Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat transcript: 12.11.12

Tuesday, 11 December 2012 18:09

Written by Ed Bouchette

Ed Bouchette: Good afternoon, let's begin

Comment From Dormonty Dawson
Between A and B, which is more likely: A) Either Mendenhall or Wallace in Steelers uniform next year, or B) Pirates win 2013 World Series in 5?

Ed Bouchette: A, but not by much

Comment From ?
If C. Allen can't play this weekend, then what will we see in terms of DB personnel?

Ed Bouchette: Unfortunately, not much

Comment From kjacksonpgh
Hi Ed, were you shocked with the inability of the Steelers to create turnovers and sacks to a San Diego team that had ¾ of a new offensive line?

Ed Bouchette: Not so much turnovers because they've never seen a loose ball they liked, but sacks yes. The Chargers were signing guys off the street and starting them in their offensive line and the Steelers could do little to bring down Rivers.

Comment From Nuffy
Is Mundy an option as the nickel back?

Ed Bouchette: How about Will Allen? That's who I might have used.

Comment From hello
What was all that jazz P. Rivers was talking during the game? At one point he even yelled something at Coach Tomlin and got a smile in response.

Ed Bouchette: That's what Rivers does all the time, it's part of his MO.

Comment From Zack
Will DeCastro start at RG?

Ed Bouchette: It looks that way, yes, with Ramon Foster moving to LG

Comment From billy
Tomlin really didn't think not going for 2 with 6:00 left, 3 timeouts, and the 2:00 warning was a good idea. We just hope he's a bad liar, right?

Ed Bouchette: Don't know if you've heard, but he admitted today near the end of the press conference today that he did not go for 2 because it was "bleak" at that point.

Comment From Justin
If Dacastro plays right gaurd, can Foster move to left guard? I not who would?

Ed Bouchette: Yes, Foster.

Comment from Dale Klima
Is it because of lack of motivation that we lose the games we should win?

Ed Bouchette: Brett Keisel said, as you probably know by now, that they weren't "ready" to play Sunday. Mike Tomlin agreed with him at his press conference today.

Comment From hello
What should we make of the "Did you ask the coach that?" comment Ben made when asked about why Plax wasn't on the field more? Isn't that the type of passive aggressive anti-Haley comment that could grow into a full scale shouting match on the sideline?

Ed Bouchette: I think he was just saying that he does not have the authority to say who is on the field, so if you want to know the answer, ask the coach.

Comment From ,,,
You see Lincoln? Good flick.

Ed Bouchette: Yeah, but I already know how it ends.

Comment From Dale Klima
Will we get a special teams coach after the season is over?

Ed Bouchette: They have one. Do you mean will they go back to two? Yes, I believe they will.

Comment From Jim in VT
Tagliabue just vacated all Saints player suspensions

Ed Bouchette: Makes the commish look weak.

Comment From ,
Was the right call made on the lateral/fumble play? I thought no, but what's the rule on that exactly?

Ed Bouchette: It has to be a FORWARD pass. If it does not go forward from the line of scrimmage, it's considered a lateral, which is a live ball. I don't know if the officials made the right call because I never did see a good angle on it, but it looks like the Steelers made the wrong call.

Comment From Tucson Ken
Status on Colon?

Ed Bouchette: He had surgery on his knee. Out at least for the regular season and they are trying to decide whether to hold a roster spot in case they make the playoffs and he might be ready. I'm guessing they won't.

Comment From Wisenhimer in LA
Does A. Brown know you can let the ball roll into the endzone instead of fair catching it inside the 10 all the time?

Ed Bouchette: Many punt returners fair catch it now because punters have gotten good at that Australian roll, where the ball does not automatically bounce into the end zone as you could previously count on it doing.

Comment From Guest
Ed, has the coaching staff completely forgotten Mendenhall's career stats and performance against Philly earlier this year? He's by far their most talented back with big-play ability. Can't say that about the other guys...

Ed Bouchette: He hasn't shown it much, and they don't believe his head is in the right place.

Comment From ,
How angry was Tomlin at the presser today?

Ed Bouchette: Not angry at all. Answered all the questions in unusual character, respectfully.

Comment From NA Coach
With Kugler's pending departure, who do you see as the next O line coach?

Ed Bouchette: I could not fathom a guess. Tunch Ilkin would be great at it, but he's turned down jobs in the past, including an offer from Bill Cowher.

Comment From Guest
do you think the new OL coach will be promoted within or find someone from outside, id really like some zone blocking. also, do you think there will be a new ST coach following the season or are they stickin with Amos?

Ed Bouchette: They will hire from outside.

Comment From ,
To this point, in your opinion, who is the league MVP?

Ed Bouchette: I stopped voting for those awards and, really, I haven't thought about it or researched it. I don't think anyone on the Steelers will win, though.

Comment From Dormonty Dawson
I think Dwyer is Steelers best overall RB. Your thoughts?

Ed Bouchette: He's been the most consistent, the most productive.

Comment From BA
What impact (if any) do you think Cameron's firing in Baltimore will have on the Ravens?

Ed Bouchette: Well, you saw what firing a special teams coordinator during the preseason has done for the Steelers.

Comment From *
Excited to visit Dallas? What is there to do there? I have never been. I do not think Texas looks like a cool place to visit.

Ed Bouchette: Yes, Dallas can be a good spot. I will go to the site of the Kennedy shooting.

Comment From dave
Why don't the steelers think Dwyer can be a #1 RB going forward?

Ed Bouchette: Don't know that they don't, but I expect them to find another in the draft.

