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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 12.24.18
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:28
Anyone can make it from the AFC. But I'll take the Patriots as long as Brady can get healthy. I heard he's dealing with an MCL. He'd carve up that Saints secondary.
me
11:28
If they punted, what would the odds have been that the Saints would have went 80 yards, used ALL the clock and scored a TD.  Given the refs in that game, about 100%

That is why I was not against the try.  Hoping that if the defense could not hold them the Saints would score quickly and the Steelers could have time to score again.

Almost worked.  Any chance Tomlin was thinking that way?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:29
Almost worked? He ran into a Saints defender three yards short of the line of gain and then came up a full yard short. You can tell me you're OK with the call, but don't tell me it almost worked. It really wasn't that close.
Tampa Too
11:29
Ray, Thanks for the Christmas eve chat.  Do you think that the elite Qb's in the league such as Brady, Brees, Rogers and to a lesser extent Big Ben get more pass interference calls because the refs subconsciously believe that their passes should always be caught and if they are not the refs just think it must have been interference?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:31
Ben certainly didn't get one in the end zone when Vance McDonald was mugged. And that came after the phantom call on Haden early in the game. Guys like Brees throw up their hands in disgust every time there is a close play. Of course, they try to get calls. I think it works too. Maybe Ben should do more of that.
Larry in KY
11:31
The officiating is becoming bigger than the game.  I was very impressed by the way our team responded to the challenge yesterday, but my biggest takeaway is the bonehead pass interference call.  Worse yet, we will never hear of any action taken against the officials.  The NFL product is tainted.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:32
Again, I'm not suggesting Riveron is corrupt as some are insinuating on Twitter. But he's not very good at his job. They should have replaced him last year. For whatever reason some owners were overruled because it was supposed to happen. They have to make a change there. They need new leadership.
ShawnE
11:32
When will the front office finally have enough of Tomlin?  I know his record is among the best in the league but it should be with the talent we have.  We continue to under achieve under his leadership.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:33
I agree. Tomlin has been more involved with the defense and we're seeing the same stuff happen. He's involved deeply in draft process and the Steelers continually select defensive players that fail to live up to expectations. It's not all on Tomlin, but he certainly deserves a big portion of the blame.
Utah Jim
11:34
Maybe I'm just a homer, but has every bad call starting with Jessie James last year gone against the Steelers?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:36
There have been a lot of bad calls. Go back to the missed muffed punt in the Cleveland game to open the season. It was 21-7 and in the fourth quarter. The Steelers would have easily won that game if the correct call was made on the field or in a review by Riveron. I never thought I'd see another game as poorly officiated as the Chargers game, but then the officials one-upped themselves in New Orleans. And Riveron was there to muck it up more by not stopping the game to review the tipped pass on the supposed pass interference.
Guest
11:36
A lot of talk about the team's lack of homegrown defensive talent, but how feasible is it to expect them to hit on its early draft picks when they're always drafting so late each year (ie. do they need to be more aggressive in free agency ala NE)?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:37
They could have taken Darius Leonard in the first round. He went a few picks later at the top of the second round. He looks like he's going to be a franchise type of defender. I see your point. But let's not act like other teams aren't drafting better defensive talent. It's an obvious issue.
SP
11:37
When will Mr Rooney wake up and realize mediocre Mike Tomlin is wasting Ben’s prime years.   This will be his biggest regret like his Dad passing on Marino.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:37
I sense change coming, but not with the head coach.
SteelHeart
11:37
Hi Ray, For me, it isn't so much that they put Ridley into the game, but that he was running with the ball hanging out ! Shouldn't they have reminded Ridley of that before sending him in. AND, don't they make him practice properly ?   Thanks
Ray Fittipaldo
11:39
Ridley has had a fumbling problem for years. That's what makes that decision inexcusable. Tomlin has these pet projects like Ridley. He was on the street last December before the Steelers signed him. And yet they brought him back and he ends up costing them the game and perhaps the playoffs. Enough of these pet projects.
Fan
11:39
What will it take for the officiating to be held accountable for the big play mistakes it makes week to week?  It seems to be getting worse, not better. Does the NFL not care that it damages their brand?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:40
The NFL should have taken action last year. They all but admitted Riveron had erred when they changed the catch rule for the playoffs. Yet they kept him.
Chris from MD
11:40
Hi Ray. Merry Christmas and thanks for the chat! While the Steelers have plenty of their own issues, the officiating across the league needs to be fixed. What can actually be done? Do the coaches have any input (e.g. through the competition committee), or is it entirely up to Goodell?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:41
It's up to the owners. They tell Goodell what to do. Apparently some owners didn't want a change after what happened last year.
Scott
11:41
When is the NFL going to change the pass interference penalty to 15 yards instead of spot foul.  Those calls are game changers.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:41
Or they can just hire competent officials. They don't have enough competent officials. It's a problem at every level of football.
Zeke5123
11:42
3rd and 2 and 4th and 5....   You don’t think Roethlisberger converts those?   Nix and the 4thnstring fumbling bum rob git the ball, not Ben.  This proves Tomlin needs fired.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:42
They won't fire Tomlin. Not unless he refuses to make changes if ownership dictates. And I don't see that happening.
Tony E.
11:42
Face it, the Steelers aren't good this year.  They started 1-2-1, are 1 - 4 their last five games--and that five game win streak?  Four of those wins were against sub-500 teams and the only one good win was against Baltimore.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:44
They're good enough to win the Super Bowl. They're also bad enough to lose to Oakland. It's that lack of focus that Tomlin has to fix. Good teams don't lose to Oakland. I don't care where the game is played. I don't care about where the x-ray machine is located and how the results were unreadable. They weren't ready to play that game. It's inexcusable.
Manny
11:44
Ray, yesterdays and chargers gameobvious awful officiating gent our way throw in there some costly mistakes on our part, however the season was lost in Denver and Oakland, every season we have a couple of those that get us No good seeding and obvious no trophy or out of playoffs with so much talent.. Are we good or not? Who to blame? It's Painful really! What say U ? Greetings from Mexico..
Ray Fittipaldo
11:44
The buck has to stop with the head coach. He's in charge.
Utah Jim
11:45
Usually when the refs are having a bad day it goes both ways.  Not yesterday.  Have you ever seen such a poorly, and one sided, called game?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:45
The Chargers game from a few weeks ago?
Derek
11:45
Do you think that there will be defensive coaching changes, Joey Porter, Keith Butler or both since it appears we won't be in the post season ? What are you thoughts on us finally drafting a defensive playmaker since we will be picking earlier in the 2019 draft ?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:45
Gotta go get a corner that can be a difference maker. They need someone opposite Haden.
RPinney
11:45
Has the league ever considered reviewing penalties? If not, what’s the logic of that as compared with reviewing any other play?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:46
I don't know if it's ever been seriously discussed, but the subject has been broached recently because the officiating has been so suspect.
Rod in Indy
11:46
Are turnovers for/against (and timeliness of them!) biggest reason we miss playoffs, or the defense not getting crucial stops at end of games, or Boz struggling? I say turnovers for/against. Your opinion on this, please?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:46
All of the above.
Doug in Raleigh
11:47
Care to speculate on what happened to the Chargers? Did they leave their hearts in Kansas City, were they due for a letdown, or had they never faced any decent defense in  the first 14 games of the season?   They looked helpless.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:47
The Chargers were due for a loss. And maybe they're not that great.
orangesteel
11:47
Fire Mike Tomlin..  that is all.
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