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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 2.5.18
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:50
Let's get started.
Mike
11:50
Do you think the Steelers coaching staff will look at the Eagles game?  Tomlin should learn from the play calling of the Eagles.  They played to win!
Ray Fittipaldo
11:53
When you are up on the Patriots you have to step on their throat. The Eagles stayed aggressive all game. Kudos to Pederson for the game he called. As for the Steelers learning from this? We'll see. They had a chance to go for it on fourth and 1 against the Patriots and not give the ball back to Brady in that game in December. They played it conservative and ended up losing. That's not always the wrong call and playing it aggressive isn't always the right call, but the lesson is you have to score gobs of points to beat Brady and the Pats. Pederson understood that and that's why he's a Super Bowl champion.
DaquidoBazzini
11:53
Greetings Ray....Do you think it’s too late for any defensive coaching changes to be made? How do you think they justify this?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:54
I think they would have already announced those changes. If changes come now I think it's a sign that ownership mandated. But I don't get that sense right now. Art Rooney II is expected to meet with local reporters this week so we might get his insight into the defense and its struggles.
Zach B.
11:54
Hi Ray - After watching that Super Bowl last night and seeing just how bad the Patriots defense was it only infuriated me more to think of Mike Tomlin’s incompetence as a head coach! This was our year to win #7, no doubt! I fear we will pay  too much for Bell and the wheels will fall off as the signs were there this year already and Tomlin will continue to be more involved in the defense which is never good! I fear Tomlin fired Haley as a scapegoat and gave Ben a buddy as OC who has zero experience in the NFL and who’s playcalling certainly didn’t “light it up” in the pro bowl  will see a regression in the offense next year, I fear we have past our window for #7 with Tomlin screwing everything up, your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:56
Did you just reference Randy Fichtner's play-calling in the Pro Bowl as a bad sign of things to come? God Bless you. You just made this one of the greatest questions in Steelers chat history!
Jesse
11:56
Ray, thinking the Steelers need to let LB walk.  Use the money to shore up depth at ILB, S and RB.  Then draft ILB, S, TE, RB.  A lot of wear and tear on those tires.  Thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:59
The more I think about it the more I am on your side. Look at the RBs in the Super Bowl last night -- Blount, Clement, Ajayi, White, Lewis, Burkhead. None of them were high draft picks or highly paid players. The Eagles won that game because of Nick Foles and Doug Pederson calling a great game. The Eagles running game was great, but they got a lot of big passing plays that helped them win that game. Same goes for the Patriots. They've been built around the passing game for years. The NFL is a passing league. Does it help if you have a strong running game? Of course. But you had better have a QB that can execute at a high level. So yes, I'd be tempted to let Bell hit free agency and use the money elsewhere.
Zach B.
12:00
Hi Ray - Why is the fact that Steelers Legends such as Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward have all come out critiqued Tomlin as basically being a bad coach gone unreported in the local papers.  Hell, even the fact that John stallworth who was a part of the minority ownership group that wrote a letter demanding Tomlin be fired was not really reported on other then Bouchette’s snarky, self absorbed normal response that these people should be told to mind their own business by Little Art.  The vast majority of Steelers Fans who actually “Pay” to see them play want Tomlin gone, why is this not being reported locally.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:02
How do you know John Stallworth was the minority owner that went to Pro Football Talk? I haven't seen that reported anywhere. Also, if you read my chats I've been very critical of Tomlin. I think he deserves to be called out for a lot of things that took place this season. What do you want reported? We all have opinions and express them in different ways at post-gazette.com and in print.
Mongo
12:02
would you rather have Jim Schwartz as the HC of the Steelers than Mike Tomlin?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:02
No.
Deebo
12:02
when the Steelers keep Coordinators from inside the team..i.e Butler and Fichtner isn't that being narrow minded by continuing to promote in a failed environment?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:06
In the case of Randy Fichtner, it makes a lot of sense. Ben is going to be 36 next month. He had zero interest in starting over with a new coordinator again. As for the defense, I agree that they can use some new ideas and some positions on that side of the ball can be better coached, but I'm not exactly sure Butler should shoulder all of the blame there. Does he deserve blame for the failures? Yes. Absolutely. But there's a lot that goes into it. First and foremost, they need to line up their personnel against the other team's personnel and try to win that way for once. I find Butler at fault the most for his inability to get his unit to line up properly and to communicate with each other. Either the defense is too complicated or the players aren't smart enough to execute what they're doing. Figure it out and make the appropriate changes.
JJ
12:06
I didn't watch the game.  Was the winning td catch no different than Jesse James td catch the refs took away?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:07
Ertz took three steps and dived for the goal line. James caught it, turned, lunged, extended the ball, etc. It's all about judgment and determining when the player becomes a runner. It's a dumb rule. They're going to try to fix it, but I don't have any real confidence the competition committee or the NFL will figure it out.
