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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 01.07.25
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Brian Batko
11:45
Hi everyone, tons of questions already filing in so we're gonna start a little early and end a little early. Steelers chat beginning right ........... now
Stairway to seventh seed
11:45
Brian:  Tomlin admitted that they focused on running the ball to keep it away from Burrow even though they were playing a defense that they had thrown for over 400 yards against in early December.  Couple that with the lack of blitzing and playing safeties 15-20 yards deep even on 3rd and 3-5 yards and I wonder if Tomlin's main objective hasn't become, whether he realizes it or not, just to keep his defense from being embarrassed by big plays and 30+ point outputs.
Brian Batko
11:46
That may well have been the thought process going in but it feels like a half-measure. If that were the mentality, why defer to the Bengals then after winning the toss? I suppose the idea was to get a quick stop on D, even a 3-and-out, but obviously the exact opposite of that happened and then the game plan is all out of whack from there.
Bill Grovehill
11:47
What do you make of Tomlin unbelievably covering for Pickens' poor route that led to the INT vs KC and then Pickens giving up on him and the team anyways the very next game?
Brian Batko
11:49
Ha, I didn't really think of it precisely in those terms, but you're right. I saw a clip of Shannon Sharpe bashing George Pickens and Mike Tomlin for essentially that dynamic, too, so it's not just us beat writers in Pittsburgh being too hard on a third-year player. If Tomlin is actually this naive to Pickens and his problematic nature, then they have big problems. My personal opinion is that it's far more likely he just doesn't think it does any good at all to call out a guy publicly, especially this particularly fragile guy.
Tom
11:50
There is now a strong chance Tomlin won't be renewed after 2027. I fear that the Steelers will think they will find that magic coach for another 20 years too easily. This hiring, they won't have a strong team with young HOF building blocks, veteran HOF coordinators, nor the QB in place. Plus unless the Steelers tank, they'll probably be on of the last teams to fire/not sign Tomlin and have less choices. Is this all the more reason to try to get Ben Johnson this year? Get the best guy who has already passed on crappy jobs realizing it is only temporary anyways in places like the Jets and Jax. The Steelers have some solid pieces in place and can provide stability that he wants. If he has extra picks from a Tomlin trade, all the better. Do you try now?
Brian Batko
11:51
Kudos to you for a lot of good points there, Tom, but I think there also are some major assumptions made. Namely, that Ben Johnson (or any other hot candidate for that matter) would jump at an open Steelers job compared to the other franchises you mention. Yes, the tradition, family atmosphere and stability all are nice factors. But the facilities are shared with a college team, the QB cupboard is completely bare for next season and the draft capital isn't great. Oh, and have you seen the division and conference they play in lately?
This Guy
11:52
Since this year is basically over, let's talk about next year. Wilson, Fields or someone else? What vets get axed for either cap space or because of pore play? Any surprise cuts like Minkah?
Brian Batko
11:52
This year is far from over! Get a load of This Guy.
fu shnickens
11:52
Brian, how come no one at the PG is touting Coach Fortune Cookies for coach of the year anymore?
Brian Batko
11:55
I'm still very much touting the Mike Tomlin fortune cookies idea. That, to me, is timeless. But as for why Tomlin is no longer a trendy candidate for that award, it's pretty simple, fu shnickens. The Steelers went from having one of the best records in the league a month ago to being a slightly above mediocre AFC team.
Takoma Tom
11:56
Has coach T. lost the locker room ?
Brian Batko
11:56
No, I wouldn't say that.
WestCoastSteeler
11:56
I hear alot of talk of Tomlin running the offense.  Watching games smith is callng plays. What say you?
Brian Batko
11:58
That kind of talk is more philosophical than operational. Tomlin is not an offensive play-caller. My sense is that the extent of his involvement during the course of a game is like what we saw when he was mic'd up last season in Seattle. He told interim play-caller Mike Sullivan he wanted to see rhythm passing, playing to win, not being conservative. So, that kind of thing does happen on the sideline. But Arthur Smith calls the plays, as Sullivan, Matt Canada, Randy Fichtner and others did before him.
