A batch of reasons the Steelers can beat Ravens in Pittsburgh

Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch joins Nestor from Pittsburgh for another holiday visit with the black and gold at The Confluence.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

quarterback, steelers, pittsburgh, ravens, teams, week, game, year, foundation, afc, charlie, pickett, kenny, lamar jackson, run, playoff, bangles, wrapping, starting, play

0:00

Still broadcasting high quality mono sound today in 1570 at wn St. It is Pittsburgh week around here which means to Maryland crab cake tours will be doing the Maryland crab cake tour Friday and Lexington market failures in the morning with my dear friend Dan Rodricks. We’re going to have Maryland scratch offs and the Maryland lottery. Ravens scratch offs to get away on Friday morning as well be talking to Ross Lane from the library as well as shipping crabcakes all over the country, even up to Pittsburgh, from our friends and families will be a Costas next Thursday. Doing the 31st anniversary of this year radio program next Tuesday on Thursday from two to five we will have Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jean Jacques from the Go Go’s from Dundalk on we’ll be down to cost us with a whole bunch of rock and rollers and hammer Jacks folks, I am a part of the hammer Jack’s documentary from my long hair days of the 1980s this guy he gets a quarterback in nine Detroit and other places and up in the Burg at the end even beat our ravens back in the day as the second string quarterback the understudy, which maybe that makes them mad Snoop a little dangerous here this week. Charlie patch joins us from the bird. I’m sure it’s the holiday season. He’s probably dressed as Santa Claus. I’m shocked that you’re not already wearing your Santa hat, Charlie.

01:27

It’s trust me it’s at the office right now. So it’s exciting times for our foundation, which is the best of the best foundation during the holiday times we adopt families and this year is 250 families that we are adopting. So our goal is to collect over 8000 tours and if we can do that, that’d be we well over 700 kids that we will be able to help put smiles on these kids faces during the holiday time. So we’re just trying to do our small part. And as we continue to collect anybody wants to be a part of it. They can go to batch foundation.org You see all of our drop off locations if you’re in the city of around the Pittsburgh area but if you’re not you there a clicker ship opportunities that you can be a part of that was shipped directly to our foundation offices. So I just thank everybody in advance anybody who is a part of it as moving forward as you wanted to truly say Thank you

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02:12

Well, I don’t want to short shrift your foundation and certainly your sister and your your life and the things that you’ve done but what what what’s your favorite part you do you dress up a Santa do you do the shopping spree? Like what give me what you’re looking forward to hear because you man you put a lot of effort into this everybody that gives them we have incredible you know former athletes in our city and Torrey Smith always doing stuff Aaron maiden always doing stuff here. But I mean, you’re that special guy in Pittsburgh? What’s your favorite part of it?

02:39

Well, I’m more of a sentence helper. So I’m one of his sales. And ultimately as we go through we partner with 26 Different companies throughout the Pittsburgh area and they actually have team building activity so they come over in a select us a part of wrapping party so it’s one thing to collect the toys on rap, but you need help wrapping them and do it throughout the next couple of weeks, we will have close to 1000 volunteers that will actually be coming through our foundation offices that will help wrap and manage it’s truly humbling because people who have multiple opportunities to select another organization, but when they choose you that’s truly humbling, and it’s true. We were just truly grateful for everybody who believes in the mission and vision of what we’re trying to accomplish that the best of the best foundation. No I

