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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 01.13.20
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Brian Batko
12:00
Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming round for another chat, even though the Steelers haven't made much news since last we talked. But I'm sure there's still plenty on your mind. Do what you do...
Ken
12:01
Blue print provided by Tennessee for beating the Ravens next year?
Brian Batko
12:03
Kind of hard to say, Ken. I mean, sure, rushing for 200+ yards, winning the turnover battle 3-0 and getting two absurd touchdown catchse is a pretty good formula to follow. But yeah, if it's more about how they did it, they were determined to keep Lamar Jackson from gashing them down the middle. Good plan, but tougher to execute. To me, the biggest thing they're doing on this run is just showing how crucial it is to have a ground game.
Watt-age
12:04
After watching the games this past weekend it was clear that winning the line of scrimmage is essential to winning football. With this the Steelers must prioritize oline and dline players in FA and draft. I don’t see a case for other needs above these. What say U?
Brian Batko
12:05
The case would just be that the Steelers believe they already have the horses in-house to improve their line play. Zach Banner or Chuks Okorafor at OL (both tackles). Tyson Alualu as someone still capable of being a stop-gap option, and then the development of Isaiah Buggs at DL. I'm not necessarily saying I agree with that, but those would be the arguments against "prioritizing" those spots over, say, skill position players.
jds317
12:06
It seems that the Steelers brain trust is managing behind the league trends.  In 2015-2018, teams were short pass oriented featuring backs and tight ends.  Teams altered their defenses with fast LB's to offset that trend.  Then in 18 the Pats rolled thru the playoffs to a SB win with a power run game.  Now the successful teams are power run game and mobile QB.  The Steelers are behind trend with an OL that can't run block and no feature back.  Their passing game has a QB coming off surgery and no AB type game changer at WR.  The defense went light and fast (D.Bush) and got exposed against the run at the end of 19.  Is it time to retool both offense and the D or is it too late?
Brian Batko
12:08
At a certain point, it's just about doing what you do better than the other guys do what they do. Last I checked, the wide-open, pass-happy style of the Chiefs is working just fine. It surely helps when you have Pat Mahomes, just as it helps a run-based system when you have Derrick Henry. I'd be skeptical of the Steelers "retooling" - or completely rethinking - their approach on offense when Ben Roethlisberger is still the QB, and on defense when you look at what they've invested to build the current unit (which is quite good, by the way).
livinthedream
12:09
Brian, With the NFL trending towards the run instead of paying 17 mil for Bud why not spend 10 mil on Cory Littleton. With Cory and devin
In the middle of the Steelers D  the steelers will have one of the best run Ds in the NFL and 6 or 7 mil to spend on other spots. And if Vince can put on 10 pounds of muscle he can move to the outside.
Brian Batko
12:12
Because you still need to be able to rush the passer, and it's not as if Bud Dupree was bad against the run. He was actually fairly stout from his edge, recording 36 tackles against the run, by far a career high for him and third on the team. You have some interesting ideas, though. I do think the Steelers will need to do some no-stones-unturned evaluation about the ILB spot moving forward, personnel-wise.
GeorgiaSteeler
12:13
Brian, Steeler fans since Bill Austin/John Henry  Johnson days. I hope I'm wrong but I think the Steelers golden years are gone for the next 5-7 years. At least I was in Tampa for the last Super Bowl win.  Keep writing theses good articles.
Brian Batko
12:14
Thanks, GeorgiaSteeler. On paper, I can see why you or anyone else would feel that way, but let's give a nod to the Steelers culture, not just under Mike Tomlin but even going back to newly minted Hall of Famer Bill Cowher and of course Chuck Noll before him. There's something to be said for tradition and lineage. Granted, the post-Ben era will be the biggest test of that yet.
RJT
12:15
Why do the Steelers always throw deep on third and short?  Why not just get the first down?  Drives me nuts.
Brian Batko
12:18
They rushed 15 times and passed 43 times on third-and-3 or less. Probably because they couldn't get much push with their OL all season long.
Jerry
12:19
What do you think about Najee Harris as our 2nd round pick?
Brian Batko
12:20
I think he would be better than Najeh Davenport. But seriously, the 6-2 230-pound junior RB from Alabama hasn't actually declared for the draft yet. He's a beast, though, so I feel like he will. I don't know about using your first pick on a running back, but he'd be tough to pass on. Big fan of his game.
JP
12:21
Would it make sense to trade DuPree for a 1st round pick?
Brian Batko
12:22
Nah, what I would do if I were the Steelers is trade my 2021 first-round pick to move back into the first round in this draft. And then next year I would trade my 2022 first-round pick to move back up in the 2021 draft, and so on and so forth. My plan would be to keep doing that until the NFL folds.
