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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 10.04.21
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Brian Batko
11:00
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. -- Hi everyone. I'm coming to you live from Green Bay (still), but I guess I'm also in the village of Ashwaubenon, which is much more fun to say. Let's get to your thoughts and feelings and questions from the 27-17 loss to the Pack.
TXSteeler
11:00
At some point doesn’t the media need to call out the defense and ask the team about the lack of interceptions? 1 through 4 games is awful and the lack of game changing plays from them overall is a big concern.
Brian Batko
11:01
Yep. Which is why columnist Ron Cook, who sits next to me in the press box, wrote this after the game: "Steelers defense looked helpless against Aaron Rodgers" https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2021/10/04/Pittsburgh-Steelers-Ron...
Sunner in Orlando
11:01
Hi Brian thanks for the chats! Are the Steelers at the point where Ben does not give them the best chance to win anymore and Mason should be given the shot? I think you can lose a locker room at this rate if you keep trotting Ben out there when everyone knows he is done.
Brian Batko
11:03
I don't know. I really don't. And they don't either. But I'm leaning toward "yes" and so I have to wonder if they are, too. If this thing continues to go south, there's also another consideration beyond who gives them the best chance to win, and that's who better serves the franchise's ultimate goals? Getting another extended look at Rudolph would be helpful for the future.
Gregg from Shaler
11:04
Brian, I will leave the justifiable diatribes to my fellow yinzers and ask about something, the only thing, from yesterday's game that gave me any moment of enjoyment. It was Aaron Rodgers engaging with both Tomlin and Maulet in moments I rarely see, that is opponents acknowledging and laughing about one upping one another. Romo and Nance commented about it as well. Does that happen often and the cameras don's show it or was yesterday's conclusion so foregone that Rodgers could just enjoy the fun of a contest he felt certain to win?
Brian Batko
11:06
Hi Gregg, from the greatest township in the known universe. It was fun to watch that, yes. From the press box I can tell you there was more of that, too. I get the sense Rodgers is a pretty cool guy, and a lot of opposing players feel the same, which is why they chat him up during the game. Terrell Edmunds was doing it at one point too, and I can't imagine either he or Art Maulet have any sort of longstanding relationship with A-a-ron. He's kind of like to QBs what Mike Tomlin is to coaches. Guys who have never played for him love him.
JJoe
11:07
I love Ben, the Steelers, and everything PIT.  That said, it’s time to acknowledge both Ben and Tomlin are and have been underperforming for awhile in multiple ways and it’s likely not to get better.  Am I wrong?
Brian Batko
11:09
On the first part, no. I don't see any reason for optimism on a 39-year-old QB struggling the way he has. Don't confuse that with a guarantee that he won't win another game, but if he improves, it will be more "mystical," to use a Tomlin phrase, than logical. But I don't necessarily feel the same about the coach. If he had a vision for what this team would be with Canada calling the plays, and the personnel isn't allowing that to come to fruition, it's somewhat understandable. I know Tomlin's on thin ice with a lot of fans, but let's see what he can do in the post-Ben era once that comes.
ev
11:11
Brian, Fourth and four and the Steelers dialed up the same play, a flat pass to Harris with 3 Packers in front of him, that ended the Bengals game last week... were all bullets fired at that juncture, too? Sorry, had to vent....
Brian Batko
11:11
I don't blame you, ev. Sitting at Lambeau Field, I could not believe my eyes. Felt like Mugatu in Zoolander. Am I taking crazy pills?
John
11:12
A once feared Steeler football team is no more!
Brian Batko
11:12
A bit dramatic, but sure. Moving on...
Jay
11:13
Morning Batsy.  Possibly the worst offense in the league.  Steelers never make massive changes, and they kind of already did last year.  How bad would things need to be for them to make another massive (QB, HC, OC, OL) changes?  I kind of feel the need to overhaul again soon.
Brian Batko
11:15
I think it's been bad enough that the QB change is coming - in the offseason, if not sooner. Even if he pulls out of this funk to some degree, it's not really a funk, right? It's just what he is now. As for OC, I'm open to seeing Canada's scheme with a different QB. I am. But I also acknowledge that replacing Randy Fichtner with him wasn't necessarily a "massive" overhaul. He was already on staff. Bringing in an entirely different OC from the outside would've been a more drastic approach, and maybe the right one?
Buzzard Bill
11:16
Hi Brian, well, the Steelers are in a mess right now, in part because of their personnel decisions. For example, they refused to sign Fournette last year as a FA, and he is now doing well with TB (nearly 100 yds. last night against the Patriots).  While Harris is a good back, that 1st round pick could have further strengthened the OL for the future.  And how could they not know earlier that DeCastro was done?
Brian Batko
11:18
Eh, I wasn't really on the Leonard Fournette bandwagon. He was good in the playoffs last year but he's hardly a consistent performer. And I'll say this much about the Najee Harris pick, and I think Pat Freiermuth applies here, too: They got two good players. That's obvious. How about this, better free agency decisions on the O-line? The crop of (realistic) draft prospects was relatively thin by the time the Steelers were on the clock at 24 and 55. The David DeCastro thing was certainly weird and makes me wonder how much that negatively impacted their offseason and the way they constructed this unit.
Regina
11:20
Good morning Brian.  Could you please explain the relationship between Ben and Mason?  It seems the cameras never catch the two of them conferring or discussing game strategy.  Is Mason deliberately distancing himself from Ben?  I get the feeling Ben will not ardently support Mason if Coach Tomlin replaces Ben.  Thank you.
Brian Batko
11:21
Don't know. But the Patriots have a rookie fullback named Ben Mason. Maybe if there is a rift he could come mediate between the two.
DJ
11:21
Brian, over Mike T's duration as the head coach, the Steelers enjoyed huge success against the bottom of the division (Cleveland & Cinci).  Just these two opponents account for about 50% of Mike T's win / loss differential and w/o them, we would have had a couple of losing seasons.  Now that we have strong opponents from all 3 in the division, it looks like our success is going to be limited for the next several years.
Brian Batko
11:23
Very brutal division, yes. And for what it's worth, this is what Ike Taylor was trying to say this offseason when he explained - calmly, rationally - that another year of Ben Roethlisberger would set back the Steelers long-term in the AFC North. Because of the three young QBs for the other teams. Now, I know the Baker Mayfield Experience is still a bit iffy. But Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are damn good. Odds are against being able to find a better QB than those two.
11:25
Broncos go from facing Lamar Jackson in Week 4 to Roethlisberger in Week 5. He's gonna look like he's moving backwards to them.
Franco3272
11:25
We hope Ben can make it through the game on Sunday with that Denver pass rush
Brian Batko
11:25
Oops. OK now we're back on track.
Jude
11:25
Don’t you think everyone should not panic this season.. The worst that can happen is we get a high pick for a QB in the next draft..
Brian Batko
11:26
As an optimistic cynic by nature, I love where your head is, Jude. I understand a loss is a loss and you never want to see that if you're a Steelers fan, but this time was coming. Expecting them to be a Super Bowl contender was never wise.
AK
11:28
Is it realistic that we see Ben get benched sometime soon?
Brian Batko
11:28
Hard to imagine, but I'm sure it was for Giants fans too when Eli Manning got sat down late in his career. Big difference though is that Tomlin has been riding with Ben for his whole head coaching career. Ties that bind, and things of that nature.
Alan from Indy
11:29
With the Steelers obvious  need to rebuild rather than reload, does the TJ Watt mega contract signing now look like a mistake?
I fear his best years may be behind by the time the Steelers are a solid contender again and his price tag will hinder a quicker rebuild with free agency.
Brian Batko
11:31
No, I don't think so. Any rebuild is the process of trying to find good, young players. Cheap usually helps too, but Watt checks two of those boxes, so I'd still do that deal every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Your worry that he's going to be past his prime is fair, but Watt is a maniacal worker. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a lot of good years left in him.
scottydog
11:32
How can the same team that looked so good in Buffalo look so bad these past 3 weeks?
Brian Batko
11:33
The part of the team that looked good in Buffalo was the defense. And it would've looked worse had Josh Allen hit on a couple of those deep balls. Give special teams credit, too. But as yesterday showed, you can't always rely on a splash play from that group to keep you in ballgames. That season-opening stunner showed the Steelers the recipe they need to win, but the last three weeks have showed us how hard that recipe is to replicate.
Gene
11:34
What would be the difference between Ben Rothlisberger and Herman Munster as the Steeler's QB?
Brian Batko
11:35
Munster could also be used on field goal block.
SC Steeler
11:36
Hey Brian.  Love these chats (and all of your work) that help me keep up on the Steelers from 900 miles south of The Burgh.  I know the NFL tweaks rules every offseason and I was wondering yesterday if unbeknownst to me they made a new rule that says you can't do two running plays in a row?  Seemed like there were several 1st downs when Najee got them "ahead of the chains" (4 yards plus) and they would still pass on 2nd down.  How do you get good at running the ball if you don't, you know, try to "establish" the run?  Right now it doesn't take a genius DC on the other sideline to figure it out.
Brian Batko
11:38
Ha, thanks for that. I think that's a very fair question for Tomlin/Canada, especially given how much emphasis was placed on getting back to being a more balanced team this year. Even Ben said yesterday that they need to "reassess how we use" Najee Harris, and I'm wondering if that means using him more between the tackles than as a safety valve through the air. However, Ben also went out of his way to say Harris needs to run more physical, the way Jerome Bettis used to. Which uh, is certainly an interesting thing to put out there...
MTScott
11:40
With no stellar QBs projected in next year’s draft - is it safe to assume the Steelers picks will focus on OL & DL?
Brian Batko
11:40
Too early to rule out a QB, even though there's no Joe Burrow/Trevor Lawrence type, at least not at this point. But yeah, OL/DL would make sense. Secondary, too. Could lose Joe Haden and Terrell Edmunds both this offseason.
AtlantaDan
11:42
If Ben will not play along and sit due to an “injury” will Tomlin be backed up by AJRII if he wants to bench Ben to find out what Rudolph can do in Canada’s offense and whether Canada needs to be gone in 2022 as well?
Brian Batko
11:43
I'm not sure. One quote I keep coming back to is what Ben told my fellow P-G beat writer Gerry Dulac just before the season started: "You’ve got to understand it’s more than just Mr. Rooney. Kevin Colbert has to want you back, and sometimes it doesn’t always feel that way."

Hmmm https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2021/09/09/pittsburgh-ste...
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