Let's get to it:
ABE CHUTA FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: Not that Russell Wilson had a disastrous season with the Broncos in 2023, but would he be eligible for Comeback Player of the Year honors this season?
ANSWER: He would not. The Associated Press changed the criteria for the award following a two-year span that had Geno Smith win in in 2022 and Joe Flacco win it in 2023. Both of those players had been coming off down seasons in the latter part of their careers, but now the criteria for the voters of the award wants them consider a resilience in overcoming things such as illness, injury, or other such circumstances. Russell Wilson wouldn't seem to qualify under those rules.
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CHRISTIAN MÖHRMANN FROM LAMPERTHEIM, DEUTSCHLAND: On the CBS broadcast of the Steelers game vs. Cincinnati, it was said on the blocked field goal that "Boswell is human." I am curious. Is this solely on the kicker if a field goal is blocked?
ANSWER: Here is an excerpt from a recent Q&A with Coach Mike Tomlin that answers your question:
Q. How are field goals blocked in the NFL, because for example it doesn't seem that coming off the edge works very often because of the snap-hold-kick efficiency of specialists at this level?
A. I think kicks are blocked by technique and opportunity. That's what I preach to the guys. What I mean is that you better have a really consistent approach to technique and urgency, and oftentimes negligence of the operation of the field goal unit determines whether or not there's a legitimate opportunity there. What I mean is, as a penetrator you go hard, you get as far into the line of scrimmage as you can, you get your hand up, try to get it in the flight of the ball, and if it's a miss-hit and a low trajectory, you've got an opportunity for a block. Same thing off the edge. You've got to have a hair-trigger. You've got to ball-key. You jump into a gap, or you're coming off the edge, you're making yourself skinny, and you're turning and cranking to a block point. You've got an opportunity to block that kick, maybe if the snap is a little bit off, or the management of the hold is a little bit off. And so it is technique and opportunity. But the opportunity is not going to present itself unless you position yourself technically, and that's what we talk about as a kick block unit. We've always got to be on. We've always got to have a hair-trigger in terms of getting off the ball. We've always got to exercise all the proper techniques in order to make ourselves opportunistic, but we realize whether or not we block a kick all the time is not exclusively up to us. It's about the behavior of the other unit.
NICHOLAS PELCHAR FROM PURCELLVILLE, VA: Soon the Steelers will be playing the Eagles in Philadelphia, with their "brotherly shove" that takes advantage of the most un- football like rule in the NFL. How about the Steelers using Darnell Washington to take the snap and plow forward for a yard with a little help from his friends?
ANSWER: I'm not a particular fan of the "brotherly shove," maybe because I'm old enough to remember the time when helping the runner in such a way was a penalty. But the way the Eagles execute that play is not some carnival trick that can be adapted and installed quickly and easily to have it be successful. I hope you were just joking with your suggestion.
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: Mike Williams gets in for one play in his first game. OK, he still needs to learn the offense in his second game. But him not being thrown to at all now either means it was a bad trade, he and Russell Wilson are on different pages, or... what?
ANSWER: Or … maybe fans' expectations were way too high in the first place and then went into the stratosphere after Mike Williams' play in the game against the Commanders. The assumption that Williams was a top-of-the-depth-chart acquisition never was accurate. In 9 games with the Jets before the trade, Williams had played around 300 snaps during which he was targeted 21 times and had 12 receptions. Those numbers indicate he was a backup type player at this stage of his career (30 years old) and did you ever consider that was what the Steelers were getting all along – a backup who could turn into an alternative in the event of an injury to one of the outside receivers? Because that's way things have unfolded.
RAY WATSON FROM NEW MILTON, UK: A lot of people are commenting that the Steelers are a young team, with the obvious exceptions like Cam Heyward and Russell Wilson. Is it too much to hope that they can sustain this current level of play for the foreseeable future?
ANSWER: If I'm being totally honest, I would be ecstatic if they could sustain the current level of play for the next few weeks.
NICO MASH FROM NEW CASTLE, PA: Do you think Joey Porter Jr. is going to be the Steelers weakest link down the stretch, with all these penalties for holding and pass interference?
ANSWER: When Coach Mike Tomlin was asked after the game in Cincinnati about Joey Porter Jr. and the number of penalties called on his, this he what he said: "Tee Higgins has a lot to do with that. Tee is a good one. He is. You can't let him beat you up, while at the same time, the officials are going to call it the way they're going to call it. So, sometimes I kind of absorb some of what comes with that. You cannot let a big dude like that beat you up. You have to match fire with fire. You hope that you do it clean enough that doesn't draw a bunch of penalties. We weren't successful in that regard today. We'll keep working, but one thing we're not going to do is let that guy goon us." Clearly, Tomlin wants Porter to continue to work on and hone his technique, but it's also clear that when it comes to the wide receivers Porter is covering and how he's expected to do that, being physical and aggressive is non-negotiable.
THAD SPREG FROM MAKAKILO, HI: Why doesn't CBS use the players' video introductions anymore?
ANSWER: If you're referring to the pregame segment where each player stated his name and affiliation that usually was the college he attended or sometimes his high school or a shout-out to his neighborhood, I remember that being a part of the Monday Night Football broadcast, and that was never on CBS.
STEPHEN WILLIAMS FROM COOPERSBURG, PA: Do you have any insight as to why Mike Williams isn't more involved? His first catch as a Steelers receiver was a TD, and he hasn't been heard from since. Ten receivers caught passes against the Bengals, but none were named Mike Williams. Why trade for him if you're not going to use him. Was he traded just for depth?
ANSWER: As I explained in an earlier answer, Mike Williams was a depth piece with the Jets before he was traded to the Steelers. Let's not forget either that Williams was only in the game for that play vs. Washington because of an earlier injury to Calvin Austin III.
JEFF MORAN FROM GALLOWAY, OH: I know they are both young, but George Pickens' 2 penalties and Joey Porter Jr.'s 3 penalties in Cincinnati were costly. What can be done or does it just take time?
ANSWER: I don't believe Coach Mike Tomlin views those penalties in a similar light. What he said to the media about Joey Porter Jr.'s penalties is in an above answer, but when asked about Pickens' penalties he said this: "You just have to grow up, man. It's an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He has a target on his back because he's George. He understands that, but he has to grow up. He has to grow up in a hurry."
PAUL BUREK FROM GAINESVILLE, GA: What was the reason the NFL dropped the No. 2 seed bye for each conference? Does it have anything to do with the No. 7 seed being added to each conference?
ANSWER: Yes, once the NFL added a seventh playoff team to each conference, only one team could get a bye because you have to have an even number of teams in each conference to conduct the Wild Card Round games.
