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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 12.27.21
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Brian Batko
2:01
Hi everyone. We have a lot to get to shall we?
Kordell
2:01
Can Morgan be worse than Klemm at this point?  Telling that the Steelers, still with playoff aspirations, would allow Klemm to leave?
Brian Batko
2:03
Chris Morgan actually has more NFL experience than Adrian Klemm, and all season when the OL was discussed, “C-Mo” was referenced by name just as often as Klemm was. So yeah, maybe the Steelers are completely OK with Klemm leaving now because they’re completely disappointed by the job he’s done. But a coach leaving mid-playoff race doesn’t exactly speak to everyone being connected and singularly focused on the Browns.
Daniel
2:04
Matt Canada is not qualified to be an NFL OC. Why not fire him and hire Joe Brady asap?
Brian Batko
2:06
With each passing week (no pun intended) I sour more on Matt Canada. Do I think he’s effectively calling plays with one hand tied behind his back because of the QB? Sure. But does that absolve him of not doing a good job of adapting to his personnel, in-game situations, etc.? Not at all. If the offense keeps playing like this, no one’s job should be safe.
Steeler in Virginia
2:08
Hop in the time machine and go back to the offseason. Big Ben has retired, Mason Rudolph is declared the starter, and you have whatever money is saved through Ben's retirement to do with whatever you want. What's the Steelers' record today? (For the record, I'm glad Ben played cause I'm going to miss him)
Brian Batko
2:09
0-0-15
Jim
2:10
I know I'm not a defensive genius, but how come we never have anyone assigned to cover the opposing RB's out of the backfield? Happens at least 4-5 times a game, wide open for big gains, maddening!
Brian Batko
2:13
Patrick Mahomes hitting Derrick Gore deep down the right sideline was certainly a big play in that game, but it shows you how much stress Mahomes puts on a defense. He was rolling/scrambling right, Joe Haden stepped up to try to stop him thinking he was gonna run, and boom. By and large, the Steelers aren't particularly bad against opposing running backs in the passing game. They're middle of the pack in RB catches allowed.
jay
2:14
Happy holidays Brian.  We shouldn't be surprised steelers were crushed in KC, we did see this team get pummeled before this year.  How would you rank their need in the draft or FA?  OG? OC?  DT?  DE?  LB?  OLB?  Secondary?  WR?  So many needs in so many places.
Brian Batko
2:15
You could argue O-line are needs 1, 2 and 3. But hey, QB is up there, too. Wide receiver is up there, too. And cornerback! The only positions that I feel relatively OK about are running back, tight end and outside linebacker. Maybe defensive end, too.
2:16
I forgot safety. If Terrell Edmunds leaves in free agency, you need another starting safety, too.
Bill W
2:16
So why is Tomlin so accepting of this clownish behavior..celebrating interceptions by dashing to the end zone and "posing" when down 29-0 to the Vikings, celebrating a pass breakup in the endzone by staring down the fans when losing to the Chiefs 23-0 (both by Witherspoon)..the list goes on and on. He is an enabler and it goes back to Antonio Brown
Brian Batko
2:18
That's a good question. Ray-Ray McCloud's taunting was ridiculous too, and amazingly, Tomlin actually defending him postgame, instead saying the official needed to use more common sense. There's only one person who was lacking common sense in that instant, and it wasn't the ref. I'm sure a lot of this is "global" around the league - you ain't getting the '70s back - but I agree it's becoming a bit irksome with this particular group.
Jake
2:18
I know it’s not the Steeler way, but they have to be way more active in free agency then ever before if they want to compete next year. Do you think we use free agency to find our next QB or does MR start Week 1 next year?
Brian Batko
2:21
The free-agent class of QBs isn't much more inspiring than Mason Rudolph. You're talking about guys like Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, Marcus Mariota. I could see them drafting one, but would it be Steelers-like to let a rookie QB sit and watch for a bit? Probably.
pdxJaxon
2:22
So Bats,
One good thing out of yesterday's Fiasco.....Perhaps we have a new Punter...?
Brian Batko
2:23
Yeah, small sample size, but Corliss Waitman looked pretty solid. He was hammering the ball. Of course your heart goes out to Pressley Harvin, who missed the game after the death of his father. Not sure when he'll be back, but Waitman was OK in his first NFL game.
Baghdad_Ben
2:24
Brian, it is undeniable that MT has lost this team. Coaches quitting, your HOF QB passing the buck to you on discipline, the discipline problem himself (CC), Ingram unhappy, Tuitt not interested in battling with his brothers...  Easily Tomlin's worst campaign, I don't care what the final record is. This has been slowly coming for 10 years. Hoping the great story is Tomlin cleaning house and building it back up. What are the odds?
