Gerry Dulac: We'll get our chat started in just a couple minutes....
Gerry Dulac: Alright kids, lets get the chat started. Go.....
Mike in Cleveland: Hi Gerry. Why so many passes near the line of scrimmage or short of the first down markers on Sunday. With the WR personnel we have doesn't a vertical passing game make more sense?
Gerry Dulac: Of course it does, but they started that way because the Browns were playing their safeties so deep the Steelers wanted to move them up. S Jabrill Peppers, who is the Browns' punt returner, was so far back he looked as though he thought it was fourth down.
Martin: 6 pts seems too rich for Sunday's game. Perhaps by November we'd deserve it but not after what we saw from both teams in Week One. What do u think?
Gerry Dulac: I agree, but you get 3 points for home field and the books are probably thinking the Steelers are much better than they showed against the Browns, particularly on offense. And the Vikings probably aren't going to look much better than they did against NO. So I get it. It's just a FG.
OHIO412FAN: Gerry, what do you think the Steelers could improve on coming off an ugly win vs Cleveland? And what will the Steelers do if Tuitt does end up missing time?
Gerry Dulac: Tuitt is going to miss some time, just depends how much. But I really don't think it will be more than a couple games. As for improvements, tackle better, reduce penalties, get better performance from O-line.
John: Hello Gerry, thanks for your time and effort. What did you take away from this last game and what is the most glaring needed change for this coming game. I say focus and attention to detail to both. Penalties and missed assignments equals a substandard performance. If the Browns had just a little bit more talent and experience, the Steelers would have been on the losing end of that game.
Gerry Dulac: They almost lost anyway, though I never really got that feeling. I would just relax. It was one game, the Browns did a good job w their defensive coordinator, but if you look around the league you will see that a lot of offenses struggled in Week 1. 14 teams, including the Steelers, had fewer than 300 yards offense. That's almost unheard of. And sacks were way up. Give Week 1 to the defense.
Jeff in Texas: I know he Steelers didn't play their best game but I think the Browns are getting better. Steelers must play their A game for now on.Thanks
Gerry Dulac: Agreed on the Browns. But they don't have to play their A game all the time, just their E game. As in, Enough to win.
Jack of Splat: Hi, Gerry, I have a bad feeling about Dupree. Season ending IR would not surprise me at this point. Talk me off the ledge!
Gerry Dulac: Easy, boy, easy. Mo Larry and cheese.
Davesdogs: What is the idea behind putting plastic down in the bench area? These are million dollar athletes, I see them slipping all the time when its wet out seems high risk and stupid....
Gerry Dulac: I'm not sure. Protect the grass maybe? I'll check
NCSteeler Fan: Do you think the slow start for the offenses has to do more with the lack of practice time the B’s had because of the hold out, or do you think it was more of the play calling?
Gerry Dulac: Its Week 1 and I think it's because of the lack of time together when it counts. That's what's going to happen even more if they shorten the preseason. The first few weeks of the regular season will look like the preseason.
Rob: Any chance Ben is able to throw to any receiver not named AB this week against a tough Minnesota secondary?
Gerry Dulac: He better.
Adam in Akron: Why is Todd Haley so overly persistent with the bubble screens? I'd rather they go 3 & out throwing deep. At least back the defense up for Bell.
Gerry Dulac: Well, when defenses are backed up to stop Bryant and AB from getting behind them, and you have a pass-catching RB like Bell, why not slip the ball underneath to him? Make them come up, then go deep.
TeddyBallGame14: Any discussion of putting Tuitt on IR with the option of returning? I'd hate to see him re-injure the Bicep, or make it even worse...
Gerry Dulac: Nope
TeddyBallGame14: Was trading for Vance McDonald a waste? Big Ben seemed to be in a good rhythm with AB and Jesse James on Sunday? How hard is it for the Steelers TE to learn the offense and develop chemistry with his QB at such a late stage?
Gerry Dulac: No it wasn't. Give him time. That was really his first game with the offense.
TeddyBallGame14: How are nominations made to the NFL Hall of Fame? Some of the names on this year's list of nominations are silly! Rich Gannon? A career journeyman... Is that the category he's being nominated for?
Gerry Dulac: Yes they are and, hate to tell you, anyone can nominate any player for the Hall of Fame.
