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Post-Gazette Steelers chat: 12.09.19
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Steelers Insider
12:00
Hi, everyone. The Monday chat is back. Thanks for joining the fray, now let's discuss this team's win yesterday in Arizona and whatever else is on your mind.
Lou
12:00
Ever since Zach Gentry got drafted I’ve hoped he could get on the field and make some tall, back of end zone catches. Do the Steelers have hope for him? Or is he just a guy they keep around for ultra emergency back up role?
Steelers Insider
12:02
They probably still have some hope for him. You don't draft a relatively inexperienced 6-foot-8 pass-catcher if you don't think there's some untapped potential there. Could've gone with a more pro-ready type if they just wanted depth over upside. Obviously, they didn't love Gentry's readiness at the moment, given that they went out and traded for Nick Vannett to play a somewhat minor role in this offense.
NickFromVA
12:02
I have to ask, is Duck Hodges our Kirk Cousins? I seem to remember that Kirk Cousins beat out a higher drafter QB with the Redskins and the rest is history.
Steelers Insider
12:02
Sorry, but it's difficult to imagine Duck ever doing this ...
Steeltowntim@aol.com
12:03
What happens to Ben if the Duck continues to play well and we go deep into playoffs. I know if he is the old Ben but how long do we have the rights to Hodges if he is back up? Is he on a 4 year deal?
Steelers Insider
12:05
Nothing happens to Ben. The better question is what happens to Mason Rudolph. Hodges is on a two-year rookie deal for dirt cheap, and you could probably keep an against-all-odds guy like him around for a long time at a reasonable price if you wanted to.
Tom88
12:06
If Miami drafts a QB early in the draft, what do you think of the Steelers trading a 4 for Josh Rosen?
Steelers Insider
12:06
Meh. They have plenty of other needs to use a fourth-round pick for.
Jerry
12:06
I think the Steelers are a better run team when Finney play. Your thoughts
Steelers Insider
12:08
They've had some of their best games on the ground this year when BJ Finney has started, but the defenses they faced weren't particularly fearsome. Indy, Cincy, Cleveland. To your point, he did his job and did it well in three starts this year for Ramon Foster/Maurkice Pouncey. Just call him a super-backup option. Not a lot of dropoff from the everyday guys to him.
Lisa
12:08
Bad Luck this year Ben got injured while We finally have a great D, how much of a drop off we be in next season with Hargrave and Bud gone, can we really replace them with any FA that don’t cost as much? Thanks
Steelers Insider
12:09
That's the million dollar question the front office has to be asking itself right now. Or the $15 million question just talking about Bud Dupree. Right as it seemed the window might be closing for this team in the Ben era, now this defense is playing as well as any unit in the league. Could that prompt a change in thinking/philosophy? Has to be something they're considering.
Alan in Nashville
12:10
I’m sure you won’t print this but for SOME of us who really enjoy these chats, not knowing who we’re chatting with is frustrating and I’m not sure what it’s accomplishing besides great writers not getting any of the credit and the PG it all? Anyways,
Steelers Insider
12:12
If you want to know why we're doing what we're doing with withholding our bylines, names and images, visit  pghguild.com. There's a lot of information there about our current cause, as well as what you can do to get involved, if you feel comepelled to do so because these chats are so amazing.
JJ
12:13
I believe the Steelers were credited with four sacks yesterday. I also believe they tackled the QB, behind the LOS more times than that. If I am correct, what does it take to constitute a sack vs a tackle for a loss ?
Steelers Insider
12:14
That's largely up to the ruling of the press box statisticians, and is then reviewed by the league, which is why you sometimes see stat corrections. Basically, if the QB got out of the pocket and was attempting to run, it's then a TFL rather than a sack. A sack is when the QB is attempting to throw.
Wisconsin Winters
12:14
Staff Writer, Is it out of line to think that the Steeler Defense could have 5 Pro Bowlers?  Watt, Fitz, Haden, Dupree, Hayword.
Steelers Insider
12:16
Not at all. They're all having Pro Bowl-caliber seasons, for sure. And a guy like Steven Nelson doesn't have good counting numbers, but teams are barely throwing at him. Javon Hargrave has probably been better than his stats, too, and just imagine if Stephon Tuitt were still healthy and producing at the rate he was before he got hurt.
