The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
BRUCE LANG FROM LAKE ARROWHEAD, CA: Every year and every game I'm hearing "stop the run." What is going on?
ANSWER: The most disheartening thing to me is that it's a "sometimes" thing. Sometimes the Steelers can stop/control the run, and sometimes they cannot. And it has been like this all season.
• Sept. 14 vs Seattle: RB Kenneth Walker rushes 13 times for 105 yards.
• Sept. 21 at New England: RB TreVeyon Henderson rushes for 28 yards on 11 carries.
• Sept. 28 vs. Minnesota: the Vikings finish with 70 yards on 20 attempts.
• Oct. 12 vs. Cleveland: the Browns finish with 65 yards on 17 attempts.
• Oct. 16 at Cincinnati: Chase Brown rushes for 108 yards on 11 carries.
• Oct. 26 vs. Green Bay: Josh Jacobs rushes for 33 yards on 13 carries.
• Nov. 2 vs. Indianapolis: Jonathan Taylor rushes for 45 yards on 14 carries.
• Nov. 9 at Chargers: The Chargers finish with 115 yards on 31 attempts.
• Nov. 16 vs. Cincinnati: Chase Brown rushes for 99 yards in 18 carries.
• Nov. 23 at Chicago: D'Andre Swift has 15 yards on 18 carries.
• Nov. 30 vs. Buffalo: James Cook had 144 yards on 32 carries.
A "sometimes" problem can be tougher to fix, because the issue isn't the same thing from one game to the next, and so it becomes the football version of whack-a-mole.
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ROY PERRIN FROM RALEIGH, NC: You answered a question about Dick LeBeau in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player and it made me wonder: could anyone be voted into the HOF in multiple categories? Dick LeBeau and John Madden come to mind as player and coach for LeBeau, and as a coach and contributor for Madden. Is that even a possibility?
ANSWER: No. One person, one bust, one category.
DAVID LUCE FROM HENDERSON, KY: When a player is signed to the practice squad, is any of the contract guaranteed or are they treated as an at-will player?
ANSWER: In very rare cases, there might be a small signing bonus, but typically guys on the practice squad are at-will players. Totally and completely.
VINCE AZZARELLO FROM WEIRTON, WV: I was surprised no one discussed the pivotal play of Aaron Rodgers being sacked and it resulting in a fumble for a Bills TD. Why no flag for roughing the passer? Joey Bosa drove him into the ground with all his weight face first into the turf. May not have changed the outcome, but I thought that was a penalty.
ANSWER: Agree with you 100 percent. If someone did that to Patrick Mahomes, they'd end up in prison, and if someone ever had done that top Tom Brady, they'd be on death row.
SEAN THAL FROM KAYSVILLE, UT: Joey Bosa sacked and landed on Aaron Rodgers with enough of his weight to cut Rodgers' nose on his facemask. I thought a defender was not allowed to land on a QB and that a roughing the passer penalty should be called if he did. Was that situation different, do I not understand the rule, was this a missed call, etc.? What is the rule for a defender landing on a QB as part of a sack?
ANSWER: It's my opinion that the rule for a defender landing on a quarterback as part of the sack is that NFL officials will call it or not based on the QB and/or the referee's reputation as a protector of the QB. Remember when Ravens NT Haloti Ngata hit Ben Roethlisberger in the face and broke his nose? No flag. But he was fined $15,000.
CHIP BENNETT FROM TAMPA, FL: With all the attention on the tush-push, didn't it used to be a penalty to try to assist the runner? When did it change and what was the reason the rules committee changed it?
ANSWER: The tush-push rule that allows an offensive player to take a snap and be pushed forward by teammates from behind began to be allowed in 2005. Mike Pereira, then the NFL Director of Officiating, who became network television's first on-air rules analyst, once said this to ESPN's Mike Greenberg about why that rule was changed: "What the league found so difficult was you were never sure who was pushing who. You're not necessarily pushing the runner. You're going to be pushing someone else that's in contact with the runner. So, it became too difficult to officiate. So, we just said, OK, it's legal to push."
KEN WILSON FROM MILTON, FL: Currently, how many compensatory picks are we getting next year? Based on their play this year, what are we getting for the loss of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields?
ANSWER: Cannot answer that now because all of the information regarding a team's free agent losses vs. their free agent signings doesn't become final until the end of the season. It's possible that Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields could end up playing meaningful snaps in several games down the stretch. And the same can be said for Darius Slay, as an example of someone on the other side of that formula for the Steelers.
MARK PRICE FROM ARLINGTON, VA: I believe the comment, "When you lose, everything they say about you is true" is interesting.
ANSWER: That was a Chuck Noll original, and when you think about it, it's very profound.
DONNIE BROWN FROM VAN BUREN, ME: Being critical of the Steelers defense is one thing, and as a fan I'll admit to my share. My question though is, over the past four seasons what is the difference in time of possession for the Steelers offense and the amount of time the defense has had to be on the field?
ANSWER: What I can give you are those numbers for 2023, 2024, and to this point in 2025. In 2023, the Steelers averaged 29:39 in time of possession, which means their opponents averaged 30:21. In 2024, the Steelers averaged 30:48 in time of possession, which means their opponents averaged 29:12. And as of today, the 2025 Steelers are averaging 27:51 in time of possession, which means their opponents are averaging 32:09.
