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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 07.31.23
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Brian Batko
12:03
Hi everyone, welcome to my first training camp chat, should make for a lot of good discussion. I'm gonna get started in 5-10 minutes, so keep the questions coming.
Football Fan
12:10
Hi Brian, there is much talk about Tomlin's contract status now that camp has started.  In other organizations, the talk would focus on if he could keep his job based on his poor playoff success.  Yet for some reason, an upcoming contract extension is considered automatic.  We all know about Tomlin's motivation skills and ability to not lose his team in difficult years, but is there something else going on that we haven't considered?  We always hear that the NFL is a performance based business where the players are concerned.  Is it different with head coaches?
Brian Batko
12:11
OK, let's get to it. Off day for the Steelers but not for us. Back at it tomorrow, first practice in pads. Perfect time to chat.
12:13
Mike Tomlin's job security is rooted in Art Rooney II's belief in him to lead this team to wins. I don't doubt that. There's a case to make that the Steelers have gotten too complacent from the top down, or too satisfied with the level of success they're having, but I think it's as simple as the top decision-makers don't think they can do better than him as their head coach.
Thomas
12:13
What roster weaknesses are there now?   Does this team come down to QB play and the RT/LT situation?    Everything else seems solidified.   I guess coaching becomes an even  bigger factor with such a loaded roster, right?
Brian Batko
12:16
It's easy to say the roster is loaded on paper. A lot of other teams and their reporters/fans/etc. are probably saying the same thing. The offensive line, while it should be improved for the second year in a row, wouldn't be considered a strength by most objective observers. The inside linebacker group only gets stronger with Kwon Alexander added, but Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts weren't exactly highly sought free agents. You're right, "solidified" is a good word to use. I'm just not sold that they'll be elite or close to it.
Boiler G Dog
12:16
Hey Brian, Thanks for the chat. The NFL running backs are up in arms about the lack of offers and/or re-negotiating their rookie deals. I’m in the owners camp on this one. Look at the Steelers. With Pickett’s deal on the horizon, do you see management going with someone like Jaylen Warren or getting an Elliott at a discount rather than paying Harris a kings ransom? Seems like RBs are out there for the taking.
Brian Batko
12:19
I don't see them paying Najee Harris big bucks, which makes it unlikely he'll be back here for a second contract. The answer is to just draft another one, and bank on the likelihood that his floor will be enough for your offense, and if that guy plays his way into must-keep territory, then you consider committing long-term cash to a running back. In other words, in today's NFL, you only pay up for the true game-changing backs. Henry, McCaffrey, Kamara, Chubb, perhaps.
Gonna give myself a quick pat on the back for spelling "McCaffrey" right without looking. That always trips me up.
artie bridge
12:20
Brian, I haven't read anything about Darnel Washington's early days at camp.  How's he look and how is he deployed?
Brian Batko
12:21
He's been fine. A reliable target so far, but just hasn't really stood out. And for a rookie tight end, that's probably a win in and of itself. Zach Gentry looked fairly overwhelmed in his first camp, as I recall. If anyone has a chance to make a mark tomorrow with pads on, it should be the "6th lineman" right?
Jay
12:22
Hello Brian.  Pre-Canada Mike Tomlin likes to use a swing tackle on some formations, (ie Zack Banner, Chris Hubbard...etc)  The last two years Zack Gentry got that role, you could say the tackles were poor thus using Gentry.  Who do you think they envision getting that job?  Loser of Moore/Jones?  Washington?  Or Gentry?
Brian Batko
12:24
Good question. I feel like Washington is tailor-made for that responsibility, giving you a chance to play a true 13 personnel formation with three tight ends. That's the nice thing about Washington, is he can still run a route out of that alignment, whereas Zach Banner certainly wasn't threatening anyone in that way.
Chuck from Michigan
12:26
Hi Brian, love your chats!  Which Steelers draft pick have you been most impressed with?  I am hoping that Herbig and Benton live true to their Wisconsin football roots like T. J. Watt  and can become "splash" players?  Your thoughts?  Thanks.
Brian Batko
12:28
Thanks, Chuck. Haven't chatted in a while, so thanks for welcoming me back to the saddle. If I had to pick one this early, I'd say Joey Porter Jr. It can be lonely for cornerbacks when you're playing football in shorts, can't really hit a receiver to break up passes, but he's still been good in coverage despite that.
Tanney
12:29
can you provide more info about the story behind Potterbaum retiring?
Brian Batko
12:30
Not really, Tanney. Doesn't seem like it was anything medical-related for Monte Pottebaum, which is sometimes when you see guys placed on that reserve/retired list out of nowhere. If that was why, I assume Mike Tomlin would've said so. Instead, he just kind of shrugged off the question yesterday. Reading between the lines, my sense is Pottebaum just didn't want to be here anymore.