Comment From Myrtle Beach Jim
I heard all week how Tomlin stinks. Please I'll take him over Ron Rivera here. Please send him down.

Ed Bouchette: We heard the previous week how much of a genius he was. The rule of thumb in Pittsburgh is: Win, Super Bowl. Lose, fire the coach.

Comment From yo
What is the deal with Mendenhall's "head being in the right place?" Is it just an effort/interest thing or is there more at play, like an anxiety disorder, for example?

Ed Bouchette: I can't tell you exactly, just what I was told.

Comment From The Blob
Who starts at running back now?

Ed Bouchette: MT said there will be no changes this week, so Jonathan Dwyer.

Comment From wow
That's a big story you just dropped! Can you expand on it? The STeelers have offered Tunch the o-line job. Wow!

Ed Bouchette: You better go back and read what I said. I said Cowher offered him a job. I have no idea if MT would offer him one. I just said I think he would do a good job at it if he did.

Comment From Guest
Who will be our starting O-line for Sunday?

Ed Bouchette: Same at 3 spots, with Foster moving to LG and DeCastro moving in at RG.

Comment From rob from thomaston,ct
DE kiesel said he during warm ups for chargers game he said he felt no emotion from other players about playing the chargers. is coach tomlin not prepairing our team as a motivator and coach . its a recurring thing lately to be losing to teams we are exspected to beat!

Ed Bouchette: Well, there is a pattern there.

Comment From The Blob
ADo they make playoffs this year?

Ed Bouchette: Do you think they should? I'll let you know Dec. 23.

Comment From wow
Ed, I noticed that James Harrison used an expletive in his comments following the SD game. Is it against the law for newspapers to print curse words or is it just that they'll lose readers and advertisers if they do?

Ed Bouchette: No law, just a matter of taste.

Comment From Wootang
Was Troy injured on the collision in the end zone?

Ed Bouchette: no

Comment From ?
You are a writer, so do you have any favorite fiction authors to recommend? I'd rather read than watch this stank team.

Ed Bouchette: Sometimes, when Mike Tomlin is assessing the opposing team at his weekly press conference I feel he could write fiction with the best of them.

Comment From Plexiglass
Does Dez Bryant play this week?

Ed Bouchette: you might want to log on to the Cowboys chat and ask them.

Comment From Wisenhimer in LA
With Mendenhall constantly being inactive, why don't the Steelers activate B. Batch to the active roster?

Ed Bouchette: He's on the practice squad. They would have to release someone. Plus, one reason Mendenhall is not active is they need to get that spot for another position that has injuries.

Comment From Guest
Do you think the Steelers finish strong and make the playoffs, or lose 2 or 3 and show us that they just really are not a good team?

Ed Bouchette: They may make the playoffs, but they're not finishing strong. If by finishing strong you mean beat Cincinnati and Cleveland, OK. I don't consider that strong. They've lost 3 of 4 and I believe it will be 4 of 5 on Sunday.

Comment From Dale Klima
Why did most fans leave so early Sunday?

Ed Bouchette: Because they came to watch the Steelers and were disappointed when they didn't show up.

Comment From JAMESH
Steeler ROY? Paulson, Adams, Rainey, Butler.................

Ed Bouchette: Maybe we will suspend the award for a year. You know, lock it out. DeCastro still has time to make his case.

Comment From Pablo
Are you at all surprised that Kugler will stay with the team through the season, including playoffs? How much of his time is he spending on UTEP matters?

Ed Bouchette: No, I would have been surprised had he left. O'Brien did it in New England last year and it worked out pretty well for both the Patriots and Penn State.

Comment From Guest
Will Woodley play?

Ed Bouchette: It looks like it. But then, there's five days left for him to pull something.

Comment From Lombardi
SB favorite at this point of the season?

Ed Bouchette: My favorite would be New England after last night.
Comment From LarryG
Who will be our starting cornerbacks for Sunday?

Ed Bouchette: Highly Questionable and Unreliable

Comment From Mitch
When are they going to bring in a new punter to at least try out to push Butler. With the exception of the Alex Rodriquez-time punt (when it didn't matter) he was absolutely abysmal)

Ed Bouchette: I'm sure they'll have someone in camp next year.

Comment From Wisenhimer in LA
Are Woodley's injuries related to him being out of shape this year?

Ed Bouchette: I do not know, I'm not smart enough to know if he's in shape or not. He's big, but Levon Kirkland was big too and was not injured alot. Do you say the same thing abut Troy P? Is he hurt because he's not in shape?

Comment From LarryG
What is the mood around the Steelers practice faciliy/locker room? Do they seem focused and fired-up with crisp practices? Or are they kind of moping around and just going through the motions?

Ed Bouchette: I don't know. They have off today. They do not practice until Wednesday. But I thought MT had a crisp press conference today.

Comment From teddyballgame14
When does the GM get some scrutiny? With so many draft picks underachieving, he's gotta catch some heat sometime...

Ed Bouchette: Usually when he gets scrutiny, he comes out looking pretty good.

Comment From Guest
I look forward all week to the steelers winning and then they lose. What gives?

Ed Bouchette: I look forward to winning the lottery every week. I know how you feel.

Comment From AZSteel
Can you please advise the players that the Boys have 5 SB trophys, so they perhaps show up this week?

Ed Bouchette: OK. when did they win their most recent one again? Let me rephrase that, when did they win their most recent playoff game?

Ed Bouchette: Thanks again for another great chat. A program note: Tomlin will hold his press conference on Dec. 24, not Tuesday, which is Christmas. This chat will take place Wednesday, Dec. 26, at 1:30. But we'll be back here next Tuesday as scheduled.