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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 02.03.20
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Brian Batko
12:00
Well, the Super Bowl is over, and that means everyone is back to 0-0 as we officially turn the page to the 2020 season. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Let it all out, I won't judge.
Angelo
12:00
Any news on who the Steelers are looking at for the WR coach postion?
Brian Batko
12:02
All quiet on that front, Angelo, but I am a bit surprised they haven't made that hire yet. Although two years ago when they brought on Tom Bradley to coach the DBs, that move wasn't made until Feb. 8. Perhaps the Steelers are interested in someone from the Super Bowl teams, or are just sorting through what they might've learned about candidates at the senior bowl a couple weeks ago.
CD in SC
12:02
Brian - did you feel like you were in a gentlemen’s club after watching that halftime “show”?  Very raunchy!
Brian Batko
12:03
At times, a little bit, but hey, it was entertaining. And I don't think it was beyond the pale compared to previous year's performances. Miami is a very sexy city!
Steelers West
12:03
Does Ben realize that at 38 next summer, he's not just going to be able to easily lose the weight he's put on?
Brian Batko
12:04
Rumor has it he's been taking salsa lessons with Shakira and J.Lo. Just a rumor, unconfirmed as of this posting.
Realist
12:04
Pompeani, whose opinion i Usually respect,  Said on the sports call last night he takes issue with all-time QB LIST NFL announced....that Bradshaw was not on it, and he cited 4 SB victories.  That cant be the penultimate stat when it comes to these subjective lists, what say you?  Could you put Bradshaw ahead of any of these...montana, brady, favre, unitas, graham, baugh, elway, P. Manning, staubach, Marino?  I dont think i could.  And what about Brees, Tarkenton, or perhaps a Fouts, or Young...i may even put each of them ahead of Bradshaw.  A super steeler and a recognized great, but not on that list was the right call.
Brian Batko
12:06
I really don't get too riled up about rankings, votes and arbitrary stuff like that. Now, if I were on TV, I suppose maybe I'd have to. You make sound points about evaluating quarterbacks in different eras, assessing the teams they had around them, etc. At 28, I'm not going to pretend to be any sort of expert on the GOATs of the game.
OHIO412FAN
12:06
Brian, with the 2019-20 NFL Season in the books, I am highly looking forward to the upcoming season for the Steelers. They will be good. What can we expect out of this year’s team?
Brian Batko
12:08
You can expect a playoff contender, in my book. And I've long thought that as long as Ben Roethlisberger is at QB, you can expect a Super Bowl contender, too, but it would be foolish not to factor in last year's injury at this point. One thing that's for sure is you can feel a lot more confident about the defense than you could in any February in a long time.
Tom
12:08
50 years? How could you not win or expect to win the Super Bowl every year like the Steelers?  Shouldn't that put some perspective to Steeler Nation?
Brian Batko
12:10
Because the other teams aren't trying, Tom. If the Steelers don't make the playoffs, let alone win it all, it must have been because they all failed miserably at their jobs. Couldn't be that the other franchises have good players, smart coaches and savvy decision-makers of their own.
VAsteelersFan
12:10
Hi Mr. BB . . . Would it behoove the Steelers to take a long hard look at Greg Olsen? Slim pickings for TE free agents, and supposedly it's one of the hardest positions for rookies out of college to learn. He would be a plug and play receiver. Gotta consider him, right?
Brian Batko
12:12
Oh yeah, I'd take a look. He's about to be 35 next month, but he mostly stayed healthy again this season for the first time in a few years. Teams around the league, not just the Steelers, will likely want to check him out and try to determine how much he has left in the tank.
DJPAULHOWARD
12:12
Now that the super bowl is outta the way we can focus on the off season. I see the Steelers needs as follows: RB1, TE1, OL, S WR3-5. I see TE1, S, and WR3-5 coming from the draft and OL from FA. do you agree and if not how would you proceed this off season??? Would've had RB1 from the draft but Etienne and Harris going back to school weakened the RB class IMO. Not sure we get an RB1 this year... Thoughts???
Brian Batko
12:14
I was never fully on board with the idea of taking an RB in the second round, anyway, DJPH. To me, the top need is OL or TE, and the Steelers might answer that for us by what they do in free agency. If I had to choose, I'd probably say TE, but my partner Ray Fittipaldo went OL with the first pick of his first mock draft this morning and backed that up at length: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2020/02/03/Ray-Fittipaldo...
John Strange
12:15
Which will come first?  The Steelers winning a playoff game or Coach Tomlin's Hall of Fame worthy no losing seasons streak ending?
Brian Batko
12:15
I'll say the former, Johnny.
YinzerinVA
12:16
The Steelers were very active with acquiring players last year.  Do you see them doing the same this year via trade and UFA?
Brian Batko
12:18
Not sure I'd say they were very active last year, but sure, maybe more so than they're known for. I'm not sure they'll have the cap space to make as many additions as they did in free agency, but probably one or two to help shore up a couple positions.