Ralph
12:22
Do you agree the Steelers need coaching help at offensive line (can't run block) and the quarterback coaching  position.  Of course all offensive changes must be o.k. with Ben.
Brian Batko
12:24
Yeah I'd say it wasn't a great maiden voyage for Shaun Sarrett as OL coach, but of course I'm only basing that on their play/production. It's not like I was in the meeting rooms to see what he was teaching or on the sideline to hear what adjustments he was making. Hiring a QB coach wouldn't be a bad idea at all. Especially when the NFL doesn't have staff size limits.
Mr. Medium Chest
12:26
Hi Brian, i feel Mr Tomlin is a very good coach and motivator but i dont get the sense that he is a great X’s & O’s & scheme guy. I think he gets players to play hard and believe in the cause. I feel he would benefit from more established coordinators such as a Wade Phillips etc. Do you feel the Steelers can win a SB with Randy F and Butler, i dont see it. Thank you
Brian Batko
12:28
Yes I do, mostly because I still believe it's more about the Jimmy's and Joe's. It's funny, a lot of folks usually criticize the Steelers for having coordinators who are too old rather than young and innovative.
Doug from Raleigh
12:29
Reason(s) for Baltimore losing?  Rust due to layoff,  overconfidence,  lack of poise,  poor coaching?   They didn't respond like KC to adversity, and seemed to think Lamar could beat Tennessee single handed.  Thoughts,  good sir?
Brian Batko
12:31
Hi, Doug. The Ravens turned the ball over themselves and couldn't get any from the Titans. That will flip the script on any good team. Also, let's give the Titans some credit. The TD catches by Jonnu Smith and *checks notes* Kalif Raymond were sensational. And I'm not sure it was bad coaching by John Harbaugh as much as it was a great game plan and execution by Mike Vrabel. The paper down in Nashville does a report card like we do, and he got an A++. Hard to argue with that.
VAsteelersFan
12:32
Hi BB . . . would  you say questions regarding how "hot" someone's "seat" is qualify as the most obnoxious (and cliched) metaphor you see in your chats?
Brian Batko
12:32
Yeah, they're up there. Questions about most obnoxious questions, though? Love those.
db
12:32
Will Hines Ward be the new WR coach?
Brian Batko
12:33
The guess here is no, but it would be a great story. Bill Cowher agrees with me https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/09/30/bill-cowher-ha...
YinzerinVA
12:34
What are the chances that the Steelers bring in Teddy Bridgewater or another veteran QB?
Brian Batko
12:34
Thirty-six%
Artie Bridge
12:34
I keep reading that this year's draft is thin in tight ends.  Who are some leading free agent te's, and who could the Steelers afford?
Brian Batko
12:36
I actually kinda like this crop of tight ends, or at least the depth of it if not elite talent. And the depth could be what helps the Steelers if one of the better ones falls to the second round. The 2020 free agent class is very shaky. Basically every guy is either aging or injury prone. Vernon Davis, Jason Witten, Eric Ebron, Tyler Eifert, Charles Clay. The two best options are Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, and I'm surprised the Chargers and Falcons haven't re-signed those guys yet.
paullochrane@yahoo.com
12:38
don't you think ben is done? he looks like he weighs 300 lbs, he only won 4 playoff games in 11 years and his constant distractions about other players hasn't help the locker room !!!!  they need to cut ties with this selfish player, after all, its all about him !!!
Brian Batko
12:38
No
KB
12:38
Would it be crazy to trade Tuitt ( expensive and oft injured) for a #3 or 4, sign Hargrave (for less than Tuitt) to take his place on the outside, and use the savings to sign Dupree long term?
Brian Batko
12:39
Crazy? No. But I still wouldn't do it. Not after the year Stephon Tuitt was having and the type of injury that sidelined him. Lots of guys have come back just fine from those torn pecs.
AS
12:39
Why is it that some people think that ILBs and OLBs are interchangeable.  They’re totally different positions.
Brian Batko
12:40
They are, but I think the previous questioner was drawing on the idea that Vince Williams' best strength is his pass-rushing/
Titan In Charlotte
12:40
Hey Brian, Bigger news Ravens losing to Titans or Butler pulling out of the WPIAL in football?
Brian Batko
12:42
Titans losing, by a hair. But Joe Starkey asked me about this last week on The Fan, and I'll say this about Butler football leaving the WPIAL, it's hard to fault them given their enrollment situation. As a Shaler grad who witnessed his alma mater endure a seasons-long losing streak a few years ago, one of the biggest factors in their turnaround was dropping from 6A to 5A. And it's not as if the Titans are winning WPIAL titles or anything, but they're making the playoffs and winning about half their games, and that seems a long way off for Butler.
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