Charlie Batch was a second-round pick of the Lions in 1998 and played in Detroit for four seasons, but he hadn’t been to a game in over two decades because of his current job as a Steelers radio analyst – and as someone whose only playoff appearance in Motown was thwarted by a loss to the Redskins – so he knows what the current team is feeling.
“This is the first time that I actually went back to a game in 23 years, and everybody was excited and the energy was there, but boy, was it quickly quieted by the second quarter,” Batch told BMitch & Finlay Monday.
“The way that the Commanders’ defense was going, man, it was phenomenal to watch, and you could just see everybody just feeding off of that energy, especially when that crowd got silent.”
The Commanders of course played the Steelers, though, so this was the second time this season he got to see Jayden Daniels up close…and as impressive as the Commanders’ D was, Batch was just as impressed with his second look at JD5.
“Back in November, I was like, okay, everything was going well, and I was thinking maybe he might hit that rookie wall, but he didn’t, and it just seems like he kept elevating his play,” Batch said. “Watching him in person, it was way better than watching it on TV. This dude can play, and when he made that throw on the deep over route to Brown, I stood up, and I didn’t need to see the rest of the game. That throw convinced me, man, and I'm excited to watch this dude for 10-plus years.”
And now, Batch has some even higher praise for the Commanders as a whole: watching this team, he’s getting the same vibes as his ’05 Pittsburgh team that hoisted the Lombardi.
“As I'm watching that game, I'm literally saying to myself in the second quarter, man, this run that Washington is on right now, it reminds of our 2005 Steelers team when we were the sixth seed heading into the playoffs, doing something that never has been done: going on the road and winning a Super Bowl,” Batch said. “We were able to hoist that Lombardi Trophy, and we did so by going to the Bengals, who were the No. 3 seed, then the No. 1 Colts and No. 2 Broncos, and then ultimately beating the Seahawks as the No. 1 seed. When I see the trend and the confidence that this team has, that was the first thing that came to mind, and it didn't surprise me that they walked out of that stadium with a victory.”
Take a listen to Batch’s entire visit above!