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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 01.20.26
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Brian Batko
10:49
Hi everyone, checking in for another Steelers chat. You may have noticed Ray Fittipaldo and I swapped places this week, so I'm here for the Tuesday crowd. Ready when you are.
And yes, this was slated to begin at 11, but if you're on time, you're late.
Pittfan
10:49
Hi Brian. What's your opinion on hiring a retread. I heard stats on their immediate success vs. an up and comer. The bottom line is Don Shula couldn't win in today's NFL without a QB. I think fans would be more patient watching an up and comer take his lumps vs. a retread. Your opinion? Who would you specifically would you choose and why?
Brian Batko
10:50
I view it as replacing Mike Tomlin is gonna be tough for anyone to fill those shoes, recent lack of playoff success notwithstanding. But probably even tougher for someone who's been his contemporary as an NFL head coach. With a more unknown commodity, so to speak, at least you're getting a breath of fresh air and the promise of potential. Hey, maybe the next Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay. Hope is a beautiful thing.
Lenny from NY
10:51
Good morning Brian. What are your thoughts on Howard?  I went back and watched his highlights and I was very impressed in his game. Sixth round pick means nothing. Look at Purdy. Mr Irrelevant. Thanks
Brian Batko
10:54
Will Howard was a great value pick in the 6th round, in my opinion. But you do have to keep in mind how many teams passed on him (all of them) and how many times they passed on him (several times in most cases). Brock Purdy is an outlier, for sure. Would've been nice to see how Howard would acquit himself in the preseason. But he didn't get that chance due to the finger injury.
Dormont Legacy
10:54
I’ve seen some criticism of AR2 because he said he was willing to run back MT another year, as if AR2 didn’t recognize there was a problem. I think that ignores that AR has to, and should be, nice publicly to Tomlin. My guess is Art told him the option wasn’t going to be exercised so Tomlin did a Kenny Pickett. It all happened so fast there had to have been prior discussion. I doubt Art was completely surprised. What insight do you have on it?
Brian Batko
10:57
None, really, because I don't think anyone would want to make the behind-the-scenes conversations public from that whole process. But it did feel like an abrupt turnabout from Mike Tomlin, who went from detailing his love of coaching on the Rich Eisen show and expressing optimism for building next year's roster in his very last answer ever as the Steelers' head coach to what we got the next afternoon.
TBD
10:57
Looking at the roster that is waiting for the new coach, where are the true difference makers? There are some nice young players on the OL, Warren is good but not really explosive, Gainwell is a free agent, Metcalf has been underwhelming, TJ and Cam are bound to decline, JPJ is a good solid player and the same can be said for Herbig. What am I missing?
Brian Batko
10:58
Yeah, cupboard is relatively bare at QB, unless a prospective coach really is fond of Mason Rudolph or Will Howard. Jaylen Warren not explosive? I might have to disagree on that. Long speed isn't what he's known for, but his initial burst is special and we've seen him rip off long runs when he gets some room from the big boys up front. DK Metcalf had a down year, but still a premier receiver in this league.
Steel Town D
11:00
Please walk me off the ledge…is Brian Flores a real candidate for the HC? and Art II is not going to require the OC and DC to remain like he did when Tomlin started…right?
Brian Batko
11:02
There's obviously familiarity there, and Tomlin spoke highly of Brian Flores' contributions that 2022 season. He's only improved his stock since then, given his success with the Vikes. With Flores, though, you probably have to do your due diligence on the intangibles of being a head coach. As for the second part of your question, no, this new coach is going to have freedom over the staff.
Jim Bow Dean
11:03
I get Art saying they are not rebuilding as I can’t recall any team ever admitting they were. That said, they know that’s what is needed don’t they? They can’t think they are close.
Brian Batko
11:07
They probably trust their recent draft evaluations and thus the investments they've made into the talent on their roster. But yes, the playoff loss realities have hit them hard. And I don't know if they look at this, but when you really stack up the Steelers compared to the rest of the league over the past five seasons, their point differential tells the tale. Including the four playoff games, their record is 48-40-1 with a -143 differential. That re-enforces what we know anecdotally,  they were incredible at winning close games, but were too often non-competitive in many of their defeats.
Ben
11:07
Hey Brian, would you trade watt to the Bears for a 1st and a 4th? I would and would wish him the best.
Brian Batko
11:09
Of course, Ben. Of course. But the Bears aren't gonna do that for a guy who turns 32 in October, has seen his production drop off and is gonna hit you for $42 million on the cap (and not going down before the end of his deal either).
artie bridge
11:10
Hey Bats, I haven't read/heard Antwaan Randle-El mentioned in the reporting on the head coach search.  He would seem to check a lot of the requisite boxes, and seemed popular during his Steeler days.  Is he in the mix, especially now with the Bears eliminated?  And if not, why?
Brian Batko
11:13
Hi Artie. I'm a bit surprised that he hasn't gotten a request slip myself. Former player, former player here, assistant head coach to Ben Johnson who did one of the best jobs of anyone this season, and from watching some of his media pressers he strikes me as someone who's cut out to be a head coach. Another name I thought might be on their radar is Davis Webb, QB coach for the Broncos under Sean Payton. Oh, and Klint Kubiak of Seattle. But it's Jan. 20 now.
