December 10, 2025 • 27 mins
Ray Fittpaldo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette joins Jacob and Ed to discuss the matchup between the Steelers defense and the Dolphins running offense, the future of position groups such as the defensive line and wide receivers, and the controversial referee job from the Ravens game.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Back here on the Steelers Standard. I am a troop
with Jacob Brixt on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the
Steelers Audio Network. It's now time for our Steeler Spotlight segment,
where each and every week we talk with Ray Fittopaldo
from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Ray, Hello, and welcome back
into the Steeler Standard. We understand, unlike last week, you're inside,
(00:24):
you're warm, your comfy, and there is no Steeler practice today, right.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, no frostbite this week, so I will gladly take
victory Wednesday. A little bit of a different schedule this
week with the Monday night game, but yeah, guys, I
will certainly take it. That was brutal last week.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
The Steelers will need an extra day of rest this week.
They got some injuries that came out of this big
victory against the Ravens. Ray and Mike Tolin updated all
of you and all of us yesterday on some of
those players. The biggest name on that list is Derek Carmon,
who's missed the last couple of games. They will need
him this upcoming Monday night to slow down this rushing
attack by the Miami Dolphin Dolphins that's been very good
(01:06):
with h chan in company with he's now third in
the NFL and rushing with over eleven hundred yards, a
league best five point yards per carry. Hopefully they get
Derek Harmon back this week, right, because they're gonna need
him against eight Chan and company.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, I mean, listen, h chan Is is really really good.
He's not the name that Derek Henry is or next
week we'll be talking about Jamir Gibbs. But this guy's
having a great season. And you know, to your point,
Derek Harmon in the four games that he's missed this year,
the Steers gave up one hundred and eighty two yards
(01:42):
against the Jets, one hundred and seventeen against the Seahawks,
and then two forty nine against the Bills in two
seventeen last week against the Ravens, So three of the
worst performances and not that you know, the Seattle game
was anything great, it was still over one hundred yards,
but three of their worst performances this year have come
(02:04):
when he's been out of the lineup. So you know,
Mike Tomlin had acknowledged yesterday how important he was. You know,
for a rookie, you wouldn't usually expect to see those
kinds of splits when he's playing and not playing. But
that goes to show you how important first round pick
can be if you hit on it. And the Steelers
need him back in the lineup asap because h Ham
(02:26):
and that Dolphin's running attack has gotten it going in
the last couple of weeks and that's a big part
of the reason why they've won four in a row
and five out of their last six.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Ray, were you surprised by the victory in Baltimore last
week against the Ravens? And the second part of that question,
I think all of us who at least had a
good feeling are potential good feeling of the Steelers playing
well in that game, were probably surprised that it was
seventeen to three, that they jumped out to the early
lead and had complete control of that football game early
on in on the road in a hostile environment like Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah. I mean, anyone who's watched the Steelers over the
years with Tom One knows that his teams usually respond. Now,
you know, they had lost five of seven, so you know,
you you never know when it's going to come or
if the team's going to be able to pull itself,
you know, out of the misery that were that they're in.
But you know, it's always a possibility with tom one
(03:26):
and the fact that it came in Baltimore when it did,
with the playoffs basically on the line. I'm sure you
guys have seen the percentages you know, they had had
they won the game, had they lost the game. I mean,
it was basically, you know, a playing game for them,
and for them to respond the way they did was
really good. It's it's kind of been their formula all year.
(03:47):
You know. It wasn't the run defense that's been inconsistent. Uh,
it's been the turnovers, the timely turnovers, and the offense
capitalizing on that and getting them out to a lead
and you know, finding a way to hang on. So
I again, I don't know that it's sustainable, but there
if you go back and look at the Patriots game,
and you look at the Colts game and this past
(04:09):
Ravens game, they've all been pretty similar. Turnovers have played
a big part in the outcome of those football games.
And give the Steelers credit. I just wonder, is that
something you're going to be able to count on every
single week if you want to be a successful team
down the stretch and into the postseason.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Yeah, you have to think I agree with you Ray
that you know you got to find a way in
these last four games. And we talked about it last
week here on the Standard, Jacob and I did several
times about especially about Aaron Rodgers and his struggles. How
can you get the most out of a now forty
two year old quarterback in these final at the time
five games. Now we're down to four games of this
season and try to basically recreate a game plan every
(04:50):
week where you're not putting him in positions that you
were there for at midway through the season when he
was struggling getting sacked in the backfield, turning the football
over thrown in her options. Last week they seemed to
clean that up because they allowed him to open up
and throw the ball downfield, attack the middle of the
football field and ultimately just made quicker decisions and not
standing back in the pocket and potentially giving the game away.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah. I mean, you know, the Ravens game, they really
played the Steelers unlike many teams have this year. We've
talked a lot of the season about Steelers throwing underneath
to their tight ends and running backs because they weren't
getting those single high safety looks. They were getting a
lot of too deep looks where these were being very
(05:35):
careful and they weren't letting DK Metcalf become a factor
in these football games. And for whatever reason, guys, I
don't know why. I mean, the Ravens DC zach Orr
is probably gonna get asked this question this week, but
it was almost like they were daring the Steelers to
see if Metcalf and Rogers could beat them, and they
(05:57):
certainly did. They did it early or didnting adjust, and
they were able to do that throughout the football game.
So that was really good to see. You know, Rogers
kind of returned to you know, the quarterback he was
early in the season, not turning it over making some
big plays, and you need that big, big play element
(06:17):
and that's quick strike element if you're going to be
a dangerous offensive football team, you know, for long stretches
of the season, and we didn't see that with the Steelers,
And right, like I said, it was nice to see
it against the Ravens and we'll see if they can
continue it here over the final four games of the
regular season and into the playoffs if they get there.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
We're talking with Ray fit Apaldo from the Pittsburgh Post
Gazette in our weekly Steelers Spot Like Say segment here
on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers audio network,
the Steeler Standard, And Ray, I want to talk to
you about Jalen Warren rushing wise his last five games.