Brian Batko
2:25
How is that undeniable? Could've said the same thing after the Bengals game, then they beat the Ravens. Could've said the same thing after the Vikings game, then they beat the Titans. I know, I know, neither Baltimore nor Tennessee is playing great football right now. But a team that's quitting on their coach or whatever doesn't win those games. Do you think the Steelers just magically decide to care more every other week? Probably not. Probably makes more sense that they're just a flawed, inconsistent, mediocre team - same as it was when the season began.
Forlorn Hope
2:26
This team is gonna stink for decades right ? Like Lions and Jets level stink. The good old days are over. Yes ?
Brian Batko
2:26
Yeah, definitely. You're not overreacting in the slightest.
Joe
2:27
Please tell me there’s a chance Tomlin is fired or “allowed to resign?” This has got to be the worst coaching staff in the league
Brian Batko
2:27
I guess there's always a chance, but I don't see it. And if you think a 7-7-1 team has the worst coaching staff in the league ... yeah you're probably in a Steelers chat room the day after a loss.
Father Time
2:28
Today’s NFL almost demands that a head coach be Offensive Minded. What more is need to thank MT for his services and to move on?
Brian Batko
2:28
No it doesn't.
Paul from Sacramento
2:29
Hiya Brian, I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas. Love your chats and can't wait to hear what the topic can be on the podcast with Ray.. I am certainly wondering HOW Ray Ray could be targeted more than Chase?  and why in the world they would try an sweep on a 4th and one?  Maybe I'm overreacting.. but bubble screens.. they only seem to work for other teams not ours.. what do you see ? Thanks again..
Brian Batko
2:31
Yep, when I think of Matt Canada's worst decisions last night, those two immediately come to mind. I do wonder how much of it has to do with Ben, too, because remember last year it was the same issue of not throwing downfield nearly enough. Surely Canada will be asked about those plays Thursday, and surely he'll decline to shed much light on what went wrong and why, which is his prerogative.
Mark Katy, Tx
2:31
Thanks for doing these chats Brian! How many years do you think it will take for the Steelers to improve the team enough to seriously compete for another super bowl title?
Brian Batko
2:33
That's a great question. I think this team has pieces in place, just not nearly enough, and certainly not the most significant one - quarterback. Until they find that next guy, to be what Ben used to be, there's going to be a ceiling for this group. And that's why I'd seriously consider drafting one this year, maybe even in the first round if there's a guy who really stands out. The sooner you find a franchise QB - easier said than done, of course - the sooner you accelerate that trajectory.
Brian in CA
2:34
Would getting more playing time this season help Rudolph next year?
Brian Batko
2:35
I think it's a bit of a lost cause at this point. Personnel will change from this year to next, and he's already had chances to come in as a temporary solution. If the Steelers feel they need to see more to evaluate him, which is entirely possible, I imagine they'd want it to be in a different environment than he's already had - such as, the No. 1 quarterback at the start of a season.
Greg
2:35
Sure I shouldn't want them to lost the next 2 games? Any better draft picks - even a couple spots higher in each round - has to help this sinking ship. This team and its coaching are a disaster in all 3 phases of the game (I'm not even sure a decent college team would poach Canada from us at this point).
Brian Batko
2:37
Hey, that's your decision to make as a fan. I just think that's a bit of a slippery slope. Isn't the whole point of rooting for a sports team to enjoy more wins than you endure losses? If you simply look at it as if every season is a failure and it sucks as long as you don't win the championship, then you'll be miserable a lot more than you'll be happy or hopeful. Might as well cheer for the Steelers to go 0-17 next year.
DoYouSeeWhat I See
2:37
morning Brian, Here is what we know; most of the players on the DL and OL are not good and the people who acquired that "talent" are also not good. ARII needs to focus like a laser on those two specific problems. One, hire management that knows how to acquire, develop and coach talent. Two build the lines first. You can not evaluate the people who play behind the lines until you have lines.
Brian Batko
2:39
I still think Kevin Colbert is a good GM and Mike Tomlin a good HC. But they've had some whiffs lately, no doubt, which are being magnified by some unexpected departures (Pouncey, DeCastro, Tuitt) and Ben basically falling off a cliff. The Steelers had a great run of success without investing a lot in their offensive lines. That seems to have caught up with them in a major way.
Guest
2:40
What are the chances of the new punter getting a hat for the last 2 games ?
Brian Batko
2:43
My guess is that depends on Harvin's personal/family situation. The NFL does have a reserve/non-injury list that players can be placed on for reasons unrelated to football.
Guest
2:43
The measure of a great coach is often where their assistants land as they grow.  The coaching tree.  Given that only 1 of Tomlin's assistants has been successful (Mike Munchak) after the Steelers, how can we expect the Steelers to improve, roster aside, if the coaching isn't very good?
Brian Batko
2:45
Yeah, that's a fair point, but I do think the NFL is ultimately a players' league more than a coaches' league. Bill Belichick might be somewhat of an anomaly in that way, but you saw what happened to the Patriots last year when he lost his QB and a bunch of other veterans.
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