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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 01.13.25
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Brian Batko
10:00
OK everyone, that's a wrap on the 2024 Steelers season. Another 10-7 record, another first-round playoff loss that wasn't all that close. Let's talk it out.
Sleepless in Scotttsdale
10:01
Brian, It’s one thing for a QB to occasionally go off and throw for 400 yards. But for a team to RUN for 300, a team you just played twice, a team whom you know every tendency, a team you have beaten, for the love of John Henry Johnson how can that happen, unless there is no will, no fight, no faith in the game plan, or, they had Already quit before taking the field?
Brian Batko
10:02
Yeah, that was embarrassing for the Steelers. The Ravens didn't just win. They beat the Steelers like they were trying to get out of the stadium as quickly as possible to make a late-night dinner reservation in the Inner Harbor. To get 300 rushing yards put on your head, so much has to go wrong. So how about I just go ahead and put 100 on the lack of physicality/effort, 100 on execution/technique/communication and 100 on failure to adjust in-game by the defensive staff.
Jeff M
10:03
I am not going to add to the "FIRE TOMLIN" chat today. Not because I don't think its time for a change, it certainly is. But I have been a Steeler fan for 4 decades and know the Rooney's would never eat the $45 it would cost to fire Tomlin. So can we focus on what changes you think can be made to get the Steelers back to playoff relevance?
Brian Batko
10:05
I hear you, Jeff. There's probably not much value in using this chat today to litigate fire Mike Tomlin/keep Mike Tomlin because it's effectively a moot point. My stance is if you're rolling with the status quo, you need to seriously revamp how things are done on the coaching side of the operation. Add more staffers who can specialize in certain areas. Enhance your game-day operations/analytics department. And maybe even go in a completely different direction defensively with a coordinator who can install his own scheme/philosophy, within reason, while Tomlin focuses more on the CEO role.
Alan in Bama
10:06
Good morning Brian, the Steeler playoff hangover doesn’t seem so bad as I think most of us thought “we are who we thought we were”. Lots of blame on the Defense breakdown but it still looks to me like the offense is  the bigger problem to fix. Seems like the Steelers are still built on the defensive unit holding teams to 14 points and winning by field goals. Don't think it works in today’s NFL, your thoughts?
Brian Batko
10:07
Good morning, Alan. Agreed on your offensive take there but so much of that is rooted in what you have to work with at QB, too. So many offensive systems and philosophies look a lot better with exceptional talent at that position. That's why I could understand the Steelers trying to zig with their roster-building while the elite of the AFC zag with top-flight QBs. But it's probably time to admit it isn't working.
Timmy
10:09
Hey Brian - thanks for all your hard work this year!  Everyone is on the fire Tomlin bus, but isn’t the biggest problem with the Steelers at QB?  Look at the wildcard round, the better QB won each game.  Any “great” coach has great QB.  We are blaming the bus driver when the bus he’s trying to drive doesn’t have an engine.
Brian Batko
10:11
You're welcome, Timmy. Here's my beef with that though. How many times are we going to move the goalposts for Tomlin when it comes to the QB predicament? I was all for giving him some runway in the post-Ben era to try to get things figured out, particularly at that most crucial spot. But let's see here, they've tried the young veteran reclamation project, they've tried the first-round pick route, they've tried the future Hall of Famer to see if there's any gas left in the tank and now we'll see what they try next. At some point, NFL head coaches do lose their jobs in part for failures finding a QB. Ask Arthur Smith.
Scott from New Jersey
10:12
What are the realistic options at QB next season. If Russell Wilson comes back I see more regression. Also, if the goal is to be more physical, why don’t the Steelers take a page out of the Ravens playbook. Use the FB , beef up the DL/ OL.
Brian Batko
10:14
That's a major problem, Scott, there aren't many good ones. I think the final stretch of the season basically showed us what Russell Wilson is, what his ceiling is at this stage of his career. It lines up with what one of the best offensive coaches in the league saw in Sean Payton. You make a great point at the end there, too, and I'll even tie it in with the QB topic. My move would be to bring back Justin Fields, give him a full offseason as the guy and hope that the one-year reset does him well. His mobility can help you run that kind of offense and maybe, just maybe, you can still work with him to put it all together with his talent, athleticism and demeanor.
Job Security
10:15
Tomlin has job security that nobody else in the NFL has (or ever had). Let's look at the stats of the last 8 seasons of Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin. Noll (who as we all know won 4 SBs not just 1) was 12 years removed from his last SB win (Tomlin is 16 years). Noll won 2 playoff games in his last 8 years (Tomlin none) and never went 4 years without a PO win. He also won PO games with Mark Malone and Bubby. Winning seasons Noll (4) and Tomlin (7) in their last 8. Noll's teams weren't gifted a 6th or 7th seed (5 teams I believe qualified for the playoffs then) or he would have possibly made a few more playoffs in those 8 years if there were 6-7 teams in. Recently 2 coaches have been fired who have WON a SB in the last 6 years (Belichick and Pederson), one being arguably the greatest ever. When does Rooney really look at this and say, you know what, we need a change? To push a legend out as times changed and passed him by, how does a guy who doesn't have a resume close to greatness get carte blanche?
