You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 12.14.21
powered byJotCast
View Full Chat Next Page
Ray Fittipaldo
12:58
Good afternoon! Let's get the chat started.
Jay
12:58
Hello Ray.  Under Richard Mann we did excellent with receivers.  AB, Sanders, Martavis, JuJu...etc.  since he left we got Washington, claypool, and Juju regressed.  We did get Johnson but the differences are significant from Mann to Hilliard.  Overall I cant recall too many great assistants Tomlin got.  Hes an excellent CEO but poor at hiring/attracting help.
Ray Fittipaldo
1:03
Yes and we should point out the tragic and untimely passing of Darryl Drake, who was between Mann and Hilliard. He was a terrific coach and a better person. The receivers really revered him. I'm not going to place all of the blame on Hilliard. He prepared Claypool to step in as a rookie and perform at a high level. He's gone through a sophomore slump this year, but I'm not going to blame Hilliard. I think everyone was expecting more from this group this year, but I think a lot of struggles can be tied JuJu Smith-Schuster's absence.
Alex B
1:03
what can be done at this point in the season to improve the offense line ?  Also do you believe Green is the answer at center he seems to get pushed around several times a game.
Ray Fittipaldo
1:05
Tomlin said today JC Hassenauer and Joe Haeg could return this week, which will help. They have played five players at left guard this year. Hassenauer is the top backup and could step in if he is healthy this week. As far as Green goes, no I'm not convinced. For a smaller guy, he doesn't play low enough or get leverage on his opponents enough. Can he improve? Absolutely. But I'm not convinced right now he is the long-term answer at center. He'll have to play better for me to fell that way.
1:06
A little bit of both, to be fair. Tomlin correctly pointed out today they had a good first drive going until Chase Claypool took that selfish unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That helped kill that drive. But even if you take Thursday's game out of the equation, they have not been good early in games. A lot of that has to do with game planning and, of course, the execution of the players.
Bernard
1:06
Steelers slow start on offense more so execution or play calling?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:06
Question to previous answer.
Bernard
1:07
Any chance at all Tuitt is back for the home stretch?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:07
He's not playing this week. And I can't see him being activated for the final three games, either.
Bernard
1:07
Do you think Tomlin's philosophy of not highly prioritizing NTs in the draft and free agency might change after this season?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:10
I beg to differ on their "philosophy of not highly prioritizing." They used a third-round pick on Javon Hargrave in 2016 and he turned into a terrific player who struck it rich in free agency. We can debate if the Steelers made a mistake in not signing him long-term, but there were a lot of good players who had to be paid that offseason. Also, one of the reasons they felt comfortable enough to let Hargrave walk was the presence of Tyson Alualu, who you might remember was playing really well until he injured his ankle in Week 2. He played exceptionally well last season, too. Having said that, I think defensive line will be a top priority this offseason in free agency and/or the draft because of Stephon Tuitt's likely departure and Cam Heyward's age. It's time to restock the position with some younger talent.
Sunner in Orlando
1:10
Despite the issues with all the AFC North teams, should we hold out any hope of the Steelers winning 3 out of 4 to sneak in as a seventh seed?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:12
If the Steelers win three out of four it would give them a 9-7-1 record. And I think they have as good a shot at winning the AFC North as they do a wild-card berth with that record. However, I think your point was 3-1 down the stretch seems a stretch, and I would agree. Even if you win your two home games against the Titans and Browns you have to find a way to win in either Kansas City or Baltimore and both of those teams will be playing for seeding when they play them.
The Future
1:13
How do we possibly “build through the draft”, all of the needs we will have going forward?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:14
The nice thing about this offseason is they'll have room under the cap to address some of those needs in free agency as well as the draft.
Alex B
1:15
if the Steelers finish under 500 what kind of changes to the coaching staff might happen ?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:15
I think a number of assistants might not be retained. Depends on how bad the finish is.
Alex B
1:15
The Offense seems to get off to a slow start in every game any idea why  ? Was Matt Canada the right coach with an aging Big Ben ?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:15
The evidence suggests not.