Let me take you back to the Chargers game. Fourteen
carries for seventy yards against Cincinnati here at home, ten
(06:57):
carries for sixty two yards, ten carries for sixty eight
yards at Chicago, ten carries for thirty five yards versus
the Bills. Eight carries for thirteen yards last week for
the Ravens. You can see where I'm going with this.
Less and less each week. He's only had one one
hundred yard game so far this season. That was at
Cincinnati when he went for a buck twenty seven. How
(07:17):
would you counter guys Warren's performance so far this season
with those numbers? Has it been disappointing at this point?
He certainly is not an RB one that's going to
put up over one hundred yards each and every week, right, No,
And he's.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Not that type of back, and the Steelers have that situation.
With Kenneth catawhere where they're splitting the carries. So these numbers,
you know, would never approach that. But I don't necessarily
judge Game Row or Warren based on the running game.
I think there's a lot of factors that go into it.
(07:53):
You know, Mike Tomlin mentioned yesterday the loss of Darnell
Washington really, you know, really hurt their ability to run
the football against the Ravens. I think the Steeers offensive
line has been inconsistent run blocking all season, so that
plays into it. And when I when I evaluate the
running backs, both Warren and Gain will I give them
(08:15):
positive reviews over the cot of the entire season. I mean,
they look at what they've done as receivers out of
the backfield, look at their touchdown production, Uh they're you know,
their their short yardage production, either as running backs or receivers.
All those metrics are really really good. So you look
(08:36):
at it from a traditional running back standpoint, no, he's
not having a great season, But when you look at
it under the scope of what the Steelers offense is
and how he and Game will contribute to it, I
actually think both those guys have been you know, to
Borrow a phrase from Mike Collumin above the line this season.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Now to your point, Ray, when you take a look
at the receiving numbers, they're pretty good game well, fifty
receptions two hundred and eighty six yards on the season
and two touchdowns in the air warn thirty receptions for
two hundred and seventy seven yards and two catches as well.
This just isn't your traditional Pittsburgh Steeler throw running down
your throat. You're gonna have over you know, one hundred
(09:17):
carries in a few games and put up over you know,
close to one thousand yards.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
That philosophy obviously has changed. They're more of a passing
offense and they're trying to utilize these running backs more
out of the backfield throwing the football. But let me
pivot and just follow up that question for you looking
ahead to twenty twenty six and beyond, do you think
they'll try to go acquire a big running back that
they used to have that type of performance via the
draft or free agency or do you think this is
(09:42):
the new offense moving forward with their running backs?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Oh, I mean, certainly with Arthur Smith. He really likes
Jalen Warren, and I think you know, his usage of
Kenneth Gainwell really tells you what he thinks for him too.
He really thinks highly right, they just bet a third
round pick on Caleb Johnson. They're trying to sprinkle him
(10:06):
into the offense, but it's been really tough. I think,
you know, Caleb Johnson needs one of those guys maybe
to have an injury for him to get his foot
in the door and really show the Steelers what he
can do. It's just he hasn't had that opportunity this season.
So I'm not necessarily of the opinion going into free
agency or the draft as the Steelers have to go
(10:27):
out and use a lot of their resources on a
running back. To me, the number one thing that offense
needs is a receiver, a big time receiver. Yep. Of
course the Francise quarterback. So right there, I think receiver
quarterback is you know where I'm spending my first round
pick either or you look at the defense too. You know,
(10:49):
you could certainly make an argument for drafting a defensive
lineman in the first round of Cam Hayward probably done
after this year or if not the year after, and cornerback.
I mean, how long can they continue to go year
to year with the corners, the old guys. We saw
it didn't work out with Laigh. This year, they got
to invest in some young defensive back, so I would
(11:11):
think corner would be the place they want to go to.
So I you know, to me, if you're asking me,
I'm very happy with their running back situation right now.
And I think you just have to kind of wait
on Caleb Johnson until he gets his opportunity, and you
see if he pans out.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
I'm with your ay, it's it's unfortunate the Caleb Johnson
experiment this year.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Maybe in year two he takes that leap.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
But I kind of side with you because I think
there are much more pressing needs throughout the rest of
the team. And you know, we talked about corner wide receiver.
You could go either way. You want to always have
some defensive line depth. We kind of compared it earlier
today to the approach that they took kind of building
up the offensive line, where they've they've taken four guys
(11:53):
in the last what two years to really revamp that
offensive line. They obviously took Benton and Yah Yeah Black
and Derek Harmon. Bent's taking a little while to progress.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yah.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, Black tape is still out. He hasn't gotten enough experience.
He's going to make his first start this week.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Is that what we assume?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Or maybe he'll just get some more reps this week
if if Derek Harmon's not back out there.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, I think Black is going to be a big
part of it. I think you guys saw he played
like sixty some snaps of the seventy seven in that
football game, so they're they're learning to count on him
more and more. I mean, he's not a finished product.
He's not like Derek Harmon. Like Derek Harmon had the
pedigree as a first round pick. I don't want to
(12:38):
say Black is a project, but he's coming on. And
I think, you know, sometimes young guys mature at different
ways and they have to learn, you know, how to
produce and how to play. And you know, we were
discussing early in the season, you know, is he a
four I technique or is he a nosegard I think
(13:00):
you saw when Beton went out of that football game
for a short while, Black went into play nose guard
and I thought he was okay in that role. And
then when when Betton re entered the game after he
checked out okay with his injury, Black went back outside.
So down the road, maybe he is a nose guard.
