Welcome to Brian Batko’s Steelers mailbag. You’re more than welcome to email him at bbatko@post-gazette.com, tweet him @BrianBatko or slide into his DMs to inquire about the Steelers, NFL or anything out of bounds.
Ed in Carrick: Why bring in a draft bust linebacker to become linebacker coach. The Steelers don’t even have any linebackers on the roster except for Jack and I doubt Curry can coach Watt or Highsmith.
Brian: First off, I hope I don’t actually have to explain that performance as a player is not necessarily indicative of performance as a coach. That seems fairly straightforward.
Second, the Steelers do have other linebackers beyond Myles Jack, including a linebacker who is a seventh-round pick with the right mentality and physical traits for the position but is still relatively new to it. That sounds exactly like the type of player who needs good coaching.
Mark Robinson’s development, or lack thereof, will be interesting to watch under new linebackers coach Aaron Curry. The same goes for any draft pick they might make at that position this year. As far as a unit on this team that has struggled with turning young players into contributors, or contributors into impact players, inside linebacker is near the top of the list.
Even if you think Devin Bush’s progress was stalled and ultimately halted by his torn ACL, it’s fair to wonder what happened with 2021 fourth-round pick Buddy Johnson. Or, to a lesser degree, sixth-round pick Ulysees Gilbert. You could even look at Marcus Allen, who was moved from safety to linebacker but couldn’t get on the field after making that transition.
Without being on those sidelines or in those meeting rooms, it’s hard to say whether now-former linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky is at fault for the aforementioned struggles, or if those players simply lacked the ability to improve and fulfill their potential.
But it’s common practice to take stock of where your roster is thriving and where it’s falling short, then make changes to your coaching staff accordingly. The results and production have been lacking for a long time at linebacker, forcing the front office to go acquire veterans through free agency and trade every single year since 2017.
As for Tomlin’s selection of Curry, we’ll see. If you believe you have your finger on the pulse of the linebacker coach candidates around football, more power to you. But Curry coached both Alex Highsmith and Larry Ogunjobi when he was the defensive line coach at Charlotte, so you can count a couple pros on his resume. Whatever he did to help those two maximize their talent, the Steelers will want him to do the same with their inside linebackers.
Sunner in Orlando: I believe it was Juju who said earlier this year that since he had been with the Chiefs, their offense was a varsity offense and compared the Steeler offense to a middle school offense as far as scheme and design. Do you agree with that assessment?
Brian: Hold on a second there. Unless I missed something, JuJu Smith-Schuster did not say anything quite that incendiary, at least not publicly. I believe you’re referring to the quote relayed by NBC on a Sunday night broadcast in October. The sideline reporter referenced a conversation with Smith-Schuster in which he reportedly said he learned more about offense in a few months with the Chiefs than he did in five years with the Steelers.
Now, let’s not act as if Smith-Schuster is always an honest broker of information. He tends to exaggerate sometimes, an over-the-top positive person when things are going well and pretty dejected when they aren't. But if what he says is true, it would be an indictment on a number of people: Mike Tomlin, Randy Fichtner, Matt Canada, his wide receivers coaches, even Ben Roethlisberger, as a veteran quarterback leading that offense, to name a few.
In Smith-Schuster’s defense, and in the Steelers’ defense to an extent, the Super Bowl probably showed that the whole league is lagging behind the Chiefs in terms of scheme, design and adjustments. Yes, they have Patrick Mahomes, which changes the whole calculus for any opposing defense, but every quarterback in the NFL could’ve made those two short touchdown throws to Kadarius Toney and Skyy More.
If Smith-Schuster truly has learned so much more about offensive football in such a short time in Kansas City, perhaps it’s because of how many people are teaching him. While Andy Reid might be the brightest X’s and O’s mind in the game right now on that side of the ball, the Chiefs also have a robust coaching staff working with their players. Beyond the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, they employ a pass game analyst, two offensive quality control coaches and an offensive assistant.
As for my assessment, the Steelers were in the 10-16 range in the league in metrics such as rate of motion at the snap and pace on offense. Those would suggest this isn’t a prehistoric or dumbed-down offense. And if there are more concepts and freedoms that can be included in Year 2 for Kenny Pickett, the overall product could look better at the end of the day, too.
Rick in Grove City, OH: Good Morning. An answer you gave to Keith from Atlanta, Steelers Mailbag – 10 FEB 23, you stated: Chuck Noll — How can it not be 1991, his final draft? Huey Richardson at 15th overall, followed by Jeff Graham, Ernie Mills, Sammy Walker and Adrian Cooper through the fourth round. Talk about a forgettable draft class. I agree with you except for one other first round draft pick who I consider one of the worst picks during Noll's tenure. John Rienstra - 1986 out of Temple. If my old memory serves me correctly, Rienstra was a complete bust because of his stomach problems. Only lasted 3 or 4 seasons then on to the Brownies. What say ye? Thanks for all of your insight and columns.
Brian: John Rienstra was indeed a disappointment with the ninth overall pick in 1986. But he did last five seasons in Pittsburgh, starting 27 games, including 14 in 1989 for a team that won a playoff game.
Rienstra was a physical specimen coming out of Temple, a champion power-lifter who also flashed unusual athleticism for a lineman by running a 4.9 40 at the NFL combine. The Steelers projected him as a safe bet, but they couldn’t have projected his health problems, mentally and physically.
By his own admission, Rienstra was overwhelmed by the expectations of being a top-10 pick. He had anxiety and frequent panic attacks before and during games, causing him to vomit and eventually be hospitalized for those stomach issues. It’s something of a sad NFL tale, but not sure Rienstra’s struggles to cope with being an NFL player make him a bad evaluation and pick by Chuck Noll and the Steelers. Not on the level of Huey Richardson, anyway.
Mike P: Now that the season is over, can the Steelers today start re-signing their own free agents?
Brian: Yes, they can start re-signing players who are about to become free agents next month, and they can sign players under contract to extensions. This week you saw them bring back Christian Kuntz on another one-year deal.
One exception is Cam Sutton, whose contract voided earlier this month. As I understand, that was essentially a choice that gave the Steelers some extra cap room in 2022.
So, any deal with Sutton will have to wait until the new league year. But if the Steelers want to go offer, say, Terrell Edmunds or Robert Spillane a new deal, that’s fair game. They also can cut players under contract whenever they want to free up cap space, so stay tuned.
Think you have better questions? Email bbatko@post-gazette.com or write him on Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: February 24, 2023, 4:56 p.m.
