Let's get to it:
MATTHEW RHOADES FROM LATROBE, PA: Can you think of a catch by a Steelers player that really stood out to you?
ANSWER: Can I think of one? It's more an issue of can I pick just one? For people in my age group who remember Super Bowl X, there were two of the catches Lynn Swann made in that game along the way to being voted Super Bowl MVP. In Super Bowl XIV, there were two catches by John Stallworth in the fourth quarter that were integral to the win over the Rams that brought the Steelers a fourth Lombardi Trophy. There was the Antonio Brown catch on Christmas Day in 2016 – nicknamed the Immaculate Extension – in the final seconds that gave the Steelers a 31-27 win over the Ravens and sent the team into the playoffs. And then of course every Steelers fan can remember Santonio Holmes' catch in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIII that provided the deciding points in the 27-23 win over Arizona that netted that sixth Lombardi Trophy. That's six right there, and I didn't even give it much thought at all.
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BRUNO CONTORCHICK FROM YORK, PA: Not a question, but a thank you to Max Starks and Steelers.com for explaining the new kickoff rules. Turned something that looked confusing into something I now understand.
ANSWER: I agree. In 70 seconds, the video took a rather complicated rule change and made it easy to understand.
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: I had absolutely nothing to do this afternoon so I listed all the schools the Steelers have players from. Turns out, 35 schools east of the Mississippi and only 15 west of the river. Hmmmm. A flaw in their scouting program?
ANSWER: I would call it a flaw in your premise. Who cares which schools have players on the Steelers roster? It's the players themselves who are important, not where they played college football. Three players from Georgia (east of the Mississippi River) but none from Utah (west of the Mississippi River) on the current roster, so do you want to fire Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl? There have been more inane submissions to Asked and Answered, but I can't think of any at the moment. You do have too much free time.
LARRY LASH FROM TARENTUM, PA: I could have sworn I saw Dylan Cook on the 53-man roster, and you answered a question stating that he was one of 24 from last year who did not make this year's roster. And also I thought Nate Herbig was on IR/with possibility to return? Please let me know what I missed.
ANSWER: Allow me to start by repeating the exact question that was submitted by Kevin D'Angelo in the Sept. 3 edition of Asked and Answered: "Can you tell me the players who were on the 2023 active roster who aren't on the 2024 active roster to start the season?" After the Steelers made their cuts on Aug. 27, Nate Herbig was on injured reserve and out for the season, and Dylan Cook was on Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return. Players on those lists are not on the 2024 active roster. Both Cook and Nate Herbig were on the 2023 season opening active roster, which is why they were included in my answer to that question.
PHILLIP MARTIN FROM HAYWARD, CA: My first time asking a question. Who do you think will be the No. 2 WR behind George Pickens?
ANSWER: I would list George Pickens, Van Jefferson, and Calvin Austin III as the top three receivers on the 53-man roster, and as such they figure to see the bulk of the playing time during the regular season. There are so many different personnel packages and changing of personnel groupings among wide receivers that designations aren't as significant as snap counts and/or targets. That's how I view it.
ANDREW SCHERBIK FROM PORTSMOUTH, OH: With your time covering the Steelers, I'm sure you interviewed plenty of players. Do you have a favorite player that you interviewed?
ANSWER: I would pick Joe Greene. Even though I wasn't in the Steelers locker room until the end of his playing career, Joe Greene always was insightful and candid and completely unafraid to speak his mind. And that never changed right through his career as an assistant coach and then a member of the Player Personnel Department.
MILTON MANION SR. FROM LOUISVILLE, KY: I know that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. What coach if any has a better record at said feat?
ANSWER: Entering the 2024 season, the only coaches who have had a longer streak of consecutive non-losing seasons than Mike Tomlin's current streak of 17 (2007-23) are Tom Landry with 21 (1965-85) and Bill Belichick with 19 (2001-19). The streaks by Landry and Tomlin both came at the start of their NFL coaching careers, while Belichick's began after he had been fired by the Cleveland Browns after the 1995 season.
SHAWN BITTNER FROM JACKSONVILLE, NC: While I believe that Cam Heyward is in the top 10 of all-time Steelers greats, there are some who think he has slid over the last few years and is "overrated." Taking aside what he means in the locker room, can you provide some statistical perspective in comparison to his current peers?
ANSWER: Judging Cam Heyward based on what a younger player is doing for a different franchise has nothing to do with what he still means to the franchise that decided he was worth signing to a fourth NFL contract. The 2024 season is Heyward's 14th in the NFL, and over the course of the previous 13 he played in 194 games (159 starts), and he recorded 80.5 sacks, 47 passes defensed, 175 quarterback hits, 118 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and two interceptions. His 80.5 career sacks are the most by a Steelers' defensive lineman and ninth-most by a defensive tackle in league history. The Steelers have a legacy of great defensive linemen over the course of their history, and Heyward is the third-most decorated defensive lineman behind Joe Greene and Ernie Stautner, both of whom have had their jersey numbers retired. And the Steelers have retired just three jersey numbers in their 90-plus seasons in the NFL. Maybe another franchise might not value a 35-year-old defensive tackle, but the Steelers value this one, and that's why President Art Rooney II decided to make every effort to ensure that theirs never plays for another franchise.
DAVID MAURO FROM LOVELLS, MI: Has the "Philly scrum" been outlawed?
ANSWER: The "Philly scrum," as you call it also is known as the Tush Push or the Brotherly Shove, and it is legal for the 2024 NFL season.
