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86WARD
03-02-2013, 06:02 AM
Apparently, Charlie Batch expects to be with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013, because he told Tim Benz and Bob McLaughlin of WXNX in Pittsburgh he had little reason to believe he wouldn't.

Nevermind the fact he is no longer under contract. According to Batch:

"My plan is to come back, and I haven't heard anything differently from the organization. And I think when you leave out of there at the end-of-the-year meetings, you know one way or the other. And they didn't tell me that they didn't want me back. So I think that's a good sign."

Batch began the 2012 season as the third-string quarterback behind franchise leader Ben Roethlisberger and experienced backup Byron Leftwich. When both Roethlisberger and Leftwich suffered rib injuries in the middle of the season, Batch stepped in to lead the team to one of it's most embarrassing losses, and one of it's most emotional victories ever.

SBNation.com (http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/3/1/4042392/charlie-batch-is-planning-2013-return-to-steelers)

Count Steeler
03-02-2013, 06:05 AM
Love ya Charlie, but if you make the roster again, the FO would have failed miserably. Wouldn't mind having you as a coach either, but the FO needs to shore up the back up QB position.

Galax Steeler
03-02-2013, 06:33 AM
I can't believe this we do not need him back this year it is time to get over the fossil and move into the future.

GBMelBlount
03-02-2013, 07:50 AM
I like Charlie Batch.

Perhaps a coaching position where he is available in an emergency.

salamander
03-02-2013, 08:58 AM
I have the utmost respect for Batch but we really need younger, more capable back-ups behind Ben. Sorry, Charlie.

st33lersguy
03-02-2013, 09:09 AM
I don't know, at a cheap enough price, I would be willing to re-sign him. The Baltimore game proved that he is still a reliable QB

stillers4me
03-02-2013, 10:34 AM
I don't know, at a cheap enough price, I would be willing to re-sign him. The Baltimore game proved that he is still a reliable QB

this^^^ He is as a good a reliable #3, if not better than anyone out there at that spot. Ben trusts him and so do I.

GBMelBlount
03-02-2013, 11:01 AM
this^^^ He is as a good a reliable #3, if not better than anyone out there at that spot. Ben trusts him and so do I.

My first inclination would be to agree, but why not have someone at #3 that can be developed and Charlie as a coach we could bring in on a moments notice IFF necessary?

Count Steeler
03-02-2013, 11:10 AM
I don't know, at a cheap enough price, I would be willing to re-sign him. The Baltimore game proved that he is still a reliable QB

And at vet min, even Hines could probably catch 12-15 passes a year, he would solve our WR problems. :sarcasm:

I'm sure Hampton, Smith, Farrior, et al all felt like they had another good season left in the tank. Unfortunately, you shouldn't hold on too long. The long term good of the team suffers.

Mojouw
03-02-2013, 11:51 AM
I've said it before and I'll say it again...Charlie Batch is done. He basically has nothing left. He is unable to consistently challenge DB's down the field or with stick throws to the sidelines -- two fairly typical throws in the Steelers offense of late -- and is basically getting by on savvy and heart at this point. Take out the Baltimore win ( I know it was emotional and awesome) and Batch looked like a train wreck last season.

I would much prefer Batch makes the long awaited move to the coaching ranks, and the Steelers bring in a young, high-ceiling project to serve as the #3.

7willBheaven
03-02-2013, 12:16 PM
I've had a feeling that ONE of either Lefty or Batch would be back...and I think I'd rather have Batch at this point...and then whatever younger guy in there as the other QB.

NCSteeler
03-02-2013, 02:49 PM
Matt Cassel anyone? I too would rather they bring in some othr prospects, I don't evenmean young projects but someone that has a little more zip. I love Charlie and he has been there when we needed, but they also know that he'll likely be sitting at home waiting onthe call if needed. Anyhow, I could see Batch pulling a George Costanza and just showing up for work on day one. Hey, no one told him he didn't have the job.LOL

Shoes
03-02-2013, 02:49 PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again...Charlie Batch is done. He basically has nothing left. He is unable to consistently challenge DB's down the field or with stick throws to the sidelines -- two fairly typical throws in the Steelers offense of late -- and is basically getting by on savvy and heart at this point. Take out the Baltimore win ( I know it was emotional and awesome) and Batch looked like a train wreck last season.

