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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 11.19.18
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:53
Welcome to my Steelers chat. Post your questions and we will get started.
BB
11:54
Ray - Any injuries come out of yesterday's game?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:56
Tomlin mentioned Anthony Chickillo was injured late in the game. Players are off today. Don't have an update on him. We should get one tomorrow from Mike Tomlin. If he has to miss some games they would have elevate Keion Adams or Farrington Huguenin from the practice squad. They haven't even activated Ola Adeniyi yet so I doubt he's an option. This could be the week he is activated though if they want to start his clock.
Taz
11:56
Hi Ray!  Thanks for chatting.
What's Gilbert's status?  And does it matter?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:57
Again, we are likely to get injury updates from Tomlin tomorrow at his news conference. Gilbert has been out four consecutive games. Feiler done really well in his place, but Gilbert is a valued starter when healthy.
BB
11:57
Ray - Couldn't get the running game going yesterday...thought?  Thanks.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:59
Jacksonville's front four did a nice job of clogging up running lanes. It was kind of a repeat of the two Jacksonville games from last year. They dictated the game with their ability to stop the run and put the Steelers offense in second- and third-and-long situations. The best part of that victory Sunday for the Steelers is they basically eliminated the Jaguars from the playoffs. The Jaguars are a terrible matchup for the Steelers. I think they'd rather face any other defense in the NFL in the playoffs.
Rob
11:59
Which Ben performance did you like better; this game or last game?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:01
Um, Carolina easy. He had a perfect passer rating in the Carolina game. He finished with something like a 37 rating against the Jaguars. I believe it was 0.0 at halftime. It was a terrific comeback. He showed a lot of mental toughness to make some plays late in the game to help the Steelers win. But you won't win many games with a passer rating that low. It's hard to win when you throw three interceptions. I'm sure it will rank as a memorable game for him because it was the Jaguars and because they like to talk more than most teams. But I am sure he's glad the Jaguars won't be an opponent in the playoffs this year.
Adam
12:01
Have you ever seen a comeback like that by the Steelers?  They are usually on the other end of those games.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:04
One of the more unlikely wins I can remember. The only way they moved the ball in the first three quarters was when the Jaguars helped them by getting penalties. The Jaguars defense was really good for most of the game. The biggest play of the game for me was the 78-yard touchdown pass to Brown late in the third quarter. It broke the ice and gave them a little confidence I think. Plus, the Jaguars helped things along with their play in the fourth quarter, especially on offense.
Sean
12:04
Good afternoon Ray thanks for your time...to your knowledge has Mike Tomlin ever been in consideration for coach of the year?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:04
I'm sure he has. He won a Super Bowl in his second year. The Steelers were 12-4 that season. He also got to another Super Bowl in his fourth season. I don't recall who won those years, but I would imagine Tomlin was in the conversation.
tyler
12:05
any idea on how serious tuitt's injury is?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:05
He didn't practice at all last week so that's not a good sign. Should get an update tomorrow on Tuitt.
mtsteel
12:05
Hi Ray, thank you for your time. Crazy win yesterday. Ben's rushing TD, supposed to be a pitch right? Why were they against bringing Nix in to lead Conner for 1/2 a yard with a time out in your pocket? Thanks
Ray Fittipaldo
12:07
I was thinking the same thing. Half a yard to go and they were in shotgun? But it worked out. McDonald was an option on a shovel pass. Brown and Conner were options too. All were covered so Ben tucked it and ran. I suppose the QB sneak wasn't high atop their list of options after the Jaguars stuffed it so easily in the first quarter. Still surprise it wasn't just a run to Conner though. They had a timeout to spare. Could have used it if he was stopped.
Guest
12:07
ray. Why were the Steelers able to apply more pressure to Bortles and the running game In the 2nd half?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:08
I think they were just getting off blocks better and making a few more plays. I noticed some players were getting out of their rush lanes a little bit in the first half. All it takes is one crevice for Fournette. He'll exploit it.