Maybe they do make that switch. But you know, for
right now, given the injuries that that Harmon has had
(13:23):
and him being pressed into duty maybe earlier than expect that,
I think they're happy with with his development so far, right.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
And so you got to add some more pieces there,
especially if Cam Hayward moves on. But looking around the
rest of the team wide receipt for corner we just
discussed it. The defensive line needs some help, and then
who knows what to do with the quarterback. We have
no idea if they're going to go out. Maybe I'm
not gonna say go get Philip Rivers because I think that's, uh,
that's kind of a wacky experiment. But if the right
(13:53):
guy is there, maybe they make that leap to get
to take the guy. Maybe they move up in the draft.
It's just another year, though it feels like three years
in a row, all three years that Omar Khan has
been at the Helm as a GM, it's been an
imperative year to make sure you get the draft right.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I think when he took over he
wanted to fortify the trenches. I think he's tried to
do that. It's been a slow process. It always is
when you're trying to rebuild your trenches. And I think
in due time that's going to be the strength of
this football team. And like the way the Steelers are
trying to hit it, whenever they do get that future
(14:31):
franchise quarterback, whether it's in the draft this year or
in twenty seven, or maybe they acquire him in a
different way, whenever you do that, you just want to
be able to have Okay, we have everything else in
place on amands, we have the line, we have the receivers,
we have the running back boom. The quarterback just steps
(14:52):
in kind of like the way Ben did back in
two thousand and four, and you know, you're setting as
an offense in your set as a football team. So
I think they're going about it the right way. But
I'm sure there's a little bit of nervousness or you know,
consternation within that building about Okay, we're building this the
(15:15):
right way, but until we get that guy, it's really
not going to be the way that we want it
to be. So it's it's that anticipation that nervous anticipation
of Okay, who's the guy? When do we get him?
How do we get him? And that's you know, that's
what this offseason is going to be all about. It's
a big off season again sure for Omar Khan and
(15:35):
Andy Whitel to get this roster again in contention and
in the place where they can contend with no matter
who the quarterback is where whether it's Aaron Rodgers or
a rookie next season.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Raise it too early to get into your mock drafts
for next year, right.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
I need a little bit of time, guys. I need
the season to May the end and a week or
two to look at it. But it's coming up soon.
Can't deny it. Once that season ends, everyone's going to
be focused on the draft. You know.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
That's one of my favorite things that I read that
you do every spring, So you know, I'm always looking
forward to the Ray fitt Apalto mock drafts and the
Pittsburghost Casett and you do a bunch of them throughout
the spring too, and Ed just the reminders who we're
talking to, and you can again you can catch Ray's
excellent coverage of the Black and Goal each and every
day in the Pittsburgh Post Casette Ray, Let's talk about
Roman Wilson next, while we still have you here for
(16:25):
a few more minutes. Wilson, who had been getting more
usage and separation recently, still only twelve catches in twelve games.
He was a healthy scratch. Last week. They elevated Adam
Thielen and Mvs to give those guys those spots, the
two veteran receivers. If nothing else, you know, a couple
catches here and there, but if nothing else, just gave
Aaron Rodgers a more veteran presence at that wide receiver
(16:48):
spots opposite of Austin and DK Metcalf. What do you
think is the plan for Roman Wilson or what do
you think will be seeing from Roman Wilson for the
remainder of the twenty twenty five season.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Well, he's got to stay ready in case there's another injury.
But I gotta be honest with you, if Tealon and
Mvs stay healthy, those guys are going to be on
the field. They just threw for a season high, right,
two hundred eighty four yards. You know you listen to
Aaron Rodgers talk after the game, even though they hadn't
produced big numbers. They were a big part of like
(17:22):
unlocking Dk Metcalf because they were running the right routes
and they knew where to be, and you know, they
were very much on their details. And we all know
how Aaron Rodgers likes to have everyone on that offense
to be on their details because he believes it's a
big part of whether the offense is successful or not.
So I would expect Heelan's percentages, not percentages, to go up,
(17:47):
same with MVS, And I think that's bad news for
Roman Wilson in Calvin Austin. You look at Calvin Austin.
Telon played twenty five snaps, Austin played sixteen. He s
played sixteen, so you know his usage is going to
go down too. So you know it's unfortunate for the
(18:08):
young guys. But Roman Wilson can't give up. I don't
think the Steelers are going to give up on Roman Wilson.
They're just trying to win as many football games here
down the stretch so they can get into the playoffs.
And it just turns out that Wilson wasn't going to
be a big part of that equation the season. But
I don't really read into anything beyond the season. He's
(18:28):
still got two years left on his rookie contract. I'm
not going to say he's a bust just yet, but
it's not right right now. It's not trending in a
positive direction for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
I know we just pivoted away from the draft talk Ray,
but I'm going to pivot us back simply because of
the wide receiver conversation. If you don't bring back a
guy the Aaron Rodgers, a veteran that can kind of
distribute the ball is something he's done over his entire career.
If you bring in a young guy to kind of
teach him to get used to dispersing the football to
multiple weapons, we probably don't expect if if Rogers doesn't
(19:01):
come back, Adam feeln or yes, the return next year.
You mentioned the back and forth, the up and down
play of Calvin Austin only having a handful of snaps,
Roman Wilson. No one can get a read on what
does the future of this wide receiver room look like
besides the DK Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, beyond DK Metcalf, it's up in the air, you know.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And if you want to bring in a young quarterback,
next year. You kind of have to give him the
best case scenario. You can't just give him one guy
to throw the ball to.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Absolutely, so you would have Dk Metcalf number one. If
Calvin Austin comes back, it's going to be on the Steelers' terms.
They are not going to overpay for Calvin Austin. Not
that he would get a big contract, but what I'm
saying is, if Calvin Austin comes back, he's gonna come
back for the veteran minimum or you know, something like
(19:51):
two million dollars a year. That's he's a number three
or a number four. That's kind of how they pay him,
I think. And Wilson will be back. But to me,
you got to go out and get a big time guy,
and probably in the draft if you can do that,
probably the first or second round pick. If you don't,
you know, use all those picks to go up and
(20:12):
get a quarterback. It's a great year. Four receivers in
the draft. You're definitely gonna be able to get a
starter in the first round. You might be able to
get a starting caliber receiver in the second round too,
So that that would be the most ideal way to
go out and acquire one. But if not, you know,
maybe you do have to go out and spend a
(20:33):
little bit of money in free agency on a receiver.