I would much prefer Batch makes the long awaited move to the coaching ranks, and the Steelers bring in a young, high-ceiling project to serve as the #3.

I'd take Chuck over Lefty.....but I agree with you Mojo. He can't run (without getting hurt) and it takes a few games before his arm gets in sync with the other parts of his body. Go young imo.

zulater
03-02-2013, 06:16 PM
Personally I'd like to see Charlie go out on that Raven's win.

But if the Steelers decide to bring him back as the 3rd string qb I'm ok with that too. Or even better if they draft a real developmental type qb in the 3rd or 4th round and keep Charlie around to help groom him that would even be better. Make Charlie 2nd string to start the season, and maybe by November the new kid will be ready to supplant CB and move up the depth chart to 2nd string?

And with luck neither will be used except in mop up duty at the end of blowout wins!

steelreserve
03-03-2013, 01:47 PM
I have no problem with them bringing him back, but only if we also bring in someone who's got some potential to be a real backup. Batch is OK in an emergency but nothing beyond that.

Putting him on the coaching staff is an excellent idea as well - since we don't even dress the third QB, it would take at least a week for him to be active anyway, so no sense wasting a roster spot.

oneforthetoe
03-03-2013, 02:11 PM
This is a good move by the front office. Charlie being on the team helps the Steelers keep their fan's happy, who also happen to be members of the AARP.

ALLD
03-03-2013, 02:27 PM
Charlie is the last player still active from the 1970s dynasty.

Wallace108
03-03-2013, 03:59 PM
Personally I'd like to see Charlie go out on that Raven's win.

But if the Steelers decide to bring him back as the 3rd string qb I'm ok with that too. Or even better if they draft a real developmental type qb in the 3rd or 4th round and keep Charlie around to help groom him that would even be better. Make Charlie 2nd string to start the season, and maybe by November the new kid will be ready to supplant CB and move up the depth chart to 2nd string?

And with luck neither will be used except in mop up duty at the end of blowout wins!
That's exactly what I was thinking.

If we bring in a young, inexperienced QB to groom, it would be beneficial to have someone like Batch around to work with him and prepare him to be the eventual backup. Plus, if Ben should go down early, I'd feel better having Batch come in than a young, inexperienced QB. Batch knows the system and, minus one bad game against the Browns, has played well when called upon. He gives the team a chance to win. You can't expect much more than that from your backup QB, unless you draft someone like Aaron Rodgers whom you expect to be your starter someday.

In my opinion, the two worst scenarios would be:
1. Bring back both Batch and Lefty (which won't happen).
2. Bring in two young, inexperienced QBs (which I hope doesn't happen).

Moose
03-04-2013, 07:41 AM
I like Charlie, and no doubt he's served his purpose and proved being needed, but it's WAY OVERDUE that this team needs a young QB to train as backup. Ben has his seasonal injury that usually affects him playing 100% and it would be nice to start having a young QB to be able to step up until Ben is healthy again.

GodfatherofSoul
03-04-2013, 04:15 PM
I just don't get our backup QB strategy. One old vet is pushing it, but TWO with one who can't even fall down without breaking something???

Psycho Ward 86
03-04-2013, 06:40 PM
I just don't get our backup QB strategy. One old vet is pushing it, but TWO with one who can't even fall down without breaking something???

its because we cant afford much better because like 86ward has mentioned, we've been mismanaging our cap for a while now and been under serious drafting mediocrity and its catching up to us now. he's probably the first one to put it out there as black and white as he did.

sorry if that offends some of the people who perennially defend our front office's "acumen" when all they do is restructure, restructure, resign aging veterans, and tightrope the salary cap. This is probably the first offseason in a long time where we're going to have to let loose so much of our young, emerging talent instead of getting them back like we normally would.

