Let's get to it:
TIM GAREY FROM PORTLAND, OR: What's the status of Troy Fautanu and Roman Wilson? I haven't heard much lately.
ANSWER: Both Troy Fautanu and Roman Wilson are on the injured reserve list. When players are on injured reserve there is nothing to hear until they are designated to return and then begin to practice. There are not periodic updates on the progress of their rehabilitation, because it's not required by the NFL, and that's a procedure adhered to by all teams. The next time you hear anything about Fautanu or Wilson in any official capacity will be if the Steelers designate either to return and they resume practicing with the rest of the team. As an example, Montravius Adams was placed on the injured reserve list on Oct. 22, and on Nov. 27 it was announced he was placed on injured reserve/designated to return and began practicing. That's the way it works for players once they're placed on injured reserve.
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TOM HERNANDEZ FROM BAYAMON, PR: Is there any web site where I could find the Steelers' fourth-down conversions by week? I think that as the season is progressing the team is getting less effective in converting fourth downs while the Steelers have been less effective with their fourth-down defense.
ANSWER: I did the work for you by going through each game, and I believe you are confusing a bad performance against the Browns as a reflection of a trend during the season to this point.
Against Atlanta, the Steelers were 0-for-1 on fourth down, and the Falcons were 1-for-1.
Against Denver, the Steelers were 0-for-0 on fourth down, and the Broncos were 1-for-2.
Against the Chargers, neither team attempted a fourth down.
Against, Indianapolis, the Steelers were 0-for-2 on fourth down, and the Colts were 0-for-0.
Against Las Vegas, the Steelers were 1-for-1 on fourth down, and the Raiders were 1-for-3.
Against the Jets, the Steelers were 2-for-2 on fourth down, and the Jets were 1-for-2.
Against the Giants, the Steelers were 0-for-0 on third down, and the Giants were 1-for-1.
Against Washington, the Steelers were 1-for-2 on fourth down, and the Commanders were 0-for-1.
Against Baltimore, the Steelers were 0-for-1 on fourth down, and the Ravens were 0-for-0.
Against Cleveland, the Steelers were 1-for-3 on fourth down, and the Browns were 4-for-4.
RICH DECIUS FROM SHELBY, OH: Offenses will sling the ball down the sideline to a receiver in hopes of a catch or a pass interference penalty, and we've seen many ticky-tacky pass interference calls. Are the rules different on Hail Mary play?
ANSWER: The rules for pass interference are the same, whether it's a slant pass on the first play of the game, or a Hail Mary on the final play of the game.
HAL TROLLER FROM ROCKY MOUNT, VA: When Browns CB Greg Newsome blocked George Pickens right out of the back of the end zone in the Cleveland game, wouldn't that be pass interference? Pickens should be allowed to make a play on the ball as a receiver right?
ANSWER: I should think so.
KEITH A. WIMER FROM YOUNGSTOWN, OH: Is there any searchable stat that would reveal the won-loss record when Chris Boswell misses a field goal? It might just be a perception thing on my part, but it seems to me like "Boz misses; Steelers lose." Which is certainly not to assign blame to him. He's great and in the grand scheme of things his misses are few and far between. Just seems to be a correlation is all.
ANSWER: You mean a searchable stat besides assigning me your personal research project? But since it's Thanksgiving and I'm in the holiday spirit, I'll play along. In games where Chris Boswell has missed a field goal during his 9-plus NFL seasons, the Steelers are 13-14-1.
JOHN WASHINSKY FROM CLEMMONS, NC: It seems to me and many of my friends that in both pro and college football, the officiating has deteriorated to produce timely inconsistent penalty calls. With the meteoric rise in sports betting, the influence of any one official's judgment can swing the tide in a game and impact large sums of money. Are there mechanisms in place to monitor the finances of officials on the field of play?
ANSWER: I believe what you're referring to is fixing the outcome of a game or games, and that is a federal crime. As an example, NBA referee Tim Donaghy was investigated by the FBI based on allegations that he bet on games that he officiated. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 months in a federal prison. I'm not familiar with the details of the FBI investigation of Donaghy or how it progressed, but it seems to me that's the "mechanism in place" to deter and then punish what you are talking about.
MATTHIAS ELFGEN FROM OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA: I would like to ask how in the world did this schedule get put together? You play the Ravens, then the Browns (short week and on the road) and then the Bengals away. On top of that you get a 10-day stretch that contains games at Baltimore, at Philadelphia, and the Chiefs at home. What is going on here? Do we have comparable years of schedules like that? I know in the end you gotta play everyone, but this one seems highly unfavorable.
ANSWER: A conspiracy theorist might be inclined to believe that all of the AFC North games for Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh were crammed into the back of the schedule because the NFL wanted to set up drama and interest for its in-season Hard Knocks on HBO.
These quotes appeared on NFL.com in June 2024 as part of a story about "Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North":
• Keith Cossrow, NFL Films vice president and head of content, said: "Last season the AFC North became the first division ever to have all four teams finish with a winning record, making it the perfect place to launch this new approach to 'Hard Knocks.' We thank the Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers for the opportunity to showcase some of the greatest rivalries in football and present the intensity of a playoff chase from all four corners of this incredibly competitive division."
• Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, co-executive vice presidents, HBO Documentary and Family Programming, and Bentley Weiner, vice president, HBO Sports Documentaries said: "We are ecstatic to expand the 'Hard Knocks' universe with our partners at NFL Films to the always thrilling AFC North division race. In 2024, 'Hard Knocks' will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and the Chicago Bears. What a year it will be on HBO and Max for football fans everywhere."
ROBERT MONTAGUE FROM ASHLAND, KY: Given that the Steelers offense is geared toward the run, why did they run the ball on first downs so predictably in the Browns game? Passing on first down keeps the defense spread out as they must respect both the pass and the run. Wouldn't a better mix of both plays help scoring?
ANSWER: As I have pointed out a few times since the Thursday night game in Cleveland, what many are seeing as trends is nothing more than evidence of a poor performance by the Steelers in a particular game. There can be no argument that the running game was ineffective vs. the Browns, but in watching the game it seemed to me the problems started with the offensive line not controlling the line of scrimmage. In the NFL, a successful running game has the ability to run the ball when the opponent knows the offense is going to run the ball. As just one example, in the Oct. 20 game vs. the New York Jets, the Steelers rushed for 149 yards, a 4.1 average, and 2 touchdowns on 36 attempts. Twenty of those 36 attempts came on first down. Hall of Fame guard Russ Grimm often said that a successful running game involves "moving a defender from Point A to Point B against his will." If a team is doing that, it doesn't matter what down it is, and if it cannot do that, it's not going to be successful no matter how often it mixes in a passing play to confuse the defense.
