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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 5.30.18
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Ray Fittipaldo
10:24
Good morning. Let's get started.
Scott
10:24
Do the Steelers have any interest in LB Mychal Kendrick?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:25
At the moment, it does not appear so.
CanadianSteelersFan
10:25
Is Cam Sutton vs Mike Hilton a camp battle to watch for the starting slot CB? Or is Cam more suited to play at an oustide CB spot? Mike played great last year, but Cam looked good in limited playing time. I'm not sure how Cam fits onto the roster.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:27
Yeah that will be interesting to watch. Sutton was a third-round pick and Hilton was an undrafted free agent. Hilton took advantage of his opportunity and ran with it. I think they'll try to find a role for Sutton and perhaps he will be competition for Hilton this season. There is a new DBs coach. Also, you can never have enough quality DBs. If Sutton is ready to contribute to the cause the Steelers will find a role for him.
SteelfanMike
10:27
Hi Ray, Do you feel that there will repercussions for AB's social media posts referring to the kneel-down subject, or is it going to just be a matter of his right to express himself and how he feels?  The reason I'm asking, is that here we go again with the social media stuff and I thought they were going to try and tone it down this year so as not to draw so much negative/outside attention to themselves so they could focus as a team on the job at hand. Thanks.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:28
This is a free country. These players have opinions and they express them. I say just deal with it. Why would you want to live in a society where athletes are muzzled? If you don't like it, don't follow him on Twitter on Instagram.
Livinthedream
10:29
Ray, If the NFL is serious about the Heads-up rule, it seems to me this will benefit the OL and give QBs another 1 to 1.5 seconds. Not good for teams with poor pass rush and very good for Tom Brady. Your thoughts.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:32
All depends on how the officials administer the rule. What about an offensive lineman that leads with his head when he executes a cut block by placing his head on the defender's knee in the middle of the field? What about the defensive lineman who places his head in the chest of an opposing offensive lineman when executing a bull rush? It's not just the defensive backs who must rethink how to play the game. It's every position. What about the running back who puts his head down to get a few extra yards? I want to see how the officials calls this new rule before I make any judgments. I will say this. I watched the video the NFL Operations Department put out and a few of the plays on there look like normal football plays to me. I think there is going to be a lot of controversy with this new rule.
Ernie
10:32
Hi Ray, a lot of Steeler fans seem to think if Samuels shows well that we could pull the tag from Bell. I personally don’t buy any of that. I know people are fed up with his antics but in my mind he is just playing by the rules that are set by the owners and the cba by showing up after training camp. Your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:33
I don't think the Steelers are relying on an unproven fifth-round draft pick to replace the running back of his generation. And I don't think the Steelers are interested in pulling the tag. Unless, of course, Bell holds out into the season and then they'd have to make a business decision as would Bell.
Dan Patterson
10:33
Ray, the Steelers have a very difficult schedule.   Can we win the division and if so are we considered a Superbowl threat
Ray Fittipaldo
10:34
I think the Steelers are one of the top teams in the AFC, but they won a lot of close games last season. They'll have to prove themselves again this year.
Sluggo
10:35
Good Morning....Is there a limit on the number of assistant coaches allowed in the NFL and if not shouldn’t the Steelers think about hiring a quarterback coach to work with the young QBs Dobbs and Randolph ?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:36
No limit as far as I know. I've counted a few other teams in the past and they have many more assistant coaches than the Steelers, who seem to prefer a small staff.
Salami Phil
10:36
Ray, do you think the team will be getting a long term deal done with Chris Boswell? I know he signed his tender but you have to think they want to lock him up no? He was a weapon last year.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:37
Yes Boswell was very good. He's been very good since being signed in 2015. I think they'd like to get a deal done. They can do it anytime before the season opener. Some of these kickers have been signing some expensive contracts so I am sure that is complicating the negotiation, but there is no doubt the Steelers would like to sign him for the right price.
jim
10:38
We are just one injury away from disaster (V. Williams) on defense, why not sign Bowman now so he can get acclimated to the defense just in case?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:39
They've trade for guys or signed guys late in the process in previous years. Think back to Joe Haden and Vance McDonald last year. Haden stepped right into a starter's role and McDonald would have been a bigger factor if not for injuries holding him back. That stuff about acclimating sometimes is overblown when it comes to veteran players. They know how to play in just about any offense or defense.