Alan from Indy
12:31
Brian, hoping not but if KP tanks this year will it be draft another qb or just blame Canada and give him another year?
Brian Batko
12:33
It's hard for me to envision Kenny Pickett playing so poorly that the Steelers would give up on him after two years (a season and a half, really). And I also think he'd have to really take off for the Steelers to not end the Matt Canada experiment. So, yeah, however you wanna slice it, my way-too-early projection is that Pickett is paired with a new OC this time next year.
BenB
12:35
Hey Brian, how has the new ILB group looking? Gotta be better than the group they played there waaaaay too long, I hope….
Brian Batko
12:36
We'll have a better idea of that this week when they have to start really filling gaps and bringing down ball-carriers. I'd say the coverage aspect of that unit has been up and down, but more so up. Cole Holcomb has been all over the place the last couple days. Kwon Alexander barely did anything in his first practice, so wait and see mode there.
Debbie
12:38
Good morning Brian.  Do you think McFarland is the leading candidate to backup Harris and Warren?
Brian Batko
12:39
I do, and I think Anthony McFarland has had a nice camp so far, relatively speaking. He's always gonna flash in this setting thanks to his long speed and burst getting to the hole. But I'm kind of back in on McFarland a little bit.
Timothy
12:39
Hey Brian, did the Steelers ever have , or do they still have any interest in signing Reuben Foster?  Thanks.
Brian Batko
12:40
Not that I know of. That might've just been speculation based on a few factors. One, that they've gone to the spring leagues before to fill out the roster. Two, that he has the kind of pedigree they like. And three, he plays a position that had been thin most of the offseason.
Gino
12:42
Brian, what’s your opinion on Harrison being chosen for the Steelers’ Hall of Honor ?  I have mixed feelings about it.
Brian Batko
12:44
No issue with it. He has the best career resume of any eligible player who wasn't already in. Art Rooney II and his family take a ton of pride in that Hall of Honor, and regardless of how his time here ended, you can't tell the history of the Steelers without including James Harrison. There are plenty of autograph signings and alumni meet-and-greets if you only want to acknowledge some of the nicest humans who ever played for the Steelers.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:46
Hi Brian, thanks for the chats! The Steelers are going to try to pound the rock this year more so than in previous years. While I believe that is the right formula for this team this year, I don't believe this type of football can win playoff games down the road. Watt said defense wins championships, but I can't see any defense controlling the likes of Mahomes, Allen Hurts, Herbert and Watson etc... Can this conservative offense win a championship eventually?
Brian Batko
12:49
If everything goes right, I think it can. The 49ers I 2019 weren't a prolific passing offense, but they were astoundingly efficient and had a dominant run game. I know, I know, ultimately Jimmy G couldn't make enough big throws to outduel Patrick Mahomes, but that's why I say everything has to go right.
Sherry
12:50
Would not making the playoffs be a big disappointment or are we putting too much pressure on Pickett?
Brian Batko
12:53
Oh, Sherry. It's always a disappointment around here, you know that. But if you're asking me, no, they don't have to make it back for this season to be a successful building block for 2024. That's when their window will truly open, I think.
(Provided Kenny Pickett has the goods, of course.)
Jim_Bow_Dean
12:55
Will Tomlin catch JoePa’s 45 years as a head coach?
Brian Batko
12:55
He most certainly will not. Just the other day when camp opened he said he acknowledges he has more days behind him than in front of him. At least, I assume he meant as a coach and not on earth. I suppose both could apply.
Zeusdog
12:58
Hi Brian. How do you feel about the Alexander signing- good player that should start? Decent player that makes to ILB depth better? Just a guy?
Brian Batko
1:00
I think he'll be used situationally. It would surprise me if he supplants Cole Holcomb as the every-down linebacker, but you never know. Once the defensive coaches get more accustomed to all of them, I could see different packages including Holcomb, Roberts and Alexander, depending on what the offense is showing them. There might be some gameplans that require Holcomb and Alexander together a lot, and others that call for a different combination.
Nova Scotia Steeler
1:01
Is there a noticeable difference in secondary talent and ability so far from camp?
Brian Batko
1:02
Not ready to go that far yet. But the size is noticeable when you throw Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice out there. Ahkello Witherspoon was tall, too, but he was rail-thin. Those two are likely in for some very physical battles as camp heats up.
Ed in Carrick
1:03
Are you upset you had to scrap that human interest piece you were thinking of doing about the Mullet?
Brian Batko
1:04
Ray Fittipaldo already wrote about Monte Pottebaum actually, back in minicamp. So if you wanna blame any P-G scribe for jinxing The Mullet, don't point a finger at me. Ray put the hex on him.
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