SW Steel
11:59
Hello Mr. Batko.  I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season.  Do you think the Steelers front-office is re-evaluating it's future plans for QB after the recent stretch of games?  Seeing where the Steelers are likely to be in the upcoming draft, what options do you think the Steelers have beyond this year?
Brian Batko
12:01
Oh please, Mr. Batko is my dad. Actually, not really. My friends called him Mr. B growing up. But thank you for that, we did enjoy the holidays very much. Hopefully the first day back at school is going well as we speak. Surely the front office has to be evaluating and re-evaluating constantly. And in general, this offseason will be much different for their assessments of both guys because one is no longer practically free with another team paying his salary and the other is no longer under contract as he was when you traded for him. Those two remain options, as do a 2022-esque draft class and strikingly few free-agent candidates.
Sergio from Mexico
12:02
Hello BB.
Playoffs…!!!! So now that we are the underdog, do you think we have a Baltimore miracle up our sleeves? Or should we resign ourselfs to another disappointing finish… Happy new year and the best to you and your Family!!!
Brian Batko
12:02
Sergio, Sergio, Sergio. Do whatever feels right in your heart. I wouldn't be shocked if the Steelers muck up this game and needle their arch nemesis yet again. But I would be even less shocked if the Ravens blow them out.
First Drive Failures
12:03
I have a wild idea.  Game plan should be to start fast and get a score on the first drive.  Lamar is a way different QB when playing in close games or from behind, especially against the Steelers.  It’s not that hard to figure out.  Why can’t this coaching staff figure it out during this entire season?
Brian Batko
12:04
I hear you. The Bengals game wasn't as lopsided as the three before it, but in a way, I think it was an even more embarrassing defeat because of how horrendous they started. Both sides of the ball. And while I'm not trying to make any excuses for Arthur Smith in his first season, now that we're nearing the end of it, how different does it look/feel/seem than the previous regime(s)? At that point, there's one common denominator.
Alan in Bama
12:04
Brian, I’m a long time Steelers fan and loved the 70’s defense with the 10-6 wins over the Oilers and all but like my Ford Pinto and land line, things change. Seems like since Ben’s departure, Tomlin and all are trying to beat elite teams with a similar strategy of not only game plan but spending more on the D than the O. Do you feel that the current Tomlin regime is capable of rebuilding and coaching a high powered offense?
Brian Batko
12:05
We certainly haven't seen that, Alan. And we all know how tough that is to do if you don't have the quarterback in place to do so. Look around the league and how many organizations/fan bases in various cities are singing the same tune right now? But if the Steelers intended to build a team that can zig while the Lamars, Burrows, Allens and Mahomes of the world zag, that execution is not going well thus far.
Mike's missing game plan
12:06
Why do the national media and most of the local media think Tomlin is a "great coach"? I keep hearing how he doesn't game plan well, doesn't adjust in game, doesn't manage the clock correctly, doesn't know when or when not to challenge a call. Plays players who are not the best at their position on the team in critical moments, punts when he shouldn't, doesn't punt when he should. What about any of this says he's a great coach? Hall of fame? Why??? Gimme a break.
Brian Batko
12:08
Here's the defense of Mike Tomlin, just because you're asking: These more granular factors you're referencing are game-to-game things that every coach gets evaluated on each week. Sometimes they crush it, other times they fall short. Now, of course, there are some outliers. The Chiefs were 15-1. Their game plans and personnel usage and in-game decision-making were consistently above the line. But all of that said, Tomlin's record and results are near the top of the NFL since he's had this job. And even more recently, the Steelers have made the playoffs four of the last five years with a division title in that span. That's the argument.
Henry Hill
12:09
Pickens: over/under 2.5 receptions on Saturday? I'm going over, he can't be this bad, right?
Brian Batko
12:09
Me too, Henry. That's a low line.
