Let's get to it:
KEN MAULDIN FROM CLYDE, TX: Our offensive coordinator was the coach in Atlanta for the previous three years. Do you think this will be helpful to the Atlanta defense being so familiar with the formations they have practiced against over and over? I was just wondering if you think this will impact what the Steelers' game plan will be for the opener?
ANSWER: It's possible to look at things the way you describe them, or how about we change it around to this: "Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith was the coach in Atlanta for the previous three years. Do you think this will be helpful to the Steelers being that he has a detailed knowledge of a good bit of that team's personnel and what those individual players can and cannot do?" My experience is that sort of knowledge – either way – ends up not being as important as how the individuals execute once the game begins. As one example, knowing where T.J. Watt is going to line up and knowing what he can do are nowhere near as important as having somebody who can block him.
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EDSON NUNES JR. FROM SÃO PAULO, SP, BRAZIL: Is there any news on the contract negotiations of Cam Heyward, Najee Harris, and others? Do you see the Steelers changing their policy and negotiating inside the season?
ANSWER: I have heard nothing recently about potential contract extensions for Cam Heyward and Najee Harris, and also not for Pat Freiermuth, who in my opinion is the player most likely to come to an agreement before the season opener at 1 p.m. on Sept. 8. But I am convinced the Steelers are not going to change their policy to break off contract talks once the regular season starts. As for changing their policy, I would guess that's a policy that will remain in place forever.
TAD DECK FROM LEBANON, PA: I am looking for a great year from the Steelers this year, but I would like to ask something a little off topic if I could? Will "Agree to Disagree" ever come back?
ANSWER: It will not.
ROD KEEFER FROM EDMOND, OK: Can you confirm that a player does not get paid while on suspension? Also, does the amount not paid reduce the team's cap hit?
ANSWER: A suspended player does not get paid, and his missed salary does come off the team's cap.
JEFF SMITH FROM CHARLESTON, WV: Once rosters are trimmed to 53, do the players choose who they sign with if they are waived?
ANSWER: Players who have enough years of service to be categorized as vested veterans (4-plus years) are free to sign with any team willing to have them.
TRAVIS McBRIDE FROM INDEPENDENCE, IA: At the heart of fans' concerns this preseason has been the inconsistent play and negative plays of both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields who are the starting quarterback and the backup on the roster. Granted they both came at little cost to the team, but given the tape from August on both, is there room to think the organization could pull a surprise trade, bring in another option like a Ryan Tannehill or a similar player between now and Week 1 of the regular season? Is there a "pull in case of emergency" option in the works or on the table for discussion?
ANSWER: I don't believe that at this time of the year there is such a thing as a plug-and-play quarterback, especially when you're referring to a quarterback who has no familiarity with the personnel on the team he would be joining. Asking a quarterback to come off the street, or in the specific case of Ryan Tannehill, to come off the couch and play in the regular season is unrealistic. Yes, there is a past relationship between Tannehill and coordinator Arthur Smith, but their last season working together was in 2020. And 4 years in the NFL is an eternity.
GENE HARRIS FROM NORTH CHESTERFIELD, VA: Haven't heard much about the status of Cole Holcomb lately. How goes his rehab?
ANSWER: Cole Holcomb continues to rehabilitate his knee injury, but the progress has not been sufficient to get him back on the field for any football-related activities. On Tuesday, the Steelers placed him on the physically unable to perform list, which means he must miss at least the first four weeks of the season.
JAMES PARKER FROM PINSON, AL: So, what happened to David Perales, Josiah Scott, and Jalen Elliott? No mention of them anywhere. Just gone from the roster. Even the staff is like 9-8 is good enough. Maybe we make the playoffs, maybe we don't. It is what it is. Right?
ANSWER: You are spectacularly misinformed. Jalen Elliott is on the 53-man roster after the Steelers made their moves prior to the 4 p.m. deadline on Aug. 27. David Perales injured a knee in training camp on Aug. 1 and was waived/injured. Josiah Scott was cut on July 31, one day after padded practices began at Saint Vincent College. All due respect to Perales and Scott, I don't believe their presence on the 2024 roster was going to have much impact on the Steelers' playoff chances this season. At most, they were down-the-depth-chart pieces.
JAKE McGILLIS FROM NIMROD, OR: It seems as if a majority of the best defensive ends and outside linebackers (T.J. Watt included) play on the left side of the defense. Is there a strategic reason for this preferred alignment?
ANSWER: Since most NFL quarterbacks are righthanded, most NFL offenses also are righthanded, which means those offenses most often attack to that side, which is the defense's left side.
BRIAN HENDERSON FROM MURRELLS INLET, SC: August 27 "cut-down day" is a very rough realization for many who may not have an NFL career. However for some players it can be a truly awesome joy to make the team's roster. Since 2020, has any undrafted player gone on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: I'm not sure I understand this question, because if you mean "has any undrafted player who came into the league since 2020 earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame," that would be impossible since players aren't eligible until they have been retired for 5 years. And it's now only 2024. But if you're asking, "have any undrafted players been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2020," the answer would be, yes. As a Steelers fan, I'm certain you know the story of Donnie Shell, an undrafted rookie in 1974 who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020.
Then in 2022, linebacker Sam Mills was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is from Mills' biography on profootballhof.com: "Undrafted despite earning Division III All-American honors at Montclair (N.J.) State, where he still holds the team record for career tackles 40 years after graduating, Mills signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns in 1981. He was cut in the preseason. He met the same fate with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. The coaches' consensus: He was too short, at 5-foot-9 3/4, to take on NFL linemen and running backs. A new league gave the diminutive Mills his big break. In 1983, Mills joined the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League. In the league's three seasons, Mills made 592 tackles, earning All-USFL honors three times and helping the Stars win back-to-back championships in 1984 and 1985 under Coach Jim Mora. When the USFL folded after the 1985 season, Mora landed in New Orleans. He brought his middle linebacker with him, launching a 12-year NFL career that saw Mills play 181 career games (173 starts) and total more than 1,300 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and 22 forced fumbles. He was named to five Pro Bowls and once as first team All-Pro."
JON WHITE FROM LANCASTER, LANCASHIRE, UK: I know you just love position switch questions. With Jack Colletto not making the 53-man roster, and former RB Mark Robinson as one of five inside linebackers, do you know if he has seen any action at fullback in practice this summer?
ANSWER: He has not.
JONATHAN BYRD FROM WOLFSCHLUGEN, GERMANY: In your last column you mentioned that other than the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (basically for over-kicking the onside attempt) last year's rules apply for onside kicks. But the recovery rate was so abysmal last year for kicking teams, I had hope that for onside kicks they would return to the previous rules to make them viable. Do you think anyone is considering rule changes that might make onside kicks again possible?
ANSWER: NFL owners met on Tuesday, Aug. 27, about a number of issues, and while there was some brief discussion about the new kickoff rules, they decided not to consider any changes for the 2024 season.