Shaif jetha
10:39
Hybrid linebackers are the new NFL! Steelers have 2 now! Shazier and new kid. Did we solve our run issues?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:41
Shazier is not playing in 2018 and the rookie is unproven so there is now way of knowing if the Steelers solved their run defense issues until the real games begin in September. And there are deeper issues with the run defense than just ILB and hybrid LBs. It's on the DL, the OLBs and yes the DBs too.
Salami Phil
10:41
What is one training camp battle that you are most excited to watch?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:42
Not really a battle because they're counting on him to come in and contribute, but it will be interesting to see how the chemistry develops between James Washington and Ben Roethlisberger. We know it's there with Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, but that third receiver has been a vital part of the offense the past few years.
Salami Phil
10:42
Do you see Marcus Allen playing any type of role in 2018 outside of Special Teams?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:42
Not at the moment. He'll have to make this team based on his ability to play special teams.
jim
10:43
In the grand scheme of things 17 mil per year isn't really that much for the best RB in FB. I say just sign him and be done, why are they resisting the price tag? The price for great RB's is going up, just like the great receivers.
Ray Fittipaldo
10:45
Yeah but right now the gap between Bell and the other RBs is huge. I think Shady McCoy is next at about $8 million per year. Bell will make $14.5 if he plays on the tag. That's almost double the price tag of McCoy. The Steelers will do what they always do. They'll come up with a number they believe is fair and they'll stick to it. Obviously, it's in the $15 million range because they are willing to pay the tag number. We just don't know at this point how much they are willing to go above that number.
Salami Phil
10:45
What do you think the plan is with Okorafor? Seems like its gonna be hard for him to see the field the next couple years barring injuries. In the same light do you anticipate BJ Finney taking over for Ramon Foster after this season?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:50
Some very interesting times ahead with an aging offensive line. Finney has proven he is a capable replacement when Foster has been injured the past couple of years. Not sure if they view him as a long-term answer or not, but he obviously can fill in as a short-term answer if they don't sign Foster to another contract. And with Foster being 32 he'd have to play awfully well this season for them to even think about that. As for Okorafor, I like what I have seen so far. He looks like a fluid athlete and his ability to serve as a backup will depend upon his comprehension of the playbook and how well he plays in the preseason. Villannueva is signed through 2020 and Gilbert through 2019 so it would seem he'll have to wait his turn for now. But things change quickly in the NFL. If they like Okorafor they can release Gilbert or Villanueva with a year left on their contracts and not be on the hook for too much money.
Josh
10:52
how likely (%-wise) is it that Bell is on this team in 2019?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:52
10-15 percent.
jim
10:54
Do you know what's behind the switching of Dupree and Watt? Just experimenting?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:56
They did that a little bit last year. Not much but it's not totally new. Watt told me it's good to give both offensive tackles different looks. It might be a little easier for them going against the same OL all game. He said he likes it. Bud said something similar. We'll see how it works out.
Scott
10:56
I believe the biggest problem with NFL officiating is the wild inconsistency in how things are called. If they were full time employees, who all trained together during the week, wouldn't they tend to see things the same way more often?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:57
I suppose, but that's an expense the NFL might be shy to undertake. They seem to like the way they operate now. And these officials do watch film during the week and they have meetings. It's not like they show up Sunday morning and officiate games. They have other responsibilities throughout the week.
MT Steel
10:57
Hi Ray, thanks for the chats.  Do you see Bradley having much influence in the defensive scheme this season?
Ray Fittipaldo
10:58
I wouldn't say with the scheme, but he is changing a few things. I talked to Joe Haden and Sean Davis and they seemed to think they'd have the kinks worked out by the time training camp rolled around. We'll see.
Jerry
10:58
Could Sutton beat Burns out for the starting DB spot? I'm not a Burns fan!! IJS
Ray Fittipaldo
10:59
Burns is a first-round pick so he'd have to underperform for them to make that move. Not out of the question but I would say unlikely unless Burns gets burned too often (sorry)
11:01
Thanks for all the questions this week. I have to go watch some practice. No chat next week as I am on vacation. Next chat will be Monday June 11.
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