Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 05.22.26
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Brian Batko
11:30
Hey folks, I already put this out there on social media but that doesn't mean you've all seen it. Today's my final day at the Post-Gazette after 14 years. It's bittersweet, of course, and I'm grateful for my time here. I'll have more news in a few days on what's next for me, but for now, let's rip one last chat for posterity's sake. Steelers, P-G memories, whatever you wanna ask, I'll answer what I can starting at noon.
12:00
And away we go!
ChrisinRaleighNC
12:00
Bats! Say it isn't so! Really enjoyed your chats weekly as you're equally as entertaining as you are insightful. It seems you truly enjoy what you do and it never comes across as you do these chats as merely a part of a job requirement. Seem like really good people my friend. Thank you for all of your work and will try to follow you on your next endeavor as well!
Brian Batko
12:01
Thanks, Chris. I enjoyed them, too (most of the time). One of my first mailbags back in 2019 when I came on the beat, someone wrote me - or maybe commented underneath - that I should try to be more informative and less humorous. Not sure if I entirely took that advice, but hey, I'm glad you were entertained.
Tim and Maria
12:02
Brian, we are sorry you are leaving.  Will your duties at the Post Gazette be taken over by one of your peers or is this part of a reduction in staff by the new owners?  God bless you.  Here’s to a successful future.!
Brian Batko
12:04
Gerry Dulac, Ray Fittipaldo and Chris Carter will still do a great job covering the Steelers. I'm genuinely impressed by the new ownership at the P-G and believe in their vision. Here's hoping the paper thrives under that management.
Jeff M
12:05
Hi Bats, if you had to guess, do you think the 2027 opening game QB is on the roster?
Brian Batko
12:06
Wow that's a great one. I actually just had an email pop into my inbox from some betting site with odds on the Steelers' 2027 QB for Week 1. They've still got Aaron Rodgers atop their list at -1000 followed by Mason Rudolph +600, then Will Howard and Drew Allar at +1200 each. To answer your question, I'm gonna say yes ... but that it's not Aaron Rodgers.
Devitt’s Pub
12:07
Brian, your departure will be felt by all of us. Very sad!  All the best in your future endeavors and adventures.  Please involve us! I’ll personally remember your wit, candor, and how you made the game in Ireland so much freaking better!
Question:  Do they really love Howard as much as has been reported?  If they did, then why draft another QB in the third round instead of a player who might actually contribute?
Brian Batko
12:09
Dublin was absolutely one of my best P-G memories. The work trip of a lifetime. Writing about my travels around town, and having someone like you take me up on a recommendation, was even sweeter.

I'd say Mike McCarthy genuinely likes Howard to some extent. He's a sixth-round pick, so it's not as if the head coach would feel obligated to come into a new situation and praise him. It'd be one thing if it was a returning starter, a former first-rounder, etc. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants. Relationship status at QB For the Steelers: It's complicated.
BTOWN Panther
12:10
Sorry to see you leave the PG, but we here in Title Town, Indiana are excited to see what's next! I've decided to use my last question on a topic that has stumped me for years: who was better - 2009 Dion Lewis or Pre-Injury 2011 Ray Graham?
Brian Batko
12:11
OK, hearkening back to my very early Pitt coverage days, student media long before I got to the P-G for double internships. I love it though. My gut says '09 Dion Lewis but only one of those two had LeBron tweeting about him on a random weeknight.
Ryan
12:12
Brian no Steelers’s question today just want thank you for your steelers’s coverage good luck with what is next
Brian Batko
12:14
Thanks for always being a loyal chatter, Ryan. I don't want you all to get too sentimental on me or gas me up too much. But this is the end of one chapter in my work life and I know these chats are quite a consistent part of our Steelers coverage, so it would've felt wrong to not do one more for the road.
Leon
12:15
You have been a bright spot in my week (between columns mailbags and chats), I'd still read you even if you had to move to Cincinnati and write about the Bungles...good luck, you'll be missed on these pages for sure.
Brian Batko
12:15
Well I can assure you that's not happening. But thank you. And to all of yinz out there who'd come in each week and submit a bunch of different questions under a bunch of different names, I have to get something off my chest: I was on to you and had my means of knowing who was who regardless of username. I don't begrudge you. Let your freak flag fly.
Bryan
12:16
Hey Brian, congrats on a great run at the PG and to more success in the future. I was wondering, was there an athlete and/or a specific team you enjoyed covering most during your time at the paper?
Brian Batko
12:18
If it was a great run for you, it was a great run for me, so thanks. I'm also not naive to the fact that in many ways the P-G gave me this platform to interact with all of you to begin with, and you may or may not follow along beyond this. Just hope I did my best once I got it. Covering huge high school basketball games was so fun for me as a former hooper myself. The Duck Hodges story was epic in my first season on the beat. I'm sure more will come to mind.
George T
12:20
Hi Brian, I see we may be seeing D. Jones again and if we do, do you TJ will get a Strip-sack and recovery for a third year in a row?  Maybe Jones will like to miss this game.