Phil from Dormont: does Leveon Bell look rusty to you?
Gerry Dulac: His timing looks off. But I'm willing to give him another game or two
J. Haden: What are your thoughts on the Pro Football Focus ratings, if any? They are saying I was not all that great last Sunday.
Gerry Dulac: I don't always put a lot of stock in them because they don't always know what a player's responsibilities are on a given play. For example, on the deep pass where Browns WR Kasen Williams got behind Haden and caught the ball out of bounds, Haden was supposed to jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage and the safety was supposed to help deep. Instead, it looked as though Haden got beat down the sideline.
Grave Digger: Hi Gerry, how come I only was in for 25 snaps Sunday?
Gerry Dulac: Lot of sub packages
Ryno: Will there be any repercussions for the officials throwing the flag on Gay after watching the big screen replay? Tomlin seemed pretty hot about that.
Gerry Dulac: There should be. That's not allowed.
TeddyBallGame14: Should we be scared of Sam Bradford's Week 1 performance this past Sunday? Or, can we hope to see the defense pressure him into being the same mediocre Bradford he's been for most of his pro career?
Gerry Dulac: Bradford is very accurate. The difference last week from last year for him was that he had time to throw and go downfield against the Saints. Last year he completed an NFL-record 71.5 percent of his passes, but a lot of those were short dump-offs because he was under so much pressure.
Joe: I really liked the way Jesse James played and not Vance. What does Vance actually bring to this team?
Gerry Dulac: He's a good blocker and route runner. And he's fairly athletic. Give him time
Scott: Why has Andy Russell been ignored by the HOF?
Gerry Dulac: That's what Myron Cope always wanted to know.
GSK: Hi Gerry, what are your thoughts on the Gay/Hilton sharing snaps at slot corner?
Gerry Dulac: If it works, do it
Ryno: What kind of performance are you expecting from Watt in the next game? I'm not sure who he will be matched up against this week.
Gerry Dulac: Riley Reiff, and he ain't Joe Thomas.
GjSteel: Hi Gerry..great job on reporting all the game and issues in Cleveland...were you suprised the Browns bottled up our running game the way they did on Sunday?
Gerry Dulac: A little because they were ranked 31st against the run last year. And their best run stuffer, NT Danny Shelton, was injured. With the Steelers O-line intact and healthy, I thought they would run much better than they did.
Theo Bell: what's wrong with Martaveous Bryant?
Gerry Dulac: One year away from football apparently generates a lot of rust and timing issues. Imagine what Senquez Golson would be going through???
grumpy EDB: Hi Gerry What is yours or the Steelers assesment on the way Hilton played and do you think he is a longterm solution? and what exactly is Golson doing now and are the Steelers done with him forever or is he waiting?
Gerry Dulac: Golson was let go in the final cut and, sadly, might not get another chance with any team. I didn't see any problems w Hilton or Gay against the Browns. In fact, I thought Gay played fairly well. But it's just one game and, good or bad, I don't make any assessments after just one game.
Chris: Will we get a better performance from bryant sunday? I sure hope so wat say u
Gerry Dulac: I say the same thing. But, based on what I've seen for several weeks now, going back to camp, I'm not sure it's going to magically change this week.
Matthew: What's going on, Gerry? Hope all is well. I think it's far too early to go into panic mode whilst we're still playing September football, but Sunday appeared to be not only poor execution of the game plan, but poor game planning overall. This seems to be a reoccurring thing for Haley (and ultimately Tomlin) when we "play down" to competition. Do you think this is just a "take the good with bad" aspect of Tomlin not being a micromanager?
Gerry Dulac: I will repeat what you said -- it's far too early to go into panic mode.
Steeler in Charlotte: Ben looked to be off target a few times throwing underneath, especially on a few to Bell and at least one or two to Bryant. Was that on him, a receiver not running the route right, lack of playing time together?
Gerry Dulac: I think the latter. That's where I think Bell was out of sync -- on his route assignments. He was slow out of breaks and out of position. Bryant, so far, looks NOTHING like the receiver we knows he is or can be. It's been that way since camp.
dave: Do you think Tomlin has changed his mind about going for 2 after a TD? It doesn't seem like they're doing it as often as they did a couple of years ago.
Gerry Dulac: Well, they didn't in Week 1.
Matt: Gerry, Wilcox replace Mitchell at some point this year at FS?
