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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 11.04.25
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Ray Fittipaldo
10:22
Good morning on this Tomlin Tuesday. Let's get the chat started.
yo yo
10:22
How many targets and drops has Metcalf had this year?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:23
Metcalf has been targeted 47 times and has four drops according to Pro Football Reference. The 8.5 drop percentage would be a career-high (or low) for him if he continues on this pace. His career-high for drops in a season is 8 in 2020.
Rocky B
10:23
When it’s 1st and goal from the 2 or 3 yard line, why don’t we just run the tush push 3 times in a row like Phila?  That play cannot lose yardage (unless penalty) unlike our typical 5 yard pitchbacks to Warren. Currently we force AR to make a great throw to get a TD
Ray Fittipaldo
10:25
I said the same thing out loud in the press box several times on Sunday. I know Warren got in, but the tush push could have worked too. And as you point out there is not much of a chance to lose yards. Then again, maybe they are not completely comfortable yet with Connor Heyward taking snaps from under center. Not that he's given them reason to doubt. Everything has seemed pretty clean on the few occasions they have run the play.
DJ
10:25
Hey, thank you for your time, if you were the GM what trades would you be looking for?  Any position or player you would push for?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:26
I could make a case for a WR and another DB just because they have so many injuries back there. There are so many names being thrown around. You've heard them all.
Little James
10:27
Hi, Ray. Thanks for the chats. I heard a lot of talk on the broadcast Sunday about the Steelers simplifying their defense, something you have alluded to in the past as a potential remedy for the "miscommunications." Can you explain what exactly was made simpler? And do you think they'll stick with that approach?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:29
They played a lot of two-high safety, played more zone than they had been. I don't think they blitzed as much either although they did bring an extra rusher on more than a few occasions. Payton Wilson and others talked about it after the game. They believe it allowed them to play faster. After Sunday, why would the coaches want to change much? It worked against the No. 1 offense in the NFL. They might as well see if it works again this week against the Chargers.
Sergio from Mexico
10:29
Hello Ray. Love your chats and insight on all Steelers. Rules question… why wasn’t the punt fumble recovery a TD? I thought the Steelers could pick up the fumble and return it for a score? Thanks and Vamos Steelers!!
Ray Fittipaldo
10:31
Sergio, it was a muffed punt, which means the returner never had control of the ball. You have to have control to be a fumble. The more interesting part of that play was when Brandin Echols controlled the ball. He touched it first on about the 20, but he did not control it until the 10, which is where the Steelers got the ball. We were wondering in the press box that if he kept bobbling it into the end zone would it have been a touchdown? If you are Echols and you're in that situation again (with absolutely no one around) you might as well try that if you know you're not going to knock it out of bounds or anything like that.
Mike from NY
10:32
Hi Ray. Do you think MVS has anything left in the tank? Why is he available this late in the season? Is he recovering from an injury?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:33
He had a minor injury that apparently delayed his signing. I guess if teams thought he had a lot left in the tank he would have been on a 53 at this point in the season. The one reason I think this is an intriguing move is his history with Aaron Rodgers, who raved about MVS last week when our Brian Batko asked about him. Maybe with their chemistry, Rodgers can coax a little more out of him than these other teams have the past few years.
epiballo
10:34
Every team wants to win the turnover battle. Do you think the Steelers D can still win a game without those splash plays?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:34
It would be super hard because they've been giving up so many yards. Probably only if the Steelers offense outscored an opponent on day.
John from Toronto
10:34
Hi Ray. On Sunday, the Colts exploited the zone defense and completed several passes along the sideline between the CB and Safety. Do you think this was intentional on the part of the Steelers insofar as they were willing to concede this play in exchange for not giving up bigger plays when playing zone? Or is this something they can tighten up going forward?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:36
You can always tighten up those windows, but that happens when you play zone. Good QBs can take advantage because they can fit the ball in tight windows and anticipate throws. Jones did that early, but he certainly was no consistent after that. The rush got to him, and he made a few mistakes.
CT art
10:36
Do you think Steelers will pursue a guard to add depth with Issac hurting?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:37
I don't think so. They like Spencer Anderson and behind him is Ryan McCollum, who has been around a while too, and has earned the trust of the coaches.
Jersey Danno
10:37
Were you surprised at the abysmal performance of the running game? As fans we were all hoping the run game had hit its stride.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:38
I was, but there just were not many creases in that Colts defense. Other than one or two breakdowns the pass pro was pretty good though.
Takoma Tom
10:38
Can we get a #2 for Muth?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:39
Why would you want to trade Freiermuth when you have a two-game lead in the division? He's coming off another game when he caught a touchdown too. He's a good player.
Steeler1974
10:40
So we were in split safety the most we have ever been against the Colts and slowed (minus the 150 yards in garbage time) the historically good offense. Does this mean we stop doing it?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:41
I would hope not. They might have found something there with the simpler approach. And as I mentioned the players felt more comfortable and played faster. That's what's most important. Teryl Austin says each week his job is to put his players in positions where they can succeed. He did that against the Colts.
AK
10:41
Do you think trading Slay for a late round pick is reasonable?  Would any team be interested?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:42
The only problem with that is you weaken your own depth. I might have been on board with such a move if Cory Trice could ever stay healthy, but he can't. So if you bump Echols up and then he gets hurt, who's playing CB? James Pierre? He's a good special teams player, but there's a reason he's never had a big role in the defense.
Steeler1974
10:43
85 Williams has some juice on his returns. Why isn’t he being looked at as a receiver. I saw him in the game a few times as a receiver but no targets. Give it to him quick and see what he can do. Throw it to him like the Wilson fumble play.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:44
Yeah I really like Williams as a returner. It takes time to develop chemistry with any QB, but Rodgers especially. I'm sure the more they work together the more opportunities Williams will get especially if Wilson makes another bone-headed play. He's lucky they had some margin for error there. That could have been costly in a closer game.
Darnell
10:44
Hey Ray.  Any comments on the comments between Ryan Clark and Breiden Fehoko regarding the LSU football program?  Thank you.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:45
No, but I enjoyed Fehoko's response ha ha
Justin
10:45
Hi Ray - How do you grade the O-Line so far. I think they look a lot better and I think Broderick is way ahead of where he was at the beginning of the season.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:48
At the midway point of the season: B-. The running game has been inconsistent. The pass pro has been pretty good overall after a bit of a rough start, but most of that was on Broderick Jones, who is still very much a work in progress. The good news is Troy Fautanu is one of the top right tackles in the league. He's a pleasure to watch if you know offensive line play. His footwork is tremendous. His technique is tremendous. I still want to see him be more of a physical presence, but there is that well-circulated play from the Colts game when he leveled Buckner on that one play.
jmacplaywright
10:55
Hey Ray, love your work in the PG. Not to downplay the "schematics" but what I saw on D this past week was guys whipping their blocks, tackling very well and playing with some serious aggression. Moving forward with this D, is success more based on scheme or beating the man in front of you?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:56
They were playing faster because the scheme was simpler. That's not me saying that. I'm relaying how the players feel.
Takoma Tom
10:57
Why can’t we see Darnell Washington take direct snaps on short yardage.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:57
Honestly, Heyward is doing just fine.
Greg
10:58
What do you think went wrong with Beanie Bishop? He seemed serviceable last year.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:58
He's not a good cover corner. He was scrappy though and was OK in zone.
Jon Taylor
10:58
Do you think I was not used enough? Only 14 carries...that's crap. I told the coaches to go pound salt.
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