You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 5.7.18
powered byJotCast
Ray Fittipaldo
11:57
Ok let's get started
Marty
11:57
Do you think the drafting of Rudolph in the 3rd round was a wasted pick as was the drafting of Dobbs last year a wasted pick?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:58
We'll have to wait and see. If Rudolph is Roethlisberger's successor and wins a bunch of games then it will be a good pick. If he ends up being the next Jimmy Garoppolo and never succeeds Roethlisberger then obviously it's not a good pick. No way to tell right now.
Perry
11:58
I'm still confused about the anxiety over not drafting an inside linebacker.  Since we only run out of a base defense about 30% of the time, (and have acquired Bostic for that role, at least in the short term)doesn't it make sense to draft a safety/linebacker hybrid who can play in a dime, big nickel, and possibly nickel packages?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:00
I think you answered your own question somewhere in there. Boiled down, Bostic is replacing Ryan Shazier and most people don't view that as a positive. While the Steelers were not going to get another Shazier at No. 28 I think Rashaan Evans would have been viewed by many Steelers fans as an upgrade over Bostic.
Guest
12:01
Thoughts on quadree henderson?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:02
Only shot to make it is on special teams. He never really produced as a slot WR at Pitt. He was more of a gadget player, a guy who took jet sweeps and made them into big plays. So he'll have to prove he can be a viable slot option as a WR. I think he is a long shot to make the 53-man roster.
Kingmatt
12:02
Regarding L. Bell. Who in their right mind would pay a RB 17 mil a year! The Steelers should go back and watch the tape when we had deangelo Williams in the back field.. the offense didn’t skip a beat. I believe le’veon is mainly a product of the system and if he really wants that ridiculous amount of money he can go to a losing team and watch his production fall off a cliff.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:05
Well, the Steelers would pay him $14.5 million so they obviously value what he brings to the table. Not sure if they'll budge in their negotiation, but it's hard to watch this team and not value what Bell brings to the offense. He's a good runner, an excellent receiver out of the backfield, and he can pick up blitzes. My only issue is his inability to break long runs in recent years. That's the reason I wouldn't go much above $14.5 a year. He just doesn't make a lot of big plays for you in the running game.
Federico Lopez-Conde
12:05
Who could be the 3rd QB next season ?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:05
I am assuming it will be Rudolph to start the season and likely end the season, unless there is an injury.
DaquidoBazzini
12:05
Hello Ray - Can you elaborate a bit as to why you think Mason Rudolph slipped to the 3rd round?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:07
Well, five QBs went in the first round so a lot of teams with needs at QB obviously had that need filled early. No QBs taken at all in the second round so it is a little strange that he fell all the way to No. 76. Kevin Colbert said he had a first-round grade on Rudolph. Maybe the Steelers had him valued higher than other team or perhaps other teams had to fill other needs before finding a QB.
mtsteel
12:07
Hi Ray and thanks. So Ben's comments about Rudolph. I do agree with him, he said to the FO he intends to be three 3 years at least.  So how does that pick help the team now? Why not wait a year or two for the successor pick? The only thing I feel, is Ben should have kept his thoughts in house. Your thoughts? Thanks
Ray Fittipaldo
12:09
Roethlisberger is right. The pick does not help the team now. Then again, there are no assurances another third-round pick would have either. I don't necessarily think what Ben said was wrong and or that he needed to keep it in-house. I just think the part about sending Rudolph to the playbook if he had any questions was a bit over the top. I mean, Rudolph simply said he didn't want to bother Roethlisberger, and he kind of turned it into something else without merit.
mtsteel
12:10
Hi Ray and thank you for your time.  The Steelers players maintain that the secondary issues last season were mainly "communication based". That being said, who's the culprit? All of them? The guys that are gone? As a fan who was very frustrated with their play last year, I'd hope we dont have to repeat/hear about the same issue next season.  Thanks
Ray Fittipaldo
12:10
I am sure several players at one time or another had mistakes in that regard. But the free safety is the signal caller for the defense and the fact that Mitchell is no longer here likely speaks to his inability to do that job exceedingly well.
DaquidoBazzini
12:11
Ray- Is there any ILB out there that you might foresee being available in a trade between now and TC?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
More likely than a trade would be waiting for a team to cut someone late in camp and then pick him up and sign him to the 53-man roster.
Al in NJ
12:11
Ray, do Ben's comments about the Rudolf pick surprise you?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
Read above. Not surprised except for the part about pointing him to the playbook.
Brij
12:12
Ben is an elite quarterback and future Hall Of Famer. Why does he continue to act immature and create unwanted noise each and every season? Mason Rudolf has fared better than Ben in the latest exchange. Ben sets a wrong precedent for a talented but already distracted locker room.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:13
More drama! Just what this team needs.
