Let's get to it:
EDWIN GOTT FROM LIGONIER, PA: As the temperatures fall in December, it must be difficult for teams to protect the players on the sidelines from hypothermia and other related conditions. Are the benches heated or are there other sources of heat or protection that are employed that we may not see?
ANSWER: The NFL has a rule in place requiring every home team to provide the same sideline heating or cooling equipment to the visitors that it uses itself. And included in that during the winter are heated benches and heaters that blow hot air along the sideline bench area. The most significant development in my opinion comes in the advances that have been made in apparel. Players now have the option of wearing clothing that is very lightweight but also able to keep their bodies warm. Certainly in cases of extreme weather, there might be some concern, but there are a lot of things available to combat any issues. Coach Mike Tomlin once told me that as cold as the weather might be, the fans in the stands have it worse than the people on the sideline.
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JEFF JELLICK FROM CAMP HILL, PA: We'll be facing the Browns today for the second time in three weeks. Do they prepare a game plan based on what worked well the first time or do they figure that they have to throw something different at them knowing they'd be better prepared to handle what they've already seen? I love this column and look forward to reading it.
ANSWER: Coach Mike Tomlin was asked this during his news conference, and here is that exchange:
Q. Does playing a team so recently changes your approach the second time around?
A. It does not, to be quite honest with you. It's the second time around. We come into each season knowing that we get two shots at divisional opponents. The only thing that might change the texture to it is there might be some player availability circumstances that happened in game one that might still persist in game two, and oftentimes that's not the case. But other than that, it's the second time around in divisional play for us. It doesn't matter for me whether we played them a week ago or a month ago, we have that experience. We've got to put together plans and counter plans based on what transpired. And I'm sure they're doing similar things.
DAVID LEWELLEN FROM GLENDALE, AZ: Very often when the Steelers acquire a veteran player during the season, Mike Tomlin will talk about how he got to know the guy at his Pro Day or had dinner with him at the NFL Combine or something similar. There are hundreds of prospects every year, so I'm amazed at Tomlin's mental rolodex. Is that a particular skill of his, or is it something that every NFL coach needs to have?
ANSWER: Coach Mike Tomlin has often said that football is both his job and his hobby, and so he loves immersing himself in all aspects of it. When he attends the Senior Bowl, he has been known to be down on the field helping with practice instead of sitting up in the stands. He also is very serious about the pre-draft process, not only in the players the Steelers might be interested in selecting but also in the players who might end up becoming available down the line via free agency or who might end up on teams on the Steelers' schedule. I don't know how other coaches handle this stuff, but for Tomlin it is a labor of love.
JEFF MARR FROM BRYSON CITY, NC: I usually come up once a year to a home game. This year I had to choose the last week vs. the Bengals. That is obviously a flex week. When does the NFL actually schedule that week? What are the possible Saturday time slots?
ANSWER: The Steelers vs. Bengals rematch will be played during Week 18 at Acrisure Stadium. The possible Saturday time slots for Week 18 of the NFL schedule are 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Week 18 schedule typically is announced at the conclusion of the Week 17 slate of games, with Detroit at San Francisco currently scheduled for Monday, Dec. 30, to conclude Week 17.
GEORGE FARR FROM WILLIAMSPORT, PA: There's been talk the last couple weeks that the Ravens may be releasing Diontae Johnson. If that happens, do you think the Steelers would consider signing him?
ANSWER: The Ravens suspended Diontae Johnson for one game for conduct detrimental to the team after he refused to enter the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1. Speculation is that the Ravens will hold onto Johnson until the end of this season because losing him next March as an unrestricted free agent could count in their favor in the compensatory draft pick formula. But even if that doesn't happen and the Ravens release him, I cannot imagine the Steelers wanting to add a player suspended for conduct detrimental to their locker room that has been free of jealousy and infighting. Not worth it, in my mind.
CHRIS HANN FROM SARASOTA, FL: Najee Harris is playing very well and got more involved in the passing game against Cincinnati. The Steelers did not exercise his fifth-year option entering this season. What is the difference monetarily if we would've exercised the fifth-year option or if we place the franchise tag on him next year to retain his rights moving forward?
ANSWER: The fifth-year option on Najee Harris' rookie contract would have been $6.8 million. The franchise tag tenders won't be determined until late February 2025, but the franchise tag tender for running backs for the 2024 season was $11.95 million.
MICHAEL CARRICA FROM RIO RANCHO, NM: Hypothetical situation: The Steelers have a first-round draft pick either by trade or by order of draft. There are no quarterbacks available considered a "franchise quarterback." What position would you consider using that important pick to build a team around?
ANSWER: I am going to assume you are referring to the first overall pick of the draft, because that's the spot most often associated with "building a team around." And really, with that spot as with any other spot in the first round, I believe it's more about the player than the position. The individual selected should be someone with All-Pro potential, who combines his football skills with leadership qualities, unselfishness, and other intangibles that would go along with being a foundational piece for the team moving forward. That stuff is much more important than the position the individual plays, in my opinion.
JOHN CASCIATO FROM WILMINGTON, NC: Often, when a defender intercepts a pass, he goes through 5 or 6 offensive players before getting tackled. Of course, offensive players practice blocking, but do they get much tackling practice?
ANSWER: A lot of offensive players are on special teams or have been on special teams at some point, and there is tackling involved in that phase of the game. They also have a background in football from playing the sport in high school and college. Offensive linemen play a combative position, and so they're somewhat familiar with getting an opponent on the ground. Also, the Steelers have live tackling and competitive periods in every practice at Saint Vincent College during training camp. But if you're asking whether there is anything like tackling drills for offensive players during the regular season, that would be a "no."
MATTHEW RHOADES FROM LATROBE, PA: Has there ever been a year that the Steelers swept all divisional games?
ANSWER: Too much research to go through every season since 1970 to determine the Steelers' record in division games, and it's also worth mentioning that when Jacksonville joined the NFL for the 1995 season the Jaguars were put into the AFC Central to make it a 5-team division (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Houston, and Jacksonville), and then in 1999 when the Browns re-joined the NFL they were put back into the AFC Central to make it a 6-team division (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Tennessee, and Jacksonville). But I know that the Steelers were 6-0 in the AFC Central Division in 1975, and here is a fun fact about that season. The Steelers were 12-2 and went on to win Super Bowl X; Cincinnati finished 11-3, with 2 losses to the Steelers; and the Houston Oilers finished 10-4, with 2 losses to the Steelers.
DICK VOCHEK FROM PORTAGE, PA: What are the current snap counts for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields? I believe if Fields has less than 51 percent of the snaps, the Bears get the Steelers' 6th Round pick, not the 4th. Correct?
ANSWER: The terms of the trade with Chicago that brought Justin Fields to Pittsburgh have the Bears receiving the Steelers' sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft that would become a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51 percent of the offensive snaps during the 2024 season. Going into today's game against Cleveland, Fields has played 407 offensive snaps, which is 49.3 percent. Russell Wilson's number of snaps has no impact on the trade for Fields.