MD Steeler
11:14
If Will Howard were coming out in this years draft, in what round do you think he would be drafted?
Brian Batko
11:14
I mean ... if he had the same season? Leading Ohio State to a national championship? Or, I guess if he just somehow pushed off the draft for some reason. I guess he'd go higher than the 6th. But that's a tough one, MD Steeler.
John i Florida
11:14
Brian, thanks for your chats. Here’s hoping something is worked out to keep it going.
Brian Batko
11:15
Thanks John, appreciate your readership
South side Johnny
11:18
Good morning, Brian. Realistically speaking, now that MT is no longer the coach, how long might it take for the Steelers to become playoff competitive once again?
Brian Batko
11:20
They hadn't been competitive in the playoffs with Tomlin in quite a while, so it's hard to say. But sort of to an earlier question, too, look around the NFL. It's not hard for fortunes to change quickly, to the good or the bad. ,Just look at the whiplash the Commanders have put their fans through. From terrible to title game to now back to terrible as they dealt with injuries this year. With all the parity there is in the league, a coach who finds the right fit and some roster addition hits can get a franchise going pretty quickly.
Sal
11:21
GM Brian. First of all THANK YOU and all PPG who cover the steelers for the unique and amazing work you have done over the years. You are the best team of Steelers insiders.
With the current list of HC candidates, Do you think the franchise is less appealing for a young successful guy like Shula or the Rams Pass Coordinators given the no QB situation and the roster status? Are we in a position we cannot get our guy because of who we are?
Brian Batko
11:22
Thanks you, Sal. No, I don't feel that way at all. If anything, I think if you're someone like that, you look at the Steelers' history of hires and see how young never-been-head-coaches were able to leave their mark on the organization. And quickly.
JP
11:23
Hi Brian, I read your article about the McVay coaching tree which was pretty insightful. The route drawing software that the LA assistants used, do the Steelers use those tools in-house as well or just the plain whiteboard and magnet method that you see on TV shows?
Brian Batko
11:23
Thanks, JP. I'm not sure. It's entirely possible the Rams are just really good at promoting themselves on top of the obvious success they've had. But yes, hard to not come away impressed the more you look into that operation.
Atlanta Dan
11:24
Brian - thanks for the chat.  Do you agree with the statement by Mike Sando of The Athletic that the Steelers are perceived around the league as “outdated in terms of technology, strategy and resource allocation,”
Brian Batko
11:27
Hey Dan, to be frank, I cover the Steelers and am not around the other 31 teams. I've only covered the Steelers in the seven years I've been on the NFL beat. So I can't really speak to that the way Mike Sando might as a national writer, but I'll say this much, I think Omar Khan has tried to bring new ideas on that front and modernize the organization, in a sense. Even Kevin Colbert himself admitted that he was still pretty old-school by the end of his time here.
TVC15
11:28
Just hear me out. If I had a time machine I would go back one year and beg AR2 to trade Tomlin to the Bears and hire Ben Johnson as head coach. But I am certain he would foil my plans and hire Aaron Glenn instead. Agree?
Brian Batko
11:29
It was never realistic to expect the Steelers to uproot their head coach and send him somewhere that he didn't necessarily want to be. Even if it made sense on paper, as I'd say many would agree in this scenario, there are personal dynamics and working relationships involved with something that seismic. We might never know who the Steelers would've pursued in last year's cycle or how they would've gone about it.
MiniJamesHarrison
11:29
Pretty straightforward question here: If Rodgers wants to come back, the Steelers can't really do any better or worse at QB, right?
Brian Batko
11:30
Um ... yes. Very straightforward indeed.
Insouciant Old Man
11:30
Will MT have any input on new HC? Sure hope there is continued access to the great work you, CC, GD, RF, & PZ do for Steeler Nation!
Brian Batko
11:30
I highly doubt that one, Insouciant Old Man. Quite a vocabulary you have there. Must be all your life experience. And thank you.
Ron
11:31
I think two directions to go for a Steelers head coach, with a young coach either Chris Shula or Nate Scheelhase, & Scheelhase being more offense minded, or  veteran coach McDermott from the bills
Brian Batko
11:32
Sean McDermott is getting a late start on the job opportunities this year, as our teams with doing their due diligence on him. So I'm not sure what to make of him entering the market at this point, but as you can probably tell from what I've written so far in the near-week that Mike Tomlin has been gone, I'm all for going the McVay route. Maybe that takes shape as head coach Chris Shula with OC Nate Scheelhaase. Or HC Nate Scheelhaase and, say, Raheem Morris as the DC. All intriguing options to tap into one of the last four teams standing.
martian
11:35
Good morning Bats! Has anything been indicated to you about any early coaching "favorites" outside of the ones getting second looks this week? And do you feel the org will in fact wait for the Rams assistants to become available to interview in person?
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