Let's get to it:
EDITOR'S NOTE: With the NFL going into summer vacation mode in advance of training camps opening later in July, Asked and Answered will join the trend and take a 2-week hiatus. The next installment of Asked and Answered will appear on Steelers.com on Tuesday, July 23.
ALONSO GOMEZ FROM PUEBLA, MEXICO: Which trade do you think was the best in the history of the Steelers: Troy Polamalu, Jerome Bettis, or Minkah Fitzpatrick?
ANSWER: First, let's begin with the details of each of the three trades you reference in your submission:
• On April 20, 1996, which was draft day that year, the Steelers acquired Jerome Bettis and St. Louis' No. 3 pick in the 1996 NFL Draft in exchange for their No. 2 pick in the 1996 NFL Draft and their No. 4 pick in the 1997 NFL Draft.
• On the first day of the 2003 NFL Draft, the Steelers traded their No. 1 pick (27th overall), their No. 3 pick (92nd overall), and their No. 6 pick (200th overall) to Kansas City for the Chiefs' No. 1 pick (16th overall), which was used to select Troy Polamalu.
• On Sept. 16, 2019, the Steelers traded a No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to Miami in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick, plus the Dolphins' No. 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft (used to select guard Kevin Dotson) and the Dolphins' No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft (used to pick safety Tre Norwood).
The trades that brought Bettis and Polamalu to the Steelers each added an all-time great player and someone who would end up being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Since Fitzpatrick's career is not over and his story is still being written, I would eliminate that trade from consideration as the best in franchise history at this point.
In addition to being great players, both Bettis and Polamalu were great teammates, great members of the community, outstanding human beings, all-time greats for a franchise that has sent 28 of its members into the Hall of Fame. Identifying the acquisition of one as being better than the other, I believe, comes down to a personal opinion, and I wouldn't disagree with a personal opinion that might be different from mine. But I'm going to pick the Bettis trade, because he was such an out-front leader for all of his 10 seasons with the Steelers that even during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech Polamalu referred to Bettis as his "mentor."
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KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, OH: About Cam Sutton: Do you believe the Steelers knew in advance if he was going to be suspended, or how long he was going to be suspended if he were suspended? If Sutton is suspended, is that going to be a suspension without pay? Does he count against the 53-man roster during any potential suspension? How does a potential suspension affect the salary cap?
ANSWER: I believe if the NFL had decided on a suspension and then a length of a suspension for any player, the league would announce the decision rather than have it leak out, as it inevitably would. Since there has been no announcement means to me that there has been no decision, and therefore the Steelers couldn't know anything "in advance." As for your housekeeping questions: A player does not get paid for the games he misses as a result of a suspension; he does not count on the 53-man roster for the duration of the suspension; and the team is credited for his lost salary on its salary cap during the suspension.
JACK SIMS FROM MACOMB, MI: Watching a replay of Steelers-Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, I was thinking about all the great LB groups in Steelers' history. The 2008 group of James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Larry Foote, and James Farrior was awesome. So was the 1995 group of Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, and Levon Kirkland. I think these were the Steelers' 2 best groups since the switch to the 3-4. Curious what your take is on which group was better?
ANSWER: The way I look at an issue such as this is putting the performance of each group in the context of the era in which it played. The 1995 group was effective vs. the style of offense at that time because it could sit in the box and stop the run or attack the backfield in a variety of ways. Imagine that 1995 defense if Rod Woodson wasn't injured in the regular season opener. It was a different style of offense the 2008 group had to face, and James Farrior was the key to that defense finishing the season ranked No. 1 in the NFL in both yards allowed and points allowed. Farrior was the key because he was smart, tough, THE leader, athletic enough to deal with running backs and tight ends in space, and unflappable. In each of those respective eras, I would argue the Steelers' group of linebackers was the best in the NFL.
MIKE FOSTER FROM EWA BEACH, HI: You have referenced last year's offseason and preseason a few times in answering questions about 2024. What did happen to the offense that went from unstoppable to "unstartable?" Does anybody know? Is there a plan in place to prevent it from happening again?
ANSWER: My references to the 2023 offseason/training camp/preseason period was an effort to caution fans about what they might be seeing so far this offseason and trying to use it as an accurate predictor for the 2024 regular season. You ask me why the offense looked so good in the run-up to the 2023 regular season only to fall flat once the games began to count in the standings. I don't believe there is a simple answer, but the first in-season firing of a coach since the 1960s provided a clue as to the depth of the dissatisfaction with the operation of the unit. The plan to fix that was to identify and hire a proven NFL coordinator/play-caller and put him to work.
TONY GATHERS FROM LAKE MURRAY, SC: I read that James Washington is making a comeback after a year off because of a foot injury. Seems like common sense to bring him back in for a workout and see if he's a viable option for the team. What do you think?
ANSWER: The only circumstance where I could envision the Steelers being interested in signing James Washington would be in the event of a number of injuries at the position early in training camp. Washington isn't dynamic as a route-runner or as a playmaker, and who knows how the injury and year off has impacted his skill-set.
MATT CORSAUT FROM MADISON, CT: If a player is signed to a one-year contract, and then released after training camp, how is his salary handled? If he does not receive the one-year salary, then why is it called a one-year contract?
ANSWER: In the NFL, a player is paid the salary outlined in his contract on a week-to-week basis based on the player being on the 53-man roster. Unless a player has a guaranteed contract, if he is released at the end of training camp he is not paid the salary listed in his contract. That's the way the NFL works.
TED WEBB FROM JACKSONVILLE, NC: Just wondering once the regular season schedule drops why do the Steelers wait to announce which games on the home schedule will be special-event games, like Alumni Weekend, color rush games, or my main gripe – Hall of Honor Weekend. I know the Steelers announce the members of the Hall of Honor Class once training camp starts, which is fine but why not pick the dates for the Induction dinner and the game? I want to attend the Saturday night festivities when the players officially get inducted and then the game the next day, but no clue at this point when that game is.
ANSWER: Maybe you missed it. The NFL announced its 2024 regular season schedule on May 15, and in the June 4 installment of Asked and Answered (just 3 weeks later), I provided the dates for the Hall of Honor Induction ceremony – Saturday, Dec. 7 at Acrisure Stadium – and the Hall of Honor game – Sunday, Dec. 8 vs. the Cleveland Browns, which currently is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff but could be flexed. There are a lot of variables involved in scheduling tent-pole events such as the ones you describe, but right now you can go to the homepage on Steelers.com and find links to purchase tickets to the Dec. 8 game vs. the Browns, and tickets for the Hall of Honor Induction Dinner have yet to go on sale.
