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Sammie Coates is unable to pull in a pass in the first quarter Sunday against the Patriots.
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Gerry Dulac's Steelers chat transcript: 1.25.17

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Gerry Dulac's Steelers chat transcript: 1.25.17

Gerry Dulac: OK, kids, let’s get our chat started.

Jacque Strap: Pretty classy of Bobby Kraft to be completely loaded during his on-field interview after the game. At least we have the Rooneys, who would never embarrass themselves in that manner (gotta find solace somewhere).

Gerry Dulac: I missed that. I was in the locker room. Too bad. Ill have to go back and watch.

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Jacque Strap: Ever golf with any current or former Steelers? Any of them decent?

While Antonio Brown's antics might frustrate some of his teammates, nobody can complain about Steelers wide receiver's production.
Gerry Dulac
Antonio Brown might be annoying, but he's not divisive

Gerry Dulac: Yes several.

Scott from Amsterdam: Can the Steelers count on Maratavis Bryant in 2017? Should they spend another high draft pick on a WR regardless?

Gerry Dulac: I don’t know that they count on him. That’s up to him. So far, counting on him hasn’t worked out very well. But when he’s on the field he’s among the best receivers in the league

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Keith: I’m guessing with Martavis and Ladarius being big question marks, WR and TE will be high priorities along with pass rusher. Is that what you see as well?

Gerry Dulac: OLB will be a high priority. I don’t think TE and WR will be high priorities, but I think WR will be somewhere in the top 4 picks.

Scott in Dallas: If L. Green can clear concussion protocol and a physical is there any way the Steelers do not cut him? Can’t see paying $5 million to a guy with those concussion issues.

Gerry Dulac: If Ladarius Green is healthy -- and he feels his issues aren’t career-threatening -- then he will play for them in 2017

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is likely to get an earful from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when they meed to discuss this past season.
Ron Cook/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ron Cook: No doubt Ben Roethlisberger will play on

Guest: Can you tell us on which plays the Steelers tried playing man coverage?

Gerry Dulac: They used their fire zone blitz four times. Contrary to what people think and what the name implies, the Steelers typically play man coverage behind the “zone” blitz. One of those was the touchdown in which Robert Golden blew coverage. The other was the 10 TD to Edelman on William Gay. The other was a long completion. I’m only telling you what the coaches called, not what people are interpreting.

Here_We_Go_Again: Is it possible that Mike Tomlin disciplined L. Bell a bit too much for Bell’s participation in the Antonio Brown video, thus causing L. Bell to lose motivation, miss practice and not want to play after their meeting?

Gerry Dulac: To me, they can’t discipline him enough for his antics. But, do not misunderstand. Antonio Brown is not a troublemaker or a negative influence or a bad person. You never see him partying about town, he has never been involved in any type of incident involving the police and there are no drug-testing issues or the like with him. He likes to work out and take care of his kids. He can just be annoying sometimes to his teammates and the coaches -- and Ben -- when he starts yelping to throw him the ball. Selfish? Perhaps, but even he admits to that. He once told me he was so annoying on the sidelines, complaining about not getting the ball, that even Heath Miller, the nicest gentleman there ever was, came out to him and told him to shut the **** up.

jd: Was Justin Gilbert Brandon Boykin 2.0? Does he even have a role on the team next year?

Gerry Dulac: He could be. We shall see. The only thing I will say is, Gilbert is way more talented and has a greater skill set than Boykin.

Here_We_Go_Again: Hello Gerry… As we all know, this team still has major secondary issues. They need to make improvements in the defensive scheme, continue updating their OLB and secondary positions with quality personnel to properly address the issue: 1) Draft a quality OLB to apply pressure on the QBs. 2) Replace Will Gay and Robert Golden Immediately. 3) Use very high picks on OLB and the secondary. 4) Do NOT count on (fragile) Senquez Golson. 5) Improve offensive red-zone play calling. Even with drops, I don’t believe WR, TE or RB positions are as glaring a need as the Defensive positions. Martavis Bryant is coming back. Jesse James is coming along nicely and D. Williams is a good backup. Do you agree with this assessment? What are your thoughts regarding over-all team improvement?

