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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 09.17.25
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Ray Fittipaldo
9:54
Welcome and let's get started.
Jana
9:54
I saw ESPN showing tape of teams running to the side Watt isn’t making him totally ineffective. Can’t we move him around more. I know we have done it a bit.
Ray Fittipaldo
9:56
Yes I think that is part of the solution. They did it a few times on Sunday. I think the Steelers have to be a bit more creative too. Maybe have him drop once in a while and when they do that bring pressure up the middle or from the other side. If the offense has two players committed to blocking Watt then the pressure should get home. But when he's on the left side and double-teamed then it's up to others to win their 1-on-1s and that's happening with enough frequency through two games.
Cdub
9:57
Regarding "historic defense", is Tomlin delusional and incompetent or was he playing a psy-ops game, either trying to intimidate the other team or motivate his own players?  Both are pathetic.  But it's not just Tomlin.  The players running their mouths off is just as insufferable.  Will they ever shut up and execute on the field instead of mic dropping in the locker room?
Ray Fittipaldo
9:58
No looking like his best quote of all time, is it. Which got me to thinking let's do a poll.
10:00
Mike Tomlin's most regrettable quote
"We're going to unleash hell in December." (51.1% | 23 votes)
 
"Historic defense." (44.4% | 20 votes)
 
On meeting the Pats in the 2016 AFC title game:"We spotted those [expletives] a day and a half [in 2017) (4.4% | 2 votes)
 
