Let's get to it:
DAN TURAK FROM BRIELLE, NJ: I understand Russell Wilson is not in the same class as the elite quarterbacks in the league, but I'm not convinced he was the big problem on offense. He had a weak receiving corps and terrible pass protection. At his age Wilson is not the long-term solution, but do you think he played poorly? How much responsibility is his for the late year losing streak?
ANSWER: Football often is described as the ultimate team sport, and breaking it down into 11-man units it would be rare for a single individual to be responsible for a loss, to say nothing of a four-game losing streak to end the regular season followed by a one-and-done in the playoffs. There likely are a variety of ways to attribute a loss in a team sport that's 11-on-11 for 60 minutes, but in the court of public opinion, the quarterback gets too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses. It's part of that job. Like every other position on the team, quarterback wasn't the sole reason for the losing streak but it wasn't blameless, either. And since only one quarterback plays at a time, that serves to individualize the emotion tied to the credit or the blame.
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MICHAEL KISH FROM SARASOTA, FL: Why do you think Mike Tomlin/Teryl Austin have gotten away from our Blitzburgh past? Seems to me rushing 4 or 5 against an offense using 5 or 6 blockers in protection allows a quarterback too much time for his receivers to get open.
ANSWER: That's a question I cannot definitively answer, but my sense is that of primary concern to the defense is "keeping a lid on it." By that I mean not allowing chunk plays that either directly ring up the scoreboard, or set up a scoring opportunity, or flip the field – those single snaps of the ball that have an impact on the outcome of a game. Maybe the idea is to prioritize the minimizing of chunk plays and then count on someone on the defense to make a play to get off the field. The Steelers cultivate a "turnover culture," and they led the NFL in 2024 in takeaways with 33 – 17 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries – and I easily remember a half-dozen instances of the ball being on the ground and the other team recovering it. Also, the secondary doesn't have the personnel to hold up in a lot of the man-coverage situations a lot of blitzing can create, and so if the rush doesn't get home right away, guys like Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels and Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes will make you pay one way or another. In my opinion, a couple of focuses for the upcoming offseason should be a commitment to upgrading both the defensive line and the depth chart at cornerback. Then maybe you'll see more pressure packages.
MARC SIMON FROM NAPLES, FL: Although ILB Mark Robinson doesn't get on the field much, it seems to me that he plays strong against the run. Next year is his third year in the league. Do you see him as a viable, less-expensive upgrade over Elandon Roberts?
ANSWER: In 2025, Mark Robinson actually will be entering the final season of the 4-year contract he signed as a seventh-round (225th overall) pick out of Mississippi. During his seasons with the Steelers, Robinson has played 203 total snaps on defense (8 in 2023), and 619 snaps on special teams (301 in 2023). I like Elandon Roberts as a player and for what he adds as a presence, and I'm not qualified to evaluate Robinson's ability to replace Roberts, who played 478 defensive snaps (44 percent) in 2023. But what is an NFL fact is that former seventh-round picks going into the final season of the 4-year deal they signed as a rookie are very much in a show-me situation in what definitely is a show-me profession.
RICK GILLILAND FROM WALLACE, NC: I am hoping the Steelers decide to go with Justin Fields as their quarterback next year. If they were to sign him soon, are the coaches allowed to start immediately with an intense offseason program to improve his weak areas?
ANSWER: There are rules within the Collective Bargaining Agreement that outline the length of the offseason program for players and what is allowed during each phase of that as the calendar advances toward OTAs in late May. For the Steelers, Phase I of their offseason program cannot begin until April 21.
ALTON MOSS FROM ROCHESTER, IN: Forgive my lack of in-depth knowledge of the game, especially when it comes to my Steelers. Are we holding onto WR George Pickens for contractual reasons, or does someone see that he may be our future as I do?
ANSWER: George Pickens will be entering the final season of the 4-year contract he signed as a No. 2 pick (52nd overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2025, he will count $4.1 million on the salary cap, or $522,000 in dead money if he would be cut or traded. I believe that whatever decision is made on Pickens this offseason, it will have had nothing to do with those numbers.