But my preference is, and you guys know the way
college football is nowadays, these guys are coming out every
single year. They're more explosive, they're more athletic, they're faster.
Go get that young guy that you can build around
who can be your next DK Metcalf, so you don't
have to go out and use your your second round
(20:55):
picks and you know, one hundred and fifty million dollar
contracts to go out and get that. I get back
to drafting and developing those receivers like you used to.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Ray, Jacob's ready for the mock drafts.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Obviously, he's you know.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
He's an Indiana. Who's your guy, So he's riding that
wave right now with Indiana. Yep, Ray, let's talk. I
want to get your take on the likely touchdown. We've
heard about it all week from a lot of different people,
but what was your take on the likely touchdown that
Dan got reversed? Your initial reaction when it happened, and
then afterwards your reaction, well, I.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Thought it was a touchdown, and then you know, you know,
every scoring play is reviewed in the NFL, and it
was taking a while. So as I looked up to
the televisions in the press box, I was like, you know,
what does he get that third step down? You know,
Joey Porter knocks it out there? Like the point is
we like, no one really has a good feel for
(21:51):
what a catch is anymore, right, Uh, It's just it's
too convoluted of a rule. I think there's different interpretation
of different officiating crews. And obviously, you know, there was
this Butterworth in New York who did the pool report
after the game. He's making that call from New York.
(22:12):
I think his title was the VP of Officiating or
something like that. So by the letter of the law,
they made the right call. That's the way the rule
was written. But I think ninety percent of the people
who watched that on TV thought, okay, touchdown, Steelers are behind.
They're gonna have to find a way to go down
(22:34):
and score. So I guess it's good for the Steelers
that it worked out that way, but is it really
good for football? Like do you really want this happening
in a big football game at a crucial time? And
we went through this in twenty seventeen with Jesse James
and zach Ertz a couple of weeks later in the
end zone, very similar play to Jesse James for the Eagles,
(22:57):
and that was Roal to touchdown in the Super Bowl
helped the Eagles win. So it's like one interpretation there,
one interpretation another place. It's just it's been an ongoing
issue for the NFL. I don't think it's good for
the NFL. But obviously great news for the Steelers on
Sunday because they put them in first place.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
It was good news until I started thinking to myself
they should have scored, because now if they score their
touchdown a couple minutes later, they're gonna take too much
time off the clock and the Steelers won't have enough
time to get Bass in the game winning field goal range.
But hey, give credit where credit is due. The defense
stepped up and made the right play. Gy Ray. Last
question for you the Steelers Monday Night football. They've won
(23:37):
twenty two straight games on Monday Night. It goes all
the way back to the Bill Cower years. Mike Tomlin
is undefeated ten and zero on Monday Nights, twenty one
to three overall on Monday night football. As coach Mike Tomlin,
the Steelers as an organization just very good on Monday Night,
especially at home. What's the secret formula you think for
the Steelers at home on Monday Night?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I don't know. But why is such a between between
Monday night and Sunday?
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Exactly?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
I mean exactly, you play so bad against the Bills,
Like why why is one day's difference? You know, a
big deal, But obviously it is. They get up from
Monday night football, certainly under my tom One. I don't
have an explanation, the rhyme or reason to it, but
it certainly bodes well for their playoff hopes for this
(24:27):
year because, as you guys know, if they just go
too and two down the street, so long as one
of those wins is against the Ravens and leak eighteen,
all you got to do is win one other game.
So if they get that Monday Night against the Dolphins,
take a little bit more pressure off, put the pressure
back on the Ravens. The Ravens have to keep winning.
It's a very important football game for the Steelers. So
(24:50):
we'll see if they can keep that streak going, get
it up to twenty three, and if they do, I
think they'll be in great shape.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
You gotta feel good, you gotta feel good about the
matchup on top the history surrounding the Steelers of Monday
Night football. But look at the Dolphins and their their
lack thereof for success playing on the road in cold
temperature games. In December, I think I saw a stat
where it said twas like I've a little had not
won a game where the temperature was above or sorry
rather below forty degrees, And I think the expected temperature
(25:20):
for kickoff is something like eighteen degrees on Monday night.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Yeah, probably the wind shills down maybe into the single day.
Just that would be great for the Steelers. But I
think the first time he did win was last week.
I think that was in New York.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
He finally Oh is that so he was undefeated or
he was winless until last week?
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Got it? Okay? I believe. So. I think that that
win against the Jets kind of made that record look
a little bit better. But hey, Jacob, there's a big
difference between forty six and sixteen, So I think, oh yeah,
the weather is definitely going to be in the Steelers
favor With the Dolphins up.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
North on Monday night, especially forty six in the meadowlands
compared to sixteen on the three Rivers with that windshill
coming off the rivers.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Yeah, coming out the water right when you're nice, When
you're nice, warm and cozy in the press box, be
thinking of me. I will be out in the stands
with both of us have boys that are the same age.
My son's turning fifteen this weekend and his birthday present
is me taking him to the Monday night football game.