Daniel11
1:15
Hi Ray, What contracts would you be willing to give to Minkha and Diontae? I know the Steelers will have around $50M cap space, but they have to take care of these two. I hope the Steelers go all out on some big name FAs to fill the needs. What do you think?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:19
Safeties are not traditionally among the highest paid players. We saw what Jamaal Adams got and how he's performed. That might hurt Fitzpatrick in his negotiations. But I think it's safe to say he'll be in that $15-17 million a year range. Diontae is interesting. The receivers market was down last year. Depends on what the market bears this year, but my guess now is he'll be in the $11-12 million a year range. Given what's behind them on the roster I'd say it's almost a necessity they re-sign both. And they should. They're two ascending players. Even with those two likely signing I think there will be plenty of space to sign some free agents to improve the roster.
marty v
1:19
Hayward expects Truit to play this year.  Have you heard anything about this?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:20
I know Cam said that a few weeks ago, but time is running out. Did Cam say that this week? All I know is Tomlin said today Tuitt won't play this week. And there are only three games left after that, so do the math. It's highly unlikely he plays this season.
Realist
1:20
I can’t believe some are praising both Bush and Claypool for their performances last week.  Is their bar set so low that anything bordering on participating is praised?  Bush avoids contact and is slow to the ball.  Claypool is the most non-athletic WR I have ever seen in contested balls and both trump those attributes with selfish actions during the game and comments after the fact.  Time to move on from both.
Ray Fittipaldo
1:21
Who is praising them? I have heard some apologists, but praise? No. I haven't heard that. I think you're probably right. I don't see either getting a second contract, but there is time for both to play better and change their minds.
SteelTheOne
1:22
Ray, what can we reasonably expect the Steelers to do about the inside LB position? It's clear that we can write off this season as a complete loss for this position group. Thoughts on our longer-term prospects?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:23
The hope is Devin Bush figures it out and returns to his previous form, pre-injury. After that, Schobert won't be back for his $8 million salary next season. Buddy Johnson is a possibility, but he's unproven. They might have to draft or sign a free agent to make it work in 2022.
The Dude
1:23
After watching the past couple weeks, let’s play coach. It is week 18 and you must get a win to make the playoffs. All other things being equal who do you want at quarterback- Lamar, Joe, Baker, or Ben?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:23
My choices in order: Burrow, Roethlisberger, Jackson, Mayfield.
REID
1:23
Hi Ray, heard radio talking head say Ben never shows up at the facilities on Wednesday (his non practicing day) but I thought he did in person and participated in meetings, observed, advised, got treatment, etc without physically practicing?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:24
That's wrong. He is at practice every Wednesday and is on the field with the rest of the team. He just doesn't participate much in practice.
Next Coach
1:24
Is it time to say the Steelers made a mistake by taking Harris with their first pick and letting Connor go, instead of selecting an offensive lineman?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:24
Nope.
Lloyd's 3-Count
1:25
Has there been any explanation from Tomlin, Canada or Klemm as to why the OL seemed so vastly unprepared for Zimmer's double-A gap defense?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:25
Tomlin mentioned the short week and the loud environment today at his news conference.
KJ
1:26
In 2 of the last 4 games, we have seen the Steelers "come to life" in the 4th quarter (against the Chargers & Vikings).  Do you believe this surge of points late in the game is due to the "tempo" offense they have been running? Is Roethlisberger calling his "own" plays during this time? And, finally, is this an indictment of Matt Canada's play calling?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:27
Yes, I think it's an indictment of Canada. The Steelers have most of their success when they operate out of the no-huddle, at least in recent weeks. And yes, Roethlisberger is calling most of the plays. Canada is in his ear making suggestions and maybe calling a few plays, but for the most part it's Roethlisberger seeing the field and calling the game himself.
Slippin Jimmy
1:27
Time to get a bet down and need some advice- who wins AFC North?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:27
Sucker bet alert! No one wants to win the North.
Connecting…