The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
MICHAEL ARCELA FROM SPRINGFIELD, NJ: Has there ever been a player the Steelers picked up on waivers who went on to have a stellar career?
ANSWER: Gotta go with the low-hanging fruit on this one: James Harrison. He originally was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted rookie after the 2002 NFL Draft, and spent time on and off the team's practice squad, during which he was waived three times, with the last of those coming in October 2003. In January 2004, Harrison signed a futures contract with the Baltimore Ravens and was allocated to the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. Then on June 17, 2004, Harrison was cut by the Ravens. Reportedly Harrison was considering giving up football at that point, but then both Harrison and the Steelers got a lucky "break." Starting outside linebacker Clark Haggans broke 2 fingers on his right hand during a weightlifting accident on the eve of training camp, and because he was to miss multiple weeks, the Steelers signed Harrison on July 26 in a move seen at the time as one to add a body to the training camp roster for practices. But given another, likely final, chance, Harrison took advantage and went on to put together a dynamic career. He would record 80.5 sacks that for a time put him atop the Steelers all-time leaders in that category; he was voted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008; he was a 2-time first-team All-Pro; he was voted to 5 Pro Bowls; and he was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2023.
MICHAEL KOLB FROM JOHNS CREEK, GA: My question is about how successful the Steelers have been in drafting first-round running backs. I remember Dick Leftridge as a first-round bust; Franco Harris was of course a superstar. How many other first-round running backs have we drafted, and how do you assess their careers?
ANSWER: This is another instance when I believe it's important to remind people that the NFL has conducted 90 drafts since the inaugural version in 1936, and the Steelers have participated in each one of those. In those 90 NFL Drafts, the Steelers have selected a running back in the first round in 24 of them. And this includes eras when the Steelers were drafting tailbacks for their single-wing offense, and when fullbacks were the primary ballcarriers on NFL teams. As an example of that, both Franco Harris and Cleveland's Jim Brown were fullbacks. The inaugural NFL Draft was in 1936, and the franchise's first-ever No. 1 pick was Bill Shakespeare, listed only as a back, from Notre Dame. But because professional football was not a glamorous and lucrative option for a college graduate back then he chose a career in business with the Cincinnati Rubber Company. I choose not to bore readers with a laundry list of those other 23 backs drafted by the Steelers in the first round, and so I will limit this to those I deem significant for one reason or another.
• 1938: Byron "Whizzer" White from the University of Colorado went on to become a United States Supreme Court Justice.
• 1942: Bill Dudley from the University of Virginia is the answer to the trivia question: "Who is the last Steelers running back to lead the NFL in rushing?" Dudley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as a part of the Class of 1966, and he was a member of the inaugural class of the Steelers Hall of Honor.
• 1946: Doc Blanchard (Mr. Inside) and Glenn Davis (Mr. Outside) were a legendary backfield tandem at West Point from 1944-1946, and they led Army to three consecutive national championships and are the only players from the same backfield to become three-time consensus All-Americans and Heisman Trophy winners. Blanchard won the Heisman Trophy in 1945 and was drafted by the Steelers in 1946; Davis won the Heisman Trophy in 1946. Because of his military commitment after graduating from West Point, Blanchard never played for the Steelers.
• 1954: Johnny Lattner from Notre Dame won the Heisman Trophy in 1953. After a successful rookie season with the Steelers, Lattner was drafted into the Air Force and sustained a serious knee injury while in service that ended his football career.
• 1962: Bob Ferguson from Ohio State was the 5th overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft. His career lasted 2 seasons for 2 teams, and with the Steelers he had 63 carries for 208 yards (3.3 average) and 1 touchdown.
• 1966: Dick Leftridge from West Virginia was the 3rd overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft. His career lasted just 1 season, in which he appeared in 4 games. He carried 8 times for 17 yards (2.1 average) with 1 touchdown.
• 1972: Franco Harris was a transformative player in franchise history; he is one of three Steelers to have his jersey number retired; and he is the only offensive player to be afforded that honor.
• Here is a listing of the other 5 running backs drafted in the first round by the Steelers in the Super Bowl era: Greg Hawthorne, 1979 from Baylor; Walter Abercrombie, 1982 from Baylor; Tim Worley, 1989 from Georgia; Rashard Mendenhall, 2008 from Illinois; and Najee Harris, 2021 from Alabama.
DONNIE BROWN FROM VAN BUREN, ME: With the opener against the New York Jets on the horizon, I feel the need to get nostalgic. In Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season the Steelers played the Jets, I believe in week 16. Did Jerome Bettis throw a touchdown pass in that game? I just remember not being able to get tickets to that one, but going to Buffalo the following week.
ANSWER: Some of your memories are accurate. The Steelers did host the Jets in 2004, but the game was played in Week 14. Pittsburgh won, 17-6. The game was tied, 3-3, going into the fourth quarter, and starting at their own 20-yard line after a Jets punt, the Steelers drove 80 yards in 8 plays to take the lead for good thanks to a 10-yard pass from Jerome Bettis to TE Jerame Tuman. After a Doug Brien field goal cut the Jets' deficit to 10-6, the Steelers took the kickoff and iced the game with a 6-play, 69-yard drive that was capped by Bettis' 12-yard run. The win was the Steelers' 11th in a row and did raise their record to 12-1, but it wasn't pretty. Ben Roethlisberger completed 9-of-19 for 144 yards, with 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a rating of 33.6; and even though the Steelers defense didn't sack Jets QB Chad Pennington, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu, and Chris Hope had interceptions to give the Steelers a plus-1 advantage in turnover ratio. After that game, the Steelers went on to defeat the Giants and the Ravens to get to 14-1, and then they went to Buffalo and defeated the Bills, 29-24, to complete their 15-1 regular season.
MATTHEW BARISH FROM LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ: Being on IR, is Will Howard allowed to attend meetings, to be at practices or at games on the sideline during the season or other things that may prove useful to him a year from now at training camp?
ANSWER: Players on the injured reserve list are permitted to attend meetings with the rest of the team, but when it comes to any physical activity they are limited to rehabilitation off to the side when the team is on the field. As for attending games, the NFL has strict limitations on the number of people allowed in a team's bench area, which mean the people in the bench area usually need to have a specific purpose for being there.
MIKE FOSTER FROM EWA BEACH, HI: Is there a misconception on how much power an individual player has? What are the consequences if a player did not report for mandatory activities (i.e., minicamp, training camp, regular season practice, games)? When can a team go after a player's money, past, present, or future?
ANSWER: The Collective Bargaining Agreement lists fines for players under contract who do not report for mandatory things such as minicamp and training camp. Players who skip regular season games are docked a game check based on the amount of their contract, and in that situation a team also could put the player on the NFI list where it could seek to force the return of a portion of a signing bonus. That's a general idea of some of the recourses a team could seek based on the particulars in your question.
ROB JAMES FROM MORRISTOWN, NJ: In Super Bowl XXX, Neil O'Donnell threw two critical interceptions. Previously, I had heard that the interceptions were the result of a miscommunication between the QB and WR – it was an option route, the WR ran the in-route, the QB threw the out-route. In the recent Netflix documentary on the Cowboys, Coach Bill Cowher seemed to suggest that there was no miscommunication and the ball simply sailed on O'Donnell. What do you think happened?
ANSWER: Actually, Neil O'Donnell threw 3 interceptions in Super Bowl XXX, but the third came on the final play of the game with the Steelers behind, 27-17. My memory of being in the Steelers locker room after that game and listening to the postgame interviews of the players is that the reason for the second of the three interceptions – the one by Larry Brown that effectively ended all hope for a Steelers victory – had more to do with a miscommunication than the ball sailing on O'Donnell. In fact, O'Donnell never mentioned to the media anything about the ball sailing. I didn't watch the Netflix documentary on the Cowboys, and so I have no idea what Bill Cowher "seemed to suggest." But maybe he had a different conversation with O'Donnell at some point that led him to that conclusion.
SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: Thankfully the season is upon us. The spotlight during training camp was all over the place, and I think that's a good thing. What was your overall view of the young offensive line during camp as far as health and conditioning?
ANSWER: As I have mentioned many times, I am no expert in the nuances of offensive line play, but in conversations with Max Starks I got the impression that there was steady improvement through training camp and the preseason. And the starters got through that phase and into the start of the regular season in relatively good health. I do not expect perfection right off the bat, because every offensive line in the NFL still has some developing to do come the start of a regular season.
DANIEL UTLEY FROM WICHITA, KS: You mentioned in a previous Asked and Answered that the Steelers have more urgent matters at hand than Will Howard, and I agree. In your opinion, what are the top "matters at hand" to address before Week 1?
ANSWER: The top "matters at hand" before Week 1 have to do with defeating the New York Jets. The regular season is upon us, and what really matters is taking each opponent in order and finding a way to win each game as it comes. This is not the time for any global issues or generalizations. It will be a singular focus on winning each week that will get the job done.
MAX MASHONEY FROM THE WOODLANDS, TX: Seems to me that the Steelers under Coach Mike Tomlin keep more defensive linemen on their 53-man roster than most other teams, especially when you consider it's a 3-4 defense. Is any data available to prove or disprove my hunch? Do you feel keeping so many defensive lineman is detrimental to the overall roster? Personally, I'd like to see an additional WR or DB or both.
ANSWER: The Steelers kept 8 defensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster, and that is a direct reflection of the injury to No. 1 pick Derrick Harmon that's expected to sideline him for more than 1 game but not long enough to justify a stint on the injured reserve list. So essentially, they have 7 defensive linemen on their roster. How that compares to other teams, I have no idea, and each team is going to make such decisions based on its particular set of circumstances regarding such things as injuries, scheme, etc. The Steelers already have 9 defensive backs on the roster, plus 5 more on the practice squad; and 5 wide receivers on the roster, plus 2 more on the practice squad. Why would you want more than that?
OSCAR THOMAS FROM JACKSON, MS: What years did Donnie Shell play for the Steelers and what position did he play?
ANSWER: Donnie Shell came to the Steelers as an undrafted rookie from South Carolina State in 1974, and he retired after the 1987 season. Shell appeared in 201 regular season games, plus 19 more in the playoffs, and he was a safety.