Bus Driver Johnson
12:08
Ray, why were so many people giving up on Ben yesterday? The game was never out of hand, and as long as he was staying upright, the Steelers always had that puncher's chance.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:10
I was one of those people down on him. I even suggested they go to Dobbs after the third INT. I believe his passer rating at that point was 11 or something like that. He was having a bad day. Like I said before, the 78-yard TD was huge for them. It got them back in striking distance.
Taz
12:10
Why no penalty when JAX#91 sacked and CLEARLY put his weight on Ben?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
I believe they called Calais Campbell for the same thing earlier in the game. It was one of those games where the Jaguars had a lot of penalties and the Steelers did not. I think that can play into those types of calls sometimes. The officials know when there is a big discrepancy in penalties.
Doug from Raleigh
12:11
What was the rationale behind going for the 2 point conversion when in the best case scenario,  which happened,  the Steelers needed 7+7+3 (or more) to win the game?   2 TD's plus 2  2 point conversions to tie?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
I was OK with them going for 2 because it was late in the third quarter and the Steelers weren't doing much versus the Jaguars defense to that point.
Adam
12:12
Are you more concerned about remaining road games against the Broncos and Raiders or home games against the Chargers and Pats?  I honestly think we have a better chance of going 2-0 at home then we do on the road.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:13
Broncos beat the Chargers yesterday so that will be tough. Denver is a tough place to play. They should beat the Raiders no matter what. Whatever way you slice it, it's a tough finishing stretch for the Steelers.
Rjt
12:13
MT gave the team 5 straight days off. He gave Ben 6. I thought that was too much time for Ben. He looked rusty. Thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
Easy to second-guess now. I think the Jaguars defense had more to do with it than anything. It's just not a favorable matchup for the Steelers. Look at the past three games. Even when the Steelers scored 42 in the playoff game it was done with the help of some very unlikely fourth-down conversions, long touchdowns on fourth down, those types of things. I don't think the final score was indicative of how dominant the Jaguars were in that game.
12:17
Washington had one catch for 11 yards. He's still not all that involved in the offense. He's playing a lot, getting more snaps, which is good because it shows Roethlisberger and Fichtner have confidence in him. He's still waiting for that breakout game though.
Taz
12:17
Is Washington coming along?  Or was he just the beneficiary of routes that got less attention by the defense?  Not that he was an all-star, but it was good to see him getting a little action
Ray Fittipaldo
12:17
Question to previous answer
Adam
12:17
Is it just me, or does this team feel like it has the "it" factor.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:18
They've won six in a row. They also won six in a row in 2016 and last season. Maybe this team does have some intangible qualities those others did not. We'll have to wait and see. This team will be judged on how it does in the playoffs.
Doug from Raleigh
12:18
Will Conner be carrying the football around town for the next week?  He didn't fumble,  but those drops were egregious,  especially the second.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:19
Good thing it didn't cost them the game. Certainly not Conner's best game, but the Jaguars had a lot to do with that.
Dan_in_Ohio
12:20
Ray, was this a game where we should be happy thinking great teams find a way to win, or should we be concerned thinking for 3+ quarters we couldn't move the ball, our run defense was suspect, and we 'got lucky' at the end.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:21
Little bit of both. Not sure how many teams have the personnel to copy what the Jaguars did on defense. They are extremely talented especially in the secondary. I am a bit concerned about the run defense. The Jaguars were playing with three reserves on their offensive line and they had their way with the front four and ILBs for most of that game. Steelers made an adjustment after halftime, but I do think teams will look at that and try to commit to the run against the Steelers.
Mean Joe
12:22
Care to elaborate on your opinion that the Steelers should have pulled Roethlisberger in favor of Josh Dobbs in the second half yesterday?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:24
It was an observation at a moment in time. It was right after he threw his third INT. The offense had done nothing to that point. Good for the Steelers to make the comeback and for Roethlisberger to play such an instrumental role in it. I tweeted it because I thought the Steelers needed ti give the Jaguars defense a different look, just a changeup, something to change the momentum. As it turned out, the 78-yard touchdown turned the momentum along with a few other big plays down the stretch.
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