Jack Splat
12:10
How can you explain Mr. Rooney’s narrow minded view regarding MT’s obsolete understanding of offense in this day’s NFL.  This nonsense about not having a losing season further highlights MT’s failure in post season success.  A change is needed to move forward.  His messsge has grown old.  Am I off base here?  Thanks.
Brian Batko
12:11
Well I guess I would say he's not looking at Tomlin's performance on that granular of a level. He's taking into account the overall job of an NFL head coach like a CEO of sorts. Now, to your last point, Art Rooney II still believes Tomlin's message resonates, based on every team we hear him comment on the state of the team and I assume that won't change when we hear from him after this season, whether they lose Saturday night or in New Orleans.
Silent Bob
12:12
Thinking about RW's success in Seattle, they had a stifling defense, led by Richard Sherman and others. Ours is more soft and not particularly well coached. Great running game with Lynch. Biggest disappointment with run-first-Arthur-Smith is how weak our run game is. And he always had at least 2 great targets including Metcalf. Our mob is from the island of misfit WRs. Does he need this type of supporting cast to be successful? And, it begs the question, could any QB be successful - super bowl competitive - with the current Steeler roster and coaching?
Brian Batko
12:14
It certainly helps. It helps any quarterback, but especially a 36-year-old one who can't move like he used to and relied on that mobility so much in his style of play. These kind of hypotheticals are always kind of silly, but I tend to think if you put, say, Justin Herbert on this team he'd be better and they'd be better. If you put Russell Wilson on, say, the Rams he'd be better.
Lou
12:15
Hi Brian. Do you think Steelers should take a WR with the first round pick and if so, who?
Brian Batko
12:17
Early draft questions, eh? I don't mind. Admittedly I'm something of a draft nerd who's been keeping an eye on the college prospects all season. A WR would make sense in the first round, sure. Given who might be available into the 20s, I like Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State. Tre Harris from Mississippi had a great season too. They're due for a first-round Harris.
Steeltown
12:18
Brian, I've heard a lot of criticism about Russ this week, and certainly he did not have a good game, especially his decision to run the ball on the last drive. However, he only had 10 pass attempts well into the third quarter, so I really think the game plan did not give him a chance. Couple that with all of the drops, and maybe he's being judged a bit unfairly. Thoughts?
Brian Batko
12:20
Perhaps. But his interception against the Chiefs was the kind of throw that can make a coach lose confidence in a QB. He looked shaky at times in that game. Maybe they didn't want him having the ball in his hands a ton against the Bengals. Now it's easy to second-guess that, but I'm just brainstorming for why that may have been.
LarryG from Punxy
12:21
I think the ceiling on Coach Tomlin is low.  He is good enough to have non-losing seasons, get the most out of his players, and even crap out a win when maybe they should have lost (hoping this is the case on Saturday against Baltimore).  But I don't think he can outcoach the higher level coaches, and that is what is needed to go deep into the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.  I also don't think he can put a full roster together, and he is a poor evaluator of talent.  The time to move on is long gone.  I know he is under contract through the 2027 season, and that's not the way the Steelers do business, but sometimes you just need to let a man go.  When do you think Coach Tomlin moves on from the Steelers?
Brian Batko
12:23
Larry, I really don't know. The low ceiling is hard to contest at this point. But the high floor continues to be the other side of that coin. As I probably said around this time last year, chatting with you fine folks, every year he's here he gets closer to no longer being the Steelers head coach. Nothing lasts forever. But who knows when that will be?
Big Steel
12:24
There is a bunch of “offensive” talent surrounding Russell Wilson. (Adjective) Blaming him for a below average O-line, average running backs and arguably the weakest receiving corps in the league is a bit much….Do you concur?
Brian Batko
12:24
Fair points, Big Steel. But he also was brought in to replace Kenny Pickett and elevate said group, no?
Benson DuBois
12:25
Were the Steelers conservative vs. Bengals to save Russ for playoffs without taking him out?  Russ takes a lot of sacks, and he's not exactly young.
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