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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 12.29.25
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Brian Batko
1:58
Hey everyone, I'm gonna try to get off to a faster start than the Steelers yesterday and open things up now. Last chat of 2025, can't hold anything back now!
Stairway to seventh seed
1:58
Brian: playoff and Super Bowl losses when you think the Steelers are a true contender are obviously worse, but of the "typical Tomlin loss" genre, where do you rank this one?
Brian Batko
2:01
Hmmm good question right out of the chute. Maybe I will get off to a slow start. Let me think...
2:02
Prisoner of the moment perhaps, but I'm between this and the 2020 loss to Ryan Finley in Cincinnati. Those Bengals were 2-10-1.
Ken
2:03
Myles Garrett must have some kind of ego to think our offense was set so he couldn't get the sack.  Who cares?
Brian Batko
2:03
Hate to break it to you Ken, but it's not just Myles Garrett espousing that belief. Many smart football people, former players on both sides of the ball, who did or didn't play in the trenches, are saying the same thing.
New Tomlin
2:04
Forget what I said last week, this is not a new Tomlin.  He not only coached in his fears, the play calls (I realize some decisions are on Rodgers) in key moments were just awful.  And no other way to describe the start.....outcoached again by Stefanski. The only way to make Sanders look like Mahomes was come in unprepared on defense......and 3-2-1 BINGO! Win or lose on Sunday, nothing has changed. Rodgers must really look at this staff and shake his head. O wait, he's done that nearly every week. Win or lose, is this the end of the Tomlin era?  Even if they win Sunday, they are for sure 1 and done because if he reverts to coach in his fears against 3-12 Cleveland, he definitely will in the WC. game.
Brian Batko
2:07
To be fair, the Browns put together a great opening drive last week against Buffalo, too, and actually finished it with a touchdown. That's still a good coaching staff in my opinion. Win or lose, is this the end for Mike Tomlin? If they win, I'd say almost certainly not. All the current angst will be forgot (to the tune of Auld Lang Syne) and they'll be in the dance. If they lose, I wouldn't be shocked by anything, given the magnitude of such a collapse.
TXSteeler
2:07
The only times the Steelers lived the ball effectively yesterday was at the end of each half when Rodgers was running the offense. I remember this same thing happening with Ben and Canada. Is it time to let Rodgers have control (esp since he is the only one who seems to think Pat F is a viable receiver)?
Brian Batko
2:09
And yet he didn't throw it to Pat Freiermuth in that final series. On the one play, the first one I believe, Freiermuth had a defender boxed out shallow in the end zone.
STUCK IN ERIE
2:09
Hey Bats.  Hope your Christmas was great.  Was I the only one screaming at my  television to throw the ball to muth?  Down all those receivers and still don't use muth?  Baffling.
Brian Batko
2:10
Christmas WAS great, thank you for asking. You probably weren't the only one. Probably not even the only one in Erie, Erie.
Tom M.
2:10
Did anyone ask Tomlin why Roman Wilson wasn’t used? He couldn’t have been worse than what we saw from the WRs who played. Is he in the doghouse or is there something else? If he’s so fast, wouldn’t he have been a better choice than Scotty Miller on the go route?
Brian Batko
2:13
No, that'll likely be a question for tomorrow, particularly with DK Metcalf out another game. Doghouse is a tricky term but I think it's become pretty clear that Aaron Rodgers and/or Arthur Smith just don't trust him the same way as the veterans. Tomlin bringing up Roman Wilson last Tuesday, to me, was just a quick way to deflect from missing DK Metcalf.
Greg
2:13
Any chance we just tried to keep Garrett off the stat sheet? I can't find any other possible reason for watching that brand of football yesterday.
Brian Batko
2:16
Again, a lot of folks are saying this, and not just us media types. I'll say this, I do believe reasonable minds can disagree on this. I don't think you're a fool if you say it was in their heads and I don't think you're a fool if you point out Myles Garrett getting sacks, or even one sack, is bad for an offense. But there are a couple aspects of it to me. Schematically, sure, the Steelers might've operated similarly to how they did the first time against them. But as far as play-calling, or split-second decision-making in the pocket by the quarterback, consciously or subconsciously, there were some quick-game throws that made me at least consider the notion that they were too concerned about keeping Garrett from the record.
