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Brian Batko’s Steelers chat: 09.22.25
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Brian Batko
9:56
Hey everyone, I'm posted up at the Boston airport waiting to fly back to Pittsburgh. The Steelers flew back last night with a huge W. Let's chat about it.
Bud
9:56
Brian, the offensive line features four young players who are not getting noticeable better. When does a new line coach come in?
Brian Batko
9:56
It's only been three games but I do think this is a make-or-break season for Pat Meyer in that role. Shoot, I thought he might be in trouble after the way last season played out for Broderick Jones. But the Steelers favored continuity for that young group and so far they haven't exactly hit the ground running.
Vincent LaGuardia Gambini
9:57
I have several friends that are fans of other NFL teams, and they are baffled as to why Steelers fans are so miserable. Each of them has told me Steelers have the only fanbase they've seen that complains after a win like they lost by 28. I agree with them, I've been saying this for years. The Steelers have some issues, but can we just enjoy a win? Aren't sports suppose to be fun Brian?
Brian Batko
9:59
Yes they are supposed to be fun. And I would even venture to say yesterday was a fun, entertaining game. But it was stressful for Steeler fans. I imagine many of them are feeling like it's deja vu, winning ugly, doing so with a formula that's repeatable but not exactly sustainable, which in turn leads to banging their heads against the same damn ceiling they've been under since 2017. That's not too fun.
Drleppy
9:59
Looks like getting a top wr2 would help a ton
Brian Batko
10:00
Sure, having more good players never hurts. But what gives people confidence that this offense can even sustain two heavily targeted wideouts, two heavily targeted tight ends, Darnell Washington post-ups in the end zone, and then the two running backs who are good pass-catchers? And that's on top of a desire to get this ground game going, too.
Tom
10:01
Hi Brian, a better peformance but have to get that run game going. 3rd and 4th down defense was bad but players were in position on few of those. How do we get offense going? pass pro was a little better but run game has to get going. Not loving Arthur Smith's gameplan or playcalling?
Brian Batko
10:02
No, Tom, stay on message. They need another wide receiver to be their No. 2 option! Come on now. In all seriousness, Arthur Smith discussed going into this game how it's a push/pull between trying to run the ball for the sake of how their team is built and what they want to accomplish, but also trying to attack where the Patriots aren't as sound. And the Patriots certainly aren't as sound in the secondary with Christian Gonzalez still out.
Victor C.
10:02
Good morning Brian.  I understand why Kaleb Johnson didn’t play yesterday, but do you think he will get on the field next week?  I’m concerned about his confidence level.
Brian Batko
10:06
Good morning. I look at Kaleb Johnson and I still see a 6-1, 220-pound back who had touchdown runs of 65 yards or more all three seasons at Iowa. He can help. But yes, the confidence probably isn't in a great place right now. It's a long season.
Bob
10:07
We were extremely lucky yesterday to win. Why are opposing receivers so wide open and our receivers are always covered so tightly?
Brian Batko
10:09
The spacing in Arthur Smith's passing concepts does seem to be a negative thus far. They've had some opportunities these first few games to run a scramble drill with Aaron Rodgers, get open and produce a chunk play but it just hasn't been executed. Steelers fans know what it should look like from years of watching Ben Roethlisberger with Antonio Brown and others. As for the defense, Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb and Payton Wilson all had missteps in coverage.
Pittfan
10:10
Hi Brian. When is Tomlin going to be called out on the poor defensive communications that have plagued this team for years? I can't believe the players are dumb. It has to be coaching and that lands directly on him. If he is asked, he'll give his typical Tomlinism without anyone challenging him. By the way, I no longer listen to his press conferences because I'm tired of hearing him talk.
Brian Batko
10:13
I think we've written about the communication breakdowns plenty, both over the years and already this season. You and the other readers can do with those articles what you will. And you clearly have decided it's a coaching issue. Fair enough. I don't necessarily disagree. It's difficult to play defense against NFL offenses, but when there's a common denominator for weeks or even years at a time as different players cycle through, you have to zero in on that.
Titan in Charlotte
10:14
Hi Brian, why do you think Benton is still playing the nose. It looks fairly obvious this is not his position of strength.
Brian Batko
10:16
Hey Titan. I would say the Steelers are trying to give deference to patience with Keeanu Benton there. But eventually, the trend will be too much to overlook if he doesn't improve and they can go in a different direction. With Derrick Harmon healthy and looking good yesterday in his debut, the Steelers have more options at their disposal to figure out the right D-line mix.
Butcher
10:17
I get that they love gainwell. But they ran well with Warren first series then disappeared. You were watching with Ray I believe... Is this scheme, play choice, or lack of performance of the o-line or a little bit of all three? I just don't understand why we run so inconsistently. Seems like different issues every week
Brian Batko
10:18
Hold on let me ask Ray
Gracie Lou
10:18
Good morning Brian from North Carolina! If my memory serves me correctly you said you were a fan of college basketball? I can send you a Duke or Tarheels  jersey!   I text this comment because the Steelers are 2 and 1 which puts them over 500 and we our officially a winning football team in the NFL.  So it will be a very upbeat and positive chat with no complaints from the gang of regulars. Might be a slow day question wise for you. The Duke vs The Tarheels basket ball game in Charlotte is pretty wild! Think Baltimore vs Pittsburgh week!