Gerry Dulac: You seem to have a lot of issues with a team that just made it to the AFC Championship game and lost to the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Drafting a quality OLB isn’t always easy when you’re picking around 28-30. The Vonn Millers and Khalil Macks of the league are usually found in the top 5, not the bottom 5. But I agree that will bem, or should be, a priority in the draft.

Guest: Was there some other play in the New England game where Antonio Brown was wide open in the end zone and then hung his head about not getting the ball or is the NFL Network story about him pouting on the Williams TD when he was blocking and nowhere near the end zone simply fiction?

Gerry Dulac: I consider the NFL Network story right up there with dog bites man. Happens all the time w him. Every game just about. See above.

steve: How many more years does Ben have on his contract and if he ever did retire before it was over, does he pay a penalty for breaking the deal?

Gerry Dulac: Ben’s contract runs through 2019. The penalty is he forfeits the money he is owed in the years he didn’t play, which, including salary and roster bonus, is $17 million in 2018 and 2019, for example.

Rory S.: Will Timmons sign a team friendly deal like Gay & Foster did this last offseason? Does 3 years 12 million sound reasonable?

Gerry Dulac: If Timmons wants to come back to the Steelers, he will have to sign a friendly deal, though I wouldn’t put Gay in the same category as Timmons and/or Foster.

Norm: Hey Gerry, above you describe the secondary getting burned bigtime in man cover, but how much of the ineffectiveness Sunday was due to just sitting back in zone and letting Brady pick us apart while a pass rush failed to materialize?

Gerry Dulac: Oh, that was a huge part of it as well. Look, this isn’t just about the secondary. A big part of the problem was the lack of pressure on Brady and their inability to even touch him. Do not excuse that by any means

me: I know Coates dropped that long pass in the first drive, but I don’t understand why they insist on throwing deep on 3rd-and-short. Is that call coming from Haley or is Ben calling at the line?

Gerry Dulac: I don’t know if Ben checked out of that play when he saw man coverage on Coates, but I didn’t like the call, either.

Kevin: Chance Landry Jones is on the Steelers in 2017? Over 50% ?

Gerry Dulac: I’d say over 80 percent.

Scott from Amsterdam: Tomlin wouldn’t commit to his coaching staff returning intact next year....do you think any of them are on the hot seat?

Gerry Dulac: No, but one should be

Scott in Dallas: Worst case scenario for Steelers this offseason?

Gerry Dulac: They don’t have many. Worst case: Tom Brady annpounces he’s playing 5 more years

Ken: Sign DWill to another contract or find a RB in the draft to backup Bell?

Gerry Dulac: Bye bye 34. They will draft a RB by the third round. They were going to take one last year in the fifth round but all the guys they liked were gone in rd 4

Troy: Hi Gerry, can we admit this secondary just isn’t good enough... Last five seasons have been frustrating on the back end of this defense.

Gerry Dulac: I think you have to remember they have two very-good rookies starting in the secondary who will only get better. And Mike Mitchell had a solid year this season. I think Ross Cockrell might be playing himself into the nickel back role in 2017 if Senquez Golson can stay healthy and get on the field. But the secondary played very well during the nine-game win streak and was victimized by the greatest QB to play the game.

Egan: Any chance the Steelers dip their toe in the deep end of the free agent market pool? Any chance they could get a Melvin Ingram or Nick Perry to play opposite Dupree?

Gerry Dulac: I won’t rule that out, but methinks they will address that in the draft, especially if they bring James Harrison back for another season, which, right now, appears they will.

Guest: Belichick adjusts his gameplans every week to take advantage of an opponent’s weaknesses on defense, and to take away its best playmaker on offense. This seems like something every coach should do, but it seems like no one else does. Why? The Patriots surely have talent, but not so much more than everybody else. But they’re smart about how they use it. I don’t get why the 31 other teams don’t take the same approach.

