Let’s Ride: Answering questions about the coaching staff, offense, and more in the MAILBAG

The Pittsburgh Steelers season is over, and the fan base has a lot of questions surrounding the team heading into what could be a very tumultuous offseason.

Jeff Hartman answers questions weekly in the Mailbag Segment of the “Let’s Ride” podcast, and you can hear both the questions and answers in the video from that show.

Want to hear the full show? Check out the links below:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-ride-the-early-demise-of-the-2024-steelers/id905962218?i=1000646227596

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0TdNw1aIoWMeorDZtdGR6x?si=oQaycXgPSjO4WfdsdrFyrQ

Website: http://steelcurtainnetwork.com

All right stud fans welcome back to the second half of the let’s ride podcast hope you enjoyed that first half I know I did uh of hey mailbag time Wednesday that’s what we do every Wednesday I put out the or every Tuesday I put out the

Tweet you can find it at the Twitter handle that you see on the screen if for watching on YouTube or J Harman HR tore pit I don’t have to follow you just have to find it you respond I answer the question live here on the show every

Single Wednesday let’s get this show off right with Believers he said r or die crew poll of the week he’s been doing this how we all probably feel addition and the options were I want the quarterback to be here the options depends on so everyone shuts the hell up

About it and that’s actually right I actually voted for shuts the hell up so uh I agree with that but he continues with the real ride or die weekly poll I feel like we never speak about trading down in the draft I’d consider it with the depth and the possibility of our

Best round one targets being off the board that being said I know what they usually do but if I controlled the draft I would his options for the poll this week are trade up for a top 10 trade down for more picks stand Pat and draft the best player available so this is

This is difficult I would always say trade down but it’s exactly what are you giving up I’m gonna say St Pat and take the best player available based on the fact that I think that the Steelers have very specific team needs that they want depends on what they do in free agency

Too so let’s revisit this after free agency when we get closer to the draft Dave scoffield chimes in says Where are all the dad jokes this week they came in a little bit later than you but that’s fine he said in case you don’t get any here’s what Dave said my friend keeps

Telling me to cheer up these days he says it could be a lot worse I could be trapped inside an underground hole filled with water I know he means well butam Ching nice very nice Dave that was a good one and then big will another

Rider d member chimes in and says I want to start playing silent tennis it’s like regular tenis but without the racket he’s actually pretty good all right let’s move on uh thego Fernandez his last year we focused on having players with ball skills in the secondary however Minka had to play the

Box and had zero interceptions the whole season do you think the focus should be on bringing players with with skill sets set highlights our Playmakers such as we had with Edmonds and Mallette okay so you kind of said what I said in the defensive part of the first half of the

Show which was think they need to surround and fill those gaps the players that this is what they need is to get Minka back in the back half doing what he does best so I think yeah they need to do their diligence with a guy like trell Edmonds he didn’t play poorly this

Year he’s just not a flashy guy but he could be just what the Steelers need so if he’s out there and they can grab him and they want him which they should pick him up as they said in uh Dumb and Dumber Eric ask you said Ben and ab or Lemieux and yogger

This Eric and and honestly let me say this I thought the yogger Jersey retirement process the the whole ceremony was just phenomenal was just fantastic when they the 68 went up into the rafters it was great and it were brought it brought me back to my childhood I remember my best friend

Growing up his grandmother lived across the street she was a teacher and mean you want to talk about yarm Yager fever in an in that area not just in Pittsburgh but that whole area she had a life-size like poster of yarm Maraga in her classroom and she posted his stats

On her I mean she was not she wasn’t a math teacher just it was incredible but when you say Ben and ab or lemie and yogger give me the guys that won two championships together over the ones that won zero that is mar Lemieux and yarma yogger that’s who I’ll take let’s

Go to Chris g a d this is a deep tackle and cornerback draft class since those positions are expensive in free agency would look to sign the best possible free Center and draft The Tackle and cornerback or are you going after jpj in the first I’m I’m assuming you’re

Talking about uh Powers Johnson uh from Oregon Frasier in the second if jpj is taken before 20 so I think that the Steelers are going to be smart I’m gonna lean on someone like Roy Countryman which by the way he’s gonna be starting his own podcast on our network not steel

Curt Network his own podcast on the fans for Sports Network here hopefully this week keep your eyes out for that but he’s the one said this some of these positions they should double dip they should be looking at free agency and in the draft that’s going to be important

