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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 11.25.24
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Brian Batko
12:00
Hey all, happy Monday. Steelers gearing up for Bengals this week but not just yet. They're off today. Questions please...
Michael
12:00
Brian, was it a mistake to extend Freiermuth?
Brian Batko
12:01
No, I don't think so. Wrote about that more in last week's mailbag: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2024/11/21/steelers-brown...
Tom
12:01
Do we not learn from what other teams are doing. TJ Watt is double or triple covered yet we allow Mikes Garrett the DPOTY run free?
Brian Batko
12:04
They weren't just letting Myles Garrett run free. Dan Moore had help in the form of Jaylen Warren, then Darnell Washington on the first two. But the Browns did line up Garrett on the other side for his third sack, which is a wrinkle I think the Steelers do need to explore more. It was helpful the little bit they did it against the Giants.
Titan in Charlotte
12:04
Brian, happy holidays to you and the family! T.J. Watt is a Hall of Famer and continues to play at a high level, but are you concerned that Father Time may be catching up with him? While he still makes huge, game-changing plays, they seem to be occurring less frequently. Additionally, he has had games where he doesn't put up the expected stats, even against teams with weaker offensive lines, like the Browns. I'm not suggesting he's washed up—far from it—but I’m curious if we might be witnessing the decline of his peak performance. Tell me I am wrong please.
Brian Batko
12:06
You too, my fellow Titan. Father Time is undefeated, I know that much. And yes, even TJ Watt will reach a peak, and by definition, that means what comes after is a decline. But I wouldn't say I'm concerned just yet. He might still be on his plateau. So sure, I'll go ahead and tell you you're wrong.
Silent Bob
12:06
Can you think of another NFL game, other than last Thursday, where every single decision made by the head coach for the last 4 and 1/2 minutes was the wrong decision?
Brian Batko
12:06
Every game the Steelers lose, Silent Bob!
Benson DuBois
12:06
Why is Russ so easy to sack?
Brian Batko
12:07
He's not as mobile as he once was, Benson. Wait, isn't that a Toby Keith song? I'm waiting for the moment where Russell Wilson has a scramble that's as good as he ever was.
MP Jams 2
12:07
Good morning Brian.  Minkah has made very few ‘’splash’’ plays the past couple of years?  What’s wrong with him; eroding skills, injury, he’s asked to do too much?
Brian Batko
12:09
It does look to me at times that he may not have the same initial burst or closing speed as he did when he first got here. But I wouldn't say they're asking him to do too much. He's stationed in center field most of the time, which is a crucial position in any defense but particularly vital for how aggressively the Steelers want to play in front of him, by and large. For the most part, he's doing his job keeping a lid on things.
Wellington Starbuckle
12:10
What happened to the QB sneak? Might help the short yardage offense.
Brian Batko
12:11
Agreed, they should probably use that more. Put Justin Fields in just for that if you want to. The tush push isn't exactly a play you worry about telegraphing. You just get that yard no matter what.
TX Pressure
12:11
Cmon, the time management and challenges - other teams have ex-refs and asst coaches to help the coaches in those areas.  Tomlin is good in several areas but other areas he is below average and will cost the team.  Tomlin not open to it, old school - he only hurts the team's ability to win.
Brian Batko
12:13
I'm with you on that, been saying for a while now that the lack of support staffers is an issue with challenges. And I do connect it to the overall relative lack of manpower in the organization. But I'll counter with this: If he's so bad at it, why are the Steelers so successful in close games? They lost this most recent one, but in the grand scheme, Tomlin's record in one-possession games is excellent.
HeHateMe
12:14
Do you think Minkah has played up to his contract?
Brian Batko
12:15
That's a trickier question because as well as he might be doing what they ask him to do, you get paid the big bucks to make the "wow" plays that can't be taught or executed by lesser players who don't make as much money. So while I don't expect anyone to be perfect, even the guys at the top of the pay scale, I'd lean toward no. Not that it's a bad contract, but he just hasn't been quite as productive as he was when he earned that deal.
the real guest
12:16
Brian, Myles Garrett's performance notwithstanding the Thursday debacle was more of a Steeler's loss than a Brown's win. Too much horrible coaching, cavalier play calling and dumb mistakes to overcome. Bringing the Justin Fields era to an end and returning to a full compliment passing attack would be a good place to start the rehab. What say you?
Brian Batko
12:17
I'm not opposed to using Fields on occasion. But you're right, Arthur Smith - and I suppose by extension Mike Tomlin - needs to have a better feel for when to utilize him. And I'm of the belief that the personnel grouping with Cordarrelle Patterson, Connor Heyward, Darnell Washington, MyCole Pruitt and Spencer Anderson as the eligibles can be stuffed into the back of the playbook.
Tampa Too
12:19
Brian, do you think Pittsburgh is blitzing less this year than a year past and if so, why? I was surprised they didn’t blitz Cleveland more.
Brian Batko
12:22
Yes, according to the advanced metrics, they're on pace for their first blitz percentage under 25 since 2018 when Pro Football Reference started tracking it. Obviously, they have the utmost confidence in getting pressure with just their front four so they can drop more in coverage. But I don't know if now's the time to start blitzing more with Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes coming up in four of the final six games.