Brian Batko
12:21
Dawand Jones or Daniel Jones? Probably more likely to see Daniel at this point given how the Brownies overhauled their OL. I mean, I've gotta think Danny Dimes won't let that happen again, right? Right?! Shift the protection, curl up in a ball in the pocket, do whatever you gotta do DD.
Wisconsinsteeler
12:22
I'm really sorry to hear you're leaving. I hope this is your decision and not because of the new ownership. I've always really enjoyed your coverage and insight. I wish you the best of luck with whatever is next. Thank you for helping me to understand my favorite team better.
Brian Batko
12:22
All my dealings with the Venetoulis Institute have been exceedingly positive and the sports department is in excellent hands with our new(ish) editor Matt Vensel. He won't like that I said that here, but I don't care.
J D
12:24
Brian, do the Steelers have an analytics coach this year? Do you think they have modernized their staff with additional assistants?
Brian Batko
12:25
They've certainly expanded the staff under McCarthy, and I do see signs of a more analytical approach in some of these different roles, for sure. Not sure there's an "analytics coach" though.
Carl in Carrick
12:26
Brian, sorry to learn you’re leaving, but you’re wished the best in your future endeavors.  Hope you will still appear on radio and TV.
Brian Batko
12:26
Thanks, Carl. I'll be on the Nightly Sports Call tonight on KDKA+ - see you there!
STEEL72
12:26
Bats, they call 'em "followers" for a reason.Just lemme know where you end up. What a daunting task for the new guy to come in and then fit so well-- has it really been 14 years!  You were an incredible addition to PittGaz sports reporting, and you'll be awesome wherever you go next.
Brian Batko
12:29
Well, seven on the Stillers, 14 at the P-G. It's a special place for me. I started working full time on the night desk my final semester at Pitt. David Shribman told me it wouldn't be easy. Little did he know how good I was at scheduling senior-itis classes. But my best man at my wedding is a friend I met here. So was one of my groomsmen. We actually held a groomsman Olympics with P-G pals to determine the last spot. I covered the Jerry Sandusky trial as an intern. I wrote about a fan taking a bite out of a catfish celebrating a Pens Stanley Cup win. ZOLTAN! (if you know you know)
ElderCmar
12:30
Good day, sir, and wishing you the best for new opportunities to provide excellent insight into sports somewhere in the future.. My question is, what do you see as the maturity and knowledge of the fan base here in Pittsburgh for all sports, vs. that in other areas of the country?  I've been disappointed in other locales that I've lived in, including near Cincinnati now.. I think Pittsburgh fans may be near the top of the nation in terms of true, fact based spoirts knowledge.. A lot of that is due to the quality of hte sports journalism..  Can you share your opinion?
Brian Batko
12:32
Not sure how qualified I am, considering I'm born and raised here and have never left. But my neighbor and now good friend across the street moved here four or five years ago from Tennessee and was struck by how ingrained in the fabric of this city sports are. He wasn't necessarily planning to follow the Steelers or Pirates when he and his family moved here, but they're fans now, simply because they couldn't get away from it. Any social setting or new person he'd meet wanted to talk Steelers. If I contribute to that in any small way, that's pretty rewarding. Without the diehard fans, what's the point of any of this?
Jim
12:33
Sorry to hear that, Brian. Appreciate all of the good stories and chats. Looking forward to seeing what is in store for you next. Question about the Bucs and the recent promotions of Garcia and Valdez almost simultaneously. One fills in for O'Hearn while he rehabs, the other is what?. Billy Cook replacement? Do you think any of this is auditioning for possible Ozuna departure?
Brian Batko
12:33
Yes
Nicholas
12:34
Do you believe the Steelers will keep 3 or 4 QBs?
Brian Batko
12:34
I'd be stunned if they don't keep 3
Derek M
12:34
Hey Brian, sad to see you are leaving the P-G. Wishing you nothing but the best in the future, I know it’s gonna be great! Do you have a favorite story you have covered during your time at the P-G?
Brian Batko
12:37
Oh man, there are too many to list, honestly. Jonnu Smith may have frustrated fans last season but there's more to this than what happens between the lines, at least for me, and him letting me follow him around visiting his older brother in prison with teammates was one I'll never forget. That's weighty stuff. Pickleball, not so much, but writing about the local grandmother who whooped up on TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and Minkah Fitzpatrick at North Park was an absolute blast. I wonder if they went to Kool Cones after. Pretty sure I only hopped on the "oral history" trend one time, but THE Sun Bowl between Pitt and Oregon State was a hilarious story to write.
Marvin P
12:38
Greetings Brian.  I’m sorry to hear today’s your last day.  I appreciated how you interacted with the past several years.  I wish the best for you and your family.
Brian Batko
12:39
Likewise, Marvin. Tried to get to just about every email over the years, as long as it was respectful. I definitely didn't succeed, but if you take the time to reach out, particularly that way versus the cesspool that X can be, I responded more often than not.
12:40
And, frankly, these chats too. You're all so passionate and numerous that I don't think I ever cleared the queue completely in past years and I don't think I will today either.
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