And he picked a great game to go to when
it's eighteen degrees. So yeah, while you're nice and warm,
(26:27):
think of me and him out there freezing.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Hey, if you get cold, just go to the bathroom
and turn on the air dryers. And that's what I
would do.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
That is the advice from the Ray Fittapauldo. Thank you
Ray for joining us. We are we will talk to
you next week, all right, guys, take care. Ray Fitlapaludo
from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Again, you can catch raise
excellent coverage each and every day in the PG. When
Jacob and I come back, we'll get into our seven
shots of hits and seven shots of missus. It is
the Steeler Standard with Edge Troop and Jacob bret Here
(26:59):
on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network
Back here on the Steelers Standard. I am a troop
with Jacob Brixt on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the
Steelers Audio Network. It's now time for our Steeler Spotlight segment,
where each and every week we talk with Ray Fittopaldo
from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Ray, Hello, and welcome back
into the Steeler Standard. We understand, unlike last week, you're inside,
(00:24):
you're warm, your comfy, and there is no Steeler practice today, right.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, no frostbite this week, so I will gladly take
victory Wednesday. A little bit of a different schedule this
week with the Monday night game, but yeah, guys, I
will certainly take it. That was brutal last week.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
The Steelers will need an extra day of rest this week.
They got some injuries that came out of this big
victory against the Ravens. Ray and Mike Tolin updated all
of you and all of us yesterday on some of
those players. The biggest name on that list is Derek Carmon,
who's missed the last couple of games. They will need
him this upcoming Monday night to slow down this rushing
attack by the Miami Dolphin Dolphins that's been very good
(01:06):
with h chan in company with he's now third in
the NFL and rushing with over eleven hundred yards, a
league best five point yards per carry. Hopefully they get
Derek Harmon back this week, right, because they're gonna need
him against eight Chan and company.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, I mean, listen, h chan Is is really really good.
He's not the name that Derek Henry is or next
week we'll be talking about Jamir Gibbs. But this guy's
having a great season. And you know, to your point,
Derek Harmon in the four games that he's missed this year,
the Steers gave up one hundred and eighty two yards
(01:42):
against the Jets, one hundred and seventeen against the Seahawks,
and then two forty nine against the Bills in two
seventeen last week against the Ravens, So three of the
worst performances and not that you know, the Seattle game
was anything great, it was still over one hundred yards,
but three of their worst performances this year have come
(02:04):
when he's been out of the lineup. So you know,
Mike Tomlin had acknowledged yesterday how important he was. You know,
for a rookie, you wouldn't usually expect to see those
kinds of splits when he's playing and not playing. But
that goes to show you how important first round pick
can be if you hit on it. And the Steelers
need him back in the lineup asap because h Ham
(02:26):
and that Dolphin's running attack has gotten it going in
the last couple of weeks and that's a big part
of the reason why they've won four in a row
and five out of their last six.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Ray, were you surprised by the victory in Baltimore last
week against the Ravens? And the second part of that question,
I think all of us who at least had a
good feeling are potential good feeling of the Steelers playing
well in that game, were probably surprised that it was
seventeen to three, that they jumped out to the early
lead and had complete control of that football game early
on in on the road in a hostile environment like Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah. I mean, anyone who's watched the Steelers over the
years with Tom One knows that his teams usually respond. Now,
you know, they had lost five of seven, so you know,
you you never know when it's going to come or
if the team's going to be able to pull itself,
you know, out of the misery that were that they're in.
But you know, it's always a possibility with tom one
(03:26):
and the fact that it came in Baltimore when it did,
with the playoffs basically on the line. I'm sure you
guys have seen the percentages you know, they had had
they won the game, had they lost the game. I mean,
it was basically, you know, a playing game for them,
and for them to respond the way they did was
really good. It's it's kind of been their formula all year.
(03:47):
You know. It wasn't the run defense that's been inconsistent. Uh,
it's been the turnovers, the timely turnovers, and the offense
capitalizing on that and getting them out to a lead
and you know, finding a way to hang on. So
I again, I don't know that it's sustainable, but there
if you go back and look at the Patriots game,
and you look at the Colts game and this past
(04:09):
Ravens game, they've all been pretty similar. Turnovers have played
a big part in the outcome of those football games.
And give the Steelers credit. I just wonder, is that
something you're going to be able to count on every
single week if you want to be a successful team
down the stretch and into the postseason.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Yeah, you have to think I agree with you Ray
that you know you got to find a way in
these last four games. And we talked about it last
week here on the Standard, Jacob and I did several
times about especially about Aaron Rodgers and his struggles. How
can you get the most out of a now forty
two year old quarterback in these final at the time
five games. Now we're down to four games of this
season and try to basically recreate a game plan every
(04:50):
week where you're not putting him in positions that you
were there for at midway through the season when he
was struggling getting sacked in the backfield, turning the football
over thrown in her options. Last week they seemed to
clean that up because they allowed him to open up
and throw the ball downfield, attack the middle of the
football field and ultimately just made quicker decisions and not
standing back in the pocket and potentially giving the game away.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah. I mean, you know, the Ravens game, they really
played the Steelers unlike many teams have this year. We've
talked a lot of the season about Steelers throwing underneath
to their tight ends and running backs because they weren't
getting those single high safety looks. They were getting a
lot of too deep looks where these were being very
(05:35):
careful and they weren't letting DK Metcalf become a factor
in these football games. And for whatever reason, guys, I
don't know why. I mean, the Ravens DC zach Orr
is probably gonna get asked this question this week, but
it was almost like they were daring the Steelers to
see if Metcalf and Rogers could beat them, and they
(05:57):
certainly did. They did it early or didnting adjust, and
they were able to do that throughout the football game.
So that was really good to see. You know, Rogers
kind of returned to you know, the quarterback he was
early in the season, not turning it over making some
big plays, and you need that big, big play element
(06:17):
and that's quick strike element if you're going to be
a dangerous offensive football team, you know, for long stretches
of the season, and we didn't see that with the Steelers,
And right, like I said, it was nice to see
it against the Ravens and we'll see if they can
continue it here over the final four games of the
regular season and into the playoffs if they get there.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
We're talking with Ray fit Apaldo from the Pittsburgh Post
Gazette in our weekly Steelers Spot Like Say segment here
on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers audio network,
the Steeler Standard, And Ray, I want to talk to
you about Jalen Warren rushing wise his last five games.
