Welcome to Joe Starkey’s mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist and 93.7 The Fan radio host answers your questions about sports, life, Ricardo Colclough and everything in between. If you want to ask Joe a question, tweet him @JoeStarkey1 or email him at jstarkey@post-gazette.com. On to the questions, which this week were laced with Steeler rage …
Dustin, @Dust5114: Should both Fichtner and Butler be fired after (last Sunday’s) game?
Killer B, @Besselman1: Butler is not getting his message across. It’s obvious!
Mike Clarke, @mlc118: Let Butler know Eifert is playing on Monday night this year.
JeffB, @j4b33: We obviously have a good deal of talent, especially on defense with all those first rounders. Is it that they just can’t play well together or are the coaches just not getting the team ready each week?
SP, @SP_Fury: Mike Tomlin is a supposed defensive guru who now has nine former first-round picks on his defense, and the unit continues to fail. The minority owners wanted him fired last year. What does it take to make that happen?
Starkey: Let’s get a few things straight here, gents:
• You can’t be a “former” first-round pick. “First-round pick” will suffice.
• This whole “minority owners wanted Tomlin fired” story is from two years ago, and it was only some of them. How many supported his extension a few months ago is another case, but only one man’s opinion really matters, and that’s Art Rooney II’s.
• Pretty good line on Butler & Eifert.
• This is not Keith Butler’s defense. It’s Tomlin’s. Butler, based on the available evidence, is a figurehead coordinator. Tomlin has commandeered the defense. It’s his. Therefore, any and all criticism (or praise, should it come to that) should be directed at him.
And while the defense is generating tons of turnovers over the past few games — a very big deal, especially compared to last year — it still isn’t getting the job done when it matters. It’s still getting gashed in the run game. It’s still giving up too many points. It still has communication issues. Did the Steelers waste a timeout in the third quarter Sunday because they had 12 men on the field?
Tomlin has been passing around the “green dot” — the helmet with the microphone in it — like it’s a burning coal. Here, you take it! Three weeks, three different players. Not a big deal? Maybe. But if you’re choosing a different person to communicate signals to each week, you’re obviously not comfortable with one.
And did you see what Jimmy Garoppolo said of the winning touchdown pass the other day, which came against zone coverage near the goal line?
“They were a little confused with their adjustments.”
Listen, the offense can definitely help out here by, you know, scoring more points. And maybe controlling some clock (the 49ers had the ball for 21 minutes in the second half). Sometimes, though, the defense has to step up and win a game by itself. It’s happened before around here. Plenty.
As for Randy Fichtner, see my answer to the Mason Rudolph question below.
Edward Christy, @driheet07: Hard to see a Steeler W in sight. Do you have a prediction?
Starkey: Yes, Dr. Christy, but my predictions on the Steelers this season are nothing to boast about. I thought the offense, right from the start, would be very good. I thought the defense would be much better.
But to answer your question, yes, I see a W in sight: Monday night. They will beat the Bengals, 5-4. OK, maybe 20-12.
Rico Montoya, @RicoMacRury: Why is the middle of the Steelers D so soft?
Starkey: Man, it was alarming to see the 49ers use a hurry-up ground game and shove it down the Steelers’ throats in the second half, wasn’t it, Rico? My first thought is that part of it could be fatigue from being on the field too long. But then I remembered: Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar rotates players like it’s a volleyball match.
Other thoughts: Devin Bush is still learning to wade through the forest in the trenches and find his way to the ball-carrier in time. It can take a while to master that skill. Plus, Vince Williams is really the only linebacker on hand who brings size and thump against an inside running game, and he’s injured.
And of course, it all starts up front.
Benjamin Glaser, @WVPitt: Pat Narduzzi, with Bates’ help, has put together a really good defense. Will Whipple’s turnaround of the offense help with recruiting on that side of the ball?
Starkey: First, I agree, Mr. Glaser, that this defense is beginning (finally) to look like the kind of defense Narduzzi figured to bring here. As for recruiting offensive talent, I would think Mr. Whipple’s presence could help. He is an excellent quarterbacks coach, as evidenced by his work so far with Kenny Pickett. Any prospective quarterback should want to work with him.
MayTag, @412pghpaUSA: Does Rudolph have “it” to be a #1 QB in the NFL?
