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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 10.26.20
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Brian Batko
2:00
Hi everyone. We'll have a little bit of an abbreviated chat today because I'm actually sitting at my gate in the Nashville airport and about to get on my flight home. But go ahead and fire away.
Wee Man
2:00
Do any other Big QBs have as many balls blocked to tipped then Ben does? Drives me crazy!
Brian Batko
2:01
Yeah, Baker Mayfield struggles with that. But here's one thing to consider, Wee Man: a lot of times when a QB has a ball tipped, the offensive linemen consider that to be on them, because they're getting pushed back and not stopping a DL from getting a big paw up there for a deflection. Both Ben and David DeCastro mentioned that the one that got picked off yesterday was kind of fluky, so that's where they seem to be on that.
Brian
2:02
What were your initial thoughts on how Spillane performed?  I thought the collision with Henry at the goal line was a thing of beauty!  While teams might try to create mismatches in the passing game, a combo of Williams and Spillane on the inside seems very difficult to run against.
Brian Batko
2:03
Pretty similar to the second half against the Browns, I didn't notice him getting exposed at all. That's encouraging. Terrell Edmunds just said this morning that he expects the coaching staff to use Spillane similarly to how they used Devin Bush against the Ravens, keeping an eye on Lamar Jackson.
Bryan
2:03
Is Pitt planning to bring anyone into supplant Spillane? He was eating alive by o lineman yesterday on a regular basis.
Brian Batko
2:03
Not everyone is a Spillane fan, clearly.
Mike
2:05
Mondeaux did a good job as a FB at the line. Have the Steelers ever considered converting him to OL. They did it with Al Villanueva. After the Eagles released him as a DE, the Steelers signed and converted him. (He sacked Big Ben TWICE in pre-season).
Brian Batko
2:05
Hey, you can't argue with his offensive efficiency. One career snap, one yard gained, one touchdown scored. But in all honesty, Mondeaux doesn't have the body type to play OL whatsoever. Not that I'm an expert, but his physical limitations are what have held him back from being a drafted guy, an active roster guy on defense. It's his tenacity and motor that have made the Steelers keep him around.
Ben
2:07
49 passes and 24 runs in a game they never trailed? Is this 2018 football all over again? Of course he'll throw 3 into and jeopardize the game if he throws that much. Horrible play-calling.
Brian Batko
2:08
A lot of that was in part to the game script of that first drive, when the Steelers came out firing off a lot of quick passes to move the ball that way. Extension of the running game, so to speak.
Kirby Hogenmiller
2:09
Do you think hanging on for dear life and their attitude after the end of the Titans game will make the Steelers way more focused and protective of the football for a full 60 minutes against Baltimore? Not that they need anymore reasons to be focused for Baltimore.
Brian Batko
2:11
They had been taking care of the ball. One pick for Ben, no fumbles for Conner. I think any time you win a game while being minus 3 on turnovers you thank the football gods for letting you get away with one
Jared
2:13
okorafor's worst game of 2020? 2 horrible penalties to start the game.
Brian Batko
2:14
Yeah he was partly responsible for that first drive being such a roller coaster. But still, he’s been pretty darn solid filling in at that spot after Zach Banner went down.
Nadine
2:14
Any update on Spillane's injury from the big hit he put on Harvey?
Brian Batko
2:15
He seemed fine postgame and generally it’s a good sign anytime the team lets a player talk after the game. Diontae Johnson did a Zoom interview as well and said his ankle was nothing to be worried about.
Kenny
2:15
Johnson seems to be feast or famine with his stone hands. Catch first, run second. What seems to be the problem? I'm glad he no longer returns punts.
Brian Batko
2:16
Concentration I suppose. Also some guys just have better hands than others. I wouldn’t call him stone hands just yet though, Kenny.
jim
2:16
I am happy with a win, but we gave away 6 points and it shouldn't have come down to the FG. Why not line up and kick the FG at the end of the first half without running any plays, seems like we got greedy. They handed us a FG try, take it. Same thing at the end of the game.
Brian Batko
2:17
Yeah I didn’t really understand the end of first half decision either but the penalty they got seemed to take them out of FG range in Mike Tomlin’s eyes. But how about Vrabel not making use of his final TO?
Courtney
2:18
Who's bust on the long Brown td? Was that Nelson? Fitzpatrick? Both?
Brian Batko
2:18
I’m not a coach but I’ll give that to Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Nitro
2:18
Greetings Brian - With Ravens, will we see more dime or will that depend on how effective the Ravens are in running the ball?  Who takes on Andrews?
Brian Batko
2:19
No, I actually think maybe you see a lot of 3-4 again and make Lamar beat you through the air.
RayGuy
2:20
Hi B, tanks for putting up with all of us. My Q: watching college football it seems like every punter can boot it 50+ yards with plenty of hang time. Can't we just kidnap some college punter and toss him a uniform?
Brian Batko
2:21
Maybe they should’ve drafted one this year!
Lee
2:21
Why not call up the rookie on the practice squad to punt? If Tomlin doesn't have confidence in him, why's he around?
Brian Batko
2:22
Not really sure. As funny as it might sound perhaps they weren’t comfortable with the reps he’s gotten as a holder to this point?
Eddie
2:23
Why the end around with Samuels? He's slower than molasses uphill in the winter. He offers nothing.
Brian Batko
2:24
I’m guessing because the defense wouldn’t have expected it, given his uphill molasses in winter speed.
Yates
2:24
Hi Brian -  What are PG's plans for in person coverage of the Ravens game? Who will be attending?  In a social distancing world, what is  benefit of attending in person - other than no chance for problems with CBS feed of the game?  Safe travels back to Pittsburgh!
Brian Batko
2:25
Hi Yates. Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo will be there in Baltimore. The benefits of attending are being able to see a lot of what doesn’t come across on the TV broadcast, plus if something truly monumental happens, you might need someone on the ground for that. And, as you mentioned, technical issues wiping out the CBS feed would be, uh, not great! Look at what happened in the one Bills game earlier this season.
Jean
2:26
Because of the win at Tenn, this week becomes a must win for the Ravens huh? If Pitt wins, they're basically up 3 games halfway through the season due to the tiebreaker. Who'd have thought that after 2019?
Brian Batko
2:26
Not sure there is such a thing as a “must win” when you’re 6-0 and the only undefeated team in the NFL. That’s an overused cliche for sure.
Bobcat Brisko
2:27
Spillane did a great job filling and wearing the green dot. However, don’t you think if the Steelers plan to make a deep run in the playoffs,don’t you think they will need to make a free agent acquisition? The depth at middle linebacker is ominous to me.
Brian Batko
2:28
Not necessarily. Spillane made the comment that his job is a lot easier when you have the DL the Steelers do and the DBs they’ve got behind him. Still have one game to evaluate ahead of the trade deadline.
LivintheDream
2:28
Brian, The front seven is playing really really well. Are they in their base D a lot more than previous years? Or is it just 91 and 97 being healthy together?
Brian Batko
2:30
They certainly used the base 3-4 yesterday a lot more than usual. But typically, it’s the base defense in name only, because using nickel is a lot more frequent. Granted, Mike Hilton was out yesterday, and he’s part of what makes that subpackage so good.
OK folks, as promised, I’ve got to run. Well, actually, I’ve got to fly. Into airplane mode I go. Talk to you Sunday for another live chat.
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