Hypothetical question of the day to think about: How many of these free agents do you think the steelers want to keep vs. how many of these free agents do you think the steelers will be ABLE to keep?

Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, Will Allen, Johnathan Dwyer, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky, Steve Mclendon, Keenan Lewis, Issac Redman, Manny Sanders, Max Starks, Greg Warren, Brandon Johnson, Stevenson Sylvester.

zulater
03-04-2013, 08:27 PM
Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, Will Allen, Johnathan Dwyer, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky, Steve Mclendon, Keenan Lewis, Issac Redman, Manny Sanders, Max Starks, Greg Warren, Brandon Johnson, Stevenson Sylvester.


You paying attention to the rest of the league? You think the Steelers are the only team faced with difficult decisions? The Giants, the Falcons, the Packers aren't losing some players they would rather keep too?

Yes the Steelers going to lose some players they would have sooner kept.

But they'll still be a good team next year, one that with some breaks can make a serious run in the playoffs.

Craic
03-04-2013, 08:52 PM
Personally I'd like to see Charlie go out on that Raven's win.

But if the Steelers decide to bring him back as the 3rd string qb I'm ok with that too. Or even better if they draft a real developmental type qb in the 3rd or 4th round and keep Charlie around to help groom him that would even be better. Make Charlie 2nd string to start the season, and maybe by November the new kid will be ready to supplant CB and move up the depth chart to 2nd string?

And with luck neither will be used except in mop up duty at the end of blowout wins!

Honestly, if this was the strategy, I'd have no problem bringing him back for one more year either. Get some kid in the fourth or fifth round that has a whole lot of upside but is completely raw, and hand him over to Batch for a few months. Heck - I'd even trade a used puck bag to the Jets for Tebow to see what Charlie could do with him for a couple months of one on one training. Nice thing about that, there'd be no bonus money and no cap issues except the base salary to pay out, since the original team has to fork up all the bonus money for a signing, even if it's spread over a few years.

Mojouw
03-05-2013, 12:24 PM
its because we cant afford much better because like 86ward has mentioned, we've been mismanaging our cap for a while now and been under serious drafting mediocrity and its catching up to us now. he's probably the first one to put it out there as black and white as he did.

sorry if that offends some of the people who perennially defend our front office's "acumen" when all they do is restructure, restructure, resign aging veterans, and tightrope the salary cap. This is probably the first offseason in a long time where we're going to have to let loose so much of our young, emerging talent instead of getting them back like we normally would.

Hypothetical question of the day to think about: How many of these free agents do you think the steelers want to keep vs. how many of these free agents do you think the steelers will be ABLE to keep?

Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, Will Allen, Johnathan Dwyer, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky, Steve Mclendon, Keenan Lewis, Issac Redman, Manny Sanders, Max Starks, Greg Warren, Brandon Johnson, Stevenson Sylvester.

