Let's get to it:
CHRIS LAMONT FROM LEWISTON, ID: My Dad just got back from Green Bay, and he said that during the Lambeau Field tour, his tour guide gave Art Rooney Sr. credit for "saving" the Packers franchise. Dad was a little iffy on the details. Could you perhaps explain what the tour guide was talking about?
ANSWER: The Steelers joined the NFL in 1933, and founder Art Rooney Sr. was actively involved with his franchise and in things having to do with growing professional football to the stature then occupied by college football and Major League Baseball. My guess as to why a Lambeau Field tour guide said that Rooney "saved" the Packers was because he always was a champion of sharing revenues, so that the entire league would prosper instead of just the teams in the large markets. In that endeavor, Rooney always was joined by Wellington Mara, the owner of the New York Giants, and the concept of revenue sharing is what allowed a franchise in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to compete on an even footing with the franchises in New York City, or Chicago, or Philadelphia.
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MIKE WILLIAMS FROM WASHINGTON, PA: I understand this is an emotional game, however with George Pickens always getting too high and causing penalties for the offense, where are the captains of the team trying to control him and helping him with "growing up?"
ANSWER: After the game, Coach Mike Tomlin was blunt when asked about George Pickens' unsportsmanlike conduct penalties: "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."
During the CBS broadcast of the game, there were several shots of RT Broderick Jones having some animated, up-close discussions with Pickens. Here is what Jones said about that, according to Alan Saunders of Steelers Now: "He's such an emotional guy, you just gotta let him know it's 'next play,'" Jones said. "You did that. It's over with. Next play. Go make another play. But just be smart. No dumb (stuff). We've just got to stay on him. Great player. I just look at him. I try to get him right. I feel like we're brothers. We've been together for so long, I feel like I know what makes him click and what doesn't. I just always try to talk to him and stay in his ear. We just continue to work."
Jones and Pickens were teammates at the University of Georgia and were on the team together for the first of the Bulldogs' back-to-back National Championships.
"I just know (Pickens) has so many guys in his ear, so I just try to talk to him," Jones told Saunders. "I don't try to give him a whole speech or whatnot. Just a couple words of encouragement. Just be smart. Everybody knows you're a playmaker. Just gotta stop the stupid things. That's with me, too, as well. He talks to me, as well. I try to do the same thing for him. We just try to keep each other in line and just make sure we have each other's backs."
DANA FISHER FROM ROCKPORT, ME: I know Joey Porter Jr. isn't innocent, and some of the calls on him are warranted. However, even in the broadcast, the announcers stated that "Joey Porter Jr.'s reputation precedes him," and so sometimes the refs will call him for something that isn't really there. Is the only way to get rid of the "reputation" simply not committing any penalties for a while? Doesn't that seem to allow the receiver an unfair advantage?
ANSWER: During his news conference on Tuesday, Coach Mike Tomlin was adamant there would be no toning down the physical and aggressive approach.
"No, no tweaks in terms of the approach. Certainly, he could have been better from a technical standpoint. In review of the tape, there were some technical things at the line of scrimmage that oftentimes lead to circumstances down the field, that could be better. But also, as I mentioned after the game, a component of that is competing against the likes of Tee Higgins and his style of play. I felt the same way when we played (Seattle's) D.K. Metcalf late last year, for example. You have to match the physicality of these big people, and sometimes you do so at risk, and that's just a tightrope that I and he are willing to walk in an effort to be competitive. One thing we're not going to do is turn it down and allow him to catch the ball. He's a big guy, as you saw on that touchdown he had late in the game against Cam Sutton. He is a challenge. And so when we play Shaq, we're going to use our fouls. We're not going to allow them to get us off the block, if you need a basketball analogy."
DAVID GLOD FROM CANONSBURG, PA: During the Bengals game, their right offensive tackle seemed to move early almost every play. He got called for a penalty maybe twice, but it seemed like many more could've been called. How do the officials handle that and shouldn't they call it every time until he stops?
