Ray Fittipaldo is confident in Dylan Cook, doesn't think TJ Watt will play
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Limits everything okay back in the home studio today? What's happening? Any Christmas parties? What's going on there? So the donuts arrived a little bit late, and by the time I got to them, they were pretty much all taken. But I was able to have a chocolate one, and that did make me happy. A very touching moment occurred one Friday when Ron saved a cheese danish for me. Wow. Yeah, he put a napkin over it on a plate because he got there at 5.30 a.m. to play solitaire on his computer every morning until the show. Very kind of him. And it was very kind because they were always gone. And those are my favorites, the cheese danishes. And Ron presented me with a cheese danish that he had saved just for me. It was a nice holiday moment, I remember.
Delicious. Oakmont Bakery. Are you kidding? Unbelievable. You know what that music signifies? It's time for Everybody Loves Raymond. Ray Fittipaldo of the Post Gazette. You can find his stuff at postgazette.com. Ray, let's talk T.J. Watt. We're not going to get any type of surprise appearance at practice Friday, are we? I mean, are you considering him basically out for Sunday along with Herbig? Yeah, I am, Joe. I know he was in the building yesterday. So that's obviously a good sign. But I do not think he's going to play in Detroit. So I think everything after that points to perhaps him returning for the Cleveland game. And it's just a tough situation for the Steelers this week. That outside linebacker, Nick Herbig, hasn't practiced yet either with that hamstring.
So they're down to Jack Sawyer and Alex Highsmith and now Jeremiah Moon. who was signed off Carolina's practice squad yesterday, so they're standing a little bit at outside linebacker. Derek Harmon, good to go, Ray? He is, and he's coming back to his hometown, so I'm sure he's going to be fired up to play in front of friends and family, and he's missed the last three games with a knee injury, and when you think about it, guys, your pass rush from the edges is probably going to be limited in this game, so I think this is a big game for Cam Hayward and for Derek Harmon and Keanu Batten. You've got to find a way to pressure Jared Goff somehow, at the very least get him off his spot, hit him a couple of times, and if it's not going to come from the traditional sources, from the edges like the Steelers normally pressure teams, it's got to come from the inside.
And if they don't get any pressure at all, it's going to be a tough game because the Lions are the top-scoring team in the NFL. averaging right around 31 points per game. They've just been a juggernaut all season. I know their record and their playoff standing isn't what they thought it was going to be, but their offense is every bit as advertised. So what do you think we see, Ray, from Jack Sawyer? How do you think that goes, and who's first up behind him, Bad Moon Risen or DeMarvin Leal? Well, I would imagine since Moon was signed to the 53-man roster... that he's probably going to definitely be in uniform. And I think Leal, I meant to check on this earlier in the week, I think Leal only has one elevation left.
So this will be the final time they could elevate him. So I don't know if they want to save that or what the reason was. They didn't sign him to the 53, but obviously Moon has been in the system before. He actually started a game last season. I forget the circumstance where he had to start, but He started one game for the Steelers last season. In terms of Jack Sawyer, he's a big edge setter.
What are the latest updates on T.J. Watt's injury status?
He can set the edge for the run game. He's making the transition from college to D-end, the 3-4 outside linebacker. They're really happy with his development, but he hasn't had the exposure to this point where you would feel really, really comfortable with him playing an entire game. I think last week, was his season high in snaps. 28 was around 56% of the snaps. So obviously had a bigger role last week, and it'll be an even bigger role this week with Watt and Herbig likely out of the lineup. Was that the Vegas game, Ray, that Jeremiah Moon started in?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–3:47
2
What are the latest updates on T.J. Watt's injury status?
3:47–6:21
3
How is Nick Herbig's hamstring injury affecting the Steelers' lineup?
6:21–7:57
4
What impact will Derek Harmon's return have for the Steelers against the Lions?
7:57–10:15
5
How will the Steelers' defense adapt without key players against the Lions?
10:15–12:59
6
What are the expectations for Jack Sawyer in the upcoming game?
12:59–25:54
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