TXSteeler
12:08
Doubt you’ll answer this but you said one of Pitts problems vs NE was 3rd down efficiency when compared to Phili. Funny since they were successful and the exact same on offense (10 of 16) and Pitt was much beter on defense (3-9). Want to try again?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:09
How about in the second half? They were poor on third downs when it counted most. They couldn't extend drives when they needed it the most.
Stash from Blawnox
12:09
doesn't this post season prove how far the Steelers are behind the rest of the league coaching wise..Marrone..Belicheck..Pederson seem like they play chess and Tomlin plays checkers
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
I wouldn't go that far, but they all proved to be better coaches in this year's playoffs. Doesn't mean it will be true next season. Also, the Falcons were close to winning in Philly in the division round. They had a fourth-and-goal late in that game and failed to convert. The difference between winning a Super Bowl and not even getting close in this league is small.
jim
12:11
MY QUESTION IS WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CATCH JESSE JAMES MADE AGAINST NEW ENGLAND WHICH WAS RULED NO CATCH ,BUT LAST NIGHTS CATCH WAS A TOUCHDOWN?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
I don't have the answer to that question. Some have pointed out Ertz took three steps while James did not. However, I'll point out taking steps doesn't necessarily have to constitute possession. The rulebook has been rewritten over the years to make the rule better, but they haven't accomplished that.
Mark
12:12
Regarding Shazier, we know the medical updates are limited for privacy reasons and acknowledging that his overall health is a concern far above the game -- for those of you around the team what's the general consensus on the likelihood that he'll ever play for the team again?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:13
I don't really get the sense that anyone is expecting Shazier to return to football. I think they all want him to be able to walk and to have a normal life. That's the most important thing. Football is secondary to all of that.
Chris
12:14
How do you think the Steelers handle Mike Mitchell’s situation?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
Guess it depends on their confidence in replacing him in free agency or the draft. I know one thing. He isn't worth $5 million. He just hasn't played well enough to warrant that type of money. Another situation where the money is spent better elsewhere on the roster.
Kyle
12:15
I've seen in the chats about Navarro Bowman being the top ILB and the issues with him.  Do you know about any of the top free agent safeties?  Really wish the steelers would have picked up Weedle over Green when they had the chance!
Ray Fittipaldo
12:17
Yes I mentioned that in last week's chat. He's a Pro Bowl safety and Green is out of football. I'll have to check the list of free agent safeties. It's all about fit. The Steelers need to get the best safety prospect and use him accordingly. They have to be willing to move Sean Davis to free if there is a better strong safety prospect available in free agency or the draft. And they're capable of doing that. The safety positions in this defense re basically interchangeable.
John in Florida
12:17
Based on his tweets, Bell seems anxious to sign a new deal. I suspect one big reason is that, if he hits free agency, Bell’s value probably drops back to the top of current RB value, $8-$10 million a year. If Steelers cannot sign him for that money, highly unlikely, I think it’s time to move on. That money could help upgrade at safety and TE, then go for ILB and RB in the draft. What are your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:18
Bell's not signing anywhere for $8-10 million a year. Believe me, there is a team out there who will pay him $15 million a year, or close to it. Lots of teams have cap space to do it.
JC
12:18
Ray, If the TE from South Dakota is available in the 2nd rd would you take him providing McDonald does not sign?  Thank you.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:19
McDonald doesn't have to sign. The Steelers just have to decide if they want to keep him. And I think they will as long as they feel like his injury history is troublesome. They used him a lot when he was healthy. But that doesn't preclude the Steelers from drafting a TE if they like him. offensive coordinators can be creative with pass-catching TEs.
Dave Cos
12:20
Which position would be easier for a rookie to make an immediate impact next year- ILB or safety? Any way that could influence what the Steelers might do on round 1?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:21
Tough to say. I think rookies can start at either spot. The thing is, you can't count on a rookie to come in and replace Shazier as the QB of the defense when it comes to communication. That has to be someone else next season. Maybe it's a DB who will be on the field at all times.
Dave Cos
12:21
Why do so many defensive players come into the NFL as poor tacklers? Are college practice rules also prohibitive to teaching proper techniques or is it just poor coaching at the college level?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:23
Just a sign of the times. Tackling periods are dwindling at every level of football as the coaches try to figure out a way to teach safe techniques while limiting head injuries. It's difficult. There are no easy answers.
Dude from cali
12:23
So many broken coverage resulting in Splash plays yesterday. I guess mistakes aren't exclusive to Steelers then, thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:25
I was thinking the same thing last night. I just think Patriots are really good at scheming and get players wide open while Brady is underrated in his ability to buy time in the pocket. As for the Patriots defense, they have personnel issues almost everywhere on that unit. Give credit to the Eagles coaches for exploiting their deficiencies in both scheme and personnel. Pederson out-coached Belichick last night.
Dude from cali
12:25
Early on in the game, Philly played Smash Mouth football pummeling Patriots. That's what Steelers are sorely missing in personnel and or identity, thoughts?
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