Let's get to it:
WAYNE PHILLIPS FROM SPRING HILL, FL: I'm submitting this the morning of the Jets game. With the Jets defense against the run, wouldn't you think we would be better off to start Justin Fields with his running and escape abilities? I fear Russell Wilson will get sacked 3-4 times and possibly be injured again. I just think this isn't the time to switch.
ANSWER: Well, if you had a chance to watch the 37-15 win over the Jets, you were able to see that Coach Mike Tomlin was right. Giving Russell Wilson a chance to play unlocked a part of the offense the Steelers weren't getting from Justin Fields. Wilson was sacked only once and had no turnovers; he was flawless with his ball handling whether under center or in the shotgun for all of the 66 offensive plays. The Steelers converted 7-of-16 on possession downs; they were 4-of-6 in the red zone and 2-for-2 in goal-to-go situations. The offense rolled up 409 total net yards, and there were no turnovers. All of that vs. a Jets defense that was one of the best the Steelers had faced this season. Tomlin made the right decision to play Wilson, and he did it in a sufficiently timely manner that will give the Steelers the potential to develop the kind of offense they're going to need for the final 11 games on their schedule.
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PAT PALUMBO FROM WESTERVILLE, OH: In Sunday night's game vs. the New York Jets when the extra point was blocked by Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers were penalized for vaulting with the help of another player, why was that play not reviewed? I thought all scores were reviewed. Even the rules analyst on the broadcast said Minkah was not using another player to gain an advantage.
ANSWER: By a strict interpretation, it was not a scoring play. For example, if a runner or receiver is judged not to have crossed the plane of the goal line, the play cannot be automatically reviewed as a scoring play because there was no score. The extra point was not technically a scoring play because the ball didn't go through the uprights. And since penalties are not reviewable, the ultimate outcome was the officials blew the call and the Steelers had no recourse.
JIM ANDERSON FROM TOLEDO, OH: In Sunday night's game, Replay Assist was used to correct the spotting of the ball relative to the line to gain in order to give the Jets a first down. Why wasn't Replay Assist used to correct the leverage penalty on Minkah Fitzpatrick that nullified the blocked extra point by the Steelers? The video replay clearly showed that leverage was not used.
ANSWER: This is a different approach to the same issue referenced in the above submission. For your scenario, Replay Assist cannot be used in that situation because penalties are not subject to replay review.
ALICIA CAMPBELL FROM CANONSBURG, PA: When do you see Roman Wilson coming back to play? I can't remember hearing anything about why he isn't currently on the active roster.
ANSWER: Roman Wilson was injured on the sixth snap of the first practice in pads at Saint Vincent College, but since he was never placed on injured reserve he always has been on the active roster. Wilson was inactive through the first handful of regular season games but he was in uniform and played 5 offensive snaps in Las Vegas, which indicated his arrow was pointing up. Then during the following Thursday's practice, he injured a hamstring and couldn't practice the next day. He was downgraded to questionable and then was inactive for the game against the Jets.
MARK SIGAL FROM COLUMBUS OH: Is Pittsburgh going to put the captain's C on the front of the jersey. I see other teams do that. Why hasn't Pittsburgh?
ANSWER: When the NFL partnered with Nike to provide the league's uniforms, Dan Rooney approved a proposal to switch from block numbers to a more rounded font and add a Steelers logo on the front on the left chest area. That change took place for the 1997 season, and at that time there was no such thing as a Captain's C on the jersey in the NFL. That was strictly a hockey thing. Then when the NFL started allowing the Captain's C, Dan Rooney thought having the C on the front along with the logo on the front was too much. So there is no Captain's C on the front of the Steelers jerseys.
KEN LEE FROM MECHANICSBURG, PA: Since Coach Bill Cowher provided his Mount Rushmore of Steelers defensive players, numerous other Steelers "all-time" Mount Rushmore lists have appeared with none listing Franco Harris. It is my humble opinion that such an all-time list must include Franco because as Joe Greene has said, the Steelers did not begin to win anything until Franco arrived, and Franco brought a valuable intangible as evidenced by the Immaculate Reception. I assume the Rooney family agrees since Franco's No. 32 is only 1 of 3 jerseys ever retired by the Steelers. On the 50th Anniversary of the Steelers first Super Bowl win, I ask you: should not the Steelers Mount Rushmore be Joe Greene, Franco Harris and then let the discussion begin?
ANSWER: It is my opinion that it is not possible to select 4 Steelers players and put them above all the others in franchise history based on any criteria beside personal preference. For example, how do you possibly choose between Jack Ham and Mel Blount, both transformational players who changed the way their respective positions were played and/or officiated?
And here's another thing that was strange: the actual Mount Rushmore in South Dakota honors four individuals – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt – CBS instructed Bill Cowher to pick five players for his Steelers Mount Rushmore. If my life was at stake and I had to pick a Steelers Mount Rushmore, the four faces would be those of Art Rooney Sr., for founding the franchise and keeping it viable and in Pittsburgh through 4-plus decades when professional football was not a glamorous business; Dan Rooney, for taking his father's franchise and formulating a business plan and making the executive decisions that transformed it into a winner on the field and a giant in the NFL; Chuck Noll, for taking over the losingest franchise in the history of professional football and turning it into the NFL's dominant team within 10 years with no free agency to help turn over the personnel; and Joe Greene, the best and most influential player in franchise history who is acclaimed even by his teammates as the greatest of the great Steelers.