Steeler in Virginia
12:16
How do JJSS and Conner get on this moving train?
Steelers Insider
12:16
Very carefully
vmidon
12:17
The next 3 games the Steelers will have to rely heavily upon their dline rotation and rookie class. Has Isaiah Buggs matured enough as a rookie to join the DL rotation and if so what has his contribution been to date.
Steelers Insider
12:18
Yeah, he's shown some flashes, at least for a sixth-round pick. He'd been performing well enough in practice that he was getting to dress on game day over a veteran in L.T. Walton. Buggs has only played between 6 and 13 snaps a game, but it's not like he looks out of place when he's in there. He's giving the starters a bit of a breather, without a huge dropoff.
Eric_from_Erie
12:18
Happy Monday! What a game, right? If he keeps playing well and keeps the mistakes to a minimum, do you think that Hodges is going to 1. play into the playoffs (because we WILL get there! Power of positive thinking!) and 2. unseat Rudolph as the #2 going into next season?
Steelers Insider
12:20
He very well might. It certainly looks as if he's going to be starting a playoff game at this point, which is incredible in and of itself. At that point, you probably see a Rudolph-Dobbs type of competition for the backup role starting next spring and lasting into training camp. But it would be hard to imagine this team trusting Rudolph over Hodges if needed to start one next year. As Mike Tomlin sometimes says, the proof is in the pudding.
Holly
12:20
Sean Davis should be fine by now why not bring him back for the stretch to occupy Kam Kelly spot and put Kelly on Practice Squad and have better depth as result?
Steelers Insider
Scott in Dallas
12:20
Good Morning Sir
A glass half full view of the Ben injury being that we now know that Mason is not the QB in waiting but that Duck is a solid backup?
Steelers Insider
12:22
Could be, yeah. The caveat to any silver lining is that with Roethlisberger healthy, and playing better than he did in the six quarters before the injury, this team's ceiling is a Lombardi Trophy. But sure, you're getting some clarity at the QB position, not to mention a whole lot of other guys elevating their games, either intentionally or subconsciously.
Sam
12:22
Feels like Steelers fans should be cheering someone to sweep the two Houston v. Tennessee matchups coming in the next 3 weeks, leaning a little more to Houston for this week since the Titans middle game against the Saints appears tougher on paper than Texans vs. Bucs.  Does that seem like the best path assuming the Steelers do not win out?
Steelers Insider
12:24
Your logic makes sense, but how about this: who scares you more as a potential wild card opponent, Houston or Tennessee? Most folks would probably say Deshaun Watson and the Texans, who might have JJ Watt back by then. So, maybe root for the Titans to win out, grab that 4 seed and then pass up the Bills for the 5 seed and play in Nashville the first weekend of January?
Ryno
12:25
The Steelers have always been very good with manipulating the numbers to stay under the salary cap. Do you see any way they can sign everyone to return next year? Having the dead money from Antonio Brown drop off should be a big help. Plus the salary cap goes up every year.
Steelers Insider
12:26
Where there's a will, there's a way. And yes, NFL teams always do seem to make it work somehow, not just the Steelers. Though they have been really good at it, and have kept some really talented pieces intact in past seasons.
Uncle Donald
12:26
I would think if the Steeler's can beat the Bill's this weekend they can make the playoffs even losing to the Raven's providing they take care of the Jet's. Would you agree?  Thank you.
Steelers Insider
12:27
Sure, it's possible. Especially if Tennessee keeps going the way they're going.
Er, if Tennessee STOPS going the way they're going.
Utah Jim
12:27
Who are the odd players out when Conner and JJSS return?
Steelers Insider
12:29
Well, JuJu and Conner are still on the active roster, so no one would have to lose his job. But you'll probably see a lot less of Tevin Jones and a little less of Deon Cain at WR. At RB, it's tough to say. Kerrith Whyte just produces when he gets touches. Maybe Benny Snell returns to the background, considering he's somewhat of a similar runner to Conner. Obviously, Trey Edmunds would be solely a special teamer at that point.
Don't Talk to Me
12:29
Another week, another game added to the sample size on which we can judge Duck. His numbers have "game manager" written all over them, but the eye test says that he just seems more poised and in control of the offense, and in turn the offense has looked better with him in the game. What say you? Inferior competition solely, or can we now legitimately say that Hodges > Rudolph? Thanks!
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