Total Votes: 45
Pittfan
10:01
  • Hi Ray. I went back and looked at the scouting report on Payton Wilson coming out of college. He had very good traits, however, the knocks on him were: 1. Lacks play strength and take-on technique to consistently leverage his gap.2. Can be too willing to side-step a block rather than play off of it. 3. Plays too upright and gets knocked off balance too frequently. They appeared to be correct in their assessment. I have no faith in the Steelers coaching staff to help him. He'll go somewhere else and become a star.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:02
Or maybe he's just a situational player. But if they keep him in the base, I would suggest having him run under blocks rather than trying to take them on. He's a terrific athlete. He has to start using his speed more to get to spots rather than trying to take on fullbacks and guards in the hole. He's not holding up well when he tries to do that.
RichErenberg
10:02
Tom Brady is gone but I still don’t feel good about visits to Foxboro. Josh McDaniels knows how to attack Tomlin’s defensive schemes (an increasingly common occurrence). Will that be a factor? Do you like their matchup vs New England?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:04
It's hard to like any matchup right now for the Steelers given how poorly they are playing on defense. They are 29th in the NFL in total defense and scoring defense. And you are right. McDaniel does know how to scheme against Tomlin's defense.
TS
10:06
Ray thanks for your terrific coverage throughout the year.  I don’t see much reason to get excited about this team. They will “achieve” a 9-8 ish record this year because their head coach is regularly out coached & underperforms to his pay grade. Tomlin never learns from his mistakes.  Why does Rooney accept such mediocrity? Thanks.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:07
Things do no look good now. They have a lot of issues to clean up. But they do have talented players in some spots. Injuries are an issue now too. I do suspect they'll find a way to contend. They always do, but there is something in the back of my head telling me there's going to be a year when they do fall off a cliff. Is this the year? Stay tuned, I guess.
Bud
10:08
Ray, since finding as many as five new players doesn't seem realistic on either side of the ball, when do the O and D line coaches come under serious fire? Little development of young players on either side in recent years.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:11
Either the player selection is under question or the development of those players is. When I watch Keeanu Benton play I scratch my head. I can say the same thing about Broderick Jones. He was a first-round pick because of his size and traits. No one thought he was a finished product when he came out of college, but he was a moldable athlete who, with good coaching, should have been able to become a good left tackle in the NFL. That hasn't happened to this point. So is it bad coaching? Or are these guys not receptive to coaching? Either way, it's something the Steelers have to figure out. They have too many high draft resources tied up in both lines for these picks to fail.
Jeff
10:12
Don't you get tired of Steelers fans demanding Steelers fire Tomlin, I believe he's a first ballot HoFer players come here wanting to play for him at the end of the day it's the players who play the game not the coach I also hear fans want the GM fired , some say Rooney needs to stop down. It's all so crazy. Only the 2nd game I'm confident coach T will right the ship and we'll finish with a positive record and in the playoffs.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:13
A voice of reason. I wish I had the same confidence you have, Jeff.
Chuck D
10:14
Ray, Excellent work.  I get amused by the week to week perception of the Steelers, and the overall NFL for that matter.  The sky is falling mentality can change in a heart beat with a win in New England.  I truly feel that the key to winning is two-fold, quarterback play and coaching.  Week one the quarterback play out performed the coaching.  In week two, the former Ravens coach out coached Tomlin and team by playing a defense they were not prepared for.  New England has a similar coach.  What are your thoughts on the key to winning in the NFL?  You work it everyday.  I respect your incite.  Thank you
Ray Fittipaldo
10:16
It's definitely a week to week league and the game within each game is the matchups. I think Smith-Njigba won his matchups and DK Metcalf didn't win his enough. But it's more than players winning their individual battles. It's the coaches putting them in positions to succeed. That's where I thought Seattle outcoached the Steelers. They had a better plan for getting their guys open. And they protected better, were more physical etc. That helps too. After all, this is a simple game in its essence. It's about blocking and tackling, and the Steelers didn't do either well against the Seahawks.
Lambert58 Fan in Indiana
10:16
Ray: Good morning and thanks for the chat. Two things about the O-line: 1) I’m an old OL. Watching Jones’ technique, he never has his hands up in front of him. And once he makes contact, it’s hit and release (with a step back). 2.) The interior 3 do not handle stunts very well. I assume they’re man and not zone blocking but loops and stunts give them fits. Not a huge fan of this OL coach. Your take?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:19
Jones' technique isn't getting any better. I guess eventually it's on the coach, but as I said earlier, is the player receptive coaching? Is he able to break bad habits? At what point do you bench the player? The key to picking up stunts is for the guards and centers to remain on the same plane. It's much easier to pass the defenders off when that happens. You'll see the Steelers get into trouble when their interior players are on different planes. That creates holes in the gaps the defenders can get through.
Atlanta Dan
10:20
Thanks for the chat.  Given the ongoing perception that the quality of the assistant coaching staff is suboptimal (only head coach branching off the Mike Tomlin coaching tree after 19 seasons is Bruce Arians, who was not retained at the direction of AJR II), is it anything more than bad luck that Tomlin has not hired more well regarded assistants, other than exceptions such as Mike Munchak & Brian Flores, and is the relatively small size of the staff compared to other teams impacted by factors other than Mike Tomlin being more hands on, particularly on defense, than a many head coaches?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:22
Good assistant coaches go onto better jobs. Position coaches become coordinators. Coordinators become head coaches, etc. You rarely see that happen with the Steelers. I honestly can't recall it happening in the recent past other than Flores, who was an ILB coach here and then got hired by the Vikings to coordinate their defense. But he was only here one year. It's been a talking point, and I think it will be something that continues to be discussed until the coaching tree develops.
DT
10:23
Hi Ray, man the trenches on both side of the ball look pretty bad right now. What are your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:26
My thoughts are you are right. They want to play a physical brand of football, but they can't because their players are not developing at the rate they had hoped. When Omar was hired as the GM that was one of his main goals. Get bigger and more physical and be able to maul teams. I remember a quote from Andy Weidl from a while back about how physical offensive and defensive lines travel well in the playoffs. And yet, three years into the new regime, the Steelers don't resemble a physical football team at all. I'm sure that's a concern for the front office.
John
10:27
Payton Wilson is horrible against the run. Do you think we should see more of Cole Holcomb?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:27
We might. Or Malik Harrison if he was healthy.
FC
10:28
GM Ray!  Thanks for the chats.  I'm not trying to be too negative here, but does it really matter who plays on Defense? Tomlin's Defensive schemes have been figured out, exposed, and haven't been effective for years.  He's too stubborn to change, so us fans need to just accept this and watch the games solely as entertainment.  I think the only thing Tomlin works on each week is what 'catch phrase' he's going to use in the presser to make him think he's the smartest guy in the room. I'm 62 and done with this JV coaching staff. Rooney has ruined this once proud franchise.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:28
I don't see a question in there. joy
Old school
10:29
It seems a bit optimistic that a rookie tackle will turn around the Steelers run defense all on his own . Do you believe there will be other changes being made in the weeks ahead ?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:32
They have options. They can put a bigger nose tackle in there. They can bench Wilson and play an ILB who is better against the run. There are other issues that have to be worked out though. The communication has been an issue going back to the middle of last season. That's on the coaches. If the defense is too complicated then they have to make it simpler or more vanilla. If they are talented -- and I think they are at certain positions -- they should be able to line up and win 1-on-1 battles.
Steeler Nut
10:32
It looks like some of the technique used by the OL is really poor at times.  Do they focus on technique in training camp/practice, or is the assumption that technique is baked in & the focus is more about scheme and assignment?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:34
They definitely work on technique. I remember talking to James Daniels when he was first signed. He was on something like his third offensive line coach in four years or something like that. He mentioned that Pat Meyer has a certain way of doing things with techniques and teaching those techniques. It took some time to get it down. I'm sure that happens everywhere, but Meyer has been here a while now and the line came back almost intact from last season. They should be much better than what they're showing.
Old school
10:34
So you  think Yahya  Black is NT at some point this year ?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:35
Yes especially if Benton continues to struggle.
RJ
10:35
4th and 1 from the 49 in a tied game ?? Tomlin DOES live in his fears. You agree. Its way beyond time to NOT question Tomlin's 70's and 80's approach to football. You agree.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:38
I asked Tomlin about his thought process on that call after the game. He said he wanted to protect his defense. I think a coach who was confident in his offense would not have blinked and would have gone for it. If you're not good enough to get 1 yard then you don't deserve to win. You hear a lot of coaches say that. Maybe Tomlin's conservative decision was born out of watching his offensive line block for the first three quarters. Even so, don't you have a special call in your bag for such situations. Maybe a heavy package with play-action to a TE or RB in the flat. Or -- gasp -- a sneak with Rodgers or another player.
JIR
10:38
It seems like last season and before the team was so excited about Benton, what happened to him and why is he such a liability this season?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:39
He gets shoved around too much to be an effective nose tackle. Javon Hargrave was on the smaller side, but he knew how to take on blocks. He was stout at the point of attack. And he was quick enough to shoot gaps and blow up plays before they could even begin. We see none of that from Benton.
TVC15
10:39
Hi Ray, Can the Steelers win on the road against the Patriots and in Ireland against the Carson Wentz led Vikings or will they finish the supposedly soft early schedule going 1-3 into the bye week?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:40
I'll predict 2-2 entering the bye week, which is not ideal given the back half of the schedule.
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