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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 11.18.19
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Brian Batko
12:01
Hi everyone. Steelers-Browns was a wild one. Steelers travel to Ohio again this weekend to face the still terrible Bengals. Thanks for chatting, here we go...
12:02
Also, some breaking news: Steelers vs. Browns at Heinz Field in two weeks has been moved from 4:25 to 1 pm.
Steeltowntim@aol.com
12:02
What ever happened to Ken Griffy, I thought he was OK to bring back to team when injuries hit?
Brian Batko
12:03
You mean Ken Griffey Jr.’s son, Trey Griffey. The Steelers opted to keep Tevin Jones over him on the practice squad going into the season. I don’t believe he’s been with any other team since then:
Utah Jim
12:03
Is it time to start investing heavy draft capitol in the OL?  The running game has been terrible since mid-last season and the pass protection is getting worse.
Brian Batko
12:05
That’s a tough one. Yes, you have some aging veterans, but they’re still going to be under contract next year and probably believe they can keep playing. I think you might have to just hold out hope that things will mesh eventually.
bob
12:06
Did our O Line get old all together and all of a sudden, or do we miss Munch?
Brian Batko
12:08
Losing Mike Munchak might be a factor, but let's not forget that they weren't exactly great in the ground game toward the end of last year, either. I do think age is probably the biggest concern. Al Villanueva, Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncey are all over 30.
Guest
12:08
Is Mason Rudolph really this horrible or is it because Randy Fichtner’s scheme is ridiculously JV?
Brian Batko
12:09
I know this much, if the offense keeps producing like this, the Steelers likely will have to cut ties with one of those two long-term. But hey, it should be noted just how banged-up the receivers were in Cleveland. They didn't have a lot of help with scheming or making plays in that second half.
Rags from Baltimore
12:10
Brain thanks for the chat.  I know that Mason is a pocket passer,  but he needs to move some to help the cause.  Why is he not doing that?  Is he being held back by the coaches?
Brian Batko
12:12
From watching him work in there, I get the sense that he's just not real comfortable with that part of playing the position. He runs with heavy legs when he does finally decide to take off. Obviously, that's not really his game, but I agree with you that he needs to be a little more decisive and willing to scramble, if not outright run, when that's what the defensive is giving him.
Richard
12:12
A headline last Friday read that Mason Rudolph's "legal team" was looking into the Bengals' hit.  Didn't know a rookie qb would have a "legal team."  Help me understand the game-behind-the-game.  Does his legal team and agent have any actual control or power over whether Rudolph remains the starting qb, for example?
Brian Batko
12:13
He has a sports agent, who works for a law firm. That's about the extent of it.
abowers
12:13
Do you think the Bengals would ever consider parting with Tyler Boyd if the price was right?  That's a complete dumpster fire down the Ohio River in Cincy.   I know the Steelers are running out of 2020 draft picks, but that would be nice to see JuJu and Tyler Boyd as targets.
Brian Batko
12:14
Would definitely be a cool story if the Steelers could somehow bring him home. It wouldn't be cheap though. He got paid this offseason by the Bengals. Four years for $43 million. Another local guy and former WPIAL star in Terrelle Pryor would love to suit up as a Steeler though.
Jud
12:14
So...how was the theater Mrs. Lincoln?  Should Mason have been suspended?
Brian Batko
12:15
You know, initially I thought no way, but I'm not totally entrenched in that view. The optics of apparently trying to remove Myles Garrett's helmet was not a good look. MAYBE one game would've been somewhat fair.
TomnBloomfield
12:16
How bad for how long to bench Rudolph?  “Duck” still #2? Thanks B.B.
Brian Batko
12:17
I don't think his leash is very short at this point. You still have six games, essentially, to find out what you have with Rudolph as an NFL starter before Ben Roethlisberger returns next year. I like Devlin Hodges, but I think you need to use this time to get a longer look at No. 2.
luigi
12:17
Everyone is talking about the miles garret debacle, BUT what about the helmet-to-helmet shots.  JuJu pretty much knocked out AND Johnson had blood running out of his ear.  Those were cheap and dirty.  Where are the suspensions for those?
Brian Batko
12:18
Plays like that, brutal as they are, happen often in NFL games. Flags get thrown, fines get levied, but ultimately suspensions aren't that common. Now, were the Browns out to deliver dirty hits in that game? Freddie Kitchens took offense to that line of questioning afterward. But the one from Damarious Randall on Diontae Johnson looked pretty egregious. I'm sure he'll be fined.
