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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 05.18.20
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Brian Batko
12:39
Write down the name "troyboy" folks.
Mo Nongahela
12:40
How much do you think U Gilbert will be on the field on defense this year?
Brian Batko
12:41
How about 27% of the snaps?
paullochrane@yahoo.com
12:41
lets just say that the steelers make the playoffs with ben and lose their first round game again and ben does nothing through the year, and they got there only because of their defense whats next for ben?  do they continue to pay him for one more season or dump him and his outrageous contract? thank you
Brian Batko
12:43
Hard to believe he'll have "done nothing" for a team that makes the playoffs, even if the defense does prove to be the strength of the team again. But hey, in this hypothetical, I'll say they continue to pay him because he'd still be their best shot at employing a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
574Fan
12:43
There is no more stabile franchise in professional sports than the steelers.  Assuming we play a season and the off/pre-seasons are very abbreviated, that's gotta be a huge advantage, right?  Obviously, the single biggest factor going into the season is Ben's health and age, but the continuity has to be worth a win or two I would think.  Baltimore would have a similar advantage, while Cincy and Cleveland would be on the opposite side of the issue.
Brian Batko
12:45
Possibly, but I'd also be at least a little concerned with lack of time for Ben to develop chemistry with some of his pass-catchers. He has barely worked with Diontae Johnson in game situations and has never played with Chase Claypool or Eric Ebron. Plus he just went almost a whole season without facing NFL defenses, which could help from a freshness standpoint but hurt from a rust standpoint.
Cosmo K
12:46
Any idea what would happen with incentive/performance related clauses in contracts if the season is shortened? For example, 1,200 yards rushing or receiving. Would there be pro rated payments? Darren says hello...
Brian Batko
12:47
There'd probably be some fighting over that between the NFLPA and the league/teams. Pro-rated would only be fair, though.
ALB
12:48
So, you arrive at Heinz field with the ticket that you paid several hundred dollars for (not to mention being fleeced for parking) and they take your temperature as you are entering and say you have a fever. What happens then?
Brian Batko
12:48
You probably have to go home, as you should.
Myron’s Ghost
12:49
It’s possible that this could be the first time in decades that the Steelers play without Terrible Towels waving. How detrimental will this be to their performance?
Brian Batko
12:50
No idea, but I've always had a question about Terrible Towels. Do you think there's enough of them that at any given second during a game, at least one is waving inside the stadium?
fredward
12:50
What's the Steelers' plan for getting back to practice and opening up the facilities now?
Brian Batko
12:51
They can't get back to practice yet, and if you heard Mike Tomlin's comments from a couple weekends ago, he doesn't intend to try to get a headstart on other teams if they do get the go-ahead.
Peter
12:52
Has Ben said what he wants to do after his playing career is over?  Enjoy family time? Coach?  Other?  Thanks Brian.
Brian Batko
12:53
Don't think I've heard him express any interest in post-playing coaching or broadcasting. Also doesn't really strike me as something he'd be interested in. All of his interviews about that usually end up coming around toward his desire to spend more time with family, watch his kids grow up, etc.
CoalportKid
12:54
Best guess here, how many OLBs will be kept, who, and who will the third guy? I'm thinking this might be the year for five.
Brian Batko
12:55
Hmmm. I think they'll still only keep four, with rookie third-rounder Alex Highsmith getting every opportunity to be the top backup, then Ola Adeniyi and Tuzar Skipper battling it out for the last spot.
Paul
12:55
Does LB Leo Lewis or Houston have  a chance to stick at ILB. They
Brian Batko
12:56
To quote my good pal Mike White from his high school sports chats (Tuesdays at 11): "No, they don't have a chance. They shouldn't even show up."
Michael
12:57
You're till confusing Nosmo with your spelling joke.
Sunner in the sunshine
12:57
Hey Brian! Thanks for the chats! With the pandemic, is there a chance that the salary cap actually goes down next year further handcuffing the Steelers with Ben's contract? Any chance he signs a 3-5 year extension to spread the hit over time even if he retires in year 2 of the extension?
Brian Batko
12:58
Wrote about this a bit in my Steelers mailbag last week: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2020/05/14/steelers-salar...

As for the Ben idea, sure, they could try to get creative with something like that.
YinzInFlorida
12:59
Rudolph is terrible. He was already a year older than most in his draft class, and between the elite summer camps these QBs attend starting in middle school through college, running pro style offenses in college...why is there this delusion that this kid is all of a sudden going to be able to be a legitimate NFL QB? He got progressively worse ever game last year and he throws the ball worse than some QBs playing in the Canadian football league. He had a 6th/7th round grade coming out of college and the Steelers wasted a high draft pick that could have been an actual impact player at some point and are simply trying to save face. Change my mind.
Brian Batko
12:59
I don't think I can.
OK buds, that's all the time we have for today. I'm happy you all stopped by. It was a nice, leisurely chat. Have a great week.
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