Stairway to seventh seed
12:23
Brian: the defense was a questionable spot against the Commanders and a strange 2 pt play design by Baltimore away from blowong three straight leads (in addition to the Dallas game).  Is it personnel or schematics?
Brian Batko
12:25
Some of both, I guess? I'm not overly concerned with those circumstantial almost and could'ves, to be honest. The unit is still playing well overall, in my opinion. It's difficult to keep NFL offenses down for an entire game. We talked about that at length today on the North Shore Drive podcast with Adam Bittner, because Chris Carter may have been kidnapped in wild and wonderful West Virginia, I'm not sure:
John in Florida
12:25
Brian thanks for the chats. Do you expect Pickens to be suspended for a game after his latest end of game episode? He’s become a poster child for childish outbursts, and since his name is not Patrick Mahomes, the league might well make him an example.
Brian Batko
12:27
Not sure it was enough to warrant a suspension, but I also haven't seen as many angles as the league could have and you're right, he is a recurring, frequent offender. It's one thing to be a fiery competitor, which he is. That just gets old if it starts resulting in penalties, costing your team by taking your focus out of the game or, in this hypothetical, taking you off the field entirely. And you hit the nail on the head that he's developing a reputation for this, which isn't good either.
Jumbo
12:28
Is there any team who has a winning record as an away team on Thursday night?
Brian Batko
12:30
Might take longer than I care to in this chat to research it, but sure, it's more of a disadvantage to be the road team on a Thursday night. And in this case, which team do you think played harder and had more of a physical, even mental toll taken on them the Sunday prior, Steelers at home vs. Baltimore or Browns at New Orleans in a game no one cared about?
And to be clear, I'm not trying to make an excuse for them. Just spitballing potential reasons in an attempt to explain the unexplainable of Thursday night failures.
Brah
12:32
Why do we play fields at all? At specifically in big time moments....seems stupid based on how qb1 was playing.
Brian Batko
12:33
If I had a nickel for every time I heard Tomlin refer to prudent use of quarterback mobility...but in all seriousness, I do think that's a valuable wild card to have up your sleeve. Can we all collectively think back to some of the goal-to-go moments early in the season when Fields was starting? Cheat code stuff when he got inside the 10. But I hear you, Brah. Big Brah. It's a different calculus when you're weighing taking your starting QB off the field, tinkering with the rhythm for everyone, etc.
The Dude
12:33
After watching the Commanders lose to the Cowboys, the Texans lose to the Titans, and a couple other games that came down to the wire like the Chiefs and the Broncos, it seems like the Steelers losing to the Browns isn’t quite the shock and disappointment it might appear at first blush. Obviously Tomlin owns much of the blame for the loss, but should we really expect the Steelers to be the only team not to lose to an inferior opponent?
Brian Batko
12:34
Hey, not to be a Debby Downer, but I wasn't really buying the Steelers as a Super Bowl contender before Thursday night anyway. I said I needed to see more. And, well, I saw a team that can lose a short-week road game to a 2-8 divisional rival in a snowstorm in a tough environment. That doesn't mean they're bad or won't win a playoff game. It's a better loss than the Texans losing at home to the Titans or the Commanders losing at home to Cooper Rush, that's for certain.
Stash
12:35
BB, every time that a fair-minded yinzer may think that GP is on the road to maturity, he opens his mouth and says something like the weather is to blame, or the Browns stink (although true dat).  So considering that AB's mentals actually declined throughout his years here, should a yinzer have scaled-back expectations of GP's ceiling on maturity?
Brian Batko
12:37
Hello, Stash. We also discussed that a lot today on the show, but I'll just boil down my thoughts to this: When he was 21, it was waved away because he was a rookie. When he was 22, it was waved away because he was still young. Now he's 23 and I'm not seeing much changing. So, yeah, fair to wonder about the long-term viability there, particularly entering a potential contract extension offseason.
Tom88
12:37
Serious question here: When is enough, enough with Tomlin? Terrible OC hires (Canada and Fichtner) rotten draft picks (although not all on him) and his continued idiotic challenges, and in game strategy.  Patriots got rid of Bill and he won six SB's. Is the Steelers HC a government job?
Brian Batko
12:39
The Bill Belichick comparison is an interesting one. Not because Tomlin's tenure here is even remotely close to the success Belichick had in NE, but because both were tied to longtime franchise quarterbacks and haven't done anything after removing that guy. I'm not writing off Tomlin because I see a coach who's doing a good job with this team this year and they just beat the Ravens two weeks ago, but it goes without saying at this point that the postseason struggles are a major red flag.
Snowbird
12:40
As a parent and football expert, how would you rank:  EZ squirt purple ketchup,  drum/cymbal sets, alternating QB1 and backup ?
Brian Batko
12:42
Just consulted my lovely wife, who happens to be in the other room and didn't know who Justin Fields was until about a month ago. Her response was "the first two are dumb." So, your point is well-taken, Snowbird. Although as the dad of a ketchup-loving 4-year-old, that E-Z squirt bottle doesn't sound so bad to me.
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