Let's get to it:
PAUL BUREK FROM GAINESVILLE, GA: Do the Steelers still use exotic blitz packages? I have not heard/seen anything about that in some time. Wasn't it Dick LeBeau who created this type of defense?
ANSWER: Yes, Dick LeBeau created and perfected the zone-blitz concepts that allowed a defense to pressure quarterbacks with blitzes without exposing itself in coverage by playing zone behind it. But in today's NFL, the key to good defense is the ability to generate pressure on the quarterback without having to blitz, by only rushing four. Quarterbacks now are protected in the pocket and allowed to get rid of the ball with less fear of intentional grounding, and the player safety initiative protects receivers as defenseless when the ball is in the air. Defensive backs are limited in the way they're allowed to use their bodies as a means to break up passes, and pass rushers are penalized if they land on the quarterback while sacking him. Add it all up, and pass defense has had to change from the era that marked the heyday of the zone-blitz. There still may be some zone-blitz concepts in the Steelers defensive packages, but it hasn't been the primary scheme for a long time.
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SCOTT LENTZ FROM SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA: Do NFL teams have the opportunity to provide behind the scenes feedback about officiating crews? While there's no point in caving to the grumbling of fans and publicly complaining, it seems reasonable for teams to evaluate crews based on fairness, accuracy, etc.
ANSWER: The NFL has its own method of reviewing and evaluating/grading the officiating as well as the individual officials within each crew. While teams can present questions and concerns to the league office about officiating, I sincerely doubt the NFL would have any interest in any kind of detailed critique coming from individual teams. But what teams are able to do on their own is study officiating crews in terms of which ones call a lot of pass interference penalties, or which referees are known to be very quarterback friendly when it comes to protecting them while they're in the pocket, etc. Doing it that way provides teams with information going into the game, rather than spending time complaining about things after the fact.
CARL ANDERSON FROM FREDERICKSBURG, VA: I know that there are a variety of reasons, but do you think a baseball-like (but with just one tier) minor league would work for the NFL? I believe there are enough big cities that would support a fall/winter league, making it economically feasible. Maybe Wednesday/Thursday nights?
ANSWER: I disagree with the economically feasible aspect, because there have been a bunch of wannabe pro football leagues that haven't been successful, and from the NFL's perspective, why would it want to try to prop up a minor league when it has college football? In the fall/winter time slot you suggest, would you as a football fan rather watch Alabama-Georgia, or a couple of minor league teams made up of guys who didn't make NFL rosters? I just don't think there's room for another league, because even though I am involved in the football business, I can tell you I did not in the past nor do I watch in the present any of the UFL or XFL or any of those leagues when they were on television in the spring, or whenever. But every Saturday, I am interested in watching SEC football.
COREY BATES FROM BRANCHPORT, NY: Why do officials have numbers on their shirts?
ANSWER: For identification purposes. Like players, there are names attached to those numbers. In a recent Asked and Answered, there was a question about flip cards, and this was my answer: "A game day flip card is double-sided and shows the rosters, starting lineups, depth charts, for both teams, plus the officiating crew, and other pertinent information. They are used in both NFL press boxes as well as at major college football games." The listing of the officiating crew on the flip card lists each individual by name, job assignment (referee, umpire, side judge, etc.), and by the number on the back of their shirts. It allows everybody to know who is who.
JASON PRASTER FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX: When a player on defense intercepts a pass, is that player also credited with a "pass defensed?" I was looking online to try and find an NFL Stats rulebook but no dice. I was curious if Cory Trice Jr. was credited with an INT and PD in the game against Denver.
ANSWER: In the game against the Broncos, the on-site stats crew credited Cory Trice Jr. with an interception and a pass defensed for the play he made in the end zone. I don't know that there's a universal standard for on-site stats crews when it comes to whether an interception is automatically a pass defensed, or whether those are two distinct categories.
JEREMY RONSON FROM PENARTH, WALES: Genuine point of clarification rather than a criticism of officials: What was the difference between the holding penalty against Dan Moore in the Broncos game and the numerous times the Broncos offensive tackles were "hooking" both Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt on their pass rushes without being flagged?
ANSWER: I have no idea, and that's being totally honest. No sarcasm. No veiled shots at the officiating. One summer at Saint Vincent College some years ago I attended the presentation done by the NFL officials during their tour of training camps, and part of that presentation had to do with what was considered holding and what was not. After that session was over I had no better understanding of what constituted holding than I did before walking into that presentation. I have come to believe a lot of it is arbitrary.
