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Asked and Answered

Asked and Answered: July 23

Let's get to it:

MIKE FOSTER FROM EWA BEACH, HI:
My wife and I are flying out to training camp from Hawaii with our friend from Longview, Washington, our second year in a row doing it. We'll be in town for the Friday Night Lights practice through the Hall of Fame game on Sunday, Aug. 9. Any advice on things to do and sights to see, other than as many training camp practices as we can see, Jerome Bettis' Hall of Fame induction, and the first of five preseason games?

First things first. After reading this, I googled Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and then clicked on 'images.' You must be a true die-hard Steelers fan to leave what I saw in those images to spend a week in Latrobe/Canton. An impressive display of dedication, truly, and there would be no way I could've talked my wife into that. Anyway, if the weather is nