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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 4.30.18
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:53
Ok let's get started.
Trip Tomlin
11:53
I cant believe they traded Bryant. Bryant does so much for the offense just being on the field. Losing him and Shazier they have gotten a whole lot slower on both sides of the ball.  I am sick of hearing they will lose Bryant next year anyway. Why not try and sign him? They are going to lose Bell too (who has been an overall much bigger headache) and they didnt trade him. It makes no sense since they would have gotten a supplemental 3 for Bryant most likely anyway.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:55
You don't seem to understand the economics of the situation. Antonio Brown makes $17 million a year. They're going to pay JuJu Smith-Schuster a nice sum on a second contract soon because A.) he is a better player than Bryant; B.) is a better teammate; C.) a better person; and D.) Is not one strike away from being kicked out of the league for repeated drug use.
ALB
11:55
Ray, any reaction from Steeler teammates about the trading of Bryant?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:55
We won't have access to Steelers veterans for another few weeks, when OTAs start. We will get to talk to the rookies again next week.
Florak
11:56
Trading the NFLs best deep threat was just not smart and weakened the team-which a draft shouldn't do. Bryant opens up the whole field for Ben. Now teams can double AB. What happens if AB or Shuster gets hurt? They wont have much of a passing game. Terrible decision.
Ray Fittipaldo
11:56
You do know they drafted James Washington in the second round, right? The deep threat was a need and they addressed it. Plus, the Steelers think Washington will be a well-rounded receiver who can do more than run deep.
Steeler Fan In Cincy
11:57
Ray, how would you grade the Steelers draft?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:58
I hate to grade drafts right after they happen. It's an exercise in futility. Three years is when you should do that. In fact, I wrote a piece on the 2015 draft a few weeks back. I will tell you I was surprised that they took three offensive players with their first four picks in a year everyone assumed they needed to address the defense again.
Steeler Fan In Cincy
11:58
Ray, with the Steelers drafting Mason Rudolph at QB, will this be the end of Josh Dobbs or Landry Jones? I believe Jones is a FA after the 2018 season.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:00
Yes, Randy Fichtner came out and said Friday night that he knows they can't keep four QBs. So one of them will be cut. I have to assume it will be Dobbs because the Steelers have said in the past that they like Jones in the backup role. The backup role will remain important this year because Rudolph will need a year to learn the offense before he can ascend to that role. Maybe the Steelers come up with some mysterious injury late in camp and Dobbs spends the year on IR. Then they can let Jones go after the season and bring back Dobbs with Rudolph as the second and third QBs.
DaquidoBazzini
12:00
Hello, Ray-I see talk by some fans that the Steelers can use multiple Safeties as opposed to an ILB. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that a pipe dream )other than obvious passing downs)?This defense need to improve on stopping the run per Art Rooney.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:02
Right. You have to stop the run on the early downs to even get into your subpackages. If teams get 5 yards a carry against the Steelers base defense they won't be subbing in extra receivers because they won't need to throw the ball. Looks like there will be a lot of pressure on Vince Williams and Jon Bostic along with Javon Hargrave. They need to play better than they did in the playoffs.
KingMatt
12:02
When are the Steelers finally going to play more man to man coverage consistently on defense? Last year they seemed to shy away from it until the patriots game where they seemed to only play man to man. Wouldn’t they be better off using more man def all season long?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:03
Tom Bradley says he prefers man to man coverage. Carnell Lake said he would like to use it more last year at this time and we all saw what happened. I guess I'm like you. I'll believe it when I see it more.
DaquidoBazzini
12:03
Ray-Do any ILBs come to mind (besides Timmons & NaVorro) that some team might want to part with?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:03
The Steelers got Joe Haden a week before the season started. There will always be a surprise cut or two. But right now? Timmons and Bowman are probably the two biggest names on the open market. And they're probably on the open market for a reason.
Al in NJ
12:04
Ray, no offense to you or anyone else, but it's become pretty clear in recent years that no one in the media is really very good at predicting who NFL teams will pick. Why do you think mock drafts continue draw so much interest?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:06
Did you see the ratings for the draft. We can't write about the draft enough. People have huge appetites for draft coverage. And by the way, the Steelers wanted to Rashaan Evans. The Titans traded up and got him before the Steelers could. I wrote the Steelers liked him and were going to draft him if he was available. But that was the big question all along. Would any of the top four ILBs still be there at No. 28. They weren't and quite obviously the Steelers didn't like any of the second-tier ILBs in the ensuing rounds. They passed on Malik Jefferson in the third round and took a QB who might not play for three years instead. It just doesn't appear they liked any of the ILBs after the top four.