03:21

want a little Toby happy Steelers fans are sad Steelers fan not often that I get together with you in December and the Steelers are underwater and not making the playoffs are probably not making the playoffs and rebuilding this quarterback position. I know you know a lot about this. We have our own situation here. Tell us what’s going on up there because obviously the Trubisky thing I was in late Trobe you laugh at this because you were quarterback. I was in late trouble like August 7. I was doing the crab cake tour out in Western Maryland. We’re at Deep Creek Lake and I had never been to La Trobe Mike was up there coach. It was a muddy day we drove our 50 miles up beautiful part of you know that part of Pennsylvania in those rolling hills up there. And we got up there was nobody there because they moved practice to the morning and I’m on the sidelines with the media members and I’m out there with kibali and all the other guys Fitz and the guys that cover the team and they’re all arguing amongst each other because the Steelers don’t seven on seven and somebody pick it somebody threw an interception or like on count Madison official interception. I’m thinking man, it’s early August you guys are fighting about quarterback interceptions. 1717 as to who’s going to play and here we are. I mean, you haven’t had that in. You mean since you were quarterback and Ben was the guy was always the guy it really changes things when you have a quarterback debate in your community.

04:33

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Yeah, you do. And this is funny when you mentioned Cobolli, and he’s up there and he they I mean, he’s one of the hardest workers that I’ve known. And ultimately I remember back in 2010 and this was obviously we’re going through some unsettled times up here because we didn’t know who was going to be starting quarterback but we knew Ben was going to be out in COBOL he’s up here every practice he’s rigid D jotting down everything and it was almost like man, he’s getting you know 90% of the reps and Charlie’s getting zero 90% And literally the whole camp he goes through zero and all of a sudden Barrow left which gets hurt. And then here I am starting and I say Cobolli all that time that you wasted up at Latrobe putting all these stats together it didn’t didn’t it went off or not because here I am starting with less reps up there electro so it was a funny story that we have but those things over the years. That’s what tends to happen. But again, to your point. This was an example of what was going on and everybody was charting who was getting the number one reps will was Kenny Pickett doing in the majority of training camp. Mr. Biscay was taking the starter reps and Kenny Pickett didn’t get elevated into after that second preseason game against the Jaguars where he really lit it up. In that preseason game. He ultimately elevated Mason Rudolph in that particular nature, but again he wasn’t taking starter reps. Those starter reps did not come until Mr Biscay was benched halftime at a Jets game. And then Kenny came in gave a spark but ultimately, they didn’t win that game. But at that moment on he was the starter and that’s one of the things that you’re starting to see get off to a rough start but here he is now not turning the football over the last four games they want to in a row and people are excited here in Pittsburgh. Well,

06:04

getting excited about him. I mean, he was in the building before he was in the building right open a pit. You’ve seen him play the organization really went in on him in a way that maybe others wouldn’t have because they felt like they knew him better. Well, what are we going to see and and long term are we gonna be two years from now talking about him still being the starting quarterback? I mean, have you seen those sort of signs of life from him?

06:24

No. Yeah, for sure. Four years from now you’ll still be hearing from this and hopefully, whatever it is rivalry continues to look like Kenny Pickett will be at the helm. At least for the Steelers. We already know who’s going to be on your reign, obviously injury sad with Lamar Jackson down near but these are something that of course when you get to these particular rivalries, but where Kenny Pickett is at you know, I’m sure to ravens would love to see him probably four weeks ago as he was going through some of these growing pains. Right now you can see over the last couple of games that it looks like the game is starting to slow down. And whereas you go see it you see that you can use good methodically going through his reads, knowing when to run that’s a weapon that he’s able to use to his advantage. Of course, ravens practice against that all the time so it’ll be ready for but it gets just gets to the point when McKinney young he’s not making the same mistakes twice. And that’s why it’s going to be key for the Steelers on Sunday to win on first down because if you get into third down situation against that ravens defense, you are in trouble, because that’s where you start to see those exotic coverages, those exotic blitzes, and that’s when they become really, really dangerous.

