Let's get to it:
DJ KLAKAMP FROM ERIE, PA: Did the concept of drafting the Best Athlete Available fall by the wayside in favor of drafting by position? Also, in your opinion, who were some of the Best Athletes Available who were drafted by the Steelers? My favorite is Hines Ward, due to his ability to throw, catch and block.
ANSWER: In my opinion, the best athlete drafted by the Steelers was Rod Woodson, the team's No. 1 pick in the 1987 NFL Draft (10th overall). During his time at Purdue, Woodson primarily played cornerback and was a returner, but he also saw time as a running back and a receiver on offense. Woodson was an All-America at cornerback in 1985 and an All-America at cornerback and returner in 1986. In his final game at Purdue, Woodson totaled over 150 combined rushing and receiving yards on offense, and finished with 10 tackles and a forced fumble on defense in the Boilermakers' win over Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket. In addition to football, Woodson also was a decorated track-and-field athlete in college, and he twice won All-America honors in that sport at Purdue. He finished second at the 1985 NCAA championships in the 55-meter hurdles and third at the 1987 NCAA championships in the 55-meter hurdles. Woodson held the NCAA 60-meter hurdles record for 10 years. In 1984, Woodson qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 110-meter hurdles, but he elected to focus on football, with the goal of playing in the NFL. While locked in a 95-day day contract holdout after being drafted by the Steelers, Woodson resurrected his track career and became a World-Class 110-meter hurdler while competing on the European track circuit by posting the fourth fastest time in the world in that event. He won the bronze medal at the 1987 USA Olympic festival, and won medals in several IAAF Grand Prix meets in Europe. Woodson's abilities in track were one of the factors that influenced the Steelers to come to a contract agreement with their unsigned No. 1 draft pick. And as for his football career, he ended up enshrined in Canton as part of the Class of 2009.
As to the first part of your question, I believe the best way to draft is "best player available in conjunction with need." Free agency makes teams get guys they acquire onto the field quickly because teams also are losing guys every year via free agency.
- Download and listen to the Ask & Answered Podcast here: Apple Podcast | Spotify
DANA FISHER FROM ROCKPORT, ME: With my birthday being on Dec. 23, I've always thought it was cool that was the day that the greatest play in Steelers history, and the play that was voted the Greatest Play in NFL History, took place. How many other games have the Steelers played on that day? And what is their record in the Super Bowl era on that date?
ANSWER: Of course, the play you reference in your submission is the Immaculate Reception. Before today's game vs. Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers have played 7 times in franchise history on Dec. 23. In chronological order: a 13-7 win over Oakland in the 1972 AFC Divisional Round (The Immaculate Reception); a 35-0 win over Cleveland in 1990; a 47-14 win over Detroit in 2001; a 17-7 win over the Buccaneers in Tampa in 2002; a 27-3 win over Carolina in 2010; a 13-10 loss to Cincinnati in 2012; and a 31-28 loss to the Saints in New Orleans in 2018. That makes the Steelers 5-2 on your birthday.
FERNANDO ARAIZA FROM MIAMI, FL: In your opinion what is a realistic expectation for a backup quarterback? I'm of the opinion that since more than half the teams are looking to replace the starting quarterback at any given moment, if the backup isn't the No. 1 reason the game was lost, he did his job.
ANSWER: Allow me to start with this "fun fact": Mason Rudolph will be the 58th starting quarterback in the NFL during the 2023 regular season, which speaks to the frequency with which teams have turned to quarterbacks other than the one who opened the regular season as the starter. Not being the reason his team lost the game would be the absolute minimum requirement, but based on that statistic I just mentioned, a backup quarterback needs to be more than not being the primary reason his team lost a game. Backup quarterback is more than a job in the NFL. It's a role. And a player in that role has to be able to attain a respectable level of preparedness without getting a lot of on-field repetitions in practice, and he has to develop a relationship with the players with whom he will be working when called from the sideline into the huddle. He should be cognizant of the importance of protecting the football, while also having a sense for when it's the right time to be aggressive in an effort to make a play. And all the while, he must be able to execute the routine things routinely.
DAN DURSO FROM GREENSBURG, PA: Similar to the hurry-up offense, the two-minute drill moves the ball downfield and doesn't give the defense much time to adjust. Why wait for the final two minutes?
ANSWER: Because there are many more factors involved in a hurry-up offense than simply not allowing the defense "much time to adjust." The menu of offensive plays in a hurry-up has to be limited, because the communication of the plays to all 11 players without the benefit of a huddle has to be practiced, because not everyone on the field is going to have the same level of understanding and experience. Communicating those play-calls can be more challenging on the road, because of crowd noise. I'm sure there are other considerations I'm forgetting, but if not executed properly, there is no difference between a hurry-up offense designed to stress the opposing defense and a hurry-up offense that punts the ball back to the opponent quickly.
SEBASTIAN LOCKSLEY FROM BUTTE, MT: If the Steelers lose today, their playoff chances are all but done. Does this change the dynamics of the team, such as playing a few backups, activating a few players from the practice squad, etc.? Or will it be status quo?
ANSWER: If the Steelers are eliminated from playoff contention before their regular season finale – which never has happened since Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007 – I would expect the team to play each remaining game on the schedule to win. The Steelers won't turn the end of the regular season into an early preview of their 2024 training camp. That's just not the way the franchise operates.