BB
12:19
Brian - thanks for the chats.  Watching the Chiefs last night, they have an arsenal of offensive weapons.....no one currently on the Steelers offensive roster that would even see the field in KC......kind of discouraging....do we have any hope?
Brian Batko
12:20
My pleasure, and you have great initials. I understand if you're exaggerating, but I do think you're selling the Steelers a little short here. JuJu would play for the Chiefs, at the very least. And there's certainly hope when you consider the positive flashes from James Washington and Diontae Johnson this past season. Plus, let's keep in mind how an elite QB can elevate those around him. How much better might the Steelers weapons look if they had Patrick Mahomes throwing to them? The idea is to find out at least how much better they look with Ben Roethlisberger throwing to them.
AFCBigPicture
12:21
Watching that game last night made me think this: The Steelers won't be able to draft a QB as good as Mahomes. So they better think of another way to build their team to win. Do you agree and if so, how would you build this team to win in the future?
Brian Batko
12:23
You can win a Lombardi Trophy without having the best QB in the league. I bet the Ravens are pretty happy with Lamar. I don't think the Texans are staring wistfully at a photo of Mahomes. And hey, Ben has never been the best in the NFL at his position, but it's not as if the Steelers made themselves a ground-and-pound outfit as a result. So, no, I guess I don't fully agree. Do they need to tweak some things to improve? Of course. But I don't think, to borrow from your chat name, a big-picture rebuild or even a reshape is necessary.
CoalportKid
12:24
Besides not having Kittel, why can't the Steelers scheme up and run like those niners?
Brian Batko
12:26
I'm sure the Steelers and plenty of other teams will try to incorporate those ideas. Success breeds imitation in this league, but it's all about staying one step ahead. His Super Bowl failings aside, Kyle Shanahan is a very good offensive mind, no doubt about that.
Alan in Nashville
12:26
Hi there. I know its not going to happen and I’m not usually one to bash the coordinators but to me, the Steelers are suffering under Fichtner. Even with the red zone improvement last year with Ben, they still fizzled badly in the second half of the season. His admission that he gets “spooked” out of the running game was horrible and the results show it. If the run game starts slowly, he abandons it right away, even when they have the lead or it’s a close game. Do you have any feelings as to whether or not the Steelers feel the same way and that Matt Canada was brought in to be more than a QB coach?
Brian Batko
12:28
I feel as though the Steelers need to be better on offense, and that them bringing in a guy like Matt Canada is a good sign that they know that, too. Art Rooney II said as much, frankly, about the running game when he met with reporters last month. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2020/01/16/pittsburgh-ste...
coach15
12:30
Isn't it time to draft or sign FA that can help in the starting 11, too many players, strictly for SpecTEAM & results don't warrant, plus with injuries, they can't step into starting 11   What u think
Brian Batko
12:30
Yeah, it's generally a good idea to try to draft or sign free agents who can start. The guess here is the Steelers do their best to find two or three this offseason, coach.
Alan F
12:31
Two names for WR coach: Jerricho Cotchery was the assistant WR at Carolina under Rivera since 2017 but didn't follow him in Washington.  And Ike Hilliard was the WR coach at Washington under Gruden since 2014.  Will these two excite the fan base?
Brian Batko
12:33
Cotchery would probably be about as splashy a name as you can get for a wideouts coach, given that he played here. Not to undersell the position, though. It's a key hire in the sense that whomever it is will be tasked with working with a very young but high-upside group of guys. Even JuJu is still on his first deal, and he's the veteran in the room. It does help that the Steelers have a bright young guy in Blaine Stewart, an offensive assistant who works a lot with the receivers. His dad is late WVU coach Bill Stewart.
AA
12:34
I hope Steelers fans soon real that the Steelers can’t afford to sign one of QBs like Mariotta, Dalton, etc. due to their cap situation.  There’s at least one question about it every week. It’s not going to happen!!
Brian Batko
12:37
First mention of them this week, AA! Here's what I think should happen. The Patriots let Tom Brady walk, then hold a reality show/docuseries in search of his replacement. Bring in Mariota, Dalton, Phil Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, et al. Call it "The Un-Brady Bunch" or "The Bill-chelor"
Tampa Too
12:37
Regarding the draft which (in your opinion ) position is the hardest to predict success in the NFL?  And on the flip side which is the easiest position to predict success in the pros?
Brian Batko
12:39
Good question, Tampa. I'd say QB is generally considered the toughest to predict. If it were easy, every franchise would have a guy they feel like they can win with, and we know that's not the case. On the flip, I'd say running backs and interior linemen generally translate their skills pretty well. Oh, and kicker/punter. They're people, too.
Ray
12:40
Who will be the nose tackle for 2020
Brian Batko
12:41
Probably not Javon Hargrave. But really, the whole position has sort of been phased out, especially with the Steelers and how much sub-package they play. My prediction at this point is that Tyson Alualu plays the third-most snaps among defensive linemen, though I'm not really calling him a traditional nose tackle.
TJ IsDakilla
12:42
Do you think the steeler D can actually force some other team to put 0 on the scoreboard?  Cam and TJ seem to think so...
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