Steelers Kickoff: Bye Week | Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Kickoff: Bye Week | Pittsburgh Steelers

After a three in one start to this season, the Steelers are sitting at top the AFC North with a week of rest to recharge for the month of October. We have the latest from the team all coming up next as you are watching Steelers Kickoff. It’s live right here on KDKA TV. Welcome to Bet MGM Steelers Kickoff. Good morning everyone and welcome to Steelers kickoff here on KDK TV. You’re looking at Acer Stadium which is dormant today because of the by-week but we’re not dormant here this morning. There are no off weeks at Steelers kickoff. Welcome to our program. I’m Bob Pompiani as always joined in the studio by the one and only quarterback of our program Mr. Charlie Batch. Always good to see you Charlie. And you know Charlie, week five is the earliest possible bye-week in the NFL. And as a player, what was your take on this? Did you like them early or would you prefer them a little later in the season? No, you want that later in the season. And anytime when you look at the perfect type of uh schedule, you will want that mid mid-season and then there’s a sun th Sunday Thursday game and you get a mini bad week on the back side of that. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for the Steelers. Here we are in the by week and then when we get to next week, that’s where you get the Sunday Thursday game. So, it’s just going to be something from a schedule standpoint that they just have to adjust and get used to. But given the injuries, it’s never a bad time to have some time off. And the Steelers come into this by week on a high note uh for winning the first ever NFL game played in the country of Ireland. And what a week it was according to several players. Mike Tomlin gave a rousing speech the night before the game about former Steelers president and the late Ambassador Dan Rooney and his connection to the country. And it sure looked like that team was ready to play. They jumped out to two touchdown lead. And although there was drama at the end, they came away with a meaningful win. It was fun. Um it was a it was a good time. The people are extremely friend friendly. Uh the food was surprisingly good. Um it was we tried a lot of stuff, small portions and stuff and it was really really good. It filled you up. Um but like I said, the people were cool. It was a good time. Um it was different than being here and being back home. Um it was definitely experience I love. You know, figure out what we can get better at um individually and collectively. And then obviously going coming back off the buy um knowing that we have you know however many weeks um for the rest of the season and you know take take a couple days and and mentally reset for for for a long season ahead and um it it’ll be it’ll be good. All right. So Charlie, what are your thoughts about Tomlin’s motivational words about Dan Rooney to this team considering not many of these players ever had a chance to meet Dan Rooney? Yeah, you’re right about that. And Cam Hayward is probably the only player on this roster that really had a relationship with Ambassador Rooney. For me, listening to it and listening to Pton Wilson talk about Mike Tomlin in his speech on on Saturday night, it really motivated the guys because it gave them a his history lesson as it relates to who he was as a person in addition to what he has brought to this organization. So, it’s great to really see the Rooney family continue with this and the players responded overwhelmingly, especially bringing a victory home. They certainly did. And Steeler Nation was out there in big numbers as well. And you know, with no game to prepare for this week, Mike Tomlin gave the team the majority of the week off, but they did have some light practices early in the week. Rich Walsh was on hand to cover those and he has a pulse of the team heading into that by week. Guys, the Steelers haven’t been perfect and pretty far from it at times, especially early on, but they have a winning record and wins are all that matters. It could have been much worse, but it wasn’t. And the Steelers can now rest and regroup for the second half of the season. Now, injuries have been an issue, but so is communication. The Steelers defense gave up 32 points the first game, then 31 points in a 3117 loss to the Seahawks. Very uncharacteristic of this Steelers defense, but then played much better against the Patriots, only giving up 14 in a seven-point win. Five turnovers really helped them get out of New England with a win. And last Sunday in Ireland, they made even more strides. Not only did they get key turnovers, but played aggressive and defense was a big reason they left Ireland with a win. Just we’re just playing better. I think uh you know, we talked about it. Sometimes you you get in there, we had some things where we were were where we’re supposed to be, but just weren’t able to finish