Let's get to it:
STEVEN MAGEE FROM DUNCANNON, PA: We know there are numbers not in circulation anymore. What is the process with retiring a number?
ANSWER: The process is a simple one: ownership makes the decision. And so now, that decision would rest with President Art Rooney II.
HOWIE PFEIFER FROM GILBERT, AZ: I have been watching football on Christmas for over 40 years, but things are changing in the NFL. This year both Christmas games will be streamed. Fortunately, they will allow both cities to watch the game, but if you are not in those areas, you have to pay to watch the game. Last year, it was Miami-Kansas City, which was streamed and not available on regular NFL channels. Amazon Prime Video streams Thursday Night football. Is this a growing trend for the NFL? Will the Super Bowl one day be a Pay-per view event?
ANSWER: NFL regular season football on Christmas Day for a long time was an irregular happening, only taking place during those relatively few years when that holiday fell on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. But it now seems as though the NFL is committed to having games on Christmas Day regardless of when Dec. 25 appears on the calendar, and I have a feeling those games will continue to be offered as a separate package, because that money benefits both players and management in the form of a consistently rising salary cap. I'm not naïve enough to believe the Super Bowl always will be broadcast on over-the-air television, but I am hoping it will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
LARRY LASH FROM TARENTUM, PA: How does the coaching staff choose what positions of need to focus on when constructing the practice squad? Do they ever keep an emergency long-snapper on the practice squad? Just curious how the practice squad is decided upon.
ANSWER: I once asked Coach Mike Tomlin how the practice squad is chosen; if the players chosen for the practice squad were the ones ranked just outside the individuals on the original 53-man roster. This was his answer: "They are guys with upside and potential, who are selfless and diligent workers. You can't be a high-maintenance practice squad guy. You have to be extremely reliable, you have to be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there. You have to be a self-motivated man, you have to be a high energy guy, and you have to have good practice habits. It starts there for me. There are a lot of things that occupy a coach's attention once you get into the regular season, and guys who are not playing cannot be one of them."
As for an additional long-snapper, there is a player active for each game who would serve as the emergency long-snapper if there is an injury in-game. If the injury to the long-snapper is more than a one-week situation, a long-snapper would be signed from the outside. In my opinion, using a spot on the practice squad to guard against a freak injury isn't the best use of the spot/salary cap space during a regular season.
TRACY THOMPSON FROM WEST MIDDLESEX, PA: Will the Steelers game on Christmas Day vs. Kansas City only be shown on Netflix? If so, I think the NFL is chasing away fans. I will not pay for something for one game.
ANSWER: I don't know whether West Middlesex, Pa., is considered to be part of the Steelers local market, but that game will be streamed on Netflix and televised in the Steelers local market on either KDKA, WTAE, or WPXI, and that will be determined at a later date. If you are able to get those three television stations, or the one on which the Steelers-Chiefs game will be televised over-the-air, you should be able to watch the game without subscribing to Netflix.
BRADY CORLESS FROM MAPLE VALLEY, WA: I recently saw a video of the NFL's leading receivers by year. Jerry Rice was the leading receiver in yardage 5 times, and Antonio Brown and Julio Jones were the leaders two times each. Has anyone besides those three led the NFL in receiving yards more than once? How do Jerry Rice's best 5 years compare to Antonio Brown's best five years?
ANSWER: Actually, Jerry Rice led the NFL in receiving yards 6 times, and Julio Jones and Antonio Browns each did it twice. Because the NFL has been recognizing a receiving yardage leader all the way back to the 1925 season, I was not about to comb through nearly 100 years and keep track of all the players who led the league more than once. But I can tell you that since 1999, Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, and Marvin Harrison all did it more than once. And all of those who believe the NFL didn't exist before the Super Bowl era might be interested in knowing that Green Bay's Don Hutson led the NFL in receiving 6 times during the 9 seasons between 1936-44. In 1942, which was an 11-game season, Hutson caught 74 passes for 1,211 yards (16.4 average) and 17 touchdowns, and he also finished with 7 interceptions because he was a defensive back as a two-way player that season. As for Rice vs. Brown, here are each player's top 5 seasons from a receiving yardage standpoint:
JERRY RICE
• 1995: 122 catches for 1,848 yards (15.1 average) and 15 TDs
• 1986: 86 catches for 1,570 yards (18.3 average) and 15 TDs
• 1990: 100 catches for 1,502 yards (15.0 average) and 13 TDs
• 1994: 112 catches for 1,499 yards (13.4 average) and 13 TDs
• 1989: 82 catches foe 1,483 yards (18.1 average) and 17 TDs
ANTONIO BROWN
• 2015: 136 catches for 1,834 yards (13.5 average) and 10 TDs
• 2014: 129 catches for 1,698 yards (13.2 average) and 13 TDs
• 2017: 101 catches for 1,533 yards (15.2 average) and 9 TDs
• 2013: 110 catches for 1,499 yards (13.6 average) and 8 TDs
• 2018: 104 catches for 1,297 yards (12.5 average) and 15 TDs
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: What's the difference between "gunner" and "jammer" on punt teams?
ANSWER: The gunner is the player on the punt team who runs down under the punt and tries to make the tackle; the jammer is the player on the punt return team who tries to engage the gunner and prevent him from doing his job.