Clayton
2:17
Very odd decisions - 4th and 1 deep throw to Scottie Miller. Then a 3rd and 4 with a toss run. Rodgers has the ability to override a bad call, correct? What’s going on there?
Brian Batko
2:19
Yes he has the ability to check out of a play and check into something else at the line of scrimmage depending on what he sees from the defense pre-snap. But he said himself he went to Scotty Miller on that one because he had one-on-one coverage. The other one reminded me of the Bills game when they ran it on 3rd-and-9. They have their philosophy that they can block up some of those runs in what many of us would consider clear passing circumstances, like it or not.
artie bridge
2:19
Do you have any theories on why we have such a terrible record in Cleveland?  There is a substantial sample size, so we're looking at more than just some random bad games.
Brian Batko
2:20
Maybe they aren't comfortable enough on the bus ride there. Maybe everyone's dreading the bus ride home. Maybe the Dawg Pound is scary. In all seriousness, there might be some truth to the Cleveland "Browns is the Browns" Browns getting up to play the Steelers every time they visit.
Hi Ray -
2:21
Hi Brian - has the Steelers stubbornness, arrogance, bravado or whatever you want to call it to - ignoring  the need for a true WR2 finally hit home?
Brian Batko
2:23
Hi, Hi Ray. Great chat name made even better by saying Hi Brian in the question. Anyway, I don't hate the process from Omar Khan and his front office when it comes to addressing the WR position, but obviously the results are glaring. And I'm not sure I'd call it arrogance or bravado. If anything, stubbornness might be the one to apply of the terms you threw out. They stubbornly trusted their evaluations of Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, or there was a disconnect between those evaluations and how the OC/QB prefer to operate.
Sam
2:25
Hi Brian.  No one would argue that NFL coaches know X's and O's a million times better than any fan out there.  But some of the broad concepts baffle me.  Like if WR1 and WR2 are out, literally your best past catchers are Freiermuth and Gainwell.  And you do nothing with Pat until the final drive, and give Scottie Miller and MVS 16 targets to the 9 given to 88 and 14.  I just don't understand not building your game plan around your best available players.
Brian Batko
2:27
Hey, on the Miller front, we all thought he stepped up last week in Detroit right? And MVS is the WR most similar to DK, so they may have been somewhat forced to press him into that role to keep some continuity in the offense. But I hear you. Just remember the Browns and DC Jim Schwartz, one of the best in the game, probably went in thinking the same thing.
Jersey Danno
2:29
Hey Brian. I hope your Christmas was magical. How does DC Batko draw up a game plan to stop King Henry and invite the Ravens to win by the passing game?
Brian Batko
2:30
Hey Danno, same to you. I don't know what to make of the Ravens right now. Will Lamar Jackson play? Are they better off without him at the moment? It's hard to say. Gotta see how this week unfolds down there at "The Castle" as they call their facility.
Big Ed
2:31
Hello Brian! I hope you and the family had a Merry Christmas!! So DK Metcalf really put us in a hole with a selfish behavior with the fan in Detroit, Calvin Austin not being around because of his hamstring, and then Darnell Washington breaking a bone in his arm yesterday.. Guess we'll have to see about both of their availability for next week. The defense settled in and played better than the first quarter, but nobody on offense would step up.. Adam Thielen dropped one & MVS..too many to count.. It's not looking good next week versus the Ravens.
Brian Batko
2:33
Likewise, Ed! Pretty sure we can rule out Darnell Washington playing Sunday, maybe even the rest of the season. And yeah, I can't find too much fault in the defense. Like we said earlier, Shedeur and the Browns had a fantastic opening script, but they kept them to 3. The only TD they gave up was basically a one-man blackout by Kyle Dugger.
Chalkboard Simon
2:33
I expected to see celebrations today, not anger. The Steelers accomplished the most important thing, holding Garrett without a sack. Seriously, who do you shower with most of the blame -- Tomlin/Smith or Rodgers, who seemed to throw the ball away or into the ground any time he saw anyone from Garrett's side of the field coming near him?
