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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 04.08.24
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Brian Batko
12:47
If I had to place a wager on it right this second, I guess I'd say T because there are just more first round-worthy options. But C would be close behind. And WR a distant third.
Josh H
12:48
Hey Brian, any chance Fields doesn’t sign an extension with the Steelers? Definitely don’t see them picking up his 5th year option, but he could just opt to be a free agent. I can’t imagine the team having 3 QB’s on the roster all with expiring deals at the end of the season
Brian Batko
12:48
Sure, there's a chance. I don't think the Steelers view it that way. Gotta see what you have first in your QB room anyway.
Greg
12:50
A hypothetical trade scenario. If both teams could work something out and you had the power would you trade Watt for Aiyuk if that was the only scenario available?
Brian Batko
12:50
Absolutely not.
Gary
12:50
Many mocks have the Bengals taking Latham at 18. Would you trade your first and third to move up to 16 to get him, or stick at 20?
Brian Batko
12:50
Stick at 20 and take my chances on JPJ/Mims/Taliese Fuaga/Troy Fautanu/Barton/etc.
reedboat
12:51
Hey Bats! When grading Special Teams players, is it always how many tackles they make that grades them high? What other factors make a "great Special Teams player"?
Brian Batko
12:52
No, there are also metrics that tell you where coverage guys are making special teams tackles, field position-wise. Is it a yard or two after the punt is fielded or is it 20 yards downfield? Or in the case of a Miles Killebrew and his knack for blocking punts, how much attention is being devoted to stopping him by the punting unit, on top of his actual number of blocks? It's a fascinating phase of football to me and I always enjoy listening to guys like Killebrew, Christian Kuntz, Pressley Harvin and Danny Smith explain the nuances.
Ray
12:53
Don't you feel Mike Tomlin has hurt Kenny Picketts career. He was told he wouldn't be a starter year one. No spring training as #1 then thrown in as starter. No offensive coordinator to speak of. I am sorry but Dionte Johnson has stone hands. Pickens behaves like a child. No offensive line. We need a quality coach who can make quality game time decisions. As a former steeler fan finishing at 8-8 is a losing season. Kind Regards
Brian Batko
12:55
You make some valid points and some bad ones, Ray. But I do think Tomlin's NFL body of work is more impressive than Pickett's, that's for sure. And if you view it from a Steelers perspective, if hurting a guy's career - no matter who he is - makes the Steelers better, then that's the bottom line business aspect of it. As Omar Khan put it at the combine, he has an obligation to do what's best for his organization.
Danny
12:55
Is ricky Pearsall somebody the steelers draft in round 2
Brian Batko
12:56
Wouldn't surprise me. They brought him in for a pre-draft visit, he's got good size, good athletic measurables, good production. I've said/written a number of times now that I see at least 15 WRs in this class who could legitimately start from day one, and he's one of them.
TVC15
12:57
Is Mike Tomlin talking nonsense out of both sides of his mouth?
First Tomlin says: ““I'm just excited about being uncomfortable,” Tomlin said. “It's good to have that anxiety or that urgency that's associated with not knowing. And so, that's the benefit that you get sometimes when you bring in someone new.”
 
And then he says: ““I have a lot of respect for the work that he did in Atlanta and also the work that he did in Tennessee,” Tomlin said during the recent NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. “And I think that's what created the comfort. I see his personality in his tape, and it's not something that he has to buy into in terms of being a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Brian Batko
12:58
Oh well, uh, I suppose he's uncomfortable with the general idea of starting over with a new offensive coordinator, but he's comfortable with that person being Arthur Smith.
AK
12:58
I know the Steelers always have 3 QBs on their roster.  With the return of the third QB rule, why wouldn’t a team carry 3 QBs?
Brian Batko
1:00
Last year, I'm with you 100%. This year, they've actually tweaked the rule to allow practice squad QBs to serve as the emergency No. 3. Ipso facto, it now makes a lot more sense to only carry two on your active roster, plus one on the p squad.
OK folks, an in-the-weeds question about NFL roster construction and gameday protocol seems like a good place to stop for today. Ray Fittipaldo will be back with you tomorrow at 2. Good luck seeing the sun, or the moon, or whatever is going on in the sky today that I'm not smart enough to comprehend.
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