07:25

Charlie, one of the reasons I wasn’t as gung ho on drafting Lamar Jackson is that he runs in the linebackers. And I’ve said that from the beginning. I saw that in the first Hall of Fame Game out in Canton, Ohio, when he took the you know, he runs he runs into players and that’s so not what we wanted to see from Charlie or Ben or any Flacco less contact is better he seems contact in some circumstances. This is kind of the third year that we’ve gotten Dog Day ish now after Thanksgiving. You know, the turkeys put away pumpkin pies put away that he’s not healthy. And last year was completely unavailable this week. Now not available two years ago, even during the plague he really struggled in October, November. He didn’t run the ball as much because he was not healthy and didn’t want to run the ball as much. And I’m wondering what kind of quarterback he’s going to be when he can’t run or won’t run. And as he gets older and where the ravens are in regard to negotiating with him in regard to him not having an agent I mean, there’s a lot of moving parts here. But availability is everything. And if he can’t play the next couple of weeks, and they don’t make the playoffs because of that, or if he can play and he’s not healthy. I need a healthy version of my quarterback in December. I’m not ever convinced there’s going to be a healthy version of Lamar Jackson in December. And as you say, well off no football player is healthy. But but he’s not as healthy as Joe burrow right now or 10 of the other quarterbacks. I see standing back and pockets right now not trying to run the ball 1214 1620 times a game.

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08:57

And I think you hit it right on the head. I mean availability you have to be available in December knowing when you’re getting ready to have to start playing your best ball as you approach playoff season in January and this is things that people are gonna continue to question and ultimately we have a saying around Pittsburgh is we rather say world and second. You know, I like the aggressiveness that Lamar Jackson is bringing to the table because you know the passion that he brings to it. But again, what point does his brought body start to break down and you just mentioned that last three years not available in December, and you start to look at running quarterbacks over the years. At what point their bodies at some point their body started to break down. I don’t care if you’re talking about Michael Vick, you know years ago I don’t care if you’re talking about Cam Newton. These are situations that their body also as great as they are their body event you know those hits will eventually catch up to him. And now if he’s doing that and sliding that’s one thing but to your point he’s running in the linebackers. He playing football diving forward, allowing those cheap shots and he’s going to have to get to a point where he’s going to now look at the film and say, Man, this hit here, these this hit here, I could avoid it. And those add up and at the end of the season that could be 50 to 60 hits that he didn’t have to take on his body.

10:06

But in the game he’s not trying to avoid it. He doesn’t think that way. None of you do really right.

10:11

No, not at all. You’re not thinking about that. And that’s the thing. That’s why I’m saying he would he has to go back and coaches are going to have to remind him to say hey, avoid those hits run out of bounds slapped but you know in our nature like you don’t want to be known as soft you know when you want those opposing teams are watching you wanna say Man, this guy is gonna run for and he’s gonna gain every yard possible. So it just it’s an ebb and flow that happens that ultimately he’s going to have to determine how he’s going to move forward. If not to he’s, you know, there’s going to be questions of whether or not he’s going to be available second half of the year. Nobody’s questioning how great he is. It’s just a matter of are you going to be available when the team needs you to most

10:47

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you know as much as Peyton Manning beat us. I was never a hater of his right. I mean, you can’t hate Peyton. He loves commercials. But at the end of his career, he did this baby cradle thing for a couple years, especially in Denver, where he would just turtle literally just fetal position and turtle up and it looked like the most ninny thing ever and then he’s winning Super Bowls and he kept his he kept the shoulder together because he literally would give himself up in a way that I don’t I don’t remember ever seen a football player give himself up. It’s it’s not part of like the nature of being a football player. But Payne did that maybe more and better than anyone to preserve himself in his late 30s and gave himself a chance to go out on an orange horse

11:28

game. Well, you’re not a running quarterback you can do that. The defense is no when we get close to you, you’re going to now fall down in that situation that you know, he’s not going to now be aggressive and try to fight through it. But when you’re facing a running quarterback, that’s what makes it tough on a defense and I feel sorry for defenders now because they don’t know how they hit not just quarterback but how do you hit a receiver coming across the middle anymore, because they’re now defenseless. So these are things that the defense is has to know. And that was even last year. If you go back and remember, remember Kenny Pickett when he was at Pitt, he did the fake slide, the defender slowed up and then he ran for a touchdown and that’s it that right there I didn’t agree with it because that’s like my put myself into a defender situation. We’re telling you can’t hit the quarterback but yet if he start to attempt to slam you fall back, and now he continues to run it makes defenders look bad and not meet that rule was immediately changed and that’s something that really from a defender standpoint, that makes it very tough to defend running quarterbacks in the NFL, because you don’t know at what point they’re attempting to slide. If you they start to slide or maybe you start to lunge at them to make the tackle. It’s a penalty. So it’s very tough to get no situation but to your point, quarterbacks have to protect themselves in a Rules are made to do so.

