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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 11.09.21
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Ray Fittipaldo
12:58
Welcome and let's get started.
Bernard
12:58
Is Green simply too small to be an effective NFL center?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:00
On Monday night yes. He was pushed around by the Bears front. Like the rest of the line, I thought there was some improvement in Green's play during the previous three wins. Last night was a bad showing for Green and the other four starters. He's young and should continue to improve, but as you note, it's hard to overcome size. He's just going to be a guy who needs perfect technique if he's going to be a quality starter in the NFL. As a rookie, he's taking some lumps.
Greg
1:00
Look forward to reading your work every week. Thanks! How did Maulet end up as CB on those plays? He was getting shredded. Weren't Pierre or Sutton supposed to be there instead?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:03
Mike Tomlin was asked that question today. On the 39-yarder he was outside and Cam Sutton was defending in the slot I believe. It was a matchup issue and the Bears saw a mismatch and went after it.
Bernard
1:03
Is it too early to start bringing in potential replacements for Harvin?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:04
Tomlin said he's been pleased with Harvin when he  was asked about him at his Tuesday news conference. He mentioned how well he is doing as the holder on field goals. He said one issue is he doesn't have time to "warm up" to some kicks. I'm not sure what he meant by that, but he said they have tried to address it in practice.
Bernard
1:04
Does Ben really want to get the ball out quickly or is it just the OL is getting run over?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:06
No QB wants to get rid of the ball that fast. But this offensive line doesn't hold up very well in pass pro so Ben and the coaches don't have much choice. I always hear fans say we want more play-action passes. Well, they take time to develop. The Steelers tried one last night and a Bears edge rusher got around Dan Moore so quickly the play never had a chance. Moore was called for a holding penalty and gave up the sack. It killed a drive in their territory.
LivingInMyFears
1:06
Hi Ray, what are your thoughts on the Cassius Marsh taunting penalty? Or the ref hip-check for that matter?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:10
Every NFL player knows about the emphasis on taunting this season. They've known about it since the summer. It's not a surprise to them. Marsh got caught up in the moment and stared down the Steelers sideline. He obviously lost his mind for a little there and was flagged. You could see how one of the assistant coaches got in his face. He knew he did something to warrant a penalty. So I don't really have an issue with the penalty. I will say I'm not a big fan of the emphasis and maybe the competition committee will revisit the issue this spring. Either way, deep down Marsh knows he was wrong for what he did.
LivingInMyFears
1:10
Is the recent trend of late-game softening by the defense a result of opponents making adjustments or just taking the foot of the throttle? It seemed like they relied more on just 4-man rushes in the 4th quarter and gave Fields time to set and throw.
Ray Fittipaldo
1:12
Tomlin said today he and the other coaches didn't adjust well enough to some of the designed runs and wildcat plays the Bears ran. So that's part of it. But Tomlin also said the fumble by Ray-Ray McCloud changed the game. He pretty much came out and said the turnover is the reason the Bears had their comeback. By the way, I asked him if he was sticking with McCloud as his returner and he said yes.
LivingInMyFears
1:12
Please tell me that the Dan Moore experiment is coming to an end soon ...
Ray Fittipaldo
1:15
We'll find out this week. There was another Zach Banner question today. He pretty much gave a non-answer, but maybe Banner will get more of a look this week than previous weeks. The major issue with inserting Banner as a starter is potentially making a change at two positions. Banner can only play right tackle so the coaches have to decide if Dan Moore comes out of the lineup and Chuks Okorafor moves to the left side or just insert Banner for Okorafor at right tackle.
574 Fan
1:15
Thanks for the chats, Ray.  TJ is on quite a pace, sack-wise.  But if the D is gonna sit back in zone, it doesn't seem like they are "getting home" on the qb often enough as a team.  Also, it seems like "Blitzburgh" has been shelved for 4-man rushes.  Am I seeing this right?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:16
Yes you are. They prefer to get home with four if they can because it allows them to play more coverage. Alex Highsmith had one good game rush-wise. They need him to become a consistent force opposite Watt. That will help.
