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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 01.29.24
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:59
Good afternoon. Let's chat about the Steelers.
NoLosingSeasonsParade
11:59
Are the Steelers interested in Klint Kubiak? Can they interview him?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:01
Tomlin has a lot of candidates he would like to interview. And yes, the Steelers can interview Kubiak, who interviewed with the Saints last week for their vacant OC job. That was before the conference title game. I know they tweaked the rules, but I don't think anything changes in the run-up to the Super Bowl.
Sal
12:01
Happy Monday Ray. Thanks for your chats! Do you think we will see other names to be interviewed for OC? Names like Kubiak, Frank Reich, or other innovative offensive minds?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:02
Mike Tomlin said at his season-ending news conference that he was excited about the process and wanted to learn. I would think that entails talking with many of the qualified coaches who are looking for work. Of course, they could interview someone and believe it's a fit and make the hire. But Tomlin made it sound like he'd interview more than three candidates. And we're only at three right now.
DCSteelers
12:03
When Canada was fired, Tomlin rightfully noted that the NFL is a results-oriented business.  It seems, though, that there is a double standard.  Tomlin himself has not delivered meaningful results (I don’t count no losing seasons as meaningful anymore), but he gets a contract extension.  Does Tomlin truly hold himself accountable for the team’s lackluster last decade?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:04
Tomlin is expected to sign a contract extension. It hasn't happened yet.
Evan
12:04
What position would be your #1 need with pick 20? OL? DL? ILB?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:04
DL but that comes with a caveat. It's not a great year for DL in the draft.
Adam
12:05
As we have seen from the playoffs is that without an elite QB you have no shot at a SB run.  Do the Steelers really think KP or MR are the answer?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:05
I think they want to find out if Kenny Pickett is.
The Lions Way
12:06
Seeing Kneecap Campbell return to his former team and turn around that entire organization is very impressive. He is by far the Coach of the Year. He brought grit, effort, fight, and culture to that team. It made me wonder what former Steeler player would best be able to take over this team and do the same? Keisel maybe?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:07
He also did a great job of losing the NFC championship game with his idiotic decision to eschew a 45-yard field goal midway through the third quarter when his team led by 14 points.
Dennis Schmitt
12:07
What is going to be the best decision pertaining to Cam Heyward? And how high of a pick should they use on a DL
Ray Fittipaldo
12:09
Round 1 if the right players is available when they pick. As for Heyward, I think he deserves to have some say on how his career with the Steelers ends. But I do think he wants to return to the team he has to understand it can't be with his current $22.4 million cap hit in 20204 on the books.
Adam
12:09
Is the AP so obsessed with advanced metrics that Watt has no chance to win DPOY?  I frankly dont understand the arguments against Watt.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:10
The AP chooses the voters, but the voters are from different cities across the country. Some are writers, some are TV analysts and some are former players. Pittsburgh does not have a vote on those awards and hasn't had one for about 5-7 years now.
Mike P.
12:11
Ray, how much does not having a quality QB on the roster impact the thoughts of free agents in other positions considering Pittsburgh? If I'm a free agent and I see the current QB room in Pittsburgh, I'm looking to go somewhere else with an actual chance of winning.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
Money talks in free agency. All that stuff you just mentioned doesn't matter unless there are similar offers on the table.
Steelmann58
12:11
Ray. Will the Steelers be looking for a new OL and QB coach. How safe is the WR Coach
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
I think a lot of it depends on the OC hire, but I think some guys on the staff are under consideration to return.
Steelmann58
12:12
Hi Ray who your Number Choice for the New OC
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
Of the three who have been interviewed? Arthur Smith hands down. Next choice would be Brown and Johnson.
Sad State of the Steelers
12:15
To quote the great Chuck Noll, the Steelers problems are great and they are many.  Discipline, coaching, effort, heart, fundamentals, culture....where do you begin to fix this?  Which of these need to improve first?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
They need to continue to build up the trenches in the draft. Getting younger and better is a must on the DL and OL.
Ralph
12:15
Amazing achievement by Chiefs. Transitioned from an offense-first team to a top defensive team. They were willing to trade away the most dynamic offense weapon in football to do this. Why won
Ray Fittipaldo
12:16
This is a great point. It also helps having Patrick Mahomes. But to your point the cap hasn't hindered them since Mahomes got the bag.
hidy ho neighbore
12:16
2 interviews already with people that have no experience as an OC,,, Hmmmm? Tomlin back to his Tomlin ways that fail?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:17
He said he wants to learn throughout the process. It's OK to interview someone and pick their brain even if you don't intend to hire them. And who knows? Maybe one of them blew them away with their interview.
TheSatndardisStability
12:17
Much speculation about the OC but isn’t the new QB coach almost as critical? Pickett will already be 26 soon and someone has to coach him out of the bad mechanics and footwork plus that awful habit of spinning into sacks.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:18
Yes, it's very important. They need to get more out of him and the only way to do that is to coach him out of his bad habits.
Guest
12:18
I remember when football involved fundamental tackling, no taunting, no dancing, passing quarterbacks, fullbacks, less penalties.  Is football they way it used to be played dead forever?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:19
Sounds like you're recalling the 1950s or 1960s. Heck, the 1970s were the golden era for the NFL in my mind. It's never been better, but even then we had Billy "White Shoes" Johnson dancing in the end zone.
MrSamsonite
12:19
Myles Jack played pretty well and most importantly, he stayed healthy, in his limited time. Do you think he’ll be back next season as a backup?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:20
I doubt it. He was on the street for a reason. He has bad knees and teams don't want to commit to him for a year. They can pay him less if they sign him at midseason. It's a much better risk than signing him before the season.
JPinIndy
12:21
Ray thanks as always for the chats! What was less unexpected for you this weekend? The reappearance of "Bad Lamar" or that Dan Campbell's aggressive tendencies caught up with the Lions at a bad time?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:23
I've seen Jackson self-destruct on more than a few occasions so I wasn't surprised by that. I was more surprised by Dan Campbell's meat-headedness. It was just an incredibly poor decision in the biggest game he'll ever coach in.
Penny Kickett
12:24
We saw the return of playoff Lamar yesterday.  He resulted in more turnovers than touchdowns.  I know he is going to win his second league MVP but man is he overrated.  What are your thoughts on him?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:25
He had some help losing that game. I know he threw the terrible pick into triple coverage, but Zay Flowers showed off the poor character had also had at BC.
Zamo
12:26
No to Arthur Smith Ray. Why did he NOT use Bijon or any of his best playmakers (Pitts/London) this season?  you cannot hire someone who ignored his best offensive players all year.  Hard pass for me!  Please explain why this would be good?!
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