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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 11.10.20
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Gravel
2:14
Ray - Would the run game have a better chance of developing some consistency if  Fieler bounces out to T and Dotson comes in as 2nd guard?  In your opinion, what one change could they make to "fix" the run game?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:14
Unfortunately, I don't think there is one fix to help the run game.
daniel
2:14
I know the Steelers followed the league's protocol but they should have learned something from Baltimore's Humphrey case. In other words, they should not have made Vance travel to Dallas. Your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:16
Hindsight is 20-20, but Tomlin said the club followed the NFL protocols. If other teams aren't doing it, then why should the Steelers? It's easy to say leave a sick guy home, but that guy is a No. 2 TE and the No. 3 TE hasn't dressed for a game yet this season.
david
2:16
I don't think we can beat Cincy with MR on the helm. I would say our chance is around 40%. Do you think we can beat them with MR or Dobbs?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:16
Absolutely they can. They were 8-6 without Ben last year.
DaquidoBazzini
2:16
Hi Ray...Earlier in the season the Steeler defense was doing a great job stopping the run. Now they can’t. What would you say changed to cause this?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:17
Tyson Alualu exited with a knee injury. Mike Hilton's absence hasn't helped matters, but most of this is the gaping hole in the middle.
David
2:17
That's twice I can recall already this season that we have had an interception in the end zone and it's been run out and tackled inside the 10. Why in the world do they not take a knee in that situation?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:19
They want to make something happen and get a big return. If you think about it, there are maybe three or four guys on the field with the same speed as Fitzpatrick. The majority of them are linemen that would have no chance of catching him. Maybe he should have been more aware of the guy behind him, but he was just trying to do something to help the team.
Dr. Mike in CA
2:19
I would like to see Kevin Colbert strike a deal with the Jets in the off season to bring Sam Darnold here where he could succeed Ben as our franchise quarterback.  The Jets will have the first pick and will most likely take the Clemson quarterback.  Your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:20
Sam Darnold hasn't exactly lit up the league. Plus, he's making first-round QB money. Can't afford that unless the bonus structure is such that the Jets retain a good portion of the $ on his contract.
kevin in Punxsy
2:20
Good afternoon, Ray.  Do you think that the Steelers should start Big Ben w/o any practice, or practice Mason and start him, giving Ben some time off to heal?  Thanks
Ray Fittipaldo
2:21
They're starting him unless he tests positive for the virus.
Guest
2:21
What’s up with James Washington  and why does he seem to be the odd receiver out. Is it simply that he is not open as much as the other guys or Ben doesn’t trust him or something  else?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:22
Ben trusts him. He threw a touchdown pass to him on Sunday. It's just that he's probably the fourth-best WR on the roster now behind Claypool, JuJu and Diontae Johnson.
Billy Bell
2:22
Is it Connor or the offensive line that cause the running game to be non existent?  I think the Steelers need to try to use McFarland like the Saints use Kamara.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:22
I too would like to see more of McFarland.
574Fan
2:22
Thanks for the chat, Ray. In the event that Ben isn't activated by Sunday, how much different would the gameplay be?  Would they go as far as plugging in D Watt to try to kickstart the run game?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:23
It would be very different. They'd revert to last year's plans and play to the defense's strengths.
kevin in Punxsy
2:23
Hi Ray.  What is your assessment of the play of # 56 and # 41.  Thanks.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:24
I like what I see of Highsmith. He's the top backup OLB and he's played more snaps the past two weeks as they went to that 3 OLB package. Spillane is doing a nice job. He's not perfect, but he's tough, smart and has a knack for coming up with the big play.
steeltowntim
2:25
With Ben having knee concerns is it just best to sit him a game?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:26
FWIW, Tomlin called them bumps and bruises. In other words, he's playing if he doesn't have the virus.
david
2:26
Do you think our bad run D is solely on the absence of Alualu or is it a combination of missing Alualu/Bush/Hilton?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:26
A combination but Alualu is the biggest key.
Justin
2:26
The Steelers have started very slowly on offensive the last few weeks.  Taking Ben being in the COVID protocol out of the question, doesn't it make sense to go to a spread formation early and often?  The old Cowher belief of throw early to run late.  Thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:27
Anything is better than what they've been doing in the first halves the past two weeks.
Yuri
2:27
Hello Ray.  I have noticed Justin Layne is getting more playing time.  Could you comment on his play and do you think he may be a replacement for Joe Haden in the future?  Thank you Ray.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:28
He's playing in the dime because Cam Sutton has been playing in the slot for Hilton. He's a former third-round pick. They obviously believe he can develop, but I have seen nothing that tells me he's a viable future starter. He needs to play a whole lot more and play well before I could say that.
Jerry Rice
2:28
Did you happen to see the analysis of Spillane interception that indicated he was running very fast? If so, do you give any credence to the fact that some guys are only fast during games?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:29
Yes. It's called game speed. Other guys after faster but don't play fast. Some guys test poorly and ball out in games.
Billy Bell
2:29
How many fans will be allowed at the Steelers vs Ratbirds game on Thanksgiving night?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:30
I haven't heard of any changes in number of fans being allowed into Heinz. So it will be in the neighborhood of 5,500 unless the governor announces new guidelines.
Johny the good
2:30
Rudy is Mason Rudolph our Back up QB.. what’s your view ? Thanks
Ray Fittipaldo
2:31
He needs to play better than he did last year. And I think Dobbs would have a package or two installed for him to take advantage of his running ability.
TheRealAB
2:31
I cringe every time I see this team attempt to set up a screen.  Each one looks worse than the last.  This seems to be the case every single year.  How are we consistently so poor in this area?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:33
None of the running backs have been good out of the backfield as receivers. Conner was really good at it in 2018. Samuels is supposed to be good at it. It's a really weird development because those guys have skill sets that should allow them to thrive as pass-catching backs. Maybe the fronts and coverages they're seeing aren't allowing them to get going. Whatever the case, they need to improve in that area.
STEEL72
2:33
Ray, does it occur to you that everyone on the team plane would be exposed? Do you feel that with the incubation period we're gonna see more positives? Also, with regard to Mason... nice guy...decent talent...but we have to figure out the future. When Ben tweaked his knee...every fan out there saw the season go up in flames.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:33
I wouldn't be surprised if there were more positive cases. We all saw what happened with the Titans.
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