So I think tackle cornerback double dip double dip for sure and then you talk about corner I would take Frasier in the second and still be able to use the first somewhere else and I do think jpj meaning the center could be gone before the Steelers pick at 20 all right let’s

Go to H Haskins qb1 he said hey Jeff it’s been a while since I asked a question but I never miss an episode thank you very much he said but my question is are we the Steelers really a quarterback away from being a legitimate playoff

Contender and if so this is the year to get the best option out there to really help our potential and not saying kp8 isn’t the answer but he hasn’t shown anything and can stay healthy thanks Jeff hashtag rer die crew I I’ve said this before I’ll say it again I don’t

Think the Steelers are a quarterback away uh it’s a question I asked Tim Benz who was on my show a couple weeks ago when I think it was three weeks ago I had Tim on and he he agreed with me I don’t I don’t think they’re a

Quarterback away I think that if they can figure out who that quarterback is maybe it is Kenny picket uh you said he hasn’t shown us anything he’s won some games he’s shown some fourth quarter magic we’ll put it that way but he has been injured a lot that’s act

That’s that’s 100% accurate as much as it the other statement was with the wins and the fourth quarter comebacks so until they figure out that quarterback one position one player no I don’t think they’re one player away Steelers 419 said I would prefer the Steelers address Corner in free agency given their track

Record drafting cornerbacks excluding Joey Porter Jr and the fact that there are options available in Johnson and sne is this fair or am I stuck in the Kevin cobber era for me let’s also free agents cornerbacks they’ve done some they’ve done some good work with some lesser known players I remember when Steven

Nelson was brought in no one really knew much of him from his time in Kansas City played really well for the Steelers just contract got too much they had to cut ties with him when the salary cap dipped uh I’m not going to be Allin on the

Johnson and Sneed it’s just gonna cost too much money the Steelers cannot afford that type of contract I don’t think they’re going to be in those those conversations but I do think there are free agents out there who could fit the bill and then they still can draft a

Cornerback but they don’t need to necessarily do it in round one and let’s also keep in mind before people start with the rhetoric of the Steelers cannot draft cornerbacks how rare have they drafted a corner really really early yes Ry Burns that was bad that was bad that’s an outlier though they really

Don’t tend to Target cornerbacks early in the draft and plus with Omar Khan and Andy widle I’m going to reserve judgment and not lump them into that as well all right let’s go to Brian Haynes how do you feel about our quarterback room for next season apparently we’re going to go

After cousins Wilson Jimmy G flacko and Huntley he’s joking we’re going to be loaded seriously though are you more worried about quarterback or offensive line in 20124 as we sit here today I’m worried about both I’m worried about both I there there’s a part of me that thinks that

Mason Rudolph is not GNA be back and I think that someone’s gonna pay him a lot of money I talked about that with Chris Carter on Monday and I asked him that question do you think he would want to come back he said that’s a great question and I’ve thought about he’s

Thought about it he like I I don’t know it’s going to be interesting to see how this offseason plays out but I’m I think they have a better likelihood of fixing the offensive line this season than they do fixing the quarterback position which sucks let’s go to Bob rayberg do you

Think we will ever know the behind the scenes dysfunctionality of the Matt Canada Reign of Terror from a player or coach I know the C are a classy organization so we’ll likely never know but it would be interesting to hear details of why he was so bad incompetent

And stubborn yeah I don’t know that’s something that maybe I can talk with my source I don’t I don’t even know when that would be appropriate to talk about that and to get that information so unfortunately I don’t think we’ll ever know that next question from Bob great

He said also great interview with Chris Carter on Monday keep bringing him on maybe we’ll talk to Chris in this offseason and see what we can make happen we’ll see let’s go to Steeler fan 69 he’s a little bit later than usual he’s always here with the dad jokes he

Said hi Jeff did you see Dave scoffield put out a dad joke Here Am mine for Valentine’s Day my my wife asked me asked for something shiny that can go from 0 to 200 in 5 seconds so I got her a bathroom scale oh he said boy am I in the dogh house

Dogs can’t operate MRI machines but cats can I’m a sucker for a dad joke all right give me a break all right let’s go to Steve the Tennessee Trader he said if the Steelers could get Tyron Smith for under 7even million should we pull that