Gerry Dulac: Nope. Not unless 23 is injured
Max: I still do not see this D as a top 10.Enough to win which counts but offense is going to have to score 20+. Just not dominate. What say you?
Gerry Dulac: Oh, I think they can easily be a top 10 defense. Top 5 might be a stretch, but they were 12th last year so top 10 to me is a given with all their young players developing.
Matt: Sutton take Sensabaughs spot upon his return from IR?
Gerry Dulac: I think it will be tough for Sutton to take anyone's spot when he returns because it will be at least 8 games into the season. He was injured and missed so much of training camp that he never had enough time to push his way into the lineup. I don't think that is going to change in November.
Matt: Do you think JuJu continues 2 start over Bryant?
Gerry Dulac: That was just one game and it depends on the formation they use to start the game. Their top 3 receivers are AB, Bryant and Eli.
Chris: Will bell be a steeler in 2018? tag or they get a deal done
Gerry Dulac: Yes
Matt: Do Steelers resign Rogers & Bryant after this year?
Gerry Dulac: Depends how Bryant responds and behaves. My guess is perhaps not because of the past
Matt: Any chance Doug Whaley and or Ray Horton return 2 Steelers at some point?
Gerry Dulac: I never say never
Scott: Can Ed try to position Andy with the Senior Committee? It seems as though a grave injustice has been committed.
Gerry Dulac: Agreed
dave: Why can't the DB's stop committing personal fouls? This has been a problem for a few seasons.
Gerry Dulac: Well, safeties, by nature, are notorious hard-hitters. Many are a $25,000 fine waiting to happen. The Steelers have two of those types of player.
Ryno: Did you think Sunday was a look at what Bell may be like if he eventually leaves Pittsburgh and plays for a team that doesn't have the amazing offensive line the Steelers have?
Gerry Dulac: Perhaps
Chris: Will Mitchell start sunday
Gerry Dulac: Yes.
Gerry Dulac: OK, time running short...one-word answers here in.
Ryno: Any chance the Steelers see more potential in Big Dan, or have we seen his potential already?
Gerry Dulac: Done
Mike : Hi Gerry, what's going on with LJ Fort? Terminated contract?
Gerry Dulac: idk
TK: How much responsibility does the head coach bear for penalties that his team commits?
Gerry Dulac: All
Ryno: Are there any players on the team that you worry about their age catching up with them this season? Harrison doesn't count because, well, he's James Harrison!
Gerry Dulac: Nope
Nick: Jerry, whatever happened to Knile Davis who looked good in preseason before being cut.
Gerry Dulac: Cut
Vargo : For years the Steelers offense has been said to carry the team, yet only scores 30 points a few times a year. They rarely carry the team in close games, i.e. kC playoffs. When can we honestly start questioning Ben's downward slide like we see with Manning?
Gerry Dulac: 2034
Matt: Brian Allen do anything this year at CB?
Gerry Dulac: Watch
Chris: They seem to be a fire in colbert persay all the moves will this transition into the draft?
Gerry Dulac: Maybe
Cory: Gerry---Love your input and work! Watching personnel groupings this weekend I saw a lot of 11 and not much variation off of it. Is this just a week 1 situation where the playbook was held back due to playing the browns, or will they build off of it and try multiple variations of an 11/12. Thanks for your time!
Gerry Dulac: Impressed
Mike: Anyone on the O line jump out to you for their poor play in week 1?
Gerry Dulac: O-line
Jerry: If Bryant keep his head straight he could be good as Randy Moss. Your thoughts
Gerry Dulac: Right
Frank Pollard: How many WR screens will the Steelers run next week?
Gerry Dulac: 17
Mike : Gerry they didn't tell you it was a 2 hour chat today ?
Gerry Dulac: Nope
Matt: Chickillo top backup next year at both OLB spots?
Gerry Dulac: Yep
mbk: Maybe I overlooked it but I didn't see Steelers running their bread-and-butter running play, with Bell taking a little counter step DeCastro pulling left as the lead blocker. Is that a play that requires more practice to get the timing down?
Gerry Dulac: Yep
Gerry Dulac: OK, I got em all. And we're out of time. See you next week.
First Published: September 13, 2017, 12:52 p.m.
Updated: September 13, 2017, 3:35 p.m.