Starkey: It’s too early for that question, MayTag — although he clearly isn’t one of those guys where you say, “Definitely, yes,” upon first sight. Remember, this entire offense was built around Ben Roethlisberger’s desire to play from a bunch of empty sets and wing it around. It was a just-get-open-and-I’ll-find-you offense. Rudolph can’t run it like that. He doesn’t have Antonio Brown, No. 1, and he doesn’t have Ben’s experience or talent. But that’s not to say he can’t be a No. 1 quarterback. I liked some of the things he did Sunday. I liked his ability to withstand major adversity and make some big throws in the second half. But he wasn’t consistently accurate, made a horrible throw and fumbled (Steelers recovered). Let’s see how this evolves.
Jim Parker, @JJsparker98: Trade for Manning? Career over in NY. Good for one year and a Steeler.
Starkey: I saw somebody on ESPN make a case for this, as well, and I must say, Mr. Parker: Count me out. Have you seen Eli play lately? His backup, rookie Daniel Jones, had all the same players around him (minus Saquon Barkley for a half), the same scheme and looked a thousand times better than Eli has looked for most of the past few years. Certainly better than Eli has looked this season.
david desilvey, @DavidDesilvey: How much of the poor offensive performance thus far this season can be attributed to losing Munchak? [Offensive] line performance underwhelming.
Starkey: That’s a fair question, David. The offensive line is struggling, big time, to get any push in the running game. I wonder if that starts with a mentality. If the people running the offense don’t want to be a power running team, then how are you supposed to be a power running team?
On the other hand, if teams are stacking the box the way the 49ers did, you have to throw (downfield!) to loosen things up. Munchak also had a hand in game-planning, and I wonder if his absence might be felt there more than with anything individually along the line.
Brendan Schneider, @schneiderb: Joe, the Pirates slide from Johnny Cueto’s dropped ball to today is nothing short of epic. How can the Pirates recover?
Starkey: They did go to the playoffs the next two seasons, Mr. Schneider, but your point is well taken: The slide since 2015 has been far beyond epic, to the point where it feels like the franchise has fallen to a low point not seen around here since the drug trials of 1985.
How can they recover?
Maybe only by Bob Nutting selling the team. Short of that, Nutting putting significantly more money into the payroll (fat chance!). The Pirates need better players.
It’s also time for a fresh start in the form of a new manager, GM and team president. This group had its chance. And yes, I realize that if the owner is the problem — and we agree he is — then anything else is merely rearranging the deck chairs.
Sometimes the deck chairs need to be rearranged.
Incidentally, your name — Schneider — reminds me of the handyman character on “One Day at a Time.” And that sparks a topic — Best Bit Player Sitcom Actors.
3. Kimmy Gibbler, “Full House.”
2. Aunt Edie, “The Middle.”
1. Carlton the Doorman, “Rhoda.”
Grant Thomas, @412Grant: What is Ryan Switzer’s role in the offense? Should the Steelers use him more or less?
Starkey: Well, they couldn’t use him much less than they did the other day, Grant. I don’t believe he took an offensive snap. That made sense, given the fact that his “YAC” should actually be called “BACK.” Or at least “NOT FORWARD”. Switzer has seven catches for 29 yards this season. That’s almost hard to do. I love his courage. I like his hands. I liked his breakaway ability in college. But I haven’t seen much of anything in the pros to convince me he belongs on the roster, let alone in a prominent role. I think Eli Rogers is a better receiver. Ben Roethlisberger clearly felt he had a connection with Switzer. I’m not sure where it leaves Switzer now that Ben is out for the year. Watching from the sideline, I guess, and returning a punt once a while.
Chris Hawthorne, @Hawthorneee: If (the) Steelers woke up today from a coma that started at the beginning of last year’s NFL season, what would they say?
Starkey: “A.B.’s gone back to college?”
Thank you, kiddies. Also, send me questions (tweet @JoeStarkey1 or email at jstarkey@post-gazette.com). Get Pittsburgh sports news delivered to your inbox Monday-Friday with our all-sports newsletter, PG Sports Feed.
First Published: September 24, 2019, 1:15 p.m.
Updated: September 24, 2019, 5:01 p.m.