Brian Batko
2:36
Both. Rodgers at 42 isn't the guy he once was when it comes to sack avoidance, and Garrett doesn't miss too many chances to wrap a QB up - that's how you get to 22 - but it felt like there were several he didn't even try to extend the play, even with the Steelers playing catch-up.
Alan
2:36
Brian, Tieing your team's fortune to any WR is ludicrous. it is an unacceptable excuse, a professional staff should be able to scheme around that. Shanahan has done it all season in San Fran, why cant the Steelers?
Brian Batko
2:38
That's why Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive coaches in football. I like Arthur Smith - more than most, based on the tone of these chats many weeks - but I don't think you'll find many people who'd prefer him to Shanahan. If everyone could do what he's doing, he wouldn't be him.
brian
2:38
Hi Brian, I know it's being mentioned a lot, and it should be, but the 4th and 1 call was absolutely mind boggling.  You need 3 feet and you go 5 wide.  No one in the backfield to at least give the defense a moment to think it could be a run....Is this formation effective when the absence of a running back helps the defense know you are throwing it?
Brian Batko
2:40
Question the formation/personnel from Arthur Smith all you want, which is fair, but he wasn't the one who decided to target a 5-foot-9 receiver on a go-ball in the end zone when they had a yard to gain. I understand hindsight is 20-20 and if it worked, we'd all be praising Rodgers for a ballsy decision, great throw, great catch by Miller, etc. But I'd be more inclined to say that if it were Metcalf in that spot.
RAM
2:40
Well Batts, the NFL got what they wanted, a big time last game of the season. I’m not in the camp of “every sport is fixed”, but with all the gambling that has been widely embraced by professional sports how can one not consider the possibility? Don’t you think that everything fell into place rather neatly for the NFL? It’ll be interesting to see which team most of the betting money goes to, won’t it?
Brian Batko
2:41
I'm not in the camp either, but OK, let's start a dialog about it in good faith. For those who do genuinely believe this, what's the mechanism for it? Are the players in on it too? All players or just some? Or is it the refs acting alone? Or is the league instructing the officials what to do? To quote Aaron Rodgers, via Ted Lasso, I'm trying to be curious not judgmental.
GUS
2:42
Good afternoon and thanks for the chats.  Look, I am not sure any longtime fan of the Steelers should be surprised by what happened on Sunday.  Coach T's entire head coaching career is littered with losses like this. Under his tenure, they have come into numerous games favored by the odds makers, statistically superior on paper, having a much better record than their opponent and even playing inferior quarterbacks and somehow losing more often in those games than he wins. The team typically comes out flat, have poor execution and seemingly get out coached. Sound familiar? Sir, would appreciate your professional opinion on this as well.
Brian Batko
2:45
There's some nuance missing to your point(s), Gus. The stat that was going around yesterday found by CBS Sports researcher Doug Clawson is that the Steelers are winless in their past five games against teams 8 or more games under .500. That is striking, of course. But without the time to look it up, something tells me they've got a win against a team 7 games under .500 in that span. Tomlin probably has NOT lose more than he's won when favored by a lot. But then again, they were only favored by 3.5 yesterday, likely due to no Metcalf or TJ Watt.
The Grinch
2:47
I finally jumped onto the "Fire Tomlin" bandwagon after yesterday's sickening display of ineptitude. Garrett said out loud what we all saw. They were so fixated on him not getting the record that the rest of the defense feasted. Imagine the stadium chants next week if they light another dumpster fire. If that happens, might that be the trigger it takes for Rooney to finally cut bait? Havn't we seen enough already?
Brian Batko
2:49
Three things I will never predict when it comes to the Steelers until I see it with my own eyes:
  • a losing season
  • a playoff win
  • Art Rooney II firing Mike Tomlin
HOWEVER ... 19 season in, I imagine he considers it on some level each year, whether he'd admit it or not. And the negativity that would come with losing these last two games to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2022, with a rookie QB and Matt Canada, and now having a future Hall of Famer at QB and a real OC? I wouldn't be stunned if he decides enough's enough.
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