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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 10.07.24
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Brian Batko
2:00
Hi everyone, just left a rather quiet, solemn Steelers locker room. Not exactly a victory Monday. Let’s chat
Stairway to seventh seed
2:00
Brian: with Pickens back to his mercurial ways and the way Najee Harris is playing, do the Steelers have the worst group of skill position players in the league?  I thought Dallas also was pretty lean on skill guys after Lamb, but wow I'd rather have some of those guys.  Can Fields be properly evaluated playing behind a young line with this group of skill players?
Brian Batko
2:02
Probably not but you make a good point that this offense was always top-heavy and now even those highly drafted guys aren’t producing. I tend to think role players such as Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, Scotty Miller and Calvin Austin only work if they’re revolving around stars.
PAMMYWHAMMY
2:02
What's with Porter Jr trying to punch the ball out instead of tackling when he's the first or second defender to the ball? I noticed at least 4 times when he could have prevented a first down by simply tackling...
Brian Batko
2:03
Not saying you’re wrong but the Steelers do emphasize that. They preach “ball searching” from everyone but especially DBs and LBs.
Stan P
2:04
I feel like Mike Tomlin accidentally let us peek behind the curtain during his post game remarks at Indy whenever he said slow starts didn't effect the outcome much in his eyes.  Do you think his overall strategy is to play everything close to the vest first half,  adjust at halftime, and hope to win a squeaker in the second half based on those adjustments?  Seems mighty dangerous week in and week out.
Brian Batko
2:05
I think it’s partly a belief in his coaching and culture to win close games late when they have to and partly just saying things to explain the unexplainable. Any coach would want to start fast and cruise to an easy win, right?
Sam
2:07
Was Kyle Allen taken out of the game because Fields was cleared to return or as a punishment for sitting in the pocket, reading the defense, and perfectly fitting in a 19 yard seam route over the middle? I kid of course, but why is Kyle Allen able to make what probably will be his only pass of the season a throw that we’ve been struggling to call/execute since the pandemic year? I’m hoping they make the move to Wilson and he can demonstrate some of the touch that Fields clearly lacks with many of his throws.
Brian Batko
2:08
Nice one, Sam. It’s a fair point but I’m not ready to rush Justin Fields off the stage just yet. And here’s my thing with going to Russell Wilson: We don’t even know if he’s healthy enough to play yet. I can’t put much stock in anything he actually says at this point about his injury. We’ve heard it before. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Kevin in Philly
2:09
As a lifelong Steelers fan, I am heartbroken as to what the team has become. Head Coach Mediocre has to go before our once dominant team can regain their prominence. This team is unwatchable, definitely not worth losing sleep over these late-night games. The Steelers are boring. The rain delay was more exciting. The team is poorly coached in every facet. The team is never ready to play. Play calling, challenges, and clock management are idiotic. The Steelers may change quarterbacks and add a talented wide receiver, but will that change anything? Would a top tier QB and WR produce in this offensive scheme? Doubtful. It’s the system that is broken in my opinion. Coach Mediocre may eek out another non-losing season, but he will never be a winner in the Steeler sense. Mr. Rooney needs to wake up and honestly evaluate his head coach.
Brian Batko
2:10
Thanks for your comment Kevin. I think there were a couple questions in there but a lot to unpack.
NC steeler Fan
2:11
Good Afternoon Brian, was wondering why Pickens didn’t seem to be in the game as much as Jefferson and Austin?  Saw on Twitter at halftime the snap counts and he was below both of them. Was it an injury?  Discipline?  Or something else?  Thanks!
Brian Batko
2:12
Neither per Mike Tomlin. He basically said they tried to get more out of him by playing him fewer snaps, which is either a bizarre line of thinking or a tacit admission that George Pickens only has so much energy to expend in a given game that he can’t play every snap.
60 Prevent Slot Hook And Go
2:13
Hey Brian, thank you for the chat. How much value do you think Art Rooney II puts on the entertainment value for fans? I know wins and losses are number one priority but these games are just torture to watch as a fan. Been this way for years.
Brian Batko
2:13
My guess is Art Rooney II finds winning entertaining. And would rather go 10-7 averaging 17 points a game than 9-8 averaging 27 points a game.
Stash
2:14
BB, Coach T's word salad when trying to explain why GP was riding the pine belongs in Tomlin's Top 5 Career Obfuscations, no?  And that is really saying something, to be completely honest with you.
Brian Batko
2:14
Yeah I’m with you Stash. Tomorrow’s presser should be interesting.
Skip in the car
2:14
I would point out that the Steelers got off to another slow start in last night’s first half, but luckily Coach T said that starts don’t matter. Or does that only apply to the Steelers defense?
Brian Batko
2:15
Duly noted, Skip.
