Let's get to it:
TOM YAKOWENKO FROM METUCHEN, NJ: With both Cam Heyward and Russell Wilson being Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winners, has there ever been two winners on one team before?
ANSWER: In the early 1970s, the Kansas City Chiefs had Willie Lanier (WPMOY in 1972) and Len Dawson (WPMOY in 1973) on the same team, but the Steelers once had Franco Harris (WPMOY in 1976), Joe Greene (WPMOY in 1979), and Lynn Swann (WPMOY in 1981) all on the same team.
DANA FISHER FROM ROCKPORT, ME: I was young during the 1970s and barely remember the teams back then, but I remember L.C. Greenwood and have often wondered why he wasn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I have since learned from you of the "Steelers fatigue" among some of the Hall of Fame voters, and it unfortunately may be true. Now that Greenwood has another chance to get in, do you believe it will happen? How about any of the other 5 Steelers nominees?
ANSWER: This is a process, and it's just the beginning of it. What the Pro Football Hall of Fame recently announced was a list of players nominated for the Class of 2025 in the Seniors category, and six former Steelers are among those nominated. The six players are Greenwood, placekicker Norm Johnson, defensive lineman Eugene 'Big Daddy' Lipscomb, linebacker Andy Russell, safety Mike Wagner, and running back Byron 'Whizzer' White. Those players are categorized as Seniors by the Hall of Fame because none of them appeared in an NFL game after the 1999 season. The next step in the process will have the Seniors Screening Committee, created in 2024 to provide more in-depth input into the selection process, narrow the current list to 50 players over the next few weeks. After that process is complete, the Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will reduce the list further and ultimately select three Seniors Finalists. Then those finalists will be presented to the Board of Selectors, who will vote on whether any will be elected to the Hall of Fame. There's a chance none of the six will get far enough in the process even to be considered by the Board of Selectors, but fingers crossed.
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JIM WINIARSKI FROM NOTTINGHAM, NH: I was thinking about a Steelers Mount Rushmore For Defense. It would definitely have Joe Greene, and Troy Polamalu, and now T. J. Watt has blazed his trail to that status. My question: who is the fourth? The 1970s defense produced several candidates, such as Mel Blount and Jack Lambert. Then there's Casey Hampton, Rod Woodson, and multiple linebackers, including James Harrison. And then there is Dick LeBeau. I can't pick a fourth. Who is your fourth?
ANSWER: Picking a fourth would imply that I agreed with your first three, and that's not necessarily the case. I don't believe it's possible to pick the four greatest defensive players in Steelers history, but if I were forced to do so, all I can tell you is that my list would start with Joe Greene and would include Jack Ham.
ERIC SCHIER FROM DOWNINGTOWN, PA: Perhaps my biggest concern entering the 2024 season was Nate Herbig going on injured reserve and the Steelers having to start a rookie at center. Other than a few exchanges going poorly, which will get cleaned up, it seems Zach Frazier did an admirable job. Is that the opinion of the coaching staff?
ANSWER: What I can tell you is that Coach Mike Tomlin isn't much for heaping praise on rookies early in their first seasons on the job, and here's what he said about the performance of the offensive line in the opener: "I'm appreciative of the efforts and demeanor of a guy like Spencer (Anderson), of a guy like Zach Frazier in stadiums in a starting capacity for the first time. There's definitely a lot of positive things to build on. I like their attitude and demeanor and finish. We'll keep working on the fine details."
MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: Since they began tracking stats in the NFL, most of them are fairly easy to figure out. The one stat I am unsure of is what is the criteria that constitutes a pressure on the quarterback?
ANSWER: Sometimes, and incorrectly so in my mind, the quarterback pressures stat is treated synonymously with hits on the quarterback. Hits on the quarterback is a statistic that's much easier to track, and it's way less subjective than quarterback pressures. During NFL games, the on-site stats crew will record hits on the quarterback among the defensive statistics, and there is no category for quarterback pressures.
SHAWN LYTELL SR. FROM ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL: Two part question. If the officials actually see that T.J. Watt wasn't offside can they go back and credit the sack? And secondly (this is just an observation), why does it seem that since the days of Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark we cannot seem to be able to cover the middle of the field. Did the scheme change totally?
ANSWER: Two part answer: No. As we used to say in the schoolyard, "No backsies." Imagine the Pandora's box that would be opened if the league decided to award statistics on plays that were nullified by officiating errors. Quarterbacks, receivers, running backs all could start laying claim to yards and touchdowns and completions, and then how far into the past are we going to go to balance everything out? For the second part, allow me to begin with one of those pesky facts: DeShon Elliott is a safety, and his interception vs. the Falcons happened between the hashmarks, which would almost place it in the exact middle of the field. Interesting that you would choose the Troy Polamalu-Ryan Clark safety tandem as being the beginning of the end, because teams can't play that way anymore. The NFL changed the rules. On a majority of passes down the middle of the field, the defenseless player protection kicks in, and breaking up passes, or discouraging offenses from attacking that area in the first place is now much more difficult.
BRADLEY COLLINS FROM LINCOLN, RI: We all agree that the hit on Cameron Johnston was egregious, and I know someone asked about why a penalty wasn't called. I thought it was because the penalty that was enforced was a pre-snap penalty and so, in effect, that play never happened. Am I correct or was it just bad officiating?
ANSWER: You are not correct. Here is the way the play officially was recorded in the National Football League Game Summary for Steelers-Falcons: "PENALTY on PIT-M.Killebrew, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at PIT 27 - No Play." It was not a pre-snap penalty.
DANIEL MAZENKO FROM LITITZ, PA: Many players, like Cam Heyward, express the desire to play for only one organization in the NFL. However, after their playing career, if they want to continue in the NFL by coaching or getting into the front office, they may have to go to other teams to get that opportunity. Of the Steelers players who won all four Super Bowls in the 1970s, did any go on to coach, scout, or work in the front office of other NFL franchises?
ANSWER: Joe Greene was a defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins from 1991-95 and then for the Arizona Cardinals from 1996-2003.
MIKE JOHNSON FROM MEMPHIS, TN: My friend and I need you to answer a question for us. Does a win in a game with an 8-point margin considered a two-score win? I said it does.
ANSWER: I would say it does not. Since a touchdown and a conversion (of the 2-point variety) would tie the score, then an 8-point differential qualifies as a one-score game.
