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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 09/09/19
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Brian Batko
12:01
Hello, thanks for joining. The chat will begin momentarily. We've got some breaking news to attend to first, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting the Steelers have traded Josh Dobbs to Jacksonville for a fifht.
12:09
OK, time to chat.
Dan
12:10
Hello? Has the chat started?
Brian Batko
12:10
Yes.
RooneysDontRule
12:10
Josh Hobbs being traded is breaking news?? Unless we are trading Tomlin, no one cares.
Brian Batko
12:10
Great start.
rman
12:10
Which is the Latin word for "can't catch"....donte or diontae?
Brian Batko
12:10
Aaaaand we're off...
BigPoppie
12:10
Do you think the Steelers have a legitimate NFL ground game with James Connor as their featured RB?
Brian Batko
12:11
Oh, nice, a real question. That's cool. I do think they can have a good running game with James *Conner because, well, he's pretty good. Didn't have a lot of room to work last night. Sure, he got stopped in short-yardage situations a couple times, but the pitch play never gave him a chance. That call was a head-scratcher, but hey, if it worked, it'd have been a great call.
JerseySteel
12:12
Hi Brian - the Steelers do not run those crossing routes against man coverage with the legal pick play as often or as well as the Patriots do. Why can't the Steelers do that just as effectively?
Brian Batko
12:13
Well, we did see them try it last night with rookie Diontae Johnson, and he just flat-out collided with a defender, and got flagged for OPI. So, that tells me, it's not as easy as the Patriots make it look. Obviously, they coach it well and their wideouts do a good job of picking up on the little nuances of making it an effective but legal play. Maybe that can be Donte Moncrief's new role.
Kol Diamond
12:13
Worst Steeler performance since loss to Eagles 3 years ago. Think Tomlin should have used first teams more in Pre season
Brian Batko
12:15
It probably is, yeah. Actual and factual that it's the first time they've failed to manage more than one measly field goal since that game. Hindsight is 20-20, because no one would have that take if Ben or JuJu or Pouncey had gotten injured as a result of more exhibition reps.
Guest
12:15
Fact or fiction? The news of AB signing with the Pats festered in coaches and players heads and was the single leading factor to their unfocused and humiliating play. AB will continue to be a distraction for them all year?
Brian Batko
12:15
I can't answer that because I'm not in their heads.
FC
12:15
When is enough is enough with these coaches??  'Not ready for prime time"?  Are you kidding me? What a joke?
Brian Batko
12:16
What else is he supposed to say? It's the same thing everyone is angry at them for. I guess he could've just quit in shame on the spot.
TC in Charlotte
12:16
Is it a straight up 5th for Dobbs?  We used a fourth on him.  Also, any word on injuries from last nights game?
Brian Batko
12:17
That's what I'm seeing. Steelers haven't confirmed anything yet and neither have the Jags. No word on injuries, but the Steelers locker room will be open in an hour. We'll see what we can find out there.
Justin Mathewson
12:18
Do you think Steelers trade for a WR? Everyone but Ju and Switzer looked terrible. If not, I think Steelers need to get Switzer the ball more. Thoughts?
Brian Batko
12:18
No, but maybe they give Eli Rogers a call and say "Hey, about that cut..."
Izzy
12:18
For all the praise the Steelers OL gets (routinely called a top 5 OL) why are they so bad at opening holes in short yardage situations?
Brian Batko
12:20
That's a good question. I'm sure it will be a topic this week for those guys to answer to. On the early second-quarter third-and-1 that got stuffed, big Danny Shelton just clogged the whole thing up. Mike Tomlin said last week that nose tackles are becoming like Blockbuster videos in this league, but Shelton looked plenty useful on that play.
Emmanuel
12:21
Hi Brian, to me is now evident that neither Tomlin nor his DC, OC and ST coordinators are capable enough to coach and scheme this group of talented players. They have wasted and continue to waste Big Ben's bets years. Do you see Mr. Rooney making a bold movement in the coaching staff once as for all?, or, is Mr Rooney the problem in that he is not willing to make it.?, Thank you.
Brian Batko
12:21
After one game? No, I don't see it. Thank you, as well.
Texas Steeler
12:21
Brian... That looked way too much like a pre-season game out there. Why all this talk of shortening pre-season when it's obvious the Steelers aren't getting enough work as it is?
Brian Batko
12:22
Patriots starters didn't play much more in the preseason, if at all more, than the Steelers.
Scuba Steve
12:22
Are the Steelers really THAT bad or are the Patriots just that much better than Pittsburgh?
Brian Batko
12:24
Hey, Scuba Steve! I don't think the Steelers are that bad. I do think it's pretty frightening for the rest of the league that even amid all their personnel changes, the Patriots still looked that sharp. Brady is aging in reverse. All three running backs have defined roles they're good at performing. Julian Edelman is as good as ever, Josh Gordon still has it, and the backup WRs are more than capable. They still have tight ends coming back and are getting a new wideout who has led the NFL in yards, catches or TDs five of the past six years or something like that.
Jumping off the ledge
12:25
Brian, welcome to your 1st Steelers regular season chat with angry fans.  Although it's only one game, it appears our Fearless Leader, DC, and OC haven't changed one bit.  The predictably of playcalling and lack of scheme change/adjustments in game is very alarming and head scratching.  How can this thing be turned around with our current coaches?  Or is it a lost cause expecting change?
Brian Batko
12:26
I didn't necessarily think the play-calling was predictable. It didn't work at all, that's for sure, but predictable? The complaints would be the same today if the Steelers had gone all zone on defense and gotten picked apart by Brady and Co. underneath all the same. Offensively, that pitch left to Conner was, uh, unpredictable on third-and-1. Thanks for the warm welcome, though. This sure has been a chat so far.
Frank
12:26
then let me follow up, 4th and goal at the one, down 20 in the 3rd, and you kick a field goal.  Tomlin just told the team, 'I quit'
Brian Batko
12:29
You guys can crush me for this, but I actually didn't hate that decision. If anything, doesn't it say he believed (foolishly, perhaps) in the defense to actually get some stops? A similar decision worked out yesterday for Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals, who kicked a FG from the 2 late in the first half when they were down 17-0. People laughed at them, but they came back and forced overtime and, eventually, that marathon game that ended with a tie.
JerseySteel
12:29
Hi Brian - It looked like the Patriots D-Line got pressure regularly against or O-Line and Our D-line did not start to generate even a whiff of pressure until late in the game. Are the Patriots Oline and Dline THAT much better than the Steelers units?
Brian Batko
12:33
Possibly. I thought the Steelers DL was getting some pressure early, but of course, Brady gets rid of it quick. And while he's technically not part of the DL, TJ Watt is on that front four a lot of the time, and he was absolutely bringing pressure off the edge.
E.J.
12:33
I did a Google search to see if, in fact, the Steelers had a training camp before last night's game and couldn't find anything. Can you confirm or deny that they did have a training camp this off-season? Right now, I'm not sure they did.
Brian Batko
12:33
They did. I drove out to Latrobe like 15 times to watch it.
Artie Bridge
12:33
So how do we recover from that stinkbomb?  And how many more until Mike joins the unemployed?
Brian Batko
12:33
I'd recommend scoring more on offense and getting more stops on defense.
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