Let's get to it:
GEOFF STACEY FROM WILLASTON, ENGLAND: Jack Lambert is one of my favorite Steelers players. What was his final game and why did he retire so early?
ANSWER: A second-round pick (46th overall) by the Steelers in the 1974 NFL Draft process that produced 5 Pro Football Hall of Famers – Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, and Donnie Shell – Jack Lambert's final NFL season came in 1984, and his final game with the Steelers was the 1984 AFC Championship Game, which was played on Jan. 6, 1985, in Miami vs. the Dolphins. Lambert missed only six games during his first 10 NFL seasons, but his career came to an end after he suffered a serious toe injury in 1984 that limited him to eight regular season games, with three starts. In his final game with the Steelers, Lambert did not start, but he finished with four tackles in the 45-28 loss to the Dolphins. The middle linebacker who was flanked by Jack Ham and Andy Russell during the 1970s to form one of the best corps of linebackers in NFL history, Lambert was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1990.
Here is a snippet from the acceptance speech Lambert delivered in Canton on the day of his induction: "On the day I retired from pro ball, I made this statement; 'There is not an owner, or a team, or a coaching staff, or people in a city that I would rather have played for in the entire world. The kindness that Arthur J. Rooney and his family have shown me over the years -- and the kindness that the people of Pittsburgh have shown me over the years -- are the kindnesses that I can never repay. Five years later, I appreciate and stand by these words even more … I was so fortunate to have played on some of the greatest teams of all time and arguably the greatest defense ever assembled. And finally, how fortunate I was to play for the Pittsburgh fans – a proud and hard-working people who love their football and their players … If I could start my life all over again, I would be a professional football player, and you damn well better believe I would be a Pittsburgh Steeler."
VICKI SCHERER FROM MCDONALD, PA: Using the Steelers-Bills game as an example, if a player (not T.J. Watt) was listed as out before Sunday when the game was originally scheduled, with the extra day of rest they got since the game got moved, would that player have been able to be upgraded to play if he was physically able to do so?
ANSWER: If a player even has a remote chance of playing, he would not be listed as "out" by his team early in the week leading up to the game. During the week, that player simply would be listed as a non-participant in each practice the team had, and then when it came time to submit a status report to the league – which is Friday for a Sunday game, and Saturday for a Monday game – the player even could be listed as doubtful without fear of repercussions from the league. Going back to T.J. Watt, my sense is that Coach Mike Tomlin was told by the medical staff that his knee injury would not give him a chance to play until maybe the following round of the playoffs, and so that's why he was listed as out early that week.
JOHN DESABATO FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: Who is the Pittsburgh media person who votes on the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: Gerry Dulac, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
CHRIS HAMLIN FROM MONROE, NC: What is the significance of the team's original logo that was on the 1994 throwback jerseys?
ANSWER: From the website Pittsburghpa.gov, "In 1816, when Pittsburgh was officially chartered as a city, an effort began to formalize the colors that had been unofficial since 1758. A City Seal and official standard were adopted based on Sir William Pitt's family coat of arms." That coat of arms first appeared on the front of the jerseys worn by the inaugural edition of Art Rooney Sr.'s NFL franchise in 1933, and then that same design was worn by the team in 1994 when the NFL celebrated its 75th Season.
ED MONK FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: I think one thing some disgruntled Steelers fan don't take into account is that never having a losing season also means never having top draft picks. What are the three highest draft picks Mike Tomlin has had in his career as the Steelers coach?
ANSWER: The three highest picks in the draft during the Mike Tomlin era (not including trades) were 15th overall in 2007 when the team selected Lawrence Timmons, 15th overall in 2014 when the team selected Ryan Shazier, and 17th overall in 2013 when the team selected Jarvis Jones.
TOM FUDENS FROM MIDDLE ISLAND, NY: In a recent Asked and Answered you mentioned that the Steelers went 15-1 in 2004. Who did they lose to in the regular season?
ANSWER: The Steelers only loss during the 2004 regular season came in Week 2 in Baltimore against the Ravens, 30-13.
JERRY FURMAN FROM DENVER, CO: How many times have the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, and what is their record in those games?
ANSWER: The Steelers and Broncos have met 8 times in the playoffs, and the Steelers are 3-5 in those games. The Steelers lost in 1977, 34-21; won in 1978, 33-10; won in 1984, 24-17; lost in 1989, 24-23; lost in 1997, 24-21; won in 2005, 34-17; lost in 2011, 29-23, in OT; and lost in 2015, 23-16.
TODD FURST FROM ALLENTOWN, PA: I wanted to ask you if the referee is supposed to take into account intent with the rule prohibiting helmet-to-helmet hits? Joey Porter Jr. got hit in the back of his helmet by a Bills player which knocked Joey out of the game with a concussion. Did the referees just miss that helmet-to-helmet hit call?
ANSWER: In my opinion, that should have been a penalty, and also a fine should be levied by the NFL for that as well.
TONY COULSON FROM ROANOKE, VA: Throughout the game against the Bills, you could see a constant stream of snowballs being thrown on the field and at Steelers players. I thought the NFL had zero tolerance for anything being thrown onto the field at an NFL game. Why was this allowed to happen throughout the entire game, even with Commissioner Roger Goodell in attendance? And I am not suggesting this had anything to do with the Steelers performance, I just hate seeing people getting away with throwing things at players and staff.
ANSWER: The situation inside Highmark Stadium for the Steelers-Bills game made it impossible to control or stop fans from throwing snowballs onto the field, in my opinion, because none of the snow in the seating area was shoveled or removed. Fans actually had to figure out a way to clear more than a foot of snow off their seats once they got inside the stadium. There were videos on social media showing fans locating seats and then shoveling the snow from that area onto the seats of people who hadn't arrived yet. I don't know where anyone expected the people to put the snow that was covering their seats. I generally agree with you about the throwing of snowballs onto the field, but given the circumstances of this particular game I'm just happy no one was hurt. Or at least I haven't heard of anyone getting hurt by a thrown snowball.
JIMMY DORINO FROM EASTON, PA: What was your thought on the pass interference call on Myles Jack where the ball was not catchable? The referees huddled together to discuss the play and still called it a penalty, even though the ball landed out of bounds.
ANSWER: I didn't believe the play deserved a penalty, because as you correctly point out the ball was uncatchable, and by a significant degree. What I believe happened was that once the flag was thrown, there was an effort to deal with the optics of the play – which clearly showed contact – while making an attempt to avoid assessing the yardage that would have resulted from a pass interference penalty. So the officials "split the baby" and assessed a penalty on Myles Jack for defensive holding, which is 5 yards and an automatic first down.
MIKE FOSTER FROM EWA BEACH, HI: Did Myles Jack and Eric Rowe get full game checks when they were called up from the practice squad for games? Playoff paychecks don't count against the salary cap, do they? Do practice squad players' weekly pay continue to count against the salary cap for those not elevated?
ANSWER: All players on the 53-man roster for a game receive a game check, whether they are active or inactive for the game itself. Money paid to the players during the playoffs comes from the NFL and that does not count against the team's salary cap. And yes, practice squad players receive their weekly pay if not called up to the 53-man roster for a particular game, and that money counts on the team's salary cap.
