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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 11.01.21
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Brian Batko
2:02
Hello. Welcome to my chat. Steelers-Browns, trade questions, it's all on the table for you fine folks.
Turk in MD
2:02
Hi Brian. Is it too early to say TE is beginning to look like a position of strength?  PFM’s TD catch was amazing. Gentry was WIDE open on the 1st and 20 play.
Brian Batko
2:04
No, I don't think so. I was just thinking this morning how ironic it is that now, with this roster, 12 personnel is actually gonna become a major part of the offense (most likely). Yes, part of it is JuJu being hurt, and part of it is a renewed commitment to running the ball, but here are the team's TE tandems over the last few years:

2018: Vance McDonald and Jesse James
2019: Vance McDonald and Nick Vannett
2020: Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron
2021: Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry

Just interesting that this duo seems capable of giving them more than veterans, former Pro Bowlers, etc.
Jeff
2:06
Thanks for the chats B.  How is that not a roughing the "passer" penalty on Boswell.  If that would have been a QB, not only would there be a penalty but a stiff fine.  I get it is a unique situation but just because he has kicker behind his name should not change the interpretation of the rule.  If you are trying to take it out of the game shouldn't it apply to everyone.
Brian Batko
2:08
It should've been. And I see people also pointing to the very controversial call that went against Mike Hilton and the Bengals in their loss to the Jets, when he WAS called for a helmet-to-helmet hit against a ball-carrier. So you sit there on your couch scrolling Twitter and ask HOW do both of those calls get missed for different reasons, or WHY is one a penalty and the other wasn't? Well, guess what: It's called human error. Officials make mistakes, same as coaches, same as players, same as sports writers. Does it suck when they miss a call? Yep. Is it a mystery that requires investigation at the highest levels of the NFL? Probably not!
JerseySteel
2:09
Hi Brian - when I watched the replay of the "holding" called on Isaiah Buggs on the long run by Nick Chubb, I could see the Browns center with his arm wrapped around Bugg's chest and  Buggs arms not even in contact with a Brown's player. Couple that with the non-call on hit to the head of a passer (Boswell), picking up the roughing on Ben, weak roughing on Highsmith and several other questionable calls - was this one of the worst performances by the officials in recent memory?
Brian Batko
2:10
My last answer being said, yes, that was a rough game for them yesterday. The holding call on Kendrick Green when Roethlisberger ran in the 2-point conversion looked very ticky-tack, too. Not a good day for that crew. And maybe it's not even one of the better crews. They have evaluators for things like that.
AK
2:11
I’m going to take a wild guess that the Steelers won’t try another fake FG the rest of the season....  That was possibly the dumbest call of the year!  Agreed?
Brian Batko
2:13
I actually didn't hate it as much as the rest of the world. Generally, I'm a proponent of going for it on 4th down. I think most NFL coaches are too risk-averse. And in that game, yes, points were at a premium, so why not try to get 7 instead of 3? A lot of those arguments become circular logic. As for "risking" your only kicker, it's not as if they sent him on a naked bootleg or something. They did put him in harm's way, to an extent, but kickers can get hurt in all sorts of manners. Wouldn't that be "living in your fears" to preclude you from trying a trick play because he could get hurt? It was a freak thing, clearly.
TomlinsD
2:15
Rumor has it PG staff has someone on their payroll that can kick '60-yard field goals'.  Any trade deadline updates you can share with us, now that Boz may be out for awhile?
Brian Batko
2:17
Ah, I don't think Chris Boswell will be out for "awhile." Of course you never know with concussion protocol, and head injuries are nothing to play with, but he seemed OK after the game. Also said as much on Instagram. He could miss a week, as Chuks Okorafor did earlier this year when was in the protocol. Or he could come right back, as Teddy Bridgewater did before the Broncos came here. Like I said, it's always fluid with concussion symptoms.
But if they do need to bring in a kicker, I'd look at Alex Kessman. Familiarity thanks to him kicking at Pitt, big leg, knows Heinz Field well, and uh, that extra leg they had in training camp was ... not very good, if memory serves.
SteelersFaninPatriotsNation
2:18
What is the likelihood the Steelers pull off a trade before the deadline? Perhaps Ebron for DL depth or even a draft pick?
Brian Batko
2:21
I don't think it's particularly likely, but I also thought that last year, then they traded for Avery Williamson. D-line is probably their biggest weakness, although Chris Wormley had a solid game yesterday, maybe the best I've seen from him. Player-for-player trades are rare in the NFL, and the Steelers' future draft resources already have been tapped into, but as Gerry Dulac suggested last week, perhaps they can deal Eric Ebron or Melvin Ingram for a pick, then turn around and shop that pick for DL help.
Buster
2:22
Why do you think they are not targeting Washington on deep routes like in previous years? Is he still nursing injuries!
Brian Batko
2:24
Ah, you don't really see him getting open much downfield, do you? He played a lot more this week than he did against Seattle, but that didn't translate to much production, 1 catch for 4 yards. I don't think health is an issue. They just haven't put him in the game plan much. Maybe he's a potential trade chip, too? We know he was looking for a bigger role going into the season. Not only is Cody White likely capable of doing this little, but Anthony Miller is a guy with similar pedigree on the practice squad.