MATT MARIS FROM PORTLAND, OR: It has annoyed me to hear fans describe Dan Moore as horrible because he has struggled against some elite pass rushers. They never mention how he has been a solid run blocker his entire career. He has been solid as a rock in both pass protection and run blocking. Can you please tell us how he is doing compared to other left tackles and your thoughts on his play this year?
ANSWER: I am not knowledgeable enough about the intricacies of offensive line play to provide a critique of Dan Moore Jr.'s play and how that might compare to the performances of other left tackles around the league. But I have asked people who know what good offensive line play is, and they have told me that Moore never has been horrible even going back to the start of his rookie year, and that right now he is the best left tackle on the Steelers roster. The guy has started 51 of a possible 53 regular season games since he entered the NFL as a No. 4 pick (128th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft from Texas A&M. Beginning with the 2021 season, he has played 3,327 offensive snaps, which worked out to 99 percent in 2021, 100 percent in 2022, 95 percent in 2023, and 100 percent through two games of 2024. If he was "horrible" the Steelers wouldn't be trotting him out there every Sunday.
KEN WALDROP FROM ONTONAGON, MI: How close are we to having Isaac Seumalo back in the lineup, and also do you think not having his experience in there hampers the play of young players like Broderick Jones?
ANSWER: Isaac Seumalo was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, which indicates he isn't quite ready to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Chargers. Maybe he's able to get back on the practice field next week leading up to the game in Indianapolis. Talented, veteran guards are a help to the players on both sides of them along the offensive line, and for Seumalo those guys would be left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and center Zach Frazier. Clear communication of the pass-blocking calls and the execution of tandem blocks or double-team blocks require timing and teamwork, and Seumalo is a very good player.
ERIC ASH FROM WELLSVILLE, NY: Being 2-0 and on top the division is great, but only 31 points, one touchdown and 8 field goals (half of them from 40 yards out or more) in two games doesn't bode well for a long season. Does Russell Wilson take over as soon as he is healthy?
ANSWER: The way I understood what Coach Mike Tomlin said at his news conference on Tuesday was that Justin Fields will start at quarterback until Russell Wilson is cleared medically. Once that happens and Wilson is able to return to full participation in practice, a decision then will be made on who starts at quarterback. Until then, Tomlin said he will not deal with hypotheticals, or as Bill Cowher used to call hypotheticals, "playing the what-if-game."
PATRICK CONOVER FROM HUNTSVILLE, AL: I have tried to watch every play on television for both games this season and it could be me not seeing the entire field, but have we attempted any passes over the middle deeper than a few yards? I thought we would have seen several attempts to Pat Freiermuth by now, but don't recall seeing even one.
ANSWER: After the win in Atlanta, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said he told Justin Fields to avoid throwing the ball down the middle of the field because of Falcons' free safety Jessie Bates, who had 20 career interceptions coming into the 2024 season, including 6 in 2023. Last Monday, Bates sealed Atlanta's win with an interception of a deep pass from Jalen Hurts with 27 seconds left, and so apparently that was a sound strategy by Smith. Smith's game plan is going to be a week-to-week proposition based on what the Steelers' offensive personnel is capable of executing as well as based on the relative strengths of that week's opposing defense. Making blanket statements or coming to conclusions after 2 weeks of a 17-game season is wasted energy.
PAUL PIMENTEL FROM FRESNO, CA: In David Carr's rookie season (2002), despite abysmal offensive stats, he earned a win against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 24-6. Maybe the game's outcome was so woeful, you blocked it out of your memory. As a bonus, that was Houston's inaugural season.
ANSWER: As a bonus (for me), here is the wording of the question from the Sept. 17 edition of Asked and Answered about the Steelers and rookie quarterbacks: "I read that the Steelers are 24-6 against rookie quarterbacks during the Mike Tomlin era. Who were the 6 we lost to?" As you were so smug to point out, the Steelers lost to the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback David Carr in 2002. Who was the Steelers coach in 2002? Was it Mike Tomlin? No, it was Bill Cowher. Back in grade school, I remember the nuns teaching us what they called "reading comprehension." Maybe you were absent the day they taught that at your grade school.