Scott in Dallas
12:06
Good Morning Sir. Is the DT from Alabama we took late a true run stopping NT?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:08
We'll have to wait and see. New D-line coach Karl Dunbar coached him for the past two years at Alabama so he is familiar with him. I became intrigued with this pick when Dunbar said he played as a freshman and then lost his job to Da'Ron Payne after he suffered an injury. Dunbar said he was "Wally Pipped." We'll see if he can play in camp and the preseason games. If he can, he'll have a shot to make the 53-man roster because the Steelers certainly can upgrade from Daniel McCullers, who spent all last season on the 53-man roster even though they almost never used him.
Steeler Fan In Cincy
12:08
Ray living in Cincy my neighbors think they hit the mother load in the draft with 11 picks to the Bengals. I try to explain to them it's ownership and culture that's costing them a championship but they don't agree. Being a media man, what's the word outside Cincinnati that's the Bengals problem?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:09
Marvin Lewis, Mike Brown and anyone else who enables all the abhorrent behavior that goes on inside and outside of their facility.
BIG J
12:09
Hey Ray, thanks for your time. I sure hope Bostic can stay healthy and or Dirty Red can actually be a starter   if need be. I'm still very concerned how Tomlin will stop the run. Your thoughts??
Ray Fittipaldo
12:10
Bostic's health has always been an issue. It's probably the reason he's bounced around so much. Colbert made it a point to mention Matakevich this weekend. I think they still like him. However, he's coming off a shoulder injury too, an injury that prevented him from being used on defense over the final month of the season.
Scott in Dallas
12:10
Was J. Dobbs that unimpressive to the coaching staff that they felt the need to draft another QB or is it an indictment of L. Jones as the backup?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
I think the former. And Colbert said the value getting Rudolph in the third round was too good to pass up. Colbert said the pick didn't shed a bad light on Jones or Dobbs even though obviously one of them won't be on the 53-man roster in the fall.
Steeler Fan In Cincy
12:11
Ray, with the Samuels kid from NC State being a 5th round pick, does that say goodbye to Fitz Toussaint?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
I would think so. It might even mean good bye for either Stevan Ridley or James Conner although I don't think they've given up on Conner just yet. He just has to stay healthy.
Steeler Fan In Cincy
12:12
Ray, are you surprised by the Bryant trade and that Oakland gave a 3rd round pick? Seems Gruden wouldn't want the distraction
Ray Fittipaldo
12:13
The Raiders seem to thrive with distractions. Maybe they can be like the Steelers of 2017. Ha ha. Seriously, Gruden is going back to old school Raiders football with some of offseason moves.
Scott in Dallas
12:13
What do you see as the 3 biggest questions that need to be answered before the season starts to legitimize the Steelers as a SB contender?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:14
1. Is the ILB talent and depth good enough? 2. How will the rookie safeties be implemented, if at all? 3. Can the offense be prolific enough to carry a defense that is undergoing a bit of a facelift?
Steeler Fan In Cincy
12:14
Ray, when does rookie mini camp and OTA's start?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
Rookie minicamp is next week. OTAs begin 2 weeks after that.
Grave Digger 1967
12:15
Ray...I loved the Steelers selections and I'm not a huge Colbert fan..he drafted a Safety who can play immediately and is an upgrade over Mitchell and James Washington is an upgrade over Martavis...and you roll the dice on Mason Rudolph...3 quality picks...I give it an A...do you agree?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
I'm not so sure Edmunds starts right away. That's why they signed Morgan Burnett. Maybe Edmunds will earn that job at some point as a rookie, but I would guess he begins his career as a dime linebacker.
Jeff
12:16
I had heard Edmunds was a late 2 or even 3 Rd, Why would we place such value in him. Is he 1st Rd talent.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:17
He obviously was rated much higher on the Steelers board. When you say late second or third round talent you realize you are referencing the thoughts of "draft analysts", many of whom don't have the credentials to grade players in the first place.
Jeff
12:17
Ive been hearing alot good stuff bout this RB we drafted could he soon take over the "Bell"cow role.
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