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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 01.31.23
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Brian Batko
10:00
Good morning, everyone. I see some new faces here on the Tuesday chat, normally occupied by Ray Fittipaldo. But Ray is in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, so be on your best behavior for me. I'm gonna put on a video for the class, everyone just pay attention.
Soggy
10:01
Good Morning & Happy Tuesday BB!  At the start of the Steelers offseason, I was convinced that Flores would land a D coordinator gig or even a HC gig.  Now, it is looking like he may not get either.  Why is that?  The Belichick coaching tree? The Tomlin coaching stick? The NFL lawsuit?  Or, is he not as strong of a candidate as I thought?
Brian Batko
10:02
Have to assume the lawsuit is a factor for some teams. It wasn't much of a distraction here this past season, but Mike Tomlin and Brian Flores and everybody else associated with the Steelers did a good job to ensure it wouldn't be. But beyond that, there are a number of other candidates who had more prominent roles in 2022 and might have a bit of a head-start on him in that sense.
The Eman
10:02
Will flag football become the standard for the Pro Bowl, or will it be a one time thing?
Brian Batko
10:04
I don't envision the traditional game ever returning. But hey Eman, it's not JUST flag football. Don't forget about the dodgeball, water balloon toss, longest drive, precision passing and best catch events.
10:05
Ah crap, I forgot to mention the relay race, "Kick Tac Toe," pin the tail on the donkey and tug of war. Only one of those is made up by me, I swear.
Coach15
10:06
Now that the CAP FIGURE is in, will the BRASS start subtracting the FAT for the upcoming season---meaning too many roster spots are just that, FILLED roster spots?  Too many spots/players that are of no use for depth purposes, so they become gadget & special teams players & overpaid for what they contribute--M Allen, several DBS, D Watt, K Green, T Scott, Gunner, Boykin, LBS--IMO---very poor roster construction--forget about the brother business & the connections to Maryland & or Canada-& create useful players that can contribute as or when needed--
Brian Batko
10:08
Well, a lot of those players you mentioned are unrestricted free agents. So, no, the Steelers aren't going to announce that they aren't re-signing people. And things will be pretty quiet until March, but sure, having a definite cap number will help inform their decision-making now behind the scenes.
Uncle Larry
10:09
Can the Steelers afford to fill the holes in the team but still keep highly effective characters, but limited role players like Hargrave, Hilton, Dirty Red and Little Watt?
Brian Batko
10:12
I think they can, especially with all but a few of their offensive starters being on rookie deals. That helps a lot. And having three picks in the top 50 is basically unprecedented for the Steelers. That can potentially give you three instant-impact players, and maybe even a fourth with your third-rounder.
daniel
10:12
Hi Brian, what do you think of CB Witherspoon who played like CB1 in 2021 and then played like a street free agent until he got hurt in 2022? I do like him but cannot make up my mind whether to release him or not.
Brian Batko
10:14
Hard to say from the outside. Only the Steelers know how much of his inactivity late in the season was truly injury vs. performance. What I do know is there's no reason to cut him now. Unless they're completely out on him from a health or effectiveness or scheme perspective, might as well see how he looks in the spring and training camp. It's good to have a guy with his experience competing for a spot, probably with a rookie.
Ed in Carrick
10:16
Tyler Huntley has made Pro Bowl. Wow has that award become meaningless.
Brian Batko
10:16
Yeah, it really has. It'll make for a great trivia answer someday though. Watch him be amazing at dodgeball or something.
Cheech
10:18
BB, strictly your unbiased and unaffected opinion: Will the proposed loosening of PA's marijuana regulations have a deleterious or beneficial effect on the quality of your average chat? Gracias.
Brian Batko
10:18
No change, Cheech. No change.
574 Fan
10:19
Like many, I’m not a fan of keeping MC around. Any chance of an addition to the staff in the form of a passing game coordinator? Someone like a Frank Reich to teach MC what a Sunday passing game looks like?
Brian Batko
10:21
Art Rooney II didn't rule that out last week. He could've said something like "we're comfortable with our offensive staff" or whatever. But he didn't, so I think it's still a possibility. And I don't see any downside to it. There are plenty of "free agent" coaches out there now with more extensive NFL resumes than Matt Canada, or have worked with more explosive offenses in recent years.
Marc from Germany
10:22
Hi B! I really can't make my mind up Diontae Johnson. His performance keeps flashing and then horrid things (drops/runnning backwards) keep happening. Big Ben called him uncoverable, so there has to be something. Is there any rumors about approaching on a change of his play or preparation or maybe even trading him?
Brian Batko
10:24
Not to my knowledge. But every player should attempt to improve each year, and every coach should implement what they believe will help a player hone his skills in some area that needs it. I wasn't one pounding the table for the Steelers to extend him, though I thought the contract they gave him was decent value. You're right in general, he's a frustrating player to evaluate. So much good and still some bad when you add it all up with him.
Marty in Oakland
10:26
Do you know how many team reps are in Mobile this week?