Let me take you back to the Chargers game. Fourteen
carries for seventy yards against Cincinnati here at home, ten
(06:57):
carries for sixty two yards, ten carries for sixty eight
yards at Chicago, ten carries for thirty five yards versus
the Bills. Eight carries for thirteen yards last week for
the Ravens. You can see where I'm going with this.
Less and less each week. He's only had one one
hundred yard game so far this season. That was at
Cincinnati when he went for a buck twenty seven. How
(07:17):
would you counter guys Warren's performance so far this season
with those numbers? Has it been disappointing at this point?
He certainly is not an RB one that's going to
put up over one hundred yards each and every week, right, No,
And he's.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Not that type of back, and the Steelers have that situation.
With Kenneth catawhere where they're splitting the carries. So these numbers,
you know, would never approach that. But I don't necessarily
judge Game Row or Warren based on the running game.
I think there's a lot of factors that go into it.
(07:53):
You know, Mike Tomlin mentioned yesterday the loss of Darnell
Washington really, you know, really hurt their ability to run
the football against the Ravens. I think the Steeers offensive
line has been inconsistent run blocking all season, so that
plays into it. And when I when I evaluate the
running backs, both Warren and Gain will I give them
(08:15):
positive reviews over the cot of the entire season. I mean,
they look at what they've done as receivers out of
the backfield, look at their touchdown production, Uh they're you know,
their their short yardage production, either as running backs or receivers.
All those metrics are really really good. So you look
(08:36):
at it from a traditional running back standpoint, no, he's
not having a great season, But when you look at
it under the scope of what the Steelers offense is
and how he and Game will contribute to it, I
actually think both those guys have been you know, to
Borrow a phrase from Mike Collumin above the line this season.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Now to your point, Ray, when you take a look
at the receiving numbers, they're pretty good game well, fifty
receptions two hundred and eighty six yards on the season
and two touchdowns in the air warn thirty receptions for
two hundred and seventy seven yards and two catches as well.
This just isn't your traditional Pittsburgh Steeler throw running down
your throat. You're gonna have over you know, one hundred
(09:17):
carries in a few games and put up over you know,
close to one thousand yards.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
That philosophy obviously has changed. They're more of a passing
offense and they're trying to utilize these running backs more
out of the backfield throwing the football. But let me
pivot and just follow up that question for you looking
ahead to twenty twenty six and beyond, do you think
they'll try to go acquire a big running back that
they used to have that type of performance via the
draft or free agency or do you think this is
(09:42):
the new offense moving forward with their running backs?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Oh, I mean, certainly with Arthur Smith. He really likes
Jalen Warren, and I think you know, his usage of
Kenneth Gainwell really tells you what he thinks for him too.
He really thinks highly right, they just bet a third
round pick on Caleb Johnson. They're trying to sprinkle him
(10:06):
into the offense, but it's been really tough. I think,
you know, Caleb Johnson needs one of those guys maybe
to have an injury for him to get his foot
in the door and really show the Steelers what he
can do. It's just he hasn't had that opportunity this season.
So I'm not necessarily of the opinion going into free
agency or the draft as the Steelers have to go
(10:27):
out and use a lot of their resources on a
running back. To me, the number one thing that offense
needs is a receiver, a big time receiver. Yep. Of
course the Francise quarterback. So right there, I think receiver
quarterback is you know where I'm spending my first round
pick either or you look at the defense too. You know,
(10:49):
you could certainly make an argument for drafting a defensive
lineman in the first round of Cam Hayward probably done
after this year or if not the year after, and cornerback.
I mean, how long can they continue to go year
to year with the corners, the old guys. We saw
it didn't work out with Laigh. This year, they got
to invest in some young defensive back, so I would
(11:11):
think corner would be the place they want to go to.
So I you know, to me, if you're asking me,
I'm very happy with their running back situation right now.
And I think you just have to kind of wait
on Caleb Johnson until he gets his opportunity, and you
see if he pans out.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
I'm with your ay, it's it's unfortunate the Caleb Johnson
experiment this year.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Maybe in year two he takes that leap.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
But I kind of side with you because I think
there are much more pressing needs throughout the rest of
the team. And you know, we talked about corner wide receiver.
You could go either way. You want to always have
some defensive line depth. We kind of compared it earlier
today to the approach that they took kind of building
up the offensive line, where they've they've taken four guys
(11:53):
in the last what two years to really revamp that
offensive line. They obviously took Benton and Yah Yeah Black
and Derek Harmon. Bent's taking a little while to progress.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yah.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, Black tape is still out. He hasn't gotten enough experience.
He's going to make his first start this week.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Is that what we assume?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Or maybe he'll just get some more reps this week
if if Derek Harmon's not back out there.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, I think Black is going to be a big
part of it. I think you guys saw he played
like sixty some snaps of the seventy seven in that
football game, so they're they're learning to count on him
more and more. I mean, he's not a finished product.
He's not like Derek Harmon. Like Derek Harmon had the
pedigree as a first round pick. I don't want to
(12:38):
say Black is a project, but he's coming on. And
I think, you know, sometimes young guys mature at different
ways and they have to learn, you know, how to
produce and how to play. And you know, we were
discussing early in the season, you know, is he a
four I technique or is he a nosegard I think
(13:00):
you saw when Beton went out of that football game
for a short while, Black went into play nose guard
and I thought he was okay in that role. And
then when when Betton re entered the game after he
checked out okay with his injury, Black went back outside.
So down the road, maybe he is a nose guard.
Maybe they do make that switch. But you know, for
right now, given the injuries that that Harmon has had
(13:23):
and him being pressed into duty maybe earlier than expect that,
I think they're happy with with his development so far, right.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
And so you got to add some more pieces there,
especially if Cam Hayward moves on. But looking around the
rest of the team wide receipt for corner we just
discussed it. The defensive line needs some help, and then
who knows what to do with the quarterback. We have
no idea if they're going to go out. Maybe I'm
not gonna say go get Philip Rivers because I think that's, uh,
that's kind of a wacky experiment. But if the right
(13:53):
guy is there, maybe they make that leap to get
to take the guy. Maybe they move up in the draft.