Brian Batko
10:17
The job security Tomlin has, whether you like it or don't like it, makes it extremely difficult to hold him accountable. That's pretty much a blanket statement for any person in any job in any walk of life. Yes, he's judged by winning and losing like any coach, but if one's performance isn't going to dictate one's employment status, then how is that a tenable situation for achieving more? All you can do is trust that person is driven, willing to change to improve, etc. And this is why I keep coming back to my earlier suggestion about if you're going to keep him, you need to take measures to revitalize this organization, including his role in it.
Nate
10:18
Fast forward to next season, whose your DC, QB, OC since we know Tomlin isn't going anywhere. Also will Minkah be a Steeler next year?
Brian Batko
10:20
I can very much see Teryl Austin taking the fall as the DC. Russell Wilson's return could go either way, but I lean no. And Arthur Smith has had just one year on the job, so I can't envision the Steelers moving on after one season but you never know.
The Dude
10:20
Is there any reason at all to think that the changes everyone except Art knows must be made will get done? I am talking about coaches on both sides of the ball, a new defensive philosophy, a plan for scoring more than 17 points a game, etc.
Brian Batko
10:22
Well, Dude, depends how much his stated impatience last January was strained by this five-game skid and sixth consecutive playoff humiliation.
Ryan
10:22
Brian what free agents do we bring back I’m thinking Warren Fields Skrowronek and Roberts
Brian Batko
10:23
Yeah I like that list, Ryan. Nice job.
ejsteeler
10:24
Is there a possibility the Steelers look at acquiring whichever QB the Vikings don't stick with - either McCarthy or Darnold? Sticking with Fields seems too risky at this point.
Brian Batko
10:25
Perhaps. I assume a lot of teams around the league will be keeping an eye on that situation and how the Vikings proceed. It's a strange one given the Sam Darnold renaissance. But I happen to think it's more about the supporting cast in Minnesota, the offensive system and the coaching than Darnold himself.
Jimmy Pol
10:25
So just a few years back the idea was the Steelers just needed some ILBs to shore up their team and be able to compete in the playoffs.  Now we have issues (or at least questions) at DL, CB, S, OL, QB, WR, and ILB.  Who is most responsible?
Brian Batko
10:25
You forgot RB, Jimmy Pol.
K in VA
10:25
Seems to me that the defense gets easily confused - especially the DB's, and the offense is predictable and vanilla. And the offensive line seemed out-of-sync as well. This has to be not just a lack of talent or skillset, but just not being coached well. Your thoughts.
Brian Batko
10:26
Yes, that's why I think those two coaches might be in trouble, K.
James
10:26
When is Tomlin and Rooney end of season press conferences?
Brian Batko
10:26
Still TBD, James, but the locker room is open to media today.
PittsNed
10:26
Brian, we’ve talked ad nauseam of the reasons to part ways with MT. Are there any good reasons to continue on this path?
Brian Batko
10:28
The argument for sticking with him is, clearly, the floor that he provides the franchise year in and year out. They don't have the type of miserable, losing, wildly dysfunctional seasons you see from some teams around the league. I'm not saying that's the right argument, but that's pretty much it in a nutshell. He puts the Steelers in the tournament or at least knocking on the door every January and the powers that be will take the leap of faith that he can still get them over the hump eventually.
Mike P.
10:28
Which do you think is more important for the future at this point: try to get as many draft picks as possible in the 2025 draft to fill holes, or try to trade up in order to get one star piece like a QB?
Brian Batko
10:29
Probably the former. This QB class isn't very inspiring, much like 2022, so I think you have to look elsewhere to fill that role and then try to hit on good players at DL, CB, RB, WR and more.
Chill Dave
10:30
As much of a problem MT is right now, is it really the coach's job to motivate these guys?  Do the Steelers lack leadership among the players?  Because that was an embarrassing effort.
Brian Batko
10:30
I do think you have to call in question the team culture after a game like that. And not just that game in a vacuum but the four games preceding it to some extent and the six years preceding it for those who have been here longer.
Martian
10:31
GM BB - with Tomlin having perpetual job security - what really forces him to evolve/improve his leadership? He keeps running the same play (literally and figuratively) and expecting a different result.
Brian Batko
10:32
He would tell you he's self-motivated and that his pride in this organization is what keeps him pushing to evolve/improve/etc.
Tom from Mexico
10:33
Hi, Brian. Love your chat and your articles. Well done!
Brian Batko
10:33
Thank you, Tom from Mexico.
brian
10:33
good morning Brian, I just don't understand the stubbornness of the owner in keeping Tomlin.  This is becoming like Marvin Lewis.  Year after year after year.......They kept Troy too long, Ben a season too long....Why is this??
Brian Batko
10:35
My fellow Brian, believe it or not, I have friends in other cities who root for, say, the Jets or Giants who always tell me they can't believe how many Steelers fans want Tomlin gone. I even have readers email me, though they're dwindling lately, that they have no problem with Tomlin and that they like being a fan of a competitive team that's always in contention for a playoff spot, has a chance to win all or most home games, things of that nature.
Atlanta Dan
10:35
Even assuming Teryl Austin is thrown overboard as a consequence of the defense falling apart at the end of the season, why would an ambitious assistant coach want to be the next defensive coordinator when it is not disputed that Mike Tomlin has run the defense for the past decade and any assistant with head coaching aspirations knows the absence of branches on Tomlin’s coaching tree?
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