Jacob
12:13
I understand that Ben doesn't have to like a third round QB being drafted, but doesn't it strike you as odd that he would have the thinnest of skin to call out his employers? Are you that insecure that you have to question the abilities of your bosses? That's just stupidity on display in my humble opinion. Your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
Roethlisberger knew this team was close last season. He thought they might use the draft picks to address the defense. The front office did not. He was merely saying what a lot of us were thinking. It doesn't make him a bad person.
Steeler fan in New England
12:15
2018 draft shows Colbert’s genius. I know that fans and pundits alike hated the draft selections however this draft will free up 1m from Bryant, 3m for Wilcox, 14.5 for Bell, 20m for Ben, 5m for Mitchell as well as replace Hubbard. It sets up this franchise for the future while allowing us to compete this year. Will allow us to target free agents and sign our own moving forward. How can anyone be so blind not to recognize the net gain especially since there was no ILB worthy of a top pick?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:16
Colbert will be a genius is Rudolph is a really good QB who someday becomes Roethlisberger's successor. By the way, he's done pretty well in his 18 years as GM to this point.
Jacob
12:17
Ray, I'm not asking for names, but last year, were there any players that from being around the locker room as often as you may be (far more than probably everyone else on this chat) were on the spectrum of locker room cancer to disliked or just a negative influence? Are there still?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:18
Looking back, it's hard not to recognize James Harrison was a locker room cancer in some ways. It was quite obvious players in that locker room had lost respect for him and the way he handled his final year with the team. That's the most obvious one.
Jacob
12:18
Odds of Steelers getting a deal inked to keep Le'Veon on the team longer than a year? We keep cutting higher cap players like Wilcox and Mitchell so do you see that as a potential move to have room for Mr. Bell?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:18
Not optimistic. I say 15 percent.
Jacob
12:18
Without signing a big ILB name or drafting one who would be a 3 down player, can we really make this work employing more LB-sized Safeties rather than the opposite in Shazier? I know it's a bit of a wait and see situation, but I'm very interested in your perspective on the feasibility of such a peculiar predicament we find ourselves in on D.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:20
The potential predicament is whether Bostic can hold up in his role. The part about safeties being dime LBs isn't that big of a deal. Really, you're talking about Terrell Edmunds taking over for William Gay. If Edmunds comprehends the defense and can play fast that should be an immediate upgrade. The issue for me is this: Is this defense going to be able to stop the run effectively with Jon Bostic as the ILB replacement for Shazier?
jim
12:20
Like most Steeler fans ,I am still searching for bright spots in this years draft! I am looking for anything that can justify our way too many offensive picks.When our obvious need is linebackers and we choose none? Do you think the Steelers have something different in mind ? Are we doomed to having to score 35 points or more to win every game?Please, I would appreciate anything to make this better!
Ray Fittipaldo
12:22
Eventually, Edmunds will become a starter and I think Burnett could settle into the dime linebacker role. But that won't happen right away. Washington is expected to come in and play right away. Randy Ficthner came out and said that. As always, if the top two picks do well there won't be many issues with the draft. So I'd say this: Watch and see how Edmunds and Washington develop before you say anything definitive about this draft class. And wait three years before grading it. It takes time.
Steelers47
12:22
Hello Ray - wouldn't you say adding another Body at ILB is a Must? very think there - Timmons and NVarro are still there and both would be solid 2 down backers.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:23
Not sure it's a must, but I wouldn't be surprised if they made a move.
Scott in Dallas
12:23
From Peter King MMQB:
2016 Ben: I’m thinking about retiring.
2017 Ben: Man, I’m probably going to retire.
2018 Ben: Why did they draft a QB in the 3rd round?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:25
That's kind of a simplistic national view to be honest with you. Around here, we all kind of know Roethlisberger's tune changed as soon as Todd Haley was fired. Almost immediately, the retirement talk changed to "I want to play 2-3 more years." Then after Rudolph was drafted it was "I want to play 3-5 more years. So Roethlisberger's retirement talk was more about Haley than anything else. Not sure the national people picked up on that. I am sure the Steelers realized that was part of the equation, too.
Johnny2.0
12:25
Can we expect significant improvement on the defensive line next year? I thought we had a pro bowl type player in Tuitt...and I thought Hargrave showed flashes early on.  Both of those players were dreadful in the second half of the season..and especially the playoffs.  I watched them closely...they made very little plays, or provided any pressure.  Was a lot of it nagging injuries?
Load More Messages
Connecting…