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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 05.22.23
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Brian Batko
2:00
What's up everyone? Welcome back to the chat. Steelers have OTAs beginning tomorrow and we'll be there en masse. Questions, questions...
Matt
2:01
Brian,  It is interesting to hear the different views on Kenny P.  The majority of the national opinions do not paint a positive outlook for his success or longevity in the NFL.  Only the Burgh sports writer give him a glowing critique.  Take away 2 late drives against subpar competition and only 6 TD’s coupled with Canada and a defensive minded HC.  6-9 wins maybe and drafting mid teens does not offer any hope for a SB in the years to come.  Fans do not want to hear it but that is where the Steelers stand in this moment of time.
Brian Batko
2:03
It is very interesting, Matt. I get what you're saying, but I don't agree entirely. To say there's no love for Kenny Pickett outside of Pittsburgh is simply not true. He has his supporters in the national media. Are people higher on him locally? Sure, but that's typical especially for QBs.
epiballo
2:05
With the offseason moves and the draft, has the new Steeler potential closed the gap with the other teams in the AFC North? Just looking for some reasonable expectations going into the new season.
Brian Batko
2:06
Sure, I think it's reasonable to believe the gap is closing. That should be the case with Pickett going into Year 2, and there are other parts of the roster that should be stronger. Expectations-wise, I view this team as one that has a fairly high floor, and could be a sneaky contender in the AFC provided things break right and Pickett has the goods. Of course, it's easy to say that on-paper. And Pickett is the biggest "if" factor, whether he truly has that "it" factor.
HallOfShame
2:07
Hey Brian. I hear talk of Tomlin being a future Hall of Famer. How is that possible? In his 16 seasons, he has a postseason win in 4 of them. So, 75% of his seasons ended without a playoff win. I know the standards for the Hall of Fame have lowered, but are they this low??
Brian Batko
2:09
Yeah, probably. He has as many Super Bowl wins as, more total wins and a better regular-season winning percentage than Bill Cowher. Cowher is in the Hall of Fame, albeit with more postseason success. That's just one comparison that's close to home.
Stash
2:11
BB, in light of BR’s comments regarding rooting against KP, admit it, you secretly love it when Ray’s chats do not rise to the rarified heights that yours frequently reach. Gracias in advance for your honesty.
Brian Batko
2:12
Oh I'm told Ed Bouchette was rooting hard for my first chat to go off-the-rails poorly when I first came on the Steelers beat after he left the P-G. Hopefully I've won him over by now.
Adam
2:12
What statline do you predict for KP this year? TD:INT: Yards.
Brian Batko
2:16
I'm not a computer, Adam, and believe it or not I haven't taken a ton of time to really sit down and calculate firm number projections for KP8's fiscal year 2023. So, I reserve the right to alter this between now and Sept. 10. But as you put me on the spot, I'll just say ... 29 TDs, 8 INTs, 3,595 yards
Ryan
2:17
Good afternoon Brian what players will you be keeping a eye on tomorrow i know the rookies anyone else like Austin Allen Robinson and anyone else
Brian Batko
2:19
Yeah the first day of OTAs is always like coming back to school for the first day. You see a lot of faces you haven't seen since January, you can't possibly get around to talk to everyone, but it's fun. Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin are two good ones, for sure. Also intrigued by sizing up some of the rookies in this environment, especially the two new corners.
the real guest
2:19
Brian, Just wondering, by the 2025 season how many streaming services will be required for out-of-market fans to watch the entire Steelers season?They are really making it tough on analog people like me.
Brian Batko
2:22
As a cord-cutter and antenna-haver myself, I don't mind it. But yeah, it's certainly getting more and more of a flooded market as far as all that goes. We might have to start up our own streaming service to access this chat, what do you think?
CoalportKid
2:23
Saw three of Ben's podcasts (Tomlin, Cower and Pickett).  Is it just me or do the personalities match better between Tomlin and Pickett better than either of Ben and his coaches?
Brian Batko
2:24
I didn't get around to checking out the Bill Cowher pod but I saw chunks of the Mike Tomlin and Kenny Pickett shows. Not really sure what you mean by that. Naturally, there's going to be different personal dynamics between a vet QB and a young head coach, or a rookie QB and a vet head coach.
Ryan S.
2:25
Hey Brian! Thanks for the chats. What are the chances (%) that we sign one of the following players? Kwon Alexander, Kyle Van Noy, Yannick Ngakoue.
Brian Batko
2:25
Oh man, another one of these bad boys. I'm already feeling a bit self-conscious about my 29-8 TD-INT ratio for Pickett in 2023 so my personal internal analytics staff has to go back to the lab before we spit out more numbers.