it for whatever reason. Uh and our guys are starting to make those plays, which I kind of figure they would cuz I think we have enough good players that if you help help them get in the right spots, they’re going to make the plays and and they’re doing it. And so we just continue to do that. We know it’s a long season. You know how this league is, you get judged every week. You know, in one week you could be great and one week you get stink. So, our goal is to not stink every week. Meanwhile, the offense has definitely looked better than the last few years, and that’s mainly because of Aaron Rogers, but it was very inconsistent at times, and we saw that against the Patriots and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith did a few things different against the Vikings in Ireland, like bringing in Spencer Anderson as an extra blocker, and it seemed to work. run game was much more effective even without Jaylen Warren which opened things up for DK Metaf. There’s a lot of ways to create explosives and a lot of it too is the main part of the strategy. I think it helps when you don’t have to rely on just shots down the field. We’ve got the one-on- ones. We had a third third one whether it’s a back shoulder or a fade to Calvin’s to win it or DK’s on an early third down to get them oneonone. you take them and uh there’s a lot of ways to do it. You know, at the end of the day, it’s about scoring points and winning. Communication has improved on both sides of the ball. Most of the problems were because of all the new players in key roles. I know the Steelers didn’t want an early bye-week, but it seems like it has come at a good time, not only with communication, but also especially with all the injuries. All right, Rich, thanks very much. So, some good vibes on the Southside right now for sure. And one of the reasons why they’re off to a fast start on their season is their ability to start fast in games. And we’ve seen that something we did not see the last couple of seasons. You know, their offense has been productive early. They scored on the opening drive in three of their first four games. That’s unusual from what we’ve seen in the past. And although they uh did not score last week on their first drive, they did score two touchdowns on their next two possessions. So Charlie, what’s been the key to this early game success? Yeah, I mean this is what you want when you especially when you take the ball first or given the ball first. Go down there and set the tone and that sets really the mark of what you’re trying to create throughout the course of the game. But obviously when the Steelers defense is creating those turnovers offensively, they’re able to produce those into points and that’s what you want to see when you talk about playing combination football. Those fast starts are just one aspect that Aaron Rogers seems to have brought to the Steelers offense in 2025. And coming up next on Bet MGM Steelers Kickoff, Charlie and I will break down the entire offense so far as we sit at the bye-week just one month into the season. It’s all coming up next. Welcome back to Bet MGM Steelers Kickoff. And welcome back to the by-week edition of Steelers Kickoff. With no game to talk about this, we decided to take a deep dive into the Steelers onfield play so far this season. And we start with their offense, specifically where they rank among all NFL teams. As we see in our Hyundai by the numbers segment, really, these overall numbers are not all that great. They’re in the middle of the pack in points, near the bottom in yardage. They’ve done okay on third down, but taking care of the ball. That’s been the difference. That’s been crucial. They’re near the top of the league. Just three turnovers in four games. They’re also one of the least penalized teams in the NFL. So, Charlie, what jumps out to you with all those numbers on the screen? Yeah, for me it’s the turnovers, right? you know, your defensive lead are creating turnovers and you’re able to produce points off of that and that’s been a big uh formula for this team to be able to move forward. Is this team a finished product? Absolutely not. They know they have holes and like Mike Tomlin talks about, they’re leaking in some areas, but the bag comes at a very good time. All right. You know, when the Steelers let Justin Fields go in free agency in this off season, many fans were not happy about that move. But those fans now seem to be pretty pleased with what Aaron Rogers has done. So, let’s take a look at how Rogers first four games have gone compared to Field’s first four games last season. And as you can see by these numbers here, remarkably similar. They both led the way to three wins. They completed about the same percentage of passes. Fields actually had more passing yards than Rogers, who has twice the amount of touchdowns, although Fields did account for three rushing touchdowns, too. So, Charlie, it’s time for our weekly quarterback analysis