It's just another year, though it feels like three years
in a row, all three years that Omar Khan has
been at the Helm as a GM, it's been an
imperative year to make sure you get the draft right.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I think when he took over he
wanted to fortify the trenches. I think he's tried to
do that. It's been a slow process. It always is
when you're trying to rebuild your trenches. And I think
in due time that's going to be the strength of
this football team. And like the way the Steelers are
trying to hit it, whenever they do get that future
(14:31):
franchise quarterback, whether it's in the draft this year or
in twenty seven, or maybe they acquire him in a
different way, whenever you do that, you just want to
be able to have Okay, we have everything else in
place on amands, we have the line, we have the receivers,
we have the running back boom. The quarterback just steps
(14:52):
in kind of like the way Ben did back in
two thousand and four, and you know, you're setting as
an offense in your set as a football team. So
I think they're going about it the right way. But
I'm sure there's a little bit of nervousness or you know,
consternation within that building about Okay, we're building this the
(15:15):
right way, but until we get that guy, it's really
not going to be the way that we want it
to be. So it's it's that anticipation that nervous anticipation
of Okay, who's the guy? When do we get him?
How do we get him? And that's you know, that's
what this offseason is going to be all about. It's
a big off season again sure for Omar Khan and
(15:35):
Andy Whitel to get this roster again in contention and
in the place where they can contend with no matter
who the quarterback is where whether it's Aaron Rodgers or
a rookie next season.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Raise it too early to get into your mock drafts
for next year, right.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
I need a little bit of time, guys. I need
the season to May the end and a week or
two to look at it. But it's coming up soon.
Can't deny it. Once that season ends, everyone's going to
be focused on the draft. You know.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
That's one of my favorite things that I read that
you do every spring, So you know, I'm always looking
forward to the Ray fitt Apalto mock drafts and the
Pittsburghost Casett and you do a bunch of them throughout
the spring too, and Ed just the reminders who we're
talking to, and you can again you can catch Ray's
excellent coverage of the Black and Goal each and every
day in the Pittsburgh Post Casette Ray, Let's talk about
Roman Wilson next, while we still have you here for
(16:25):
a few more minutes. Wilson, who had been getting more
usage and separation recently, still only twelve catches in twelve games.
He was a healthy scratch. Last week. They elevated Adam
Thielen and Mvs to give those guys those spots, the
two veteran receivers. If nothing else, you know, a couple
catches here and there, but if nothing else, just gave
Aaron Rodgers a more veteran presence at that wide receiver
(16:48):
spots opposite of Austin and DK Metcalf. What do you
think is the plan for Roman Wilson or what do
you think will be seeing from Roman Wilson for the
remainder of the twenty twenty five season.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Well, he's got to stay ready in case there's another injury.
But I gotta be honest with you, if Tealon and
Mvs stay healthy, those guys are going to be on
the field. They just threw for a season high, right,
two hundred eighty four yards. You know you listen to
Aaron Rodgers talk after the game, even though they hadn't
produced big numbers. They were a big part of like
(17:22):
unlocking Dk Metcalf because they were running the right routes
and they knew where to be, and you know, they
were very much on their details. And we all know
how Aaron Rodgers likes to have everyone on that offense
to be on their details because he believes it's a
big part of whether the offense is successful or not.
So I would expect Heelan's percentages, not percentages, to go up,
(17:47):
same with MVS, And I think that's bad news for
Roman Wilson in Calvin Austin. You look at Calvin Austin.
Telon played twenty five snaps, Austin played sixteen. He s
played sixteen, so you know his usage is going to
go down too. So you know it's unfortunate for the
(18:08):
young guys. But Roman Wilson can't give up. I don't
think the Steelers are going to give up on Roman Wilson.
They're just trying to win as many football games here
down the stretch so they can get into the playoffs.
And it just turns out that Wilson wasn't going to
be a big part of that equation the season. But
I don't really read into anything beyond the season. He's
(18:28):
still got two years left on his rookie contract. I'm
not going to say he's a bust just yet, but
it's not right right now. It's not trending in a
positive direction for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
I know we just pivoted away from the draft talk Ray,
but I'm going to pivot us back simply because of
the wide receiver conversation. If you don't bring back a
guy the Aaron Rodgers, a veteran that can kind of
distribute the ball is something he's done over his entire career.
If you bring in a young guy to kind of
teach him to get used to dispersing the football to
multiple weapons, we probably don't expect if if Rogers doesn't
(19:01):
come back, Adam feeln or yes, the return next year.
You mentioned the back and forth, the up and down
play of Calvin Austin only having a handful of snaps,
Roman Wilson. No one can get a read on what
does the future of this wide receiver room look like
besides the DK Metcalf.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, beyond DK Metcalf, it's up in the air, you know.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And if you want to bring in a young quarterback,
next year. You kind of have to give him the
best case scenario. You can't just give him one guy
to throw the ball to.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Absolutely, so you would have Dk Metcalf number one. If
Calvin Austin comes back, it's going to be on the Steelers' terms.
They are not going to overpay for Calvin Austin. Not
that he would get a big contract, but what I'm
saying is, if Calvin Austin comes back, he's gonna come
back for the veteran minimum or you know, something like
(19:51):
two million dollars a year. That's he's a number three
or a number four. That's kind of how they pay him,
I think. And Wilson will be back. But to me,
you got to go out and get a big time guy,
and probably in the draft if you can do that,
probably the first or second round pick. If you don't,
you know, use all those picks to go up and
(20:12):
get a quarterback. It's a great year. Four receivers in
the draft. You're definitely gonna be able to get a
starter in the first round. You might be able to
get a starting caliber receiver in the second round too,
So that that would be the most ideal way to
go out and acquire one. But if not, you know,
maybe you do have to go out and spend a
(20:33):
little bit of money in free agency on a receiver.
