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Asked and Answered

Asked and Answered: Dec. 21

Let's get to it:

JOHN KOSTIC FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: I understand that the Steelers have won only 1 of their last 10 Thursday night games. Is there any way that they can refuse to schedule any Thursday night games in the future?
ANSWER: Through this season, the Steelers all-time record on Thursday Night Football (which doesn't include Thanksgiving Day) is 12-15. That breaks down to 9-3 at home and 3-12 on the road. The team has lost 9 of its last 10 Thursday Night Football games on the road. And to answer your question: Teams cannot refuse to play Thursday Night Football games.

RON CAMP FROM BUFFALO, NY: When Antonio Brown was traded to the Raiders for a second-round draft pick, what player did the Steelers select with that pick?
ANSWER: Actually, the Steelers traded Antonio Brown to the Raiders for a No. 3 pick and a No. 5 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. With those selections, the Steelers picked WR Diontae Johnson 66th overall and TE Zach Gentry 141st overall.

TOM BRUZDA FROM WILDOMAR, CA: I'm perplexed about why the play clock is running while allowing substituting players to get on and off the field. I notice the umpire stands over the ball while the substituting is taking place, and that's fair and easy to understand. What I don't get is allowing the play clock to keep ticking down to zero, all the while prohibiting the offense from running a play. Can you please explain that rationale to me?
ANSWER: In the NFL, the pace of play is determined by the team with the football. If the offense chooses to operate in a no-huddle or hurry-up style, then the defense has to adjust. But in order to force the defense to adjust, the offense has to keep the same personnel on the field from one snap to the next. Once the offense decides to substitute – even one player – the defense is allowed to match substitutions, and matching substitutions doesn't mean if the offense runs one guy onto the field then the defense is only allowed to run one guy onto the field. What you're describing in your question is a play where the offense substitutes, and then the defense is given a chance to match personnel. During that process, the umpire will stand over the ball to prevent it from being snapped, and the play clock continues to run because as I mentioned, if the offense wants to go quicker it should have kept the same personnel on the field.

PAUL LINDEN FROM CINCINNATI, OH: What are the rules about teams truthfully disclosing player injuries each week, and what are the possible penalties for violating those rules?
ANSWER: Any player who is not a full participant in practice must be listed on the team's practice report along with the reason/injury that prevented him from being a full participant in that practice. At the end of the week – on a Friday before a Sunday game, on a Saturday before a Monday game, as examples – every team is required to submit a status report, where teams must list players with injuries/issues and declare whether a player is questionable, doubtful, or out of the upcoming game. If there are obvious discrepancies, the NFL can choose to investigate, and fines can be levied on the team as the result of that investigation.

SHANNON GYDOSH FROM STROUDSBURG, PA: When does the change of possession occur on a punt? Is it when the punter drops the ball to punt it or is it when he actually punts it with his foot? It is clear when I watched it again that Jalen Carter hit Connor Heyward in the head after Corliss Waitman dropped the ball but before he kicked it. Also how were the refs able to change the call after the commercial break?
ANSWER: Let's get right to the heart of this issue: the on-field officials blew the call you are describing, and while replay assist might be a nice theory it is not working/being executed the way it was intended to work/be executed. Getting into detail about the specifics of when possession changes on a punt does not change the fact the officials blew the call in that instance, because video shows the hit to the head came before Corliss Waitman's foot met the ball.

LARRY HEMINGER FROM SAN DIEGO, CA: I am probably just venting here, but I'm not sure there was a worse officiated game than Steelers-Eagles this season. All of us at home saw the punch to Calvin Austin on the replay of the end zone fight, yet we hear it was reviewed by New York and they saw no evidence of a punch thrown? Where's the accountability?
ANSWER: You forgot about the punch to Darnell Washington by Darius Slay. After that game, Pro Football Writers of America pool reporter Zach Berman conducted this interview with referee Alan Eck about that.

Question: In the first quarter, on the scuffle between the Eagles and the Steelers, why was it that two Steelers got penalized on that play?
Eck: "Because two Steelers were observed, No. 80 and No. 19, committing unsportsmanlike conduct after the play was over. That's what it was. Two players after the fact, unsportsmanlike conduct."

Question: As far as that play, why weren't any Eagles players flagged and did you see any punches thrown?
Eck: "No. No punches were observed on the field. Since we had flags down, it gave New York an opportunity to review the play as well. There was no video evidence of punches observed by the Philadelphia Eagles."

Question: That was my follow-up question. Is replay available? What was observed by New York on that play?
Eck: "Correct. Since we have flags down, that opens the door to let New York take a look at it and take a video review of it. After looking at the video, they didn't observe any punches."

Allow me to re-state the answer to the previous submission, because it also applies to this one: Let's get right to the heart of this issue: the on-field officials blew the call you are describing, and while replay assist might be a nice theory it is not working/being executed the way it was intended to work/be executed.

ROY PHILLIPS FROM DOUGLAS, WY: If the Steelers knew the Eagles were doing the "tush-push," why didn't they have their big people on the field, instead of players like Joey Porter Jr.?
ANSWER: A defense might believe it knows what the offense will be doing, but it never can know for a certainty. The Eagles have the ability to align in a formation that gives every visual clue to being the tush-push and then do something else, such as get the ball to a player on the perimeter and out-flank the defense's big-people amassed in the middle of the line of scrimmage.

PAUL SNEAD FROM LAKE MARY, FL: With a few exceptions it seems the success of running backs throughout the league depends highly on the quality of the offensive line. Does it make sense to sign Najee Harris to a large contract in the offseason or invest those dollars in areas which could have more impact on our offensive production like the O-line and the receiving corps?
ANSWER: That's the question many teams are grappling with these days. How history views those decisions will determine which is/was the proper course of action.

JEFF COLAROSSI FROM STUART, FL: Are you aware of any sources where I might look for local "Steeler bars" where a Steelers fan might go watch a game with other Steelers fans?
ANSWER: Go to this website: https://www.steelers.com/fans/bars/

MIKE ROBEY FROM TILTONSVILLE, OH: Often after a loss or an ugly win players talk about not "being on the same page." We hear it so much, but is it just player-speak for others not doing their specific assignments vs. a particular play? A famous NFL coach constantly preached "do your job." How can players not know their assignments this late in the season or decide to freelance?
ANSWER: Football at the NFL level is a very complicated sport. When a play gets called in the offensive or defensive huddle, that play can have many variations that might have to be made at full speed based on what the opponent might do after the snap. These adjustments have to be made on the fly, and all of the players on that side of the ball have to see the same thing and react the proper way for the offensive play or the defensive call to work. As an example, a defense might have studied the tendencies of an opponent and practiced for that all week leading up to the game, and then the offense lines up at the line of scrimmage in the exact formation in the same down-and-distance situation and do something completely different. And if you have a guy on the field who's inexperienced in the NFL or unfamiliar with how his teammates might react based on maybe a change in personnel due to injury, that's how miscommunications happen. It's not an arithmetic test, where 2-plus-2 always equals four. Way more complicated than that.

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