DOUG PARR FROM GRAYSLAKE, IL: I just read an article suggesting the Steelers should learn a lesson from the Kansas City Chiefs, who fired Coach Marty Schottenheimer because all he did was make it to the playoffs. By my quick checks, it took the Chiefs 17 years to win a playoff game after firing him. And because the Chiefs only made the playoffs four times in those seasons, I think I learned a different lesson than the author intended. What lesson would you learn from that suggestion?
ANSWER: It would reaffirm my belief that it's very difficult to qualify for the NFL playoffs – because the league's entire business model is constructed in a way to promote/create parity – and that it's even more difficult to win in the playoffs because it's single-elimination throughout.
DENNIS MILLER FROM BEDFORD, PA: In 1967 my uncles from Pittsburgh took this 11-year-old country boy to his first Steelers game. I believe it was at Pitt Stadium, and I don't remember much else except all I heard Browns and Steelers fans talking about on the walk to the game was about QB Bill Nelsen. Was there a lot of controversy between the clubs and Nelsen?
ANSWER: Bill Nelsen was selected by the Steelers in the 10th round (136th overall) in the 1963 NFL Draft, but until Coach Buddy Parker resigned on the eve of the 1965 season he played little. When Mike Nixon was named to replace Parker, he chose Nelsen to be the starter. In 1965, the Steelers finished 2-12, and Nelsen completed 44.8 percent, with 8 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and a rating of 52.7. Nelsen needed offseason knee surgery, and then in the second game in 1966 he sustained another knee injury and missed 10 games.
In a game vs. St. Louis on Sept. 24, 1967, Nelsen was injured and didn't return until late October. He ended up appearing in 7 games (3 starts), and he finished with a 44.9 completion percentage, 10 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a 65.3 rating. On May 14, 1968, Coach Bill Austin traded Nelson and DB Jim Bradshaw to Cleveland for QB Dick Shiner, DT Frank Parker, and a future draft pick. During the 1968 and 1969 seasons as a starter for the Browns, Nelsen had a 19-5-1 record during the regular season, with 42 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions; he was 2-2 as a starter in the playoffs, and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1969. During the 3 seasons Nelsen started for the Steelers, they were 1-5 vs. the Browns, and then during his 4 years as the Browns' primary starter he was 6-2 vs. the Steelers. Because of that, Steelers fans resented him and Browns fans loved to rub the Steelers fans' noses in it.
OWEN O'CEALLAIGH FROM KILKENNY, IRELAND: What was your favorite Steelers game of the season, and what was your favorite Steelers touchdown of the season? I wish you and all the contributors at Steelers.com a very merry offseason and prosperous new draft picks.
ANSWER: Beating the Ravens is always a highlight for me, so I'll go with the 18-16 win over Baltimore on Nov. 17 at Acrisure Stadium as my favorite win. My favorite touchdown came on the opening possession of the second half of the 27-14 win over the Browns on Dec. 8 at Acrisure Stadium. On that possession, Russell Wilson converted a third-and-10 with a 21-yard shot to Pat Freiermuth down the middle, and then on a second-and-6 from the Browns 10-yard line he executed a read-option type play where he had 3 decisions to make: hand the ball to a running back, keep it and run around the end, or press the corner and deliver a quick pass to a slanting-in-from-the-back-side receiver. Wilson made the read, executed the fakes, and delivered accurately to Van Jefferson for a 10-yard touchdown.
DAN TOTH FROM ANDERSON, SC: The Steelers lack of first down yardage seemed to make it difficult for them to move the sticks and sustain drives. What do you think they could have done differently to improve that?
ANSWER: Everything, from execution, to play selection, to the timing of the play-calls. When the offense finishes a season ranked in the top 10 in just one category – lowest percentage of passes intercepted – the areas that could have yielded better results pretty much cover everything.