Ok. I will play along. Let's look at realistically for a moment. For each player:
Mendenhall -- I argue the Steelers should keep him as he is the most talented back they can get with limited resources, but c'mon he is gone and it has nothing to do with the cap.
Wallace - cap casualty. As Zu mentioned, so is Finley in GB. Heck so will about 3 members of the Ravens, the Giants cut Bradshaw, etc. What else is new?
Will Allen - who cares? Capable veteran back-up. If Will Allen is playing significant time again in 2013, something has gone wrong...again.
Dwyer - had a chance to prove he could be the buy. Didn't do it. Flashes talent but can not keep in shape well enough to be on the field for more than 2-3 plays in a row. Who really is going to miss him? Plus he could be kept under the cap easily if the Steelers actually wanted him.
Burress - vet presence. Will not be missed if he signs elsewhere. At this point, what does Plax contribute besides being tall?
Foote - already back with the team or at least trending that way (Can't remember and don't care to look it up)
Foster - cap casualty. Average NFL guard at best. Good depth, but would like to see a better player starting anyway.
Legusrky - depth OL.
McClendon - supposedly starting NT in waiting. Has yet to produce on the field. Has flashed in limited opportunities. Easy enough to resign if the Steelers want him.
Lewis - the big question mark. Looks like a legit #1 or #2 corner in about 3/4 of one season. Was that a contract year push or an indicator of Lewis' true talent/performance level? Could be too pricey for the Steelers to retain, but may get crowded out of the market by bigger names.
Redman - again a capable NFL back, but the type that can easily be found each offseason. Also there is no reason that the Steelers could not resign him if they wished.
Sanders - Flashed potential to be a weapon out of the slot. Looks like he runs good routes and is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Should be fairly straightforward to resign, but he may garner enough attention to make things difficult.
Starks - the big man comes through again. I imagine that Starks will have the same off-season he always does. Linger on the open market and then get signed by the Steelers. Not much demand for an aging slightly above average LT.
Warren - I am truly concerned about the potential of losing our long-snapper.
Johnson- depth LB/DE. I shudder to think about the Steelers ability to be competitive without him.
Sylvester - Teams player and LB depth. If Sylvester can't push Foote of the roster, how much would it really cost to resign him? Will the Steelers even want to?

So that whole laundry list of players generates about 2 that the Steelers will likely be unable to resign and would represent a noticeable roster deficit (Wallace and Lewis) a further two that present some difficulty in resigning (for differing reasons) and would again represent a talent deficiency (Mendenhall and Sanders). And some veteran contributors that should be easy to resign after the draft and FA period.

I don't see the problem. If the team I was a fan of did not have players leaving each year as UFA's because they were too expensive to resign, I would likely be frustrated that my team was so crappy and had so few good players on it!

Psycho Ward 86
03-05-2013, 05:53 PM
Ok. I will play along. Let's look at realistically for a moment. For each player:
Mendenhall -- I argue the Steelers should keep him as he is the most talented back they can get with limited resources, but c'mon he is gone and it has nothing to do with the cap.
Wallace - cap casualty. As Zu mentioned, so is Finley in GB. Heck so will about 3 members of the Ravens, the Giants cut Bradshaw, etc. What else is new?
Will Allen - who cares? Capable veteran back-up. If Will Allen is playing significant time again in 2013, something has gone wrong...again.
Dwyer - had a chance to prove he could be the buy. Didn't do it. Flashes talent but can not keep in shape well enough to be on the field for more than 2-3 plays in a row. Who really is going to miss him? Plus he could be kept under the cap easily if the Steelers actually wanted him.
Burress - vet presence. Will not be missed if he signs elsewhere. At this point, what does Plax contribute besides being tall?
Foote - already back with the team or at least trending that way (Can't remember and don't care to look it up)
Foster - cap casualty. Average NFL guard at best. Good depth, but would like to see a better player starting anyway.
Legusrky - depth OL.
McClendon - supposedly starting NT in waiting. Has yet to produce on the field. Has flashed in limited opportunities. Easy enough to resign if the Steelers want him.
Lewis - the big question mark. Looks like a legit #1 or #2 corner in about 3/4 of one season. Was that a contract year push or an indicator of Lewis' true talent/performance level? Could be too pricey for the Steelers to retain, but may get crowded out of the market by bigger names.
Redman - again a capable NFL back, but the type that can easily be found each offseason. Also there is no reason that the Steelers could not resign him if they wished.
Sanders - Flashed potential to be a weapon out of the slot. Looks like he runs good routes and is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Should be fairly straightforward to resign, but he may garner enough attention to make things difficult.
Starks - the big man comes through again. I imagine that Starks will have the same off-season he always does. Linger on the open market and then get signed by the Steelers. Not much demand for an aging slightly above average LT.
Warren - I am truly concerned about the potential of losing our long-snapper.
Johnson- depth LB/DE. I shudder to think about the Steelers ability to be competitive without him.
Sylvester - Teams player and LB depth. If Sylvester can't push Foote of the roster, how much would it really cost to resign him? Will the Steelers even want to?

