense had long drives, no turnovers, no touchdowns, and the same amount of points as last year.  New QB.  New OC.  Same results.  With Tomlin, things always remain the same despite all the changes.  We know what to expect from his teams.  Why would anybody expect different results under him with this long track record of similar results?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:07
It's one game. They found out on Thursday their starting QB was hurt. They were missing their starting left guard. Jaylen Warren played at less than 100%. I'm not making excuses for them, but let's let this play out for a month before we draw any big conclusions.
Tampa Too
2:07
Ray after one week what do you think of the new kick off rules?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:07
It's a boring play. I hope it's one-and-done.
Jay
2:07
Hello Ray.  Our team motto on offense is dont turn the ball over, make enough plays in the 4th quarter.  Can you imagine Josh Allen or Joe Burrow coached up that way?  I think we over emphasize ball control offense too much.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:09
You answered your own questions. The Steelers don't have Josh Allen or Joe Burrow. When they had Ben Roethlisberger they had one of the best offenses in the NFL from 2014-18. You play to your strengths. And when you don't have a top-tier QBs you have to find other ways to win games.
Tampa Too
2:09
Ray did you find it odd that Patterson had more touches than Warren did? I know Warren has been injured, but he still played.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:09
Warren is not 100%.
Sal
2:12
Thanks for your Chats Ray! With Moore with an ankle sprain. Do you think we will see this week Jones LT and Fautanu on RT? Also is there a chance Mccormick starts on this week?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:13
First practice of the week is tomorrow so we'll see what they do out there. If Moore does not practice or is limited (as Tomlin hinted) then yes I would expect Jones at LT and Fautanu at RT.
QBs
2:13
Ray, thanks for doing these, your insight is appreciated.  Just when we thought the Steelers had a QB situation in disarray the last 3+ years, the Falcons said hold my beer.  Raheem Morris is a defensive guy, and it showed Sunday.  Cousins was in shotgun more than 90% of the time, yet in the previous 2 years or so, he led the league in behind center snaps.  And they drafted a QB in the first round.  You cannot make this up.  And their OC was hired before Cousins was signed, so what gives?  Anyway, what Justin Fields did was great for a backup and glad to have him.....as a backup.  This isn't the second coming and he's had over 40 games to prove who he is, a backup at best.  That being said, is Russell Wilson's starting job in trouble?  Steelers never lose their job to injury, correct?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:15
The Falcons seem to be a team that's out of sync when it comes to their front office and coaching staff. Why sign a guy like Cousins if you're not going to take advantage of his skill set? And why draft a QB in the first round after committing all that money to him? As for Wilson, when he's healthy, yes he's the starter. But he's not healthy now. Mike Tomlin said today he won't practice in full tomorrow.
Steeler Nut
2:15
Dan Moore looked pretty good at LT.  Will they make a move even if Moore continues to play pretty well?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:16
No they'll wait until he has a couple of bad games in a row before making the move. He was more than solid against the Falcons.
Arthur not Art
2:16
Ray, thank you for the great work and the chat time.  DM Jr. seems to be doing pretty well this season. Is there a chance he stays at LT, Fautanu and Jones fight it out for RT and next year's O-Line becomes Moore, Semualu, Frasier, Fautanu, and Jones.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:17
I don't know about that. If Moore plays really well he'll price himself out of re-signing with the Steelers. I think the plan for next year is Jones, Seumalo, Frazier, McCormick and Fautanu.
Victoria L.
2:17
I believe Najee Harris has always been our deserved number 1 and Warren a dynamic 2, but clearly a back-up. And it's injuries to Harris that have made it even slightly debatable. Do you agree or disagree?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:18
I disagree because Harris has never been injured during his NFL career. He's played in every game since he entered the league in 2021.
bwalker
2:18
Glad they brought in Waitman to punt over Pressley. I thought CW was better the first time around.  We saw enough of that bad movie with Pressley. What does Edmunds bring to the table as a safety that we don't already have? Seems as if recycling is taken seriously by the Steelers.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:19
Tomlin was asked about Edmunds today. He admitted safety is not a need position now, but he said it could be if injuries come up. So a depth move to bolster the roster.
the real guest
2:19
Ray, Not withstanding the PFF assessment that Justin Fields was the 5th best QB last week, what I saw was a 4  year QB who put  excitement back into the QB snap, looked confused too often and typically took 3, 4 or 5 seconds to release the ball. A QB can't expect that much time from his OL. Did you think you were watching the 5th best QB on Sunday?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:19
No, but he won the game. There's something to be said for that.
JohnnyC
2:20
Hey Ray, I noticed some people are down on Patrick Queen's play. I thought our defense had great speed and control over the middle. Maybe Queen didn't make any big splash plays, but I was encouraged by his performance. What are your thoughts on this?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:20
He played every snap and had two tackles. I'm not saying he played poorly, but I noticed Payton Wilson more than I noticed Queen. I don't think it's a concern. There will be plenty of games when Queen leads the team in tackles.
MajorRick
2:21
Good afternoon, Ray. I was unable to watch the game because I live in Minnesota. How did the offensive line look, specifically Zach?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:21
Frazier was solid. Anderson had a few mistakes. It's to be expected. It was his first NFL start.
TVC15
2:21
Can the Steeler defense keep the Broncos offense under 17 points? Is the Bronco defense better than the Falcon defense?
Connecting…