brought to you by Cleveland Brothers. How would you compare these two after the first four games? Yeah, they’re very similar. And obviously the record speaks for itself. Both of them are three and one. But ultimately when they had fields uh lining up last year, he was going to use his legs a lot more, but then that freed things up as he was able to make plays out of the pocket. Aaron’s very similar and he gets a lot of flack for not being able people assuming he can’t make plays outside of the pocket. But that has been a huge surprise because he’s using his legs and he’s able to deliver the football down the field. So you should be excited about Aaron Rogers and where he’s at. And I thought one of his best throws was that 40 yard down the field that Footh dropped in the one game. He was on the run then too. And you know when the Steelers traded for John Smith this off season, it became apparent that the offense would utilize more tight ends in overall scheme. But a little surprising how all the workload has been delegated so far in this first four. Here’s our South College game plan showing a breakdown of how many snaps each of these tight ends have gotten so far. Uh John Smith leads the way, but surprisingly Darnell Washington has seen more than Pat Friouth, especially last week when they had a run first game plan. Are you surprised by any of this delegation of these snaps here, Charlie? Yeah, for me the surprise comes with Fri there only playing 50% of the snaps. Yes, we know Darnell Washington is the best blocking tight end on this roster, but I don’t know if something is going on because like you just mentioned, Bob, the play that Aaron made on the second play of that Seattle game, dropping that dime to Frier move down the field and he dropped that. It seems like to me he slipped into that doghouse because you can see that on a percentage of snaps. So hopefully that changes and they’re able to get him more involved. Yeah, they need all those guys eventually to be involved in the game, especially down the field more. Game plans will dictate that. The only negative about the Steelers win in Dublin was the injury to wide receiver Calvin Austin. He was sent to the hospital that day, but apparently X-rays have shown that injury is not as severe as originally thought. Uh, that’s the good news. But Charlie, if he does miss time, who on this roster has to really step up? Yeah, when I look at just the rest of the group, the best blocking receiver is Ben Scoranic. This guy is lights out in the run game, and he is earning more and more of those reps. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how he evolves that way. Scotty Miller, he’s been playing a lot as well, but we need to see Roman Wilson. He was drafted here for a reason. He was injured last year, and essentially this is his red shirt sophomore year. So, he has to get back up here and ultimately get to where he needs to get to as far as the expectations of this organization. Yeah, it’s time for him. He had a good preseason as we saw firsthand, but he hasn’t been able to get into these games. Switching to the run game now. It’s definitely part of their offense that needs improvement, but maybe last week was a sign that at least it’s moving in the right direction here. Over the first three games, they’ve averaged under three and a half yards per game, but last week that average was 4 and a half despite Jaylen Warren being out of this game. So, Charlie, safe to say Kenneth Gainwell came in, took full advantage of the opportunity. Why did it work so well against the Vikings? Yeah, when I look at this offensive front, you know, Isaac Samalo, he had missed it some time as he was resting throughout training camp and he wasn’t able to work with those five guys on a consistent basis. Now you have four games under your belt. It looks like those guys are communicating well and working their way up to the next level to that linebacker group. That’s why you’re starting to see the success and I expect that to continue to work moving forward only because we know Arthur Smith loves to run the football. He certainly does. So, that’s our breakdown of the offense, but what about the defense? We’re going to do that when we come up because coming up next on Bet MGM Steelers Kickoff, we’ll focus on that side of the ball, specifically on how they may improve in the passing game. That’s next. Welcome back to Bet MGM Steelers Kickoff. We continue live right here with our kickoff program. And with no game this week, we wanted to take stock of all aspects of the 2025 Steelers season so far. And now it’s time to take a look at the defensive side of the ball. And here’s how they rank overall. Some key categories. Much like the offense, they’re toward the bottom third of the league in points and yardage allowed. But they’ve played bend but don’t break. And obviously this unit has been key to winning three of their first four games. As those numbers show, one glaring