So that whole laundry list of players generates about 2 that the Steelers will likely be unable to resign and would represent a noticeable roster deficit (Wallace and Lewis) a further two that present some difficulty in resigning (for differing reasons) and would again represent a talent deficiency (Mendenhall and Sanders). And some veteran contributors that should be easy to resign after the draft and FA period.

I don't see the problem. If the team I was a fan of did not have players leaving each year as UFA's because they were too expensive to resign, I would likely be frustrated that my team was so crappy and had so few good players on it!

You’re dead serious? Let me see if im reading this right. What I got out of this is the following:

This is how you truly feel about all of these players:

Mendenhall: expendable

Dwyer: expendable

Redman: expendable

Wallace: expendable

Will Allen: expendable

Foster: expendable

Legursky: expendable

Mclendon: you assume he’s easy to resign because he’s an RFA. False, we still have bucket loads of money to clear if we want to have enough cap space to sign ALL of our draft picks, ALL of the RFA’s we want back (which is most if not all). You seem to at least acknowledge he might be our nosetackle in the future, so why aren’t you more skeptical like you are of Lewis? He has started 1 game in his entire career and barely played this season. Lewis played a lot more than that and played lights out. Contradictory

Lewis: He was great as a nickel corner last season, and great as a starting corner this season, but if you want to be skeptical I guess that’s fair. Except you aren’t consistent. You are comfortable with Decastro with no proven commodities behind him as depth going forward because you think he is a potential All-Pro even though he was riddled with big injuries and played shaky in what few games he played? Contradictory

Sylvester: expendable

B. Johnson: expendable

Warren: Point taken.

So you feel good about the possibility of going into the draft without our top 3 running backs (which cant all be easily resigned mind you because we have more important players to resign first and we still need to clear more cap space), 2 of our interior linemen (both of who have proven they can play well at the guard positions and play swingman if needed), our top 2 back ILB’s under contract, and top backup at both safety positions?
Didn’t you point out that the ravens have no one behind ed reed, ray lewis, kruger, and anquan boldin?
Wouldn’t we have way more holes than them if we thought so many of these players were expendable? What happens if Timmons or Foote goes down? Oh wait, foote isnt under contract. Are we going to send in spence with his career threatening injury? What happens if decastro goes down? We have to send in malecki. If our top 3 RB’s are expendable, baron batch is our bellcow. And he’s been on IR 2 years in a row, and had a career threatening injury in college. What happens if troy or ryan goes down? Mundy starts? He’s part of our lovely lineage of shitty back up safeties (Anthony smith, tyrone carter, ryan mundy, Robert golden), and even then he isnt under contract.

Mojouw
03-05-2013, 11:38 PM
You’re dead serious? Let me see if im reading this right. What I got out of this is the following:

This is how you truly feel about all of these players:

Mendenhall: expendable

Dwyer: expendable

Redman: expendable

Wallace: expendable

Will Allen: expendable

Foster: expendable

Legursky: expendable

Mclendon: you assume he’s easy to resign because he’s an RFA. False, we still have bucket loads of money to clear if we want to have enough cap space to sign ALL of our draft picks, ALL of the RFA’s we want back (which is most if not all). You seem to at least acknowledge he might be our nosetackle in the future, so why aren’t you more skeptical like you are of Lewis? He has started 1 game in his entire career and barely played this season. Lewis played a lot more than that and played lights out. Contradictory

Lewis: He was great as a nickel corner last season, and great as a starting corner this season, but if you want to be skeptical I guess that’s fair. Except you aren’t consistent. You are comfortable with Decastro with no proven commodities behind him as depth going forward because you think he is a potential All-Pro even though he was riddled with big injuries and played shaky in what few games he played? Contradictory

Sylvester: expendable

B. Johnson: expendable

Warren: Point taken.

