Let's get to it:
BYRON BLEDSOE FROM EASTPOINTE, MI: I like Coach Mike Tomlin. I believe he is an excellent coach and I would never suggest the Steelers look elsewhere for someone to be their head coach. My question about Tomlin is just his demeanor on the sidelines. At times I think players need to have a fire lit underneath them, and getting a little loud and showing some emotion can be the means by which that happens. Evening tipping over a Gatorade bucket, or anything that would display your displeasure with the way the players are performing might get them playing better. In your estimation, do you think that this is sometimes a valuable asset?
ANSWER: I believe it's the fans who want to see a coach dump a Gatorade bucket, or yell and scream, or otherwise make a public display on the sideline after something bad happens during a game. Fans are angry, and they want to see their team's head coach show anger because it makes them feel better. But let me ask you, which great NFL coaches ever made a public display like flipping a tray of Gatorade on the sideline? Not Chuck Noll or Don Shula or Tom Landry or Bill Belichick. There is a famous clip of Vince Lombardi yelling, "What the hell's going on out there? Nobody tackling. Nothing but grab, grab, grab." But nobody even would have known he was yelling if he hadn't been caught by an NFL Films microphone. This is professional football, and the players are grown men. Certainly, there is a place for a coach to show anger, but doing it in such a public setting is no way to earn, or keep, the players' respect. And I can tell you that during Monday video review of the previous day's game, things can get very loud on the second floor of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
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MICHAEL FATTIBENE FROM ALLISON PARK, PA: Are there any statistics tracking the team's performance when the stadium plays "Renegade" before a big defensive series where we need to make a defensive stand? It surely seems much more often than not, the Steelers fail to deliver on said stand, as painfully evidenced (again) in the fourth quarter of the Dallas game. It seems more the exception that we actually make a big play and get the stop.
ANSWER: You do understand, or at least I would hope you do, that playing "Renegade" at Acrisure Stadium is a part of the gameday entertainment experience. Fans in attendance enjoy the atmosphere it creates both visually with the twirling Terrible Towels and the juxtaposition of the music with the highlights shown on the Jumbotron. Playing "Renegade" is not some sort of football tactic designed to unleash mystical powers that will create a big play for the Steelers defense, nor is it intended to be a supernatural motivating force for the players. As for statistics "tracking the team's performance when the stadium plays 'Renegade' before a big defensive series," I don't know anyone who has that much free time. Maybe you'd like to volunteer. And even if you undertake that chore, I have no interest in your findings. It's entertainment.
MATTHEW RHOADES FROM LATROBE, PA: Is it a possibility that there could be a rule to move kickers back on kickoffs to limit the ball flying out of the end zone, or it is not possible to change midseason?
ANSWER: It is not a possibility. Rules are not changed in the middle of a season. The next opportunity to amend or change or scrap the new kickoff rules will come during the NFL Owners Meetings next March.
JASON PRASTER FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX: If my research is correct, since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, the Steelers have used only four first-round draft picks on quarterbacks. The Pittsburgh Steelers' philosophy has been to build championship teams through the draft, which they accomplished with the 1970 pick of Terry Bradshaw and the 2004 pick of Ben Roethlisberger. So, why when Arthur Smith was hired did the Steelers decide to sign a veteran QB in Russell Wilson and make a trade to the Bears for QB Justin Fields and not make an attempt to draft a quarterback like Jayden Daniels who would probably have fit Smith's offensive scheme?
ANSWER: Jayden Daniels was the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Washington had the opportunity to pick him because it was 4-13 during the 2023 season. The Steelers were 10-7 in 2023, and so they were in no position to have any chance at drafting a player such as Daniels, and moving up high into the first round to pick such a player is very, very expensive. The Carolina Panthers, as an example, moved from ninth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft to first overall to pick Bryce Young, and to do that they sent Chicago the No. 9 and No. 61 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, plus their No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, plus 5-year veteran WR D.J. Moore, who had averaged 73 catches for 1,040 yards and 4.3 touchdowns after entering the NFL a No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Through the first dozen draft picks last April, 6 quarterbacks – Caleb Williams, Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix – had been selected. The Steelers drafted 20th overall. There was no realistic chance to do what you suggest.
PAT CREEL FROM CLAYTON, NC: It's hard to see on TV how receivers are being covered, hence my question. Are the Steelers receivers having a hard time getting open? I know they are young and inexperienced and it takes time for a receiver to learn how to get open in the NFL. I also know the offensive line is young and inexperienced and has had some injury issues. So is Justin Fields just not able to find an open receiver? Are the receivers not able to get open? Or is the offensive line not giving Fields enough time to find the open guy?
ANSWER: Based on your question, I would say that deep down you know why the Steelers passing game has been struggling through the early portion of this regular season. There are times when Justin Fields might miss an open receiver, just as there are times when none of the receivers is open, and/or the pass protection doesn't provide enough time for one of those things to happen. And the reason those things aren't happening on a more regular basis is because the receivers are young and inexperienced, the offensive line is young and inexperienced and has had injury issues, and Fields is a young guy in the first year of a new offense and still Is learning the craft of being an NFL quarterback. And there are no quick fixes for any and all of that.
RICKY SMITH FROM PENSACOLA, FL: I had high hopes for Roman Wilson. Where in the world is Roman Wilson? I have been a tad busy lately and admit I have fallen behind on my Steelers news. Can you give us an update on No. 10? Is he still in the Steelers plans for the future?
ANSWER: Roman Wilson is certainly in the Steelers' plans for the future. In fact, I believe he's in their plans for the present, as in the 2024 season. But Wilson was injured on the sixth snap of the first practice in pads at Saint Vincent College, and so there was a lot of on-field work he missed. Wilson wasn't able to practice at all during training camp, and he also wasn't healthy enough to play in any of the three preseason games. So where Roman Wilson is right now is a rookie who's trying to learn what it takes to play in the NFL. He has been a regular participant in practice for some time now, and he's getting close, but another thing holding him back was that all the missed time removed him from consideration on special teams. And extra receivers typically need to be capable of contributing on special teams to get a helmet on game days. But it will happen for Roman Wilson. Maybe soon.
CHARLES KONOP FROM NEWPORT NEWS, VA: It seems obvious to me and others that T.J. Watt gets held quite a bit. With Watt drawing so much attention from opponents and being double-teamed and triple-teamed, shouldn't the Steelers be able to scheme up better stunts for other players?
ANSWER: What you have right now is a situation where Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig are out with injuries, and DeMarvin Leal is on injured reserve. Cam Heyward already is a priority for opponents in passing situations, and as you referenced in your question T.J. Watt is going to draw a lot of attention. With the exception of instances of a bust in protection where a pass-rusher is allowed to come free, the best a scheme usually can do is create a one-on-one matchup that's a mismatch. Then it's up to the defender to win that matchup. Dick LeBeau always said the best he could do in terms of scheming for a pass-rusher was to create a matchup vs. a tight end or a running back. Then it was up to the defender to win that matchup.
