Let's get to it:
BURTON HARRIS FROM GREENSBURG, PA: The way Ben Roethlisberger liked using the tight end on third-and-short situations and in the red zone, so why do Coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Matt Canada refuse to use them? I believe that would take a lot of pressure off Kenny Pickett and keep the chains moving.
ANSWER: You know why Ben Roethlisberger liked using the tight end on third-and-short situations and in the red zone so much? Heath Miller. Let's remember that Ben Roethlisberger was a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, and the very next season the Steelers spent their No. 1 selection on Miller, a tight end from the University of Virginia, who ended up playing 168 regular season games over an 11-year career that included 825 targets, 592 catches for 6,569 yards (11.1 average) and 45 touchdowns, plus another 49 catches for 587 yards (12.0 average) and 4 touchdowns in 15 playoff games, all of which came during Roethlisberger's career. And after Miller retired after the 2015 season, the Steelers spent the rest of Roethlisberger's career trying to find another tight end just like him, but there is no orchard on earth where you can visit and pick a Heath Miller off the tree. The Steelers tried the unrestricted free agent route (Ladarius Green and Vance McDonald), and tried the draft again (Jesse James and Pat Freiermuth), but Miller was a great Steelers player, the best tight end in franchise history, and by definition there is only one of those. The most recent attempt was the selection of Freiermuth in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft (Roethlisberger's final season as the quarterback), and he caught 60 passes on 79 targets as a rookie and 63 passes on 98 targets in 2022 during the transformation from Mitch Trubisky to Kenny Pickett. So far this season, Freiermuth has been dogged by injuries, and he's currently on the injured reserve list and isn't due back at the earliest until the week of the Green Bay game, which is to be played on Nov. 12. Getting the ball to the tight end on third-and-short situations and in the red zone isn't something you can just say you want to do and it happens, and replacing Heath Miller one-for-one – either with a free agent signing or a draft pick – is a pipe dream.
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JOHN NOH FROM SAN JOSE, CA: I just love the highlights on Steelers.com with the calls in Spanish. Can you tell me who the announcing crew is, and how I might be able to catch them live? I think it'd be fun to watch a portion of the game with that crew even if I have no idea what they're saying.
ANSWER: The Spanish broadcast crew is Alvaro Martin, (from Puerto Rico), and Arturo Carlos (from Mexico). Alvaro, who has been calling NFL Games for over 30 years, is an Icon in Latin America. You are able to listen to their live game day broadcasts on Steelers.com/espanol; the broadcast starts 10 minutes before kickoff.
DAVID PACY FROM SHERMAN, NY: Off the top of my bald head, I "know" that the Steelers have a not-so-great all-time record against the Jaguars. Can you confirm or deny? Since the 1970 merge, what team is it that has the Steelers number?
ANSWER: I can confirm from personal experience that the Steelers have had problems with the Jaguars since the franchise joined the NFL for the 1995 season. Bill Cowher had an 8-10 record vs. Jacksonville, and Mike Tomlin is 5-4, which means the Steelers are trailing in the all-time series, 14-13. In looking for examples of the Steelers having a losing record against a franchise since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, I first eliminated all of the NFC teams, because the sample size is too small. That left the Raiders having a 17-15 edge in the all-time series, and those totals include a 3-3 mark in the playoffs; Seattle has a 7-6 lead in the all-time series when the teams were in the AFC together, and at home the Seahawks are 6-1 vs. the Steelers (pending the outcome of the game there on Sunday, Dec. 31). Oh, and against teams quarterbacked by Tom Brady, the Steelers are 4-12.
ISRAEL PICKHOLTZ FROM ASHKELON, ISRAEL: So does General Manager Omar Khan go to Coach Mike Tomlin and say, "Should I try to go after (insert player's name here) in a trade?" Whom does he ask about the possible availability of Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph in a trade? How does this work exactly?
ANSWER: All of those kinds of matters only happen with the knowledge and approval of Steelers President Art Rooney II.
BRUNO CONTORCHICK FROM YORK, PA: Do teams still scout other teams, usually the next opponent, by sending a scout to the game? Or do they trade films, or has technology come so far that they do it a different way?