weakness so far has been the pass defense. And Charlie, why do you think those numbers are not good there? And what can they do to improve the pass defense? Yeah, they’ve been leaking in that in that area. when you have uh you know when you have guys that are missing in that manner again ultimately you have to be able to rush the quarterback that didn’t necessarily happen and ultimately backside they had some injuries back there Joey Porter Jr. Deshawn Elliot missed time. So when you have those pieces missing, you’re not able to really call the defense in the manner that you are. I don’t necessarily think that this is luck in any means. These guys are going to continue to work for because they truly believe that they can be historic. They just haven’t got off to a great start. All right, this year’s defense once again, as you know, if you watch Steeler football, is on takeaways. They thrive on takeaways, which has always been the case, but it seems to be getting better over the years here turning that ball over. And this year, they have forced two and a half turnovers per game. That total puts them second overall in the NFL, which is exactly where they rank last season. So, Charlie, there seems to be a little bit of debate going on whether or not those turnovers have been kind of lucky or good. Where do you come down on that? Sometimes you need a little luck in your life. Defensively, these guys are getting it. When I look at luck, that is interception, ball bouncing, we’re all tipped around. You come out with the actual turnover. No, these guys are hitting these forced fumbles that are happening and they are around the ball. That’s what created the turnover. So, I don’t buy into the fact that it’s luck. You got to be able to actually go out there and produce. And they’re doing it at least in that department. And they say you create your own luck, right? You got to be there, knock it out. Sometimes the ball goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t, but they’ve been there knocking that ball away. We’ve shown a lot of stats and figures so far. Uh, but one thing that can’t be measured is heart and will. And both of those were on full display last week in Dublin, Ireland, after the Steelers blew this coverage late in the game. And it looked like speedy wide receiver Jordan Addison would walk into the end zone, but Baiten Wilson chased him down, which was huge because it cost the Vikings about a minute of game time. They eventually scored, but what does a play like that Charlie do for the rest of the team when you see him running that hard? That lets you know, hey, you’re capable. And when you’re going out there providing effort, that’s the type of effort that you’re talking about, never quitting on a play. And that play doesn’t shows up in the stat line as a tackle. But yet that minute proved valuable because that was the difference in the ball game because the Steelers were able to bleed the clock out. No question about it. It saved them time. Uh and Minnesota time was their enemy at that point of the game. We have no Steeler game this week as you know, but still a very busy week around the NFL. Here’s James Brown with a preview of what’s coming up right after this show on the NFL today on CBS. Hey Bob, thank you so much. Up next on the NFL today, CJ Stout and the Texans head to Baltimore to visit Derrick Henry and the Ravens. We’ll preview that one. Then, Eagle star quarterback Jaylen Herz taps in for an in the pads interview. JJ Watt checks in to share what’s on his mind. Later, Nate’s guy Kyle Brandt tells fans why they shouldn’t throw away their favorite squads. But first, coach’s guys Bob and Charlie. They’ll be back when Steelers kickoff continues right here on KDKA. Steelers Kickoff is presented by Mlen’s Contracting and Roofing. If our name goes on it, we stand behind it so you can stand in it. All right, welcome back to the program everyone. Thanks for joining us on this Sunday. No game predictions this week, but we still wanted to put Charlie to work because he’s a well- paid man here. We got to do that every week. Uh we want to ask you, Charlie, give us one player on each side of the ball that you think will have to shine in the next four or five games. Yeah, for me it’s going to be Darnell Washington. And I want to continue to see the evolution of what he brings to the table. We know his size and his strength. He caught a two-point conversion a couple weeks ago, but literally in that Vikings game had an opportunity for another jump ball. Didn’t didn’t Aaron didn’t take it. But also, if the pass doesn’t get to batted down at the line of scrimmage late in the ball game, he has actual post route for a touchdown that Aaron was going to hit him on. So, I expect to see him uh a lot more involved moving forward. That’s a big target. Yes, it is. Hard to ignore that target. Washington skilled certainly makes him a good pick to click on offense, but what about defense? How do you