Javi
2:26
Hello Bats. With Trubisky signed would they even consider pulling Pickett if say 1-4 start and Pickett just doesnt look good? Hard to imagine but would that even be a possibility?
Brian Batko
2:27
I don't think he's above being benched. Few quarterbacks are in the *ahem* National Football League. My sense is 2020-21 Ben Roethlisberger was one of them, though.
Timmy Turner
2:28
Hi Brian. By nature of OTAs, what (if anything) can we learn about some of the younger players from them? Thanks so much.
Brian Batko
2:30
Well, we can get an early jump on what the coaches have learned about them sometimes. For instance, is Broderick Jones running with the first team right away? Is Joey Porter Jr.? Although the caveat there is whether or not the full team is in attendance for the optional sessions. So, yeah, we do take attendance too, I guess. Do readers actually care deeply about who is and isn't at OTAs? Let me know.
Gus
2:30
Good afternoon, Thanks for the chats. There is a lot of competition for starting jobs this season (Offensive line and defensive backfield specifically) How are decisions made to give this or that person reps? Other than scrimmages how do players show off talent to get more reps and longer looks during scrimmage sessions?
Brian Batko
2:31
That's a good question, Gus. Only Mike Tomlin and his staff can truly answer that, because it's at their discretion. I'm sure he and the position coaches and coordinators discuss all that on a daily basis. And the QB competition, such as it was, a year ago was a good indication that sometimes it's a pre-planned process of when, who, why and how a player will see his status on the depth chart change.
Ken
2:33
Why would Big Ben say such things about Pickett?  Unreal.
Brian Batko
2:35
To be honest, I'm not sure why anyone has an issue with Ben Roethlisberger's comments re: initially rooting against Kenny Pickett to an extent. And this isn't coming from a Ben sycophant. I know he can be prickly at times, and as a reporter, I've occasionally been on the receiving end of that side. Lest you forget, "some" of us in the local media also caught a stray during that conversation, but I digress. The guy was being honest and actually fairly vulnerable (in a way that boosts the visibility of his show, no doubt). Now, if he hadn't said that, you'd probably have people reading into their back-and-forth, trying to interpret how Ben feels/felt, etc.
Jim
2:36
Do you think them cutting Teague and Crowder means they are looking to add someone like Van Noy or Kwon A.?
Brian Batko
2:37
Not necessarily, but it's worth noting they've opened some space on the roster, for sure. If there's one thing we've noticed with the Omar Khan regime, there seems to be a constant evaluation process of who is and isn't good enough, who is and isn't needed or how they can be more competitive, even on the 90-man offseason roster.
TomB
2:38
Given Ben’s recent comments, do you think his treatment of M Rudolph seriously hampered #2’s development ? Thanks for your time chatting!
Brian Batko
2:40
Now this is an instance in which I would say Ben didn't/doesn't come off quite as well. We may never know if there were any personal differences between the two of them beyond the unavoidable aging QB1/young QB2(er,3) situation. But I'll tell you what, if we're going to sit here and commend a Mitch Trubisky for how he's helped/will help Kenny Pickett, we should keep that same energy for how Ben could've been a better teammate/mentor to Rudolph. Just my 2 cents (get it?)
JC
2:40
Hi Brian. What's the Khan Artist up to today? What moves do you think are coming? Please put your GM hat on and tell us what you would do to put the finishing touches on this roster. Thanks!
Brian Batko
2:41
Ah, he's probably getting some cardio in, making some phone calls, you know how it is.
LSU-Nate
2:41
Going into this season, we have a young team that seems hungry. The schedule looks rather nice minus a few exceptions. With the Browns being the Browns, and Lamar being unhealthy the past two seasons, is it wrong of me to think we are number 2? As an LSU fan, I love Joe, but even the Bengals are going to be hit hard soon.
Brian Batko
2:42
Nothing wrong with having your own opinion, Nate, but I wouldn't say I agree with your optimism. I need to see it first from a team that went 9-8, finished third in the AFC North and did most of its best work against weaker competition down the stretch. Geaux Tigahs, though.
Italian guy
2:43
why isn’t Tomlin on hot seat after no play off wins in 6 years.
Brian Batko
2:43
His boss believes he's capable of improving on that stat.
Ted
2:43
Who is the back up center right now?
Brian Batko
2:45
Now there's a nitty gritty football question we might have to get to the bottom of starting tomorrow. My guess at the moment is practice squadder Ryan McCollum. But I'll be curious to see if Nate Herbig might warrant a look there, or even 7th-rounder Spencer Anderson, though he was lining up at right tackle when the rookie camp guys went through their warm-ups a couple weeks ago.
Mike from DC
2:47
I’ll forever maintain that if the Steelers surrounded Ben with a better o line and running game he could’ve played at a high level at least one more year… what say you?
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