Gerry Dulac: I’m with you 100 percent. But I think he builds a team around players who can do what he wants and buys into what he wants. Look at how he continually turns that roster over and still gets results. Absolutely amazing

bad coaching: After the game, the cameras showed Artie Burns really upset on the sidelines. It seemed he was the most visibly angry. I remember the guys of the 70’s hated losing more than they liked winning. It sounds bad, but I liked that Artie was taking it so badly.

Gerry Dulac: Agreed

Clay: On ESPN, Ryan Clark said the Steelers defense ran an “empty check” where everytime the Pats had an empty backfield, the scheme defaulted to a specific zone coverage. He said the defense did not change throughout the game. Did you notice this? And if this is true, isn’t the inability to adjust in-game a mega indictment of the coaching staff?

Gerry Dulac: When you get beat like that, it is a lot of things -- maybe coaching, maybe communication, maybe confusion, maybe players unable to compete on a big stage. The things the Steelers had been doing during their nine-game win streak they didn’t do against NE. Nobody is sure why that happens, except that players don’t always respond to the moment.

Scott in Dallas: How many seasons do you see Bell being able to be effective if he were to continue seeing the usage he has had recently? I know he does not take many big hits but will Tomlin “run him until the wheels fall off”?

Gerry Dulac: Bingo

Bill Burrell: Bell gets franchised for the year or they workout a long term deal w/ him this offseason?

Gerry Dulac: It’s cheaper and easier to put the franchise tag on him this year

Alex from Ben Avon: Do you know whether Steelers had an interest in Dak Prescott in the draft last year?

Gerry Dulac: I’m not aware of that. The one QB they had targeted for the fifth round was Cardale Jones, but he went a round earlier. Otherwise, they probably would have taken him

Bill Burrell: I know the Steelers don’t pay #2 WR but any chance they resign M. Wheaton. We sure did miss him this year.

Gerry Dulac: I agree it would be a good idea, but also because he won’t cost you a lot of money. They don’t sign No. 2 receivers when they are going to command a big dollar on the free agent market, like Plaxico Burress.

TK: Tomlin seems enamored with guys who can play special teams (Coates, Shamarko, DHB). Why is this so important to him? The special teams stink.

Gerry Dulac: Pay the man. Best question of the year

elcid97: Everyone’s saying the problem is not doing press coverage. Did Butler not switch because he didn’t trust the personnel he has available?

Gerry Dulac: One player in particular.

Adam C.: Do you see the Steelers drafting a quarterback in the 3rd round or higher now with the retirement talk from Ben?

Gerry Dulac: No, not this year.

Guest: Is Ryan Harris gone?

Gerry Dulac: No, why?

bad coaching: Will the Steelers ever have a defensive scheme capable of stopping tom brady? - intercepting tom brady? - touching a pass by tom brady? etc. etc. ...

Gerry Dulac: Uh....hmmmm.....well.....let’s see......No!!

Brett: Which coach should be on the hot seat?

Gerry Dulac: What area continues to struggle the most every year?

Bob in TN: It sure seems like a whole different concept of officiating in the post season than the regular season. PI is the best example. Things defenders could never get away with during the year is allowed in the playoffs. Are you seeing the same thing?

Gerry Dulac: Yes I am. I see more conflicting calls on pass interference -- defense AND offense -- even more than holding. Most objective rule in the game. Terrible,

Scott in Dallas: Back end of the draft is when teams that are desperate for a player are willing to give up a 1st next year plus something this year. Are the Steelers ever in the market for one of those kinds of trades or are they intent on using the pick they have on the best player remaining on their board?

Gerry Dulac: To a small degree, I agree with you. If there is a game-changing player within your reach, and you think that player is the guy who can push you over the top -- like, say, when they moved up to get Polamalu -- maybe you do it. But I don’t see them doing that, if that’s what you’re asking. Especially when you would be moving from so far down the board. The price would be ridiculous.