574 Fan
1:16
Other than the PBU late in last night's game, where was Devin Bush?  Am I missing something?  Does he get a pass for this season coming off the ACL?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:17
I don't think he's getting a pass. And with Robert Spillane nursing an ankle injury this week I'm not sure they'll look to decrease Bush's snaps against the Lions.
Steve h
1:17
Any update to the injury Claypool suffered last nite?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:17
It's a toe injury. He's getting an MRI today.
Eric in TN
1:17
Do we have any options to return punts and kickoffs other than Rey-Rey McCloud?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:17
Anthony Miller is on the practice squad. He's a former second-round pick of the Bears.
Greg
1:18
Statistics show that the QB sneak has a nearly 90 percent success rate.  Have you ever seen a QB injured plunging into the line?  Are the Steelers and Ben living in their fears by not running a play standard for 31 other teams?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:19
I've been getting this question for years. The Steelers don't like to expose their QBs to hits in those situations. After a rough start to the season on fourth downs the Steelers actually have been pretty good in that regard during the four-game winning streak.
Jeff
1:19
Thanks for the chats Ray.  Not much to say but what the hell was that yesterday?  The defense was good until they weren't.  Moore isnt getting the job done.  Ben's throwing motion looks weird (technical term).  Thank goodness the Bears suck.  I was hoping to see week over week improvement and of course Bush have more than one tackle
Ray Fittipaldo
1:20
They're a young team overall. They'll take some steps forward and then some steps backward. Tomlin acknowledged that's going to happen. You just have to hope they have more growth moment than moments of regression.
Utah Jim
1:20
Time for Banner to play and move Chucks to LT?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:21
"We'll see what this week holds" was Tomlin's answer to the obligatory Zach Banner question today. Coaches aren't big fans of changing two starters to accommodate one player's return from injury. But we'll see.
Eric in TN
1:22
Is there a reason why Ben wouldn’t throw in the middle of the field last night? Was it the line? It seemed the Bears had their safeties back and their linebackers were closer to the line of scrimmage.
Ray Fittipaldo
1:23
Good observation although he did hit Diontae Johnson for a 22-yard gain over the middle on the final drive. But overall, I think you're right. It was tough sledding all around for the offense last night. The only good thing was they made some clutch plays in crucial moments.
artie bridge
1:24
Ray, I suspect most of today's questions will be about the Bears game, but I want your predictions on next year's opening day qb.  Percentage chance that it's:
Ray Fittipaldo
1:24
Mason Rudolph 75%
Guest
1:24
Ray the OL was an obvious disappointment but Kendrick Green was run over consistently.  Is he just too small, inexperienced and do you think he's our long term solution at Center?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:25
See my previous answer. I think it's hard to say at this point if he's the center of the future. I think they hope he develops into that because he was a third-round pick and those aren't throwaway picks. You need third-round picks to become starters for you.
Guest
1:25
Ray Najee isn't going to last 17 games with the punishment he's taking. I get you want him as your lead dog but they need to get the other backs some carries. Do they have any confidence in the other RBs?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:26
I thought they tried to get Ballage and Snell a little more involved the previous weeks. But I get your point. He fights for extra yards so he is exposed to more hits and they tend to be bigger hits a lot of the time because he's held up and guys are taking shots at him.
Guest
1:26
Where was McFarland?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:27
He was inactive. Tomlin said he might be in the mix this week to get back into the rotation. He indicated it might have been a game plan specific thing against the Bears.
AtlantaDan
1:27
There are no high percentage scoring plays when you are at midfield and down to your last play, but with Fields certainly having the ability to get the ball to the end zone was there any explanation why the Bears did not try the very low but still higher percentage Hail Mary rather than a pretty much impossible 65 yard field goal attempt at Heinz in November?
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