Brian Batko
10:27
Sorry, not sure about that one. I've never covered the Senior Bowl. But we have Ray Fittipaldo there now, so be sure to stay tuned to his Twitter feed and the P-G site for coverage. Hopefully I can check it out one of these years.
Steeler in Virginia
10:29
The Steelers are notorious for not spending big money on star free agents. They also constantly draft in the later half of the draft. Do those two things add up to a team that just can't get over the hump? Do you think one of those has to break to get the star talent a team needs to get to the Super Bowl?
Brian Batko
10:32
I definitely think there's some truth in that. It helps to "bottom out" and get guys like Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, etc. And the Rams used the "picks don't matter" blueprint to win a ring (although their sustained success is very much in doubt now). Then you have the Steelers, who don't do either, and trust themselves to evaluate, develop and build through the draft, no matter where they're picking. But if the "never tank" seal didn't get broken this season, I'm not predicting that it will anytime soon.
Brad
10:35
What are the chances they bring Chuks back with his 13 mil cap hit? Will they restructure him?
Brian Batko
10:37
That would be a gamble, considering the lack of depth behind him. You'd be turning it over to a rookie or a free agent, the latter of whom would probably cost you a decent amount, too. It is a hefty cap number, and the Steelers structured his deal so that they can get out of it if he struggled, but I don't view his 2022 as that kind of flop. Perhaps they rework it, but I'd be surprised if they cut him entirely.
Johnny U
10:38
It is ironic a dozen or so nfl teams with higher rated offenses fire their OC but Mr Rooney believes Canada deserves another year to validate he does not belong in the NFL as an OC.  So the logic he does not want Kenny to have to work with a new OC this year but 2024 would be ok after Kenny wasted 2 years with Canada?  Help me understand?   Thank you.
Brian Batko
10:42
A lot of longtime Steelers fans who have been critical of their philosophies would tell you it's the opposite of ironic. You do make a good point as far as poking holes in the "continuity" logic. But obviously there's a balance to strike with that, and all the decision-makers believe the right one is to keep status quo now and go from there.
21-58-66
10:43
Thanks for the chats and in the off season no less!  Have you heard anything about possibly hiring an offensive minded coach to help with play calling and game plans next year? With so many OC positions open, wonder who would do it if there is a chance for the bigger gig?
Brian Batko
10:45
You're welcome. There are some attractive aspects of a job like that here, that could lure someone otherwise overqualified. Mike Tomlin is a highly respected coach and the organization in general probably offers as much job security as any in the NFL. Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth are a solid young core. The OL looked good at the end of the season. And, sure, you'd have to assume there's an outside chance you get promoted to OC if Canada's offense can't start scoring more points. As for who? Maybe someone who just got fired or isn't being retained by a new HC. Byron Leftwich, Pep Hamilton, Greg Roman come to mind off the top of my head.
SteelersNorth
10:46
Greetings Bats! What’s the one thing that the Steelers must get done this offseason in order to take the next step towards becoming a contender again?
Brian Batko
10:48
Acquire better players. It made me laugh the other day when I heard an analyst talking about the job Nick Sirianni has done in Philly, how his message of everyone being interconnected and players loving each other has made them into a Super Bowl team. Uh, OK, sure. I'm not saying Sirianni is a bad coach at all. Obviously, he's done great work. But look at that roster. Look at their OL dominating. Look at AJ Brown terrorizing DBs.  Look at the front seven overwhelming QBs. That's the biggest reason why they're good.
BigGlen73
10:50
Hi Brian - when will the steelers address the dismal kick coverage and kick return units.  I think this year we were ranked at the bottom of the league, but it never seems like Danny is on the hot seat.
Brian Batko
10:51
They tried to address the return game last offseason with Gunner Olszewski and you saw how that worked out. Steven Sims showed some flashes, though. Not enough that I'd definitely bring him back, because you also have Calvin Austin waiting in the wings to get a shot. But yes, the overall ST play was a disappointment in 2022.
Terry Mocky
10:52
When can we expect to hear about the Mitch Turbisky contract extension?
Brian Batko
10:52
Feb. 31
Pittfan
10:53
Hi Brain. It appears the Steelers don't have much salary cap room at the moment. Do you think they will make cuts and restructures prior to the beginning of the new league year to put themselves in position to be players in free agency? They can't resign their own right now without salary cap room can they?
Brian Batko
10:55
Who you calling Brain? Anyway, they must wait until the start of the new year to re-sign their own pending free agents to contract extensions, yes.
Retire21
10:56
Brian: Draft Day One ends and all 32 teams see one or more player they think has really slipped to them if they can get the Steelers to deal with the second day first pick. One of those, of course, is the Steelers. What would it take for the Steelers to deal? Someone's second and another second or a second and a high third?
Brian Batko
10:58
Probably two seconds, or a high-to-mid second and a third, something like that. But I think the Steelers will be inclined to keep that pick and essentially get two first-round talents. That Chase Claypool trade was a coup by Omar Khan.
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