Rory S.: Is Senquez Golson’s foot finally healed? Can we finally count on him competing w/ Gay for the slot corner spot next year? He’s been like Bigfoot, we’ve heard all about him but nobody has seen him.

Gerry Dulac: Haha. Bigfoot’s foot should be all ready to go. And you don’t have to worry about him competing w Gay. There will be no competition. I think the Steelers saw all they needed to see in the NE game

jerseysteel: Tomlin’s refusal to make any second half adjustments i.e., man coverage instead of zone only further vindicates Terry Bradshaw’s comments!

Gerry Dulac: I disagree.

Scott in Dallas: Are the rest of the crew that bad of drivers or is it the Boss gets to drive?

Gerry Dulac: Now you got it!

Tat58: Bigben could make over 50 million over the next 3 seasons. Thinking about retirement? I think nobody in this world would reject such an income.

Gerry Dulac: Maybe Bill Gates

Mark: Why was Ayers inactive last game??

Gerry Dulac: Because Fitz Toussaint plays special teams, I’m assuming. Like that makes a difference with these special teams. It was a stupid move on their part. You have to know playing NE you’re probably going to need every last person capable of making an offensive play for you. Ayers was that guy moreso than Toussaint.

Wil from Churchville: Gerry, who would be your top choices for head coach is Tomlin were let go?

Gerry Dulac: Tomlin is not being let go. Nor should he. Despite what you think, he continues to be one of the best in the league.

Finn: Should Colbert act more like Elway and be aggressive this offseason in FA and the draft? They are a win now team with a franchise QB whose window might be around 3 years.

Gerry Dulac: I wouldn’t argue with that thinking, but that’s typically not the way they operate.

bad coaching: I am still very bitter about losing to the cheatriots in the Championship game (again). Please, Steelers, do what is needed for the coming years, so we fans, and you as an organization, won’t have to deal with all the GOAT talk in reference to the cheatriots. Go Steelers.

Gerry Dulac: You better hope Brady retires soon. Or the Steelers get the No. 1 seed in the postseason.

Finn: First offensive player drafted by the Steelers? RB, WR or TE?

Gerry Dulac: I think you will see WR and RB be picked among the first four picks, but not No. 1. All this talk about TE is being grossly inflated. If Ladarius Green is healthy enough to come back, and with the way Jesse James improved, I don’t see think the Steelers have an interest in doing that. Believe me, they really like James, who showed great improvement thru the season. Became a very dependable target for Ben. Is he a Pro Bowler? No. But they like him, and that includes Ben.

Jack of Splat: Was that a personal file on #50 in the play off game? I thought they played football in the NFL.

Gerry Dulac: Terrible call. In the middle of the field, no less. What, there are no collisions or hard hits allowed in the middle of the field? That’s like not hearing a cab honk in NYC.

JerseySteel: The Steelers ran into a 9 and 10 man front on first down for 3 quarters before they abandoned that ill conceived strategy. Why do the Steelers have to consistently run into a brick wall of 9/10 man fronts for so long before Haley can see it isn’t working?

Gerry Dulac: Yeah, that offensive line and ability to run really failed them this season.

Scott in Dallas: Is K. Williams a bad choice to have on the team given the issues Bell had riding around with Blount?

Gerry Dulac: Hold your cards

Tony: Does Ben’s comments about retirement change the way the Steelers look at the draft? The idea that he’s mulling over retirement makes me think they might make QB more of a priority

Gerry Dulac: No

Chuck: Why not cut L Green and eat the $6 mill but draft a TE with so many good ones out there. He can’t be counted on and what happens the next big hit. He’s a big target for Ben but a bigger target for safeties. I just don’t see this ending well. You?

Gerry Dulac: Well, that is the problem going forward. What happens next time he gets hit? Or will he be gun-shy about getting hit, which I wouldn’t blame him if he were.

Gerry Dulac: OK, kids, I gave you an extra half-hour today. Hope you enjoyed the answers. If I answered every question still on the board, I’d be here till Ben actually retired.

First Published: January 25, 2017, 5:50 p.m.

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