ANSWER: In my opinion, one of the issues at work here is that teams/players have decided there is a limit to the number of times officials will call this kind of penalty, and so then the strategy becomes to do it every time. What usually happens then is that the officials only flag the most obvious and egregious instances of an offensive tackle getting a jump on the snap count or lining up off the line of scrimmage in an effort to get an edge on a dynamic pass-rusher. The league is interested in scoring, and flagging an offensive tackle 5-6-7 times in a row alienates fans, and that anger typically is directed at the officials rather than at the offending player.
DENNIS PARADEIS FROM WEAVER, AL: I have a question regarding the expedited video replay that seems to be more prominent today. Is this happening for every game, or just those that are nationally televised? It seems that this is an advantage to the coaching staff on a questionable call to just wait to see what they say before throwing the challenge flag if they know that it's being looked at. Thank you, and you have the best column out there.
ANSWER: Yes, video assist is used at every NFL game, because otherwise it would create a potential competitive disadvantage. Coach Mike Tomlin explained what video assist is and how it's utilized in a recent Q&A that appeared on Steelers.com.
Q. What is replay assist, and how is it utilized?
A. It's a tool used by officiating to be more accurate, to help administer the game, and to do it without disrupting the game are the major components of it. And so it helps with things like the spotting of the football and things of that nature. Clear and obvious things. And they communicate with headsets to the officiating crew, and sometimes the viewer doesn't even know what's transpired.
Q. What about the coaches? Do they keep you guys in the loop when it's happening?
A. No question, and I'm really sensitive to it, because I'm on the Competition Committee. They do a pretty good job of communicating. Oftentimes it's a little bit tricky because you might have started the process of your decision-making prior to you getting the clarification. So we've got to be light on our feet sometimes, because the fluidity of the communication gets challenged just depending on how long it takes them to identify an issue and correct it.
Q. You mentioned spotting the ball would be something replay assist is used for. What other kind of things?
A. Clear and obvious things. Catch or no catch. Erroneous penalties and things of that nature might assist the officiating crew in terms of picking up a flag.
Q. But penalties are not subject to replay.
A. They cannot add a penalty. They can help take an egregious or erroneous penalty flag off the ground.
HARVEY HEATON FROM DARTMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: Would it be legal for Joey Porter Jr. and other players to wear gloves that are close to, or the same color as their opponents' jerseys?
ANSWER: Players are permitted to wear gloves that are the same color as any of their team's primary colors, as recognized by the NFL. For the Steelers, that would mean gloves can be black, gold, or white. As an example, the Bengals wore orange jerseys in last week's game in Cincinnati, and the Steelers could not have worn gloves that color.
GREG WHITE FROM SOUTH BEND, IN: How many people does Omar Khan have on his staff?
ANSWER: As the General Manager, Omar Khan is the head of Football Operations. If you go to Steelers.com, there is a NavBar across the top of the home page. Click on "Team," and then another NavBar will appear directly under that. Click on "Front Office," and scroll down until you get to "Football Operations." There you will find a list of people and their titles who work in that department.
CARL ANDERSON FROM FALMOUTH, VA: Mark Moseley won the NFL MVP as a placekicker (albeit in the strike shortened 1982 season). I believe Chris Boswell is having a much better season. Can he win?
ANSWER: No disrespect to Chris Boswell, but I don't believe a placekicker ever will be voted the NFL MVP again. The 1982 season was such an anomaly because of the strike, and the long layoff that began after the first two games of the regular season had been played. In 1982, the NFL actually ditched its division alignments once play resumed in late November that led to the playoffs being set up in a tournament format, like the NCAA does in basketball. And here's a fun fact about Mark Moseley's MVP season: While he was successful on 20-of-21 field goal attempts, he attempted none of 50-plus yards, and he missed three PATs (at a time where the line of scrimmage was the 2-yard line).
DAVID BARNHART FROM WORTHINGTON, OH: As we seem to continue to adhere to the NFL playbook of keeping the audience riveted to their screens, my question deals with stopping the clock when a player goes out of bounds. Inside two minutes, if a player goes out of bounds, then the clock stops. Outside of the final two minutes, sometimes the clock stops and sometimes it doesn't. What are the rules?
ANSWER: The clock stops on plays out of bounds only in the final 2 minutes of the second quarter, and in the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter.