But my preference is, and you guys know the way
college football is nowadays, these guys are coming out every
single year. They're more explosive, they're more athletic, they're faster.
Go get that young guy that you can build around
who can be your next DK Metcalf, so you don't
have to go out and use your your second round
(20:55):
picks and you know, one hundred and fifty million dollar
contracts to go out and get that. I get back
to drafting and developing those receivers like you used to.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Ray, Jacob's ready for the mock drafts.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Obviously, he's you know.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
He's an Indiana. Who's your guy, So he's riding that
wave right now with Indiana. Yep, Ray, let's talk. I
want to get your take on the likely touchdown. We've
heard about it all week from a lot of different people,
but what was your take on the likely touchdown that
Dan got reversed? Your initial reaction when it happened, and
then afterwards your reaction, well, I.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Thought it was a touchdown, and then you know, you know,
every scoring play is reviewed in the NFL, and it
was taking a while. So as I looked up to
the televisions in the press box, I was like, you know,
what does he get that third step down? You know,
Joey Porter knocks it out there? Like the point is
we like, no one really has a good feel for
(21:51):
what a catch is anymore, right, Uh, It's just it's
too convoluted of a rule. I think there's different interpretation
of different officiating crews. And obviously, you know, there was
this Butterworth in New York who did the pool report
after the game. He's making that call from New York.
(22:12):
I think his title was the VP of Officiating or
something like that. So by the letter of the law,
they made the right call. That's the way the rule
was written. But I think ninety percent of the people
who watched that on TV thought, okay, touchdown, Steelers are behind.
They're gonna have to find a way to go down
(22:34):
and score. So I guess it's good for the Steelers
that it worked out that way, but is it really
good for football? Like do you really want this happening
in a big football game at a crucial time? And
we went through this in twenty seventeen with Jesse James
and zach Ertz a couple of weeks later in the
end zone, very similar play to Jesse James for the Eagles,
(22:57):
and that was Roal to touchdown in the Super Bowl
helped the Eagles win. So it's like one interpretation there,
one interpretation another place. It's just it's been an ongoing
issue for the NFL. I don't think it's good for
the NFL. But obviously great news for the Steelers on
Sunday because they put them in first place.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
It was good news until I started thinking to myself
they should have scored, because now if they score their
touchdown a couple minutes later, they're gonna take too much
time off the clock and the Steelers won't have enough
time to get Bass in the game winning field goal range.
But hey, give credit where credit is due. The defense
stepped up and made the right play. Gy Ray. Last
question for you the Steelers Monday Night football. They've won
(23:37):
twenty two straight games on Monday Night. It goes all
the way back to the Bill Cower years. Mike Tomlin
is undefeated ten and zero on Monday Nights, twenty one
to three overall on Monday night football. As coach Mike Tomlin,
the Steelers as an organization just very good on Monday Night,
especially at home. What's the secret formula you think for
the Steelers at home on Monday Night?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I don't know. But why is such a between between
Monday night and Sunday?
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Exactly?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
I mean exactly, you play so bad against the Bills,
Like why why is one day's difference? You know, a
big deal, But obviously it is. They get up from
Monday night football, certainly under my tom One. I don't
have an explanation, the rhyme or reason to it, but
it certainly bodes well for their playoff hopes for this
(24:27):
year because, as you guys know, if they just go
too and two down the street, so long as one
of those wins is against the Ravens and leak eighteen,
all you got to do is win one other game.
So if they get that Monday Night against the Dolphins,
take a little bit more pressure off, put the pressure
back on the Ravens. The Ravens have to keep winning.
It's a very important football game for the Steelers. So
(24:50):
we'll see if they can keep that streak going, get
it up to twenty three, and if they do, I
think they'll be in great shape.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
You gotta feel good, you gotta feel good about the
matchup on top the history surrounding the Steelers of Monday
Night football. But look at the Dolphins and their their
lack thereof for success playing on the road in cold
temperature games. In December, I think I saw a stat
where it said twas like I've a little had not
won a game where the temperature was above or sorry
rather below forty degrees, And I think the expected temperature
(25:20):
for kickoff is something like eighteen degrees on Monday night.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Yeah, probably the wind shills down maybe into the single day.
Just that would be great for the Steelers. But I
think the first time he did win was last week.
I think that was in New York.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
He finally Oh is that so he was undefeated or
he was winless until last week?
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Got it? Okay? I believe. So. I think that that
win against the Jets kind of made that record look
a little bit better. But hey, Jacob, there's a big
difference between forty six and sixteen, So I think, oh yeah,
the weather is definitely going to be in the Steelers
favor With the Dolphins up.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
North on Monday night, especially forty six in the meadowlands
compared to sixteen on the three Rivers with that windshill
coming off the rivers.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Yeah, coming out the water right when you're nice, When
you're nice, warm and cozy in the press box, be
thinking of me. I will be out in the stands
with both of us have boys that are the same age.
My son's turning fifteen this weekend and his birthday present
is me taking him to the Monday night football game.
And he picked a great game to go to when
it's eighteen degrees. So yeah, while you're nice and warm,
(26:27):
think of me and him out there freezing.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Hey, if you get cold, just go to the bathroom
and turn on the air dryers. And that's what I
would do.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
That is the advice from the Ray Fittapauldo. Thank you
Ray for joining us. We are we will talk to
you next week, all right, guys, take care. Ray Fitlapaludo
from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Again, you can catch raise
excellent coverage each and every day in the PG. When
Jacob and I come back, we'll get into our seven
shots of hits and seven shots of missus. It is
the Steeler Standard with Edge Troop and Jacob bret Here
(26:59):
on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network
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