ANSWER: The Steelers send a scout to watch upcoming opponents in a game, and because the NFL collects video of every game from all 32 teams that video is available for review by any of the teams.
RON WILLIAMS FROM ASTORIA, OR: When Coach Mike Tomlin does his weekly press conferences on Tuesday, is it predetermined how long it will run and how many questions he is willing to answer?
ANSWER: Periodically you will hear Senior Director of Communications Burt Lauten chime in with "Anyone else?" during those Tuesday news conference, but that it more to move things along than it is to cut them off. Coach Mike Tomlin doesn't put a limit on the time he spends at that podium or how many questions he'll take, but there always comes a time when there is a sufficient lull in the questions that things come to a natural conclusion.
GUILLERMO LUJAN FROM CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO: Joey Porter Jr. made some amazing plays, but also some poor tackling in the open field. I know he must and will get better at tackling. In the history of Steelers cornerbacks, do you have to be good at both?
ANSWER: Mel Blount, Rod Woodson, Ike Taylor all would qualify as examples of a prototypical Steelers cornerback. The Steelers never had a chance to draft Deion Sanders, and once he got to free agency his salary expectations and dual-sport aspirations prevented him from ever being on the Steelers radar, but his style of play was not what the team was looking for at that position.
STEPHEN CUPRZYNSKI FROM COCKEYSVILLE, MD: I remember watching John Henry Johnson when I was young, bending slightly at the waist and bringing his knees up to his chest, making it difficult to tackle him and allowing him to break past the line of scrimmage. Jerome Bettis, my favorite "fat back," seemed to use tremendous strength to accomplish the same. Were there Hall of Fame players on their respective offensive lines?
ANSWER: John Henry Johnson's career with the Steelers spanned 1960-65, and during those six seasons the team didn't have any offensive linemen who would go on to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There were five offensive linemen who played in front of Johnson during various times within those seasons who were voted to at least one Pro Bowl: guards Mike Sandusky and John Nisby, center Buzz Nutter, and tackles Charlie Bradshaw and Frank Varrichione. Jerome Bett's Steelers career spanned 1996-2005, and he played behind two future Hall of Famers – center Dermontti Dawson (from 1996-2000) and left guard Alan Faneca (from 1998-2005). The only other offensive lineman from Bettis' era to receive any individual accolades was Jeff Hartings, who was voted first-team All-Pro in 2004 and to Pro Bowls following the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
FRANCIS SURAGE FROM PICKERING, ONTARIO, CANADA: Can you please tell me what happened to Derek Watt? I haven't heard his name called in any of the Steelers games so far. Was he traded or is he still with team?
ANSWER: Derek Watt became an unrestricted free agent back in March, and since nobody signed him, I would have to believe he is finished playing football.
EDWARD WATSON FROM GRAHAM, NC: Since the NFL Merger, what is the Steelers record against the N.Y Jets, including playoffs?
ANSWER: The Steelers lead the all-time series vs. the Jets, 20-7, and that includes playoffs. That works out to 10-2 at home, and 10-5 on the road.
JIM SHOOK FROM MOSCOW, PA: Not a question, but I've learned that when the Steelers are not on TV locally in my area, and the SNR broadcast keeps dropping out when listening, I use my SXM app and tune to Channel 826 for the Steelers. My app is paired with my Steelers Bluetooth speaker.
ANSWER: Nice.
MARK WAKELEY FROM DENTON, TX: I also was able to listen to the Steelers at Rams game completely and uninterrupted for the first time this year. I downloaded the iHeart Radio app and because my "location" icon was turned off (how did that happen?), I had to manually enter my Zip Code, where an obvious typo put me smack dab in the middle of Pittsburgh.
ANSWER: Creative.
JOHN TULL FROM LIVE OAK, FL: Good morning from Jaguars country. Who do I need to talk to to make sure Mr. Watt knows Trevor Lawrence has a hurt left knee? Also, how do we request Mr. Watt be nice to our rookie right tackle?
ANSWER: I could tell you that I would pass along your concern/request, but that would be a lie.