Bob R
12:18
Hi Brian, have you heard any details (that you can share) abut the substance of Tomlin's discussions with Kitchens while they were waiting for the refs to sort out the mess on the field Thursday night, or after the game?
Brian Batko
12:19
I have not. Obviously, only those two really know what was said, and Mike Tomlin was pretty adamant about not discussing it postgame.
Mattyd3636
12:19
With the receiver depth very depleted, what are the chances we go out and get a proven guy on the market. Perhaps (Dez, Crabtree, Pryor said he wants to be a Steeler etc.) What is the risk in signing one of them to compete with Cain (the newly acquired receiver)?
Brian Batko
12:20
There's not necessarily any risk to it. Just depends what those guys are willing to play for, money-wise. Let's be honest, it's not as if this season is going anywhere special. Maybe you'll find a capable contributor in Deon Cain.
Brutally Honest
12:20
I think Mason Rudolph owes Myles Garrett a big Christmas gift. That whole embarrassing fiasco saved Rudolph from the talk of the football world for three days being about how bad this guy is at playing QB in the NFL. Seriously, he's not good. In a day and age when more and more QB's are coming right from college and able to produce handsomely in the NFL, Rudolph is older than most of these rookies and he has regressed every single game he's played. The excuses he was being provided on the 4 game win streak were indicative of people who either weren't watching the games or don't know much about football. The defense won those games. The kid has zero pocket presence, zero mobility, awful arm strength, no accuracy and clearly can't read defenses. What did the Steelers scouts and coach see in him that every other team didn't, as he wasn't on most teams draft board and the ones he was, he wasn't anywhere near a 3rd round grade. There is no way they can honestly think this guy is the future after Ben, can they??
Brian Batko
12:20
TL;DR
Jeff
12:20
With all due respect to Roosevelt Nix, why has he been irreplaceable?
Brian Batko
12:21
He's been immensely replaceable in general when you talk about the offense with/without him. Even when healthy, they don't tend to use him all that frequently. But as for why they've declined to go out and sign another fullback, or at least a fullback-type yeah I don't know. There are 10 spots on the practice squad to keep around someone like that who can also play special teams, as Nix does. I guess it's just not that significant a position in their minds.
Rob in Virginia
12:22
Were the Steelers out muscled and manhandled by the Browns?
Brian Batko
12:22
They were, Rob.
livinthedream
12:22
Brian, I am an old guy from a different era and I need your help to understand something. If Myles had pulled out a 1 pound hammer and smacked Mason in the head he would have been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and thrown out of the NFL. Please explain why pulling out a 3 pound helmet and smacking Mason in the head is not the same thing. Thanks.
Brian Batko
12:23
Maybe it could've been. That's not unprecedented in the sports world. It's just uncommon, and it seems that Mason Rudolph isn't going to go that route, of bringing legal factors into the field of play. Even if it was something that goes beyond the pale of what should ever take place in a football game.
Lifetime steeler fan
12:23
Both DeCastro and Pouncey “defended” their qb on Thursday.  I haven’t seen any commentary praising DeCastro’s restraint as sportsmanlike and professional.  Can you explain?  Seems like Pouncey was more of a thug than a defender.  Cleats are a weapon too
Brian Batko
12:24
At the end of Gerry Dulac's story Friday, David DeCastro was praised for what he did -- by Myles Garrett. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/11/15/pittsburgh-ste...
Mary Lynn
12:25
Brian...do you anticipate the Steelers appealing Pouncey’s three game suspension especially if Garrett’s appeal is somehow successful?  Thank you.
Brian Batko
12:26
Yeah, they'll appeal. I don't know if they'll win. I don't know if they should win. Personally, it's hard to blame Pouncey for what he did given what he just witnessed, against his quarterback, no less. But I still don't know if you can condone that kind of reaction. It's not a good example to set for college players, or high school players, or even kids younger than that on a football field. One guy who I think got off too easy is Larry Ogunjobi, who pushed Mason Rudolph from behind when he was still without a helmet. That was appalling, and he got one game.
Harold H.
12:27
Hello, Brian - Hard to find a bright spot in the last game, but I thought that Tevin Jones actually looked decent on Thursday night. Mason is starving for reliable receivers. I hope he is one! What can you tell us about him and his time prior to being a Steeler?
Thank you.
Brian Batko
12:28
He played at Memphis (with Paxton Lynch) and never put up huge numbers, but was decent. Didn’t get drafted. Bounced around some camps. Had a nice preseason with the Steelers last year, got signed back to the practice squad, then they decided to keep him again this year. I do think he looked like a better pass-catcher than Johnny Holton.
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