12:37

Kelly batches our guests in the batch foundation. It’s the holidays anytime we have Pittsburgh week, Randy we don’t look forward to Pittsburgh week but we always look forward to talking to Charlie batch as well. Give me a little update on the Steelers as a whole for. I mean, I think the Ravens were in a tough spot this week going on the road and having to go out there and win with a backup quarterback. We’re going to see your team but fire Muth the running back I mean you have pieces there obviously Minka Fitzpatrick and the team that there are pieces there and it might not be cam Hayward later on TJ walk coming back in where are the prime pieces because the Steelers are gonna get a lottery pick like you’re there gonna be good enough to pick 1214 1618 The improvement of the franchise comes through the draft but But what what’s the current situation with the Steelers as far as

13:24

their roster? Yeah, four weeks ago they were talking about being in the top five. And now here you are now with life because you now are in the hunt when they played before that Monday night game against the Colts they weren’t even in the hunt, but all of a sudden they beat the Colts and didn’t you’d beat the Falcons and now you’re their name is starting to pop up. And when you look at it’s like yes seven losses but you have four losses that are three losses that you have a major there’s an outside chance and you may have a chance for division now a lot of things have to happen. But with those losses against the Jets those losses against the dolphins, quite frankly puts the Steelers out of playoff wildcard consideration. So for them they still think that they have a chance at winning the division only because they split with the bangles. You have the Ravens twice now in a very favorable schedule as they now closed out the season. What you’re seeing defensively veterans that that’s what he experienced is that and offensively they’re all trying to learn together because they’re young. You don’t have that leader on the offensive side. Yes, Nagi Harris was appointed that but he’s not the vocal leader. You need that from your quarterback. To be able to now take that responsibility on Kenny Pickett is growing in that element is getting better in the running game. He’s been a little bit more patient in the passing game and he’s not turning the football over. And when you have that people now start to get excited about potential. Yes, you had lesser teams. But now all of these questions will be answered this week because everybody expects a tough ravens seem to come in you know what you’re getting from them. And if they have any hope of sniffing the playoff they have to win this game.

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14:52

Charlie bats joining us from the Burg during the holidays here and you know, as far as the league goes, and I’ve never seen the conference is so sort of out of whack like the AFC as a bunch of good teams. I’m wondering where those teams are people are never gonna believe in the Vikings I guess Kirk Cousins and the Eagles kind of coming from nowhere but this AFC race to me, you see buffalo you see Cincinnati see can’t see these. These are as good teams as we’ve had in the league in the last 10 years in my opinion. They’re they just feel very, very formidable. And if you’re gonna get through the AFC, and you’re gonna beat two or three of these teams in January, you’re gonna be the king of the mountain in the AFC because these are these are all really good teams and in a unique way.

15:31

Yeah, they are and I like to see new teams that are out there, you know, bills for the last couple years, you know you they are what they are. They’re getting excited because everybody’s excited about Josh Allen but not many people thought that the dolphins was going to be you know where they are in this particular piece. They beat bills earlier in this year. But as they now start to play good baldy loss of the 40 Niners last week but either way, they’re in contention and when you look at just the top three teams, that you’re not talking about any AFC, you’re talking about the dolphins bills and chiefs in ravens are kind of sniffing around only because now they’re going to be questioned because Lamar Jackson is out. So these are questions that all going to be answered here as people start to separate themselves in the month of December. It’s just unfortunate that we’re in new territory around here, because nobody’s talking about the Steelers. And that’s something that is really uncommon around here because we’re typically at the top of those conversations, and that’s scratching and clawing to get into the wildcard hunt. So these are these new new times up here in Pittsburgh.

