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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 9.18.17
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Ray Fittipaldo
11:55
Welcome to my Steelers chat. Let's get started.
Sheff
11:56
Why was Harrison not in the game after Watt left it due to injury?  It is a mistake to assume he has nothing left in the tank.  Are they saving him for late this season and the playoffs?  If so, why dress him at all?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:58
Well, the coaches like Anthony Chickillo and it appears they now view him as the top reserve OLB. He had a terrific game against Cleveland when Dupree was out and he played the rest of the game yesterday after Watt left the game. I did not attend Tomlin's press conference because I was in the locker room interviewing players, but I am told he was not asked about it after the game. I am guessing he'll be asked about it tomorrow. It could just be that they don't want to overuse him early in the season, but I think it has more to do with Chickillo than anything else.
JJ
11:58
Ray:  Would it be cruel or unjust to point out that with the salary paid to 26 this year, his 138 yds from scrimmage thus far has cost the Steelers in excess of $10,000 per yard ?
Ray Fittipaldo
11:59
Nice math skills. The Vikings are a pretty good defense. I might start to become concerned if the numbers don't improve versus the Bears. Bell said he feels close to breaking out. The Bears aren't very good so maybe it happens in Chicago.
Sheff
11:59
Did you find the pace of the game to be tedious and slow even by normal NFL standards?  It seemed that no one could sustain any offense.  Adding in penalties and commercials it was an awful game to watch.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:00
Yes. Gene Collier wrote about the number of penalties and just how bad that game was to watch. Maybe this is what happens when teams don't play their stars in the preseason.
Sheff
12:00
How did the secondary fare?  It seemed like they did an awful job but were saved by Keenum and the pass rush.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:01
Keenum only had 167 yards. Listen, you play who's on your schedule. The Steelers won't apologize for beating a backup QB. This happens every week in the NFL. Teams have injuries. They have pros replacing them. I thought the secondary was fine except for that third-and-20 when they let Kyle Rudolph get a first down. That was a disgrace.
Justin - FL
12:02
Hey Ray, Other than an answer like "they feel Chickallo is better right now" what do you make of James H not playing at all after Watt was hurt?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:03
I was a bit surprised, but honestly if they rode the hot had, what's wrong with that? I think they know what Harrison can provide. They might have a feeling Chickillo is ascending and has more potential at this point of his career.
Sheff
12:03
With these injuries piling up, how do you explain the consistent pressure generated by the front 7?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:03
Improved depth. Chickillo is a much better player this season than last. And Tyson Alualu is a much better player than Ricardo Mathews.
Sheff
12:04
Did Rhodes really effectively shut down Brown?  It sure seemed that way for the most part.  How many CBs have been able to do that to Brown?  I think it was Richard Sherman and that's it.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:04
Yes, very impressed with the job Rhodes did. Brown got most of those yards late on some crossing routes when the Vikings might have been in a zone. When Rhodes had Brown man-to-man he was winning most of those matchups.
Sheff
12:04
Is it just me, or is Jesse James looking more and more like Heath Miller every week?  With the exception of his limited blocking skills, he sure has good hands.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:05
Heath Miller was much better running after the catch, at least early in his career before his legs went. James nevr had that ability, but he does have a good set of hands and makes the necessary catches.
Sheff
12:06
Even though we have lots of injuries piling up on defense, it seems as though the Steelers are far better off than many other teams losing players for the season left and right.  Agree or disagree?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:06
That's correct. As I pointed out earlier their quality depth is much better this season across the board on defense.
Sheff
12:06
When Tuitt comes back do they expect him to play at 100% or does his injury limit his strength?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:07
When he does come back he'll have the biceps close to full strength. I don't think they're going to rush him back.
Sheff
12:07
Did you see Ben twist his angle and knee on that one play?  How lucky are we that it was nothing serious?  People say Ben is more fragile than most but at least on that occasion his toughness showed.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:07
Yes I saw it. Villanueva got pushed back into him. Not a good day for Villanueva although Tomlin said he was sick all week. So maybe that explains some of the issues he had.
Sheff
12:08
What did you think of Bell's performance?  He looked better than last week, but I kept thinking they should have thrown his way more when the run game was ineffective.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:09
The run game was effective enough. 87 yards on 27 carries kept the Vikings defense honest. They were able to get some one-on-one matchups with their WRs down the field, and they took advantage. That does not happen if the Vikings don't respect Bell's running ability.
Ron
12:09
I was looking back at the first round of the 2013 draft. At #17 we took Jarvis Jones. At #25 the Minnesota Vikings took Xavier Rhodes. (Makes you kind of sick doesn't it?) Will Tomlin & Colbert ever appreciate the greater value of an elite secondary over receivers and running backs? Rhodes pretty much blanketed our multi million dollar Antonio Brown.
Ray Fittipaldo
12:11
Good point, but fans can do that with virtually any team and criticize the GM. They don't get every pick right. I think you've seen a little bit of a change in philosophy the past few years with their drafting. They took Artire Burns and Sean Davis 1-2 last year and used a third-round pick on Cam Sutton this year. It used to be they'd wait until the fifth round, and that guy wouldn't even make it out of training camp.
Sheff
12:11
Sometimes I wonder if receivers were getting open downfield.  it seemed as though Ben was constantly going deep instead of looking for intermediate routes.  is that by design or was Ben too ambitious?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
I think they wanted to take some shots when there was single coverage. As David DeCastro noted after the game, "Why not?" when you have the types of weapons the Steelers have.
Dude_From_Cali
12:12
How long do you think it will be until the Steelers offense reaches the elite form we know they can reach?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:12
They play Chicago this week. Don't think the Bears are very good so maybe everyone will stop complaining by this time next week.
Rod Rust
12:12
Tomlin looks like going for 2 is the philosophy again..why and why aren't other teams doing this and do you agree with this?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:13
The math says it makes sense for all teams to do it, but you have to have confidence in your QB and your playmakers. That can come back to bite you if you go for it and don't make them.
Dallas from Florida
12:13
Hey Ray, do you see next week's game as a bit of a trap game for the Steelers?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:14
Nah. If they're a Super Bowl contender they go to Chicago and take care of business. If they don't it's time to reevaluate our view of this team.
Scott in Amsterdam
12:14
Heard anything else about the Lawrence Timmons situation? I don't recall him ever missing a game with the Steelers!
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
No he never missed a game with the Steelers. Hopefully, he's all right, but I don't know any details of what happened.
william
12:15
do you feel it would be better to let bell enter free agency and save cap than franchise him next year?
Ray Fittipaldo
12:15
Ask me in January or February.
Joe B
12:16
Is it just me or does Bell look a little slow? I know he's a patient runner, but he seems to be missing the burst when there is an opening and gets tackled from behind a lot.
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