Let's get to it:
MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: I saw two plays against the Texans that should have been intentional grounding by the Houston quarterbacks. During the commentary Charlie Batch said something along the lines that the intentional grounding rule had changed, but didn't go into detail. So do you know what changed in that rule, that made those plays incomplete passes, instead of intentional grounding?
ANSWER: I watched the game from the press box at Acrisure Stadium, so I didn't have access to the KDKA-TV feed. All I can do is tell you how the intentional grounding rule likely will be officiated this season. It used to be that a quarterback could avoid an intentional grounding penalty by simply throwing the ball beyond the line of scrimmage as long as he was outside the pocket. During the offseason there was a proposal to change that rule to one where anytime the quarterback threw the ball past the line of scrimmage was not intentional grounding even if he was still in the pocket. That rules proposal was not passed by a vote of the owners. But what you can expect to happen this season is that if any part of the quarterback's body – just one arm, or a foot – is judged to be out of the pocket by the on-field officiating crew and the quarterback throws the ball beyond the line of scrimmage that will not be called intentional grounding.
OWEN O'CEALLAIGH FROM KILKENNY, IRELAND: With the excitement of the start of the NFL regular season bubbling in my veins like a trout in a frying pan, I was wondering what was the most memorable football game you ever attended. Doesn't have to be a Steelers game.
ANSWER: I'll give you two that jump out at me. The first one was in 1975, and it was a college game between Pitt and Notre Dame at Pitt Stadium. Notre Dame had been beating up on Pitt for a long time, but on that day Tony Dorsett – who would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys – rushed for 303 yards to lead the Panthers to a 34-20 win over the Fighting Irish. The other game was the 2008 AFC Championship Game that matched the Steelers and the Ravens at Heinz Field. That was the game that contained Troy Polamalu's dramatic pick-6 in the fourth quarter that iced the win in front of a deliriously boisterous crowd, and it also was the game that Coach Mike Tomlin believes was the cause of the player-safety initiative in 2010 because of the violent way the two teams attacked each other throughout. Those would be my choices. The first I saw as a fan, and the second I covered as an employee of the Steelers.
DAVID DEOM FROM KATY, TX: Can you give your thoughts on why the Steelers would even consider trading for Brandon Aiyuk? I know he is a great receiver, but considering the cost in terms of draft capital and salary along with his attitude, it would probably be better to bolster the roster across the board, address the quarterback situation beyond this year, and then to use a high pick next year on a wide receiver.
ANSWER: It's really simple: Why the Steelers would consider making a trade for 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk would be because they believed adding him would make them a better team. That's WHY they would consider it. I don't know that it's going to happen, because I don't know that the Steelers would consider paying what the 49ers are asking, but the why is simple. All of those kinds of decisions are made in the attempt to improve the football team.
TYLER FIRTH FROM GREENSBURG, PA: When will we trade for Brandon Aiyuk? I've been waiting for so long now.
ANSWER: Maybe never. Maybe tomorrow. But in all of the conversations the team might have had about the issue, I doubt the fans' long wait ever has been considered.
MIKE ROBEY FROM TILTONSVILLE, OH: Since the Patriots released WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, is there any possibility the Steelers sign him? I realize he has not played well in the two seasons since he left the Steelers, but I wonder if it was the systems he played in or just lack of ability? He's still young.
ANSWER: Please read the next submission.
TODD WALKER FROM PORT ST LUCIE, FL: Before all of the "let's re-sign JuJu" questions come in, can you please have the people submitting those questions to sign a waiver stating that they read why he was released. Drops and even more drops and even at 27 his body is breaking down and injuries aren't healing as they should.
ANSWER: I love it when others do my work for me.
DAVID BYSTRY FROM MENTOR, OH: In the preseason game against Houston, I saw that Joey Porter Jr. was wearing gold gloves. Would that not draw attention to his hands on a receiver? He did the same thing last year, and after a couple of penalties, switched to black gloves. What is your opinion?
ANSWER: My opinion is that if any defensive back wants to avoid getting flagged for holding and/or pass interference, he shouldn't hold or interfere with the receiver. Play the proper techniques, and the penalties won't be called. The color of the gloves has very little to do with that.
HENRY MATHIS FROM ALBANY, GA: Will Russell Wilson or Justin Fields be the starting quarterback for the 2024 regular season?
ANSWER: if you're asking me what I think will happen, then I will say I believe that Russell Wilson will be the Steelers' starting quarterback when they open their regular season in Atlanta on Sept. 8. If you're asking me if I have some specific knowledge about what is going to happen, I will have to say that I don't know.
THOMAS WARD FROM LADSON, SC: Why not give up a No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to obtain wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk? The last time the Steelers did trade a future No. 1 pick, I seem to recall that trade worked out pretty good. Minkah Fitzpatrick was better than any player who would have been available to draft with that pick. Don't they think Aiyuk would be as well?
ANSWER: Why not trade a future No. 1 pick? Because there was a time in Steelers history when trading future draft picks was the way the franchise did business. From 1958-67 the Steelers traded away their No. 1 pick 6 times in that span of 10 seasons, and by doing so they missed out on the chance to possibly draft the following Hall of Fame players: LB Chuck Howley, DT Alex Karras, TE Mike Ditka, DT Bob Lilly, CB Herb Adderley; LB Lee Roy Jordan, LB Dave Robinson, MLB Dick Butkus, RB Gale Sayers, and QB Joe Namath. And with all of that trading of future No. 1 draft picks they won absolutely NOTHING. And in a final bit of irony – and allow me to interject here that I believe Minkah Fitzpatrick will finish his career here as one of the great players in franchise history – but had they not traded away their No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, that would've been the 18th overall selection. And still on the board at that time was a wide receiver named Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State, who went to San Francisco with the 25th overall pick.
DON SUMMERS FROM FAIRMONT, WV: Do the Steelers have someone in the booth monitoring replays and sending information about whether to challenge a call, or does the head coach make the calls on his own?
ANSWER: Yes, the Steelers have someone in the coaches' box who passes information to Coach Mike Tomlin based on the replay reviews shown via the network television feed. But Tomlin makes the final decision.
DENNIS NEVINSKY FROM ERIE, PA: The 2024 Steelers have better inside linebackers, a better secondary, and potentially better quarterbacks than they had in 2023. Why do all the so-called experts have them picking 14th overall in next year's draft.
ANSWER: Maybe because those individuals really aren't experts and thus aren't worth the time you're spending on paying attention to what they think.