16:27

I was asking folks you know, Steelers, underwater. Yeah, this has been a tough year right but they don’t have much how are they hanging in in Pittsburgh on a year with with I don’t rebuilding I don’t even know what to call it but I’m spoiled fan bases, right. I had Mike Flynn on the other day. He’s up in Boston, former ravens so he’s like these people are handling it. We’re well up here after winning, winning, winning, winning winning and Pittsburgh this is this is one of those years that you don’t have very often a bad football year.

16:55

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Yeah you don’t and you know your to your point is spoiled and the fans are because for so many years you expect to win in division you expect to be in a playoff you hopefully have the AFC Championship game at home and playing in the Super Bowl in February. These things are that’s that’s been the fan base. And when that doesn’t happen, it’s new to everybody. And like I mentioned four weeks ago, people were talking about okay, this is rebuilding. Let’s go ahead and lose out and we get a top pick. And you’ve as Chicago’s top pick with the trader Chase Chase play pool and the second round and you have some pretty good picks in the top two rounds. But now things have changed and now people are getting excited about possibly that way. But yet, if Kenny Pickett continues to have success, and if this team wins, all the cries that were talked about a month ago as it relates to what they do to with offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, if Kenny has success, that means it strengthens the position for my candidate to be around here and 2023. So it’s a lot of different conversations that are going on as it relates to where this fan base would like it to be. But either way, it’s just different times for the Steelers fan base.

17:55

You mentioned a clay pool and the wide receiver position going back to Antonio Brown before that Mike Wallace they always get wide receivers there Right. I mean, that didn’t matter who the quarterback is, they they have a system and a way of drafting to A star is born in the wide receiver position right last?

18:13

Yeah, you do. I mean, Deonte Johnson, he is the number one receiver on air but really creeping right up fast. Behind him is George Pickens. This guy is unbelievable. He’s a great talent, a great person to be around. And if he did not get hurt at the University of Georgia, he would not be on his Steelers roster because he would be a number one pick. But the Steelers were fortunate enough to get him they see him they’re trying to expedite that learning curve for him. And he started to trend in that direction. And then last week, didn’t get the ball in the manner that he would hope because it was quite frankly a homecoming for him as he was in front of the Georgia fans again, and he only had one catch for two yards. So these are things that you know he’s going to be fired up against because this is a series that Mike Tomlin is going to talk about Yeah, hardball is going to talk about because when you see highlight the Steelers and ravens are always part of those highlights. And what better way for young guys to start showing what they’re made of in games of this magnitude.

19:05

You know, when the schedule came out, we thought well, we got the soft AFC East teams, the Jets, the dolphins the Patriots there, we’ll just we’ll just blow through them in September and then you steal a stake in the Browns their their quarterbacks gonna be, it’s gonna be how we play four out of five in Division here at the end. Maybe without the starting quarterback, man, the schedule makers put this thing together and this the division is going to be decided by the division which is really our it should be

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19:33

absolutely and this is exactly what the schedule makers were hoping for in this manner. But you put the ravens and Steelers twice in December in the beginning of January. So these are things that everybody is expecting and that people who are benefiting from this right now. Is the bangles that are sitting back saying okay we did our part can we play the Steelers early if the Steelers because somehow knock the Ravens off for us, man we will be sitting pretty on top of the AFC north but you never know what’s going to happen. That’s why these games are played. And when you get rivalries like this, you just never know what things are. Made up because you never know which Newstar is going to step up and Santa and Sam bright

20:10

you don’t give it a bangles any credit or you Charlie I mean like

20:13

you didn’t know I know I am giving them credit but I’m not only because the Steelers played them a week one and they just played in about a month ago. So I say that because that part of the schedule was over with so that’s why I say the Bengals are sitting back saying yeah, we’re AFC division champs Yeah, y’all go out there and now knock everybody off and they’re sitting there what’s for losses leader seven and for eight and for whatever that record is, but it’s get to the point that they get a chance to now let everybody else fight like dogs why they get it why they go observe and watch everybody else. They’re playing

20:43

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their best football right now. I don’t think has any doubt about that. Yes.