Brian Batko
10:20
I grew up a Duke fan, actually, because I loved Grant Hill for some reason. He was All-NBA first team in 1997 when I was six and probably starting to get into basketball, so that makes sense. Um...anyway...yeah, the natives aren't at all restless. It's all sunshine and rainbows here. I would love to go to a Duke-UNC game.
Takoma Tom
10:21
If the Pens can fire Mike Sullivan after 2 Stanley cup wins, how can coach T. Still have a job after almost 10 years of not having a playoff win?
Brian Batko
10:23
Well, the Steelers emphasize stability. We know this. Mike Tomlin still gets them in the dance more often than not. They just haven't made anything shake once they get there in eight years.
Patrick
10:24
The offense is lackluster. It needs something. I don’t know if it is a second wide receiver or a more stable offensive line. What are your thoughts? Hopefully, 88 and 8 are now on the same page for scrambling rules like 19 is now.
Brian Batko
10:24
Flea-flicker
SteelerByBirth
10:24
Hello Mr. Batko - Thank you for your work. A win is a win so we will all take it and be happy about it. It wasn’t exactly a win that builds a fans confidence for the rest of the season, was it?
Brian Batko
10:26
Not in my view. As I mentioned earlier, I think there's a fine line between repeatable and sustainable. We've seen them win games like this a lot in recent years. But we've also seen them fall short in the postseason against better competition a lot in recent years.
DennisSC
10:26
First, thanks for the chats.  Do you see yesterday's win more as a step forward or just another paving stone on the road to mediocrity?
Brian Batko
10:28
Neither, I guess? But I feel like it was more of the latter. Getting all those sacks and turnovers is a step forward. The sacks are probably more likely to come in droves. The takeaways...I'm sorry, but some of those were of what I would call fluky. Take nothing away from Cam Heyward, because his motor was running hot again two weeks in a row after a disappointing opener, but it looked like he got a fingertip on both of the turnovers he forced. And even Cole Holcomb's forced fumble, while massive to start that game, was kind of a routine tackle on a guy who has major fumbling issues.
Jacksplat
10:29
tomlin seems to love the term splash plays.  The concern i have with his focus on splash plays = takeaways by the defense is that they hide poor fundamental play.  They trick you into a false sense of accomplishment.
Brian Batko
10:31
Yeah I can remember having those conversations with players last year or the year before maybe. Basically, what happens if the ball starts not bouncing your way or the randomness of football just causes the turnover well to run dry, can you beat a really good team straight-up? As we saw in the playoffs, the answer in those seasons was very much a resounding no. If you're the Steelers, I suppose you can argue that's why they brought in Aaron Rodgers. They're playing the same style of ball but now, they hope, with an ace up their sleeve in the biggest games.
Silent Bob
10:32
Hi Brian do you think an issue with the Steelers draft challenges are they are selecting gold athletes but not assessing their smarts? The NFL is very complicated. Are guys like Wilson, Williams and Jones perhaps not picking up the offense very well?
Brian Batko
10:34
Not really. There's always a football IQ aspect, a character aspect, an intangibles aspect when it comes to work ethic, resiliency, that sort of thing. That's the inexact science of drafting. But, at least on paper, I feel like they've actually improved in that regard from the final years of Kevin Colbert to the initial years of Omar Khan. Fewer red flags in the more recent draft picks. I know that's not necessarily the same as what you're asking as far as cerebral players, but I hardly think the Steelers are drafting more space cadets than the average NFL team.
Jim Bow Dean
10:35
Did the run defense improve in this game? I know they gave up over 100 yards again but most of that was from Maye and it didn’t look like the DL was getting push around like they did in the first two games.
Brian Batko
10:37
Yeah I'd say it was their best job against the run so far. Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker looked like Barry Sanders, so they really had nowhere to go but up. To be fair, credit the coaches for making personnel changes on defense that seemed to pay off immediately. Cole Holcomb and Jabrill Peppers were the main ones.
TVC15
10:37
Happy 1st Day of Fall Brian,  Who is the better defensive coordinator? 1) The supposedly Hall of Fame worthy Mike Tomlin / Teryl Austin duo or the maniacal looking Steve Belichick?
Brian Batko
10:39
Same to you, TVC. Well, considering young Stephen Belichick is now the DC for a UNC team that has allowed 48 and 34 points in its two games against power four competition this season, I'll go with the Steelers guys.
ABNormalville
10:39
I don't think Calvin Austin as the number 2 receiver is the problem. The OL doesn't look like it's getting much done in the running game (which hurts the passing game) and the pass protection is shaky. Thoughts on who needs to step up on the OL?
Brian Batko
10:41
Everyone. And I say that not to be flippant, but there aren't any solutions waiting in the wings. Spencer Anderson is a good jack of all trades to have in your room. Calvin Anderson is a vet. But if the starting five can't get it done, I don't particularly have a ton of confidence that upgrades are in the offing.
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