So you feel good about the possibility of going into the draft without our top 3 running backs (which cant all be easily resigned mind you because we have more important players to resign first and we still need to clear more cap space), 2 of our interior linemen (both of who have proven they can play well at the guard positions and play swingman if needed), our top 2 back ILB’s under contract, and top backup at both safety positions?
Didn’t you point out that the ravens have no one behind ed reed, ray lewis, kruger, and anquan boldin?
Wouldn’t we have way more holes than them if we thought so many of these players were expendable? What happens if Timmons or Foote goes down? Oh wait, foote isnt under contract. Are we going to send in spence with his career threatening injury? What happens if decastro goes down? We have to send in malecki. If our top 3 RB’s are expendable, baron batch is our bellcow. And he’s been on IR 2 years in a row, and had a career threatening injury in college. What happens if troy or ryan goes down? Mundy starts? He’s part of our lovely lineage of shitty back up safeties (Anthony smith, tyrone carter, ryan mundy, Robert golden), and even then he isnt under contract.

We seem to be talking past each other. I am saying that if the cap forces the Steelers to lose some of the players on your list and replace them with league average players, either through the draft or with cheaper FA's, there is little lost with a great many of them. I am by no means assuming that the Steelers will let all those players go and not replace them with others. I truly feel that all of the backs on the roster are expendable for some reason or another. I feel (as I believe you do) that Mendenhall would be ideal in Haley's offense, but he can't pull his head out of his ass long enough to impact on the field. Redman and Dwyer are league average backs at best. There are a ton of guys who can do what they do.

If you let these guys walk, because they are too expensive, then obviously they need replaced with somebody. And for most of the players on the list, I don't see a talent drop-off between them and a draft pick or FA.

I specifically highlighted, Mendenhall, Wallace, and Lewis as guys that will hurt when they can't be resigned. I am skeptical of Lewis justifying a big money deal. The NFL is littered with guys who were big contract year players and flamed out after that. Lewis has looked decent as the nickel corner, and had a good secondd half+ as the starter, but paying him tons of money makes me nervous. I did not contradict myself with McClendon. He will be easy to sign. Who else is going to beat down his door and give up anything to sign and unproven RFA? Especially in a draft loaded with 3-4 NT prospects.

I am comfortable assuming DeCastro can hold down a starting OG spot with distinction. As to not having Foster and Legursky around as back-ups...they are average NFL lineman. If someone wants to pay them starter money, then fine. Draft or find replacements. It happens every year. It is not the FEMA level disaster it has been made out to be.

Hopefully the safety position will be addressed in a deep draft class for safeties. I think that we can agree there are holes on the roster, but most (not all) of the players on the list are either cheap to resign (once some money is cleared by additional restructures or a cut or two) or are readily replaceable with cheaper assets.

GBMelBlount
03-06-2013, 06:14 AM
Your practical perspective is refreshing Mojouw.

Though it seems like instead of us looking to upgrade like most years we are simply hoping to minimize the downgrades, perhaps the sky ISN'T falling after all.

Steeldude
03-06-2013, 08:21 AM
I am comfortable assuming DeCastro can hold down a starting OG spot with distinction. As to not having Foster and Legursky around as back-ups...they are average NFL lineman. If someone wants to pay them starter money, then fine. Draft or find replacements. It happens every year. It is not the FEMA level disaster it has been made out to be.

The problem is the Steelers do not do a good job of finding replacements along the O-line. Have you seen the FA list for offensive linemen? The only other guard who would be decent, but probably too much is Donald Thomas from New England. Legursky is upgradeable, but at what cost? Perhaps Rob Turner of the Rams could take his place, but I doubt the Steelers will have the cap room.

Foster was the most durable of the O-linemen last season. DeCastro, Colon, Pouncey, Adams and Gilbert were all dealing with injuries.