20:47

Good. I’m sorry. Yeah, that’s why I think definitely that but ultimately Steelers ravens knock each other off beat bangles are sitting here saying we’re AFC North Division champs

20:56

Just don’t lose to the browns. We play the Browns next week. Charlie patches here from the great city of Pittsburgh. We the ins and add up there to the finish one more plug for your foundation. Let everybody know how they can help out and and then get some some family some toys for Christmas. And the wrapping things amazing like that’s something that would be fun to volunteer a couple hours go rat toys for kids. That’d be awesome.

21:18

We appreciate it. Best of the Best foundation. We’re an educational foundation and we serve 3800 Kids annually throughout nine counties throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. We’re now are 23 years old. And we just went from 5300 square feet to 33,000 square feet as we opened up our new clubhouse expansion that opened up in June so that will take her remember all that that’s a big space. Yeah, it is a big space. So we have our steam lab we focus on reading computer literacy. So these are things that all the students are coming in. And now with the new school year this will take our numbers close to 6000 kids annually. So as we continue to learn and get through the school year we’re excited but yet nervous at the same time. Because we’re like are we ready for this? Well, we built the building so we better be ready for this. So as we kind of go through the different programs that we have during the holiday time we have our wrapping party and holiday draft but we have a wrapping party because as we collect toys on wrap we need help wrapping them. So we have over 1000 volunteers who are a part of it. Over 23 companies 26 companies that are a part of it that will be with us as well. And as we go through over the next couple of weeks we actually collect we wrap and we deliver on Christmas Eve this year we’ll go 22nd 23rd Because the Steelers played a Raiders on Christmas the night so I had to finish up a little bit earlier. But again to that point, we’re adopting 250 families this holiday season. And we are our goal was to collect over 8000 toys and that will help impact over 700 Kids and we’re just trying to do our smile put kids smiles on kids faces this holiday season. So if you go to batch foundation.org You can see drop off locations around the city of Pittsburgh. But if you’re not in this area and want to help, you can go to bat you’re gonna go to bat foundation you just click and ship opportunities that you can actually help and they will ship directly to our Foundation office so that you want to just thank everybody who have already donated if you’re considering or be a part of it, man, I just want to thank you in advance and really just truly humbled by everybody who believes in what we’re doing at the best of the Match Foundation. I

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23:13

believe they make you an elf instead of a Santa you look more like a Santa than an elf me Charlie. Take care of yourself. It’s always good to visit and I hope to say hello and Pittsburgh as well. Sometime very very soon in two games in the next three four weeks here it’s uh you know, get down to the nitty gritty it’s playoff time enjoy your eggnog my friend All right,

23:29

I appreciate it. Happy holidays to you daily batch number 16 joining

23:32 us here on number one in the program. No, it’s all brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery we’re gonna go into Maryland crab cakes where they don’t have any crab cakes on Pittsburgh so if you guys want those you got to ship them from any of our great sponsors, including fade these on Friday will be cost this next Thursday. It is the crab cake shipping season for all things Maryland. It’s all brought to you by our friends at Goodwill where we fed over 2000 folks in the day before Thanksgiving with the least risk maniac and our friends at Goodwill and helping folks with job opportunities and some other wraparound services down on the city before Thanksgiving and our friends when donation as well. 866 90 nation you buy two you get two free 0% financing and that means a lot right now to keep you warm and cut down on your holiday bills as well. I am Nestor we are wn st am 1570, Towson, Baltimore. It’s Pittsburgh week. We never stop talking Baltimore. Positive.