Let's get to it:
JACK MCCALL FROM DILLON, MT: I was not initially a fan of the Nick Herbig draft selection. However, he has proved me wrong many times over, and I'm glad he is with the Steelers. Will his role on game days change now that Alex Highsmith is injured?
ANSWER: With Alex Highsmith injured, Nick Herbig becomes a starter opposite T.J. Watt. Not a situational player, but an every-down, all-situations starter. Just like Watt, and Highsmith before he was injured.
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DICK VOCHEK FROM PORTAGE, PA: Could a player in Justin Fields' situation be considered for the Comeback Player of the Year Award? Or, is the award reserved only for those returning from an injury?
ANSWER: Here is a story written by Michael David Smith that appeared on ProFootballTalk.com on June 18, 2024, that answers your question:
"The Associated Press is clarifying the criteria for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, to emphasize that the winner should be a player who overcame injury or illness, and not just a player who followed a bad year with a good year.
"The spirit of the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season," voters for the award will be told as their guidance for voting on the award, according to AP senior NFL writer Rob Maaddi, who oversees All-Pro and NFL awards voting.
"Maaddi sought the input of some of the AP voters, including PFT's Mike Florio and Charean Williams, before finalizing the new guidance for the award.
"Changing the criteria of the award began to gain momentum after Geno Smith won Comeback Player of the Year in 2022. Smith played well that year after having been mostly a backup the year before, but he wasn't overcoming an illness or injury. The same could be said of Joe Flacco, who won the award in 2023 but again was coming back only from a career decline.
"For the 2024 season, the new guidance would seem to help the chances of Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, Anthony Richardson, or Nick Chubb to win the award after their injuries last year. Russell Wilson, who was benched in Denver last year and is now the projected starter in Pittsburgh, seems less likely to have a chance at Comeback Player of the Year under the new guidance."
MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: During training camp they talk about practices, but also classroom work. When the season starts how are those divided up? Is there more classroom work and individual drills than actual practices to maybe lessening in-season injuries?
ANSWER: The rules within the Collective Bargaining Agreement limit the amount of time per day that players can be under team control, both at training camp and during the regular season. My sense is that there isn't a significant difference between the players' work days during camp vs. during the season, because those are the rules.
BOB MITCHELL FROM NOTTINGHAM, NH: In last Sunday's game, against the Chargers, the CBS announcers commented several times that the Chargers were "chipping" T.J. Watt. What is "chipping?" Is it legal?
ANSWER: Chipping is a tactic used against top pass rushers, where usually a running back or a tight end will line up outside the offensive tackle and stick a shoulder into the pass rusher at the snap on the way to running a pass pattern. Consider it to be like a quick and temporary double-team, and the tactic is legal.
KEITH CLARK FROM BROOKLYN, NY: Did the league modify "The Mel Blount Rule" regarding what is pass interference? Last weekend I've seen clear illegal contact not called, clear pass interference not called. What is or do you know the league's response on those calls?
ANSWER: There has been no change to the rule prohibiting contact beyond 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. In the interest of not turning games into more of a flag-fest than they already are, there is some discretion allowed for contact that is judged by the on-field officials to be incidental. Your issue seems to be whether you agree with what some officials believed was "incidental contact" in the games you watched, and I'm often of the same mindset. And the NFL does not comment on such things.
JOE SCHMAELING FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: There seems to be a lot of talk about trading Russell Wilson to the Dolphins, or some other team with a quarterback problem. What do you think about that idea?
ANSWER: I don't think anything about a subject that arises via "a lot of talk," because it has been my experience that the people doing the "talking" don't know what they're talking about.
ROD KEEFER FROM EDMOND, OK: John Leglue was promoted from the practice squad for the Chargers game, but I did not see him listed on the report of snap counts. Was he simply active and available as a depth piece? And did he revert to the practice squad this week?
ANSWER: Yes. And yes.
JIM SMYDER FROM MOUNT PLEASANT, SC: If Justin Fields continues to impress, when do the Steelers sign him to a long-term contract?
ANSWER: If the Steelers make a decision to sign Justin Fields to a long-term contract, I can guarantee you it will not happen until the 2024 season is over. As it would be for any player.
TAD DECK FROM LEBANON, PA: Do you see Russell Wilson starting at all this season?
ANSWER: There are a set of circumstances that could unfold where Russell Wilson would start this season, and there are a set of circumstances where Russell Wilson would not start this season. But as Bill Cowher used to refer to such things, that's the "what-if game." There is no upside at all to playing the "what-if game."
MATT JORGENSEN FROM WEST JORDAN, UT: Just a comment for Emilio Aguilera who asked about what influences high ticket prices in the Sept. 24 Asked and Answered: I would like to point out that while purchasing tickets to Steelers games can be expensive if you purchase them early and at face value, but if you wait until a week or two before the games you can find plenty of tickets at very reasonable prices on the reputable secondary market ticket sales aps. As a life-long Steeler fan, we travel to Pittsburgh every year and enjoy sitting close to the field in the corner where the Steelers enter and leave the field at Acrisure Stadium. Lots of great memories at affordable prices.
ANSWER: Thanks for sharing.
