Let's get to it:
KEVIN MCDEVITT FROM WHITEHALL, PA: Merry Christmas and Happy 2024 to everyone at Steelers.com. It has been a year since we lost Franco Harris. Joe Greene has stated, "We never won anything before Franco; he was the heart and soul of the team." Can you please remind us, in terms of playoff victories and championships, how important Franco's arrival was to the Pittsburgh Steelers?
ANSWER: Franco Harris joined the Steelers as the No. 1 pick (13th overall) of the 1972 NFL Draft. That 1972 seasons was the Steelers' 40th in the NFL after being founded by Art Rooney Sr. in 1933, and to that point the franchise never had won so much as a division championship or a playoff game. In fact, the only playoff game in franchise history to that point had been a one-game playoff in 1947 vs. Philadelphia when the two teams finished tied atop the NFL's Eastern Conference, and the winner of that would advance to the NFL Championship Game. The Eagles won that one, 21-0, and went on to lose the NFL Championship game, 28-21, to the Chicago Cardinals. During Harris' 12 seasons with the Steelers (1972-83), the franchise won 8 AFC Central Division titles and qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card 2 other times. They were 14-6 in those playoff games played during Harris' career here, with 4 Super Bowl championships. Harris played a total of 19 postseason games (he missed the 1976 AFC Championship Game with a rib injury) and in those games he rushed for 1,556 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 51 passes with another touchdown. That receiving touchdown, of course, was the Immaculate Reception, which happened on Dec. 23, 1972.
- Download and listen to the Ask & Answered Podcast here: Apple Podcast | Spotify
MARC LORRAIN FROM DUNHAM, QUEBEC, CANADA: In an answer to a previous question about the Mitch Trubisky fumble that was recovered by Najee Harris in the game vs. the Colts, you wrote: "On fourth downs, only the player who fumbles the ball can recover and advance it, and the ball only can be advanced if it is fumbled backward." What do you think is the purpose of this rule?
ANSWER: It all goes back to a game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 10, 1978. With 10 seconds left in the game, the Raiders were losing, 20-14, and had the ball at the Chargers' 14-yard line. Attempting to pass one last time, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler was about to be sacked by Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe. The ball was "fumbled" forward by Stabler, and then running back Pete Banaszak attempted to recover the ball around the 12-yard line, but he "lost his footing" and slapped the ball forward. Then tight end Dave Casper got in the act, and in his attempt to "recover" the fumble, he batted and kicked the ball into the end zone, where he fell on it for the game-tying touchdown as time ran out. The extra point gave the Raiders a 21-20 victory. Initially, referee Jerry Markbreit ruled that Stabler had fumbled the ball and that what Banaszak and Casper did was not a violation of the rule: "If a runner intentionally fumbles forward, it is a forward pass." The NFL responded to that play, which came to be known as the Holy Roller, with new rules in the offseason that restricted the advancing of fumbles by the offense. Now, if a player fumbles after the two-minute warning of either half or overtime, or on fourth down at any time during the game, only the fumbling player can recover and advance the ball. If that player's teammate recovers the ball during those situations, it is placed back at the spot of the fumble, unless it was a recovery for a loss, in which case the ball is dead and placed at the point of recovery. In Steelers vs. Colts, since the fumble happened on fourth down and Harris was not the player who fumbled the ball, as soon as he recovered it, the play effectively was over. Eventually, Stabler, Banaszak, and Casper all admitted they deliberately had batted the ball toward the end zone.
KHRIS CHARITY FROM ELKRIDGE, MD: It appears Mitch Trubisky's time as the Steelers' starter is over. Am I correct in saying that in every game he played for the Steelers he turned the ball over at least one time?
ANSWER: Mitch Trubisky has appeared in 12 games for the Steelers, and he has thrown 10 interceptions and been credited with 1 lost fumble.
AARON HICKS FROM MACON, GA: Will Myles Jack play this week? Why does he continue to be on the practice squad when we need an inside linebacker so bad?
ANSWER: The Steelers signed Myles Jack on Nov. 20, and he had been retired. Out of football. And sometimes guys need time to get their body ready for a return to professional football. The conditioning aspect can return quickly, but the ability to give and receive NFL-caliber hits is not necessarily just like riding a bike. Maybe we see him on Saturday against the Bengals. He would be wearing No. 16.
ISRAEL PICKHOLTZ FROM ASHKELON, ISRAEL: Is Bill Austin the only Steelers head coach to coach another team afterwards?
ANSWER: I don't know exactly what you're asking, but here is Austin's professional history, and then you can decide if this answers your question. After the Steelers fired Bill Austin after the 1968 season, he rejoined Vince Lombardi (for whom he had served as an assistant coach from 1959-64) in Washington as an assistant in 1969. Then when Lombardi died of cancer on Sept. 3, 1970, Austin was hired as the interim coach, with the regular season set to open on Sept. 20.
MIKE MILLER FROM GREELEY, CO: Reading about Damontae Kazee's suspension I see that the suspension was issued by Jon Runyan. Is this the same nasty Jon Runyan who was known as one of the dirtiest players in the NFL during his time as an offensive lineman? If so, putting him in charge of player safety is like having Cheech and Chong running the DEA.
ANSWER: Shawne Merriman was the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and during his first three seasons in the NFL he was voted to 3 Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro once. He was once suspended for 4 games for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and his career ultimately was ended by knee and calf injuries during his time with the Chargers and an Achilles injury when he was playing for the Buffalo Bills. Merriman has had some things to say about Jon Runyan's on-field "demeanor." "There was a pass that went about 30 yards downfield, and I started to chase the play. He just grabbed me, and wouldn't let go," Merriman told USA Today Sports. "And he held me well after the play. Then he threw me to the ground. Two series later, we had a fumble recovery. Who did I look for? I find Jon Runyan and hit him square on the chin and he went down. When he played, I did not like him. I always thought he was a dirty player. It's funny. I absolutely hated him. He was the type that would hit after the play."
But when Runyan was named by the NFL to be its "Prefect of Discipline," Merriman, now a media personality for FOX Sports, said, "I think it's great, and this is coming from a guy who at one time did not like him. He's hard-nosed. And fair. I think he'll be able to come down on people when he has to. And he won't worry about being criticized."
By the way, absolutely howled at your Cheech & Chong/DEA line.