see uh this panning out and which player is going to step up? Yeah, defensively for me this is Deshawn Elliot. This guy is the glue on the back end making sure that protection protections does not bust and even on that play that Peyton Wilson, he was actually in big nickel in the slot and wasn’t back there able to line up everybody. So with him on the field, they get better in the run game and ultimately they’re going to be better defensively all around. Charlie, thanks very much. I know you’ve been busy with media obligations like this one, but you’ve also been preparing for an important time of year, holiday time, and a big fundraiser that’s coming up. Tell us more about the Batch Foundation. Yes, this is our annual in the pocket fundraisers. This raises money for our afterchool programs and our steam programs. We say steam instead of STEM because we include the A for arts, but as we continue to evolve, we’re having a pool, poker, pingpong, and this year we are adding cornhole to the equation. So again, all the information is right here. This is uh fans get an opportunity to play against local celebrities. So, it’s going to be a fun field event all around. This is Thursday, November 13th, and we are doing it at the Distillery Company right there over in Station Square. So, we’re excited about it. QR code is on the screen. For more information, you can go to batchfoundation.org. A lot of people found out what it’s like to play ping pong with James Harrison. He loves to spike the ball, as you would expect. Coming up, we’re going to wrap up today’s show by looking at the state of the AFC North, where things are looking pretty good at this time for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stick around. It’s next. Welcome back to Bet MGM Steelers Kickoff. All right, welcome back everyone. As we continue taking a look at the AFC North standings currently, the Steelers sole possession of first place. The Bengals have fallen apart at the last two weeks. The Ravens have injuries 25% of their rosters injured. The Browns are one and three, but they’re winning right now over in London. 1714 over Minnesota. So, uh, if they win that one, they’ll have something good to fly home from, but they’re obviously going to come to Pittsburgh here next week. And let’s talk about uh the division games today. Browns, Vikings, as I say, 1714. Dylan Gabriel with his first NFL start and he has a touchdown in that game. Ravens, Texans, you’ll see that one on KDK coming up at 1:00 after the NFL today on CBS. Bengals Lions, that doesn’t look good for the Bengals. How do you see it so far? Yeah, I can see the Lions beating the Bengals there. I think the Ravens could shock the Texans by beating them as well. And ultimately, we’re seeing the games being played at this particular point where Browns and Vikings. So either way, the Steelers still will be in first place at the end of the day. They will. And then all of a sudden, there’s AFC North action coming at you in back-to-back weeks. It starts with Cleveland coming from London to Pittsburgh next Sunday. That’s always a tough game, Charlie. Then at the Bengals on Thursday, which of these two, you know, has you more concerned? Yeah, the one that is going to concern me more than uh anything is going to be the Bengals on that short week having to go up there. So, this is going to be something I just don’t want them to overlook thinking that I have two under 500 teams that they can go and just show up and win. They got to go out there and dominate. And it’s always tough in that division. No question about it. Then the Packers here on a Sunday night, the Colts with Danny Dimes doing his thing with Indianapolis. That theme is rejuvenated. Then at Chargers, that’s going to be a big game. Bengals at Bears before we have the Bills and two with the Ravens. Yeah, this is going to be an interesting stretch here. Thnot let one slip away. They have to go out here and win the games that they’re supposed to win. Yeah, and that’s pretty much it. It gets tougher as it goes along, but the Steelers have put a little bit of a cushion so far in the first four games. And who would have thought at this point the only healthy quarterback in the AFC North would be Aaron Rogers with all the talk about his age and everything else. That’s going to do it for us, Charlie. It’s always a pleasure. We’ll see you next Sunday at Acer Stadium. That’s where our show will be as the Cleveland Browns come to town. And that’s going to do it for us. Join us tonight. Number one Cochran Sports Showdown 11:35 KDK TV. We have a lot to talk about, including Penn State’s stunning loss yesterday at UCLA. Up next, it’s the NFL Today on CBS. We thank you for joining us here today. Have a great Sunday and we’ll see you later tonight on KDKA. [Music]

KDKA’s Bob Pompeani and Charlie Batch talk about the Steelers season so far and what’s to come on Steelers Kickoff

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