Trigger I I need to know more than just that that’s what a lot of times people ask me these questions on social media if you could get X player for the X amount how long is the contract how like all this stuff that’s going on like how

Much is this going to cost them in the long run what’s the salary Campa what’s the sign I want to know more details before I say yes or no the next uh sell the team that’s his Twitter handle he said do the Steelers watch other games and quarterback play in the playoffs and

Really think they’re close I I don’t know what you want me to say I I I I don’t think they’re a player away said that earlier I’ll say it again they might think differently maybe they’ll prove us both wrong wouldn’t that be something let’s go to Teemu

Enberg said if Deontay gets traded who is your favorite to replace him who’s saying Deontay Johnson’s getting traded because I’ll say this who wants Deontay Johnson it’s not like he’s coming off this crazy awesome season they they need him they they’re going to need him

They’re going to need him to be that guy whatever that guy is and I kind of outlined that in the first half the show so yeah I don’t think he’s getting traded I’d be shocked James asked Shannon raised the point on the hangover that Laney Wilson and duck Hodges could

Be the new Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce phenomenon in all seriousness would you welcome a duck Hodges return to Pittsburg as a qb3 I don’t think duck Hodes has any interest in playing football again he was in the NFL played in Canada and uh I think he just kind of

Hung it up he I think he’s done and you know honestly with Laney Wilson she is the the biggest country star right now in terms of female country singers and I don’t think duck Hodes necessarily has the the the Travis Kelce pool but I’ll

Tell you what that is a is quite a tanem if he was still playing it would be pretty similar let’s go to Carter’s twist do we do you think we we have already condemned Arthur Smith’s offense by saying it will be the same in my opinion an offensive coordinator who

Cannot bring something new to an offense is doomed to repeat their previous failures I’m optimistic Smith’s offense will be fresh and new let me say this Carter’s twist if this offense is exactly the same almost to a te then you me and everyone else listening to this

Podcast knows who to blame it’s not Art Rooney II it’s not even Arthur Smith it would be the head coach because if you keep removing these pieces of the puzzle and yet it continually Remains the Same then who’s the common denominator we would know that answer wouldn’t we we

Would all know that answer it would be blatant so I’m anxious to see what they can do with Arthur SMI Arthur Smith as well I think it’s going to be different I think it’s going to be good last one from tender cat hey Jeff do you think the Steelers should give this next

Season solely to Rudolph as the starter the guys something to prove and with a better offensive plan I believe he could be pretty dangerous I’m riding with Rudy well first tender cat he has to be under contract right now he’s a free agent they have to win the bidding war to get

Him to stay and when you think about it they have every right right now to negotiate they could sign into a contract tomorrow if they wanted don’t think it’s going to happen it would be stupid for Mason Rudolph he wants to test the waters coming off the way that

He finished the season his price tag is never going to be higher barring him getting a starting job I am gon to say this though you brought up about how he should be the full-time starter and and something that Kevin Smith and I talked about on our NFL Whi round podcast which

Is on the FSN NFL podcast feed you can get that wherever you get your podcast just by searching ffs and NFL he said I he doesn’t think that they can do like a genuine competition because it’s really difficult to split everything he said in this game football you need the

Quarterback that’s going to be your quarterback getting the brunt of the rep I don’t know how they they would do this it would get dicey so we’ll see how this plays out I I’m I’m all for an open competition if they can make it work and if it’s a genuine honest open

Competition meaning whoever plays the best in training camp OTAs mini camps fast forward to the preseason then they are named the starting quarterback not the guy who was drafted in the first round just because he was drafted in the first round so if they bring back Mason

Rudolph and he wins the job then he wins the job and he’s the starting quarterback if they’re going to do that and by the judging by last season the way it ended they might be willing to do that I’m on board I’m on board 100% let’s see what happens but they got to

Get him back in the first keep that in mind all right that’s it for me this was a great episode I loved everything I hope you all enjoyed my little birthday speech at the beginning of the show nonetheless I thank you all for listening thank you all for being part

Of the ryer die crew make sure you check out all of our podcasts at the Steel Curtain Network and check out steel Cur network.com give us a shot over there on the written side I think we do some pretty awesome work in the meantime you

Know how we finish it up be safe be kind and God bless have a great rest of your week we’ll see you on Friday ghost dealers