TVC15
2:15
Hi Brian, I live in my fears of the Steelers never winning another playoff game while Tomlin is head coach yet (unlike the national media) I don't seek comfort in his non-losing seasons record. Is there any hope for me?
Brian Batko
2:15
They were laying it on pretty thick last night on the broadcast weren’t they?
Davante A.
2:16
Mr. Rooney:  Don’t think I want to play for your team .  Simply put sir, the lack of a creative, effective offense is an offense to my talent and desire to play a major role on a winning team.  Get back to me if a scheme with some imagination like the Chiefs and 49ers is implemented.  Peace out.
Brian Batko
2:16
Good luck in the Jets offense then. Google Nathaniel Hackett if you have a few minutes today. I’m guessing you aren’t too busy at the moment.
Yates
2:18
Bats - Listening to MT’s post game presser I must ask if I watched the same game he described.   His team was manhandled and dominated from start to finish on both sides of the ball. A play here or there Mike?  What?  Embarrassing that he did not own the poor performance.  Harder for him to do that because of the national audience?
Brian Batko
2:19
They didnt do enough to win of course but i think you might be exaggerating a little bit there, Yates. Manhandled and dominated from start to finish? They made plays at times and were one PBU away from pulling it out. I actually thought he summed it up fairly well
SoCal jeff
2:21
Brian, last week Tomlin, players and several local writers stated that the team was not ready for the BACKUP Qb in Flacco to play. That they were not prepared for his pin point passing, and thus played soft zone and did not blitz. Well, Dak did exactly what Flacco did against the SAME defensive game plan. So perhaps it’s Tomlins strategy that is the problem? Unless we just hope to play QBs so bad that they can’t read a soft zone in under 3 seconds.
Brian Batko
2:22
Yeah they absolutely need to fix what’s going on defensively, particularly in coverage, particularly in the secondary. I don’t know if it’s a personnel change, adjustment to the play-calls or a combination of that and more but it’s being exploited.
Andrew in ATL
2:23
Any chance that Pickens gets traded? It felt like a bad idea to limit his snaps when he is their main receiving threat. What is going on there?
Brian Batko
2:24
OK, starting to see a lot of Pickens questions now so let's get into this...
G. Pickens
2:24
Hey Bats, how long til I ask for a trade?
Brian Batko
2:26
Recapping his evening:

  • 3 catches for 26 yards
  • a bad 3rd-down drop
  • career-low snap count
  • weird and vulgar eye black message
  • egregious facemask pull after final play
  • opponent talking smack in tunnel
  • dad tweeting angrily about offense/OC
  • no postgame interview, as usual

I think that covers a couple diva WR bingo cards if you're using your free spaces. For the record, he also did not make himself available for comment this afternoon in the locker room either. Not that that's a surprise at all after his weekly interview last Wednesday.
NYC Steeler
2:27
Thoughts on JPJ's PFF rank ~#90 of 97 at his position?
Brian Batko
2:28
Haven't really been paying attention to PFF grades, honestly, but I don't think he's playing that poorly. Certainly not the biggest worry for this defense right now.
John from Cambridge
2:29
Hello Brian, I think the Steelers trading for Devante Adams makes no sense. Yes, we need receiving help, but he won't make us a Super Bowl contender maybe not even a playoff team. Our defense is overrated. We need to hold on to our high draft picks and continue to build for the future, not trade them away for a guy who might make us better for a year or two. Plus, he's not that young and always seems to end up being unhappy where ever he goes.
Brian Batko
2:30
You make a lot of fair points, John. And I believe a lot of those same considerations are why they ultimately didn't pony up enough to bring in Brandon Aiyuk.
Jim Bow Dean
2:31
On their first drive of the game they run the ball with a 3rd string RB on 3rd and 8. That tells me Tomlin was perfectly happy to settle for FG instead of trying for the first down. Can that ultraconservative play calling win if your defense isn’t the 1976 Steelers?
Brian Batko
2:33
Yeah good call Jim, that was confounding. We'll see what Arthur Smith says about it Thursday. But there are some concerning thru-lines from what the offense looked like under the old boss and how it's operating under the new boss.
Fire tomlin
2:34
Tomlin's transition to four down lineman on defense, 2 of which are undersized ends because they are linebackers is the most obvious signal to the other team that they should run.  Whats the strategy here?   He was thoroughly out coached again yesterday and hasn't won a big game in 14 years.  His nonsensical phrases are not enough to win big games.  Agree or disagree?
Brian Batko
2:35
Eh, nickel defense with five DBs and four down linemen is a standard package across football. You can still minimize the opposing run game in that formation. But guys up front need to whip their blocks, linebackers need to fill gaps and the DBs need to do their part, too.
Jake
2:36
How does our coaching staff let Pickens go out of the field especially a Sunday night game with that eye black on?? I’m hoping the NFL suspends him but I read what it said and there’s a serious lack of maturity happening there. Will he ever grow up ??
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