The Dude
2:25
As good of athletes as there are on NFL rosters, wouldn’t you think there would be someone available to kick an extra point or at the very least kickoff in an emergency like yesterday? It was obvious Harvin was not a solid choice.
Brian Batko
2:27
Ha. Joe Schobert was asked about that today and said that yeah, he used to mess around trying to kick a little bit in high school. And he mentioned that Derek Watt was his team's kicker back then when they were at rival programs in Wisconsin. I'm more surprised that Pressley Harvin wouldn't at least get some reps at that during the week, though I must admit, I don't often watch what the specialists are doing off to the side during practice. Maybe that was Exhibit A of why he should start.
Tommy
2:29
Boswell took a brutal head shot, no flag!
His helmet was 1/2 way off before his head slammed into the ground! I didn't see Tomlin upset about the no call when it happened & then, adding insult to injury, he deemed his latest sideline gaff to be a "sidenote" due to the victory? Wow!
Brian Batko
2:30
Obviously, to borrow a Tomlin-ism, he didn't mean the health and safety of one of the league's best kickers was a side note. He literally was taking the blame when he said that. But hey, some people can find fault in Tomlin in literally any situation, so kudos.
Silly in Philly
2:31
Sup Bats. You remind me of my 1st grade buddy “Chucky”.  You both are likeable dorks that are clever w their writing! Lol and nothing but love!  W is a “W”.  However, if Muth doesn’t make that catch, it’s a different mood here today and folks would be calling for Tomlin’s head-especially  for Bozzy getting hurt and clock management etc.. Any update on Boz’s injury?
Brian Batko
2:33
GM
2:33
How badly do we miss 19?  I thought the catch from 11 in the slot would've netted a TD, which I think Juju is tough enough to get
Brian Batko
2:34
Not that badly, considering they're 3-0 since his injury. Sure, it would help to have him, including in instances like that, but as I said at the time, he didn't leave behind a lot of production to replace.
Justin
2:34
For all the fans that think they could play QB in the NFL look no further than Bozwell
Brian Batko
2:35
Boswell himself said after the game he dressed up as a quarterback for Halloween. And that his pocket awareness is -100000. Nice to see him in good humor.
Brah
2:36
I love a chat full of kicker health questions! What's up with Tuitt? Is frustration growing? By all accounts he physically healthy enough to play.
Brian Batko
2:37
I don't get the sense that the team is frustrated. The fan base, maybe, based on these chats.
roccopd
2:37
Deebo's work-outs were legendary.  Is there anyone on today's Steelers roster that is even close to his level in the weight-room?
Brian Batko
2:39
Probably not. But I'm sure Cam Heyward and TJ Watt are doing a lot of stuff that would make mere mortals blush. Alex Highsmith has a pretty beastly physique, too. Also, have you seen James Harrison lately? Dude is still jacked as all get out. Maybe even more so now!
Paul
2:39
Hi Brian love your chats. As the national media rips their offense, they would have scored 20, if they just kick FG and have Boz kick extra points. On a side note could Jordan Berry kick FGs in a pinch considering his Australian rules background?
Brian Batko
2:41
Thank you, Paul. Yeah, weird day for the offense, but they came through when they needed to. Still, you'd like to see them a little more sharp and, well, scoring more than two touchdowns in a game. I cannot recall Berry ever practicing kicks, so I don't know about that one. He continues to be good at punting in Minnesota, though.
Lonnie
2:42
Brian, I think Steelers fans should be happy with a hard fought, well earned victory.  I hope they realize that Baker and Landry weren’t 100% . The Brownies have had their share of injuries like the Steelers.
Brian Batko
2:43
True. And look at the Bengals yesterday, following up their huge win over the Ravens by losing to the Jets, led by Mike White at QB. Why do we even bother trying to predict the NFL anymore?
Bob
2:43
Mike Tomlin just tied Bill Cowher as the coach with the second-most wins in Steeler history, but I haven’t seen any mention of that in your paper or prevalent Steeler blogs.  Why do you think that is?
Brian Batko
2:45
Regular-season wins. Loyal chat readers know I am biased against regular-season records, stats, etc. If you include playoff games, Tomlin is still four wins away from tying Cowher. Does this idiosyncrasy make me a bad person? Maybe.
2:46
However, I imagine Tomlin will be asked about tying Cowher's regular-season mark tomorrow. And he'll probably say something like he's singularly focused on the Bears and now's not the time to get into big-picture things like that. He might add that he does appreciate that, though.
Dan T
2:46
Any indication the Steelers will make any moves before the deadline? I doubt any team wants Ebron, but is Ingram generating any additional interest beyond what was reported from the Chiefs?
Brian Batko
2:48
Not that I've seen, but yeah, lots of teams are hovering right around .500. They could be keen on adding another veteran piece like one of those two guys. If I'm the Steelers, I'd shop them. One, they've become bench pieces for you. And two, they don't want to be here. Why risk that distraction for a couple guys who barely play?
Guest
2:49
Brian, Seems like part of the reason that the passing game was having success when it had to yesterday is that the TEs were open in the middle of the field and the QB saw them and to them! Why has this taken so long to come about, and do you think this new dimension to this offense will continue?
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