RAY FITTIPALDO’S STEELERS CHAT

HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights from Ray Fittipaldo’s Tuesday Steelers chat, which you can join weekly at post-gazette.com. Questions and answers have been edited for clarity:

• TomnIsolation: Reason and implications of new less than 5% Steelers owners?

Ray Fittipaldo: It’s not clear if the 5% share Harris and Blitzer bought are new shares that became available or were the shares previously held by David Tepper, who had to give his up when he bought the Carolina Panthers. We reported in December that Tepper’s 5% share was bought by two investors. Rooney put out a statement yesterday, but it shed no light on whose shares were bought.

Jay: I am from a minority military family and I hate the kneeling. The answer has always been “you are not listening and it’s not about the flag” but can athletes find a different way to protest? I just want sports to be sports and can they comprehend it may be offensive to some people?

Ray Fittipaldo: I think they acknowledge it will offend some, but I think people in power in the league are realizing that black players have to have their voices heard. Dan Quinn, the coach of the Falcons, said he would kneel with his players. He is a veteran. I’m quite sure veterans are split on this matter. It won’t make what happens in the fall any less controversial, but if people realize there are differing opinions they can at least have an adult discussion on these matters.

GSMP: Could training camp in Pittsburgh become permanent? Across the league, the trend seemed to be to get away from going away for camp. I know the tradition with St. Vincent’s but the team may find advantages to training at home.

Ray Fittipaldo: You are right. Most teams train at their facilities now. The Steelers like going away and have already committed to returning to Saint Vincent in 2021. They like the team-building aspect of camp. It’s not something they can recreate at the South Side facility.

ALB: NFL coaching staffs have always prided themselves on working from very early in the morning to late at night. Do you get the feeling they are putting in anywhere near those kinds of hours In the current environment?

Ray Fittipaldo: It’s hard to say with everyone working from home, but I would hope some creative coaches out there used the time to their benefit and put some new twists into their game plans.

AK: Cam Sutton seems to be too small to play ILB alongside Bush, doesn’t he?

Ray Fittipaldo: Well, yes, because he is a cornerback. He has only played dime LB in a pinch and it was more of a situation where they were using six or seven defensive backs rather than playing with a traditional “dime linebacker.”

Retire21: If Kevin Colbert retires soon, would Mike Tomlin be a candidate to replace him?

Ray Fittipaldo: Mike does enjoy the scouting aspect of the job when he can sink his teeth into it from February through April, but I’m not quite sure that’s on his agenda. He seems to like being a head coach. Plus, he’s pretty good at it.

Sunner in the sunshine: If the Steelers signed [Colin] Kaepernick, would it be too much of a distraction or would it galvanize the team and the city and be a plus in the long run?

Ray Fittipaldo: You do realize the Steelers didn’t sign Jameis Winston for $1 million on a one-year deal, and he’s been in the league for the past four years. Kaepernick has been out of the league for four years. I’m not connecting the dots with him and the Steelers, especially with the GM and head coach standing firmly behind Mason Rudolph as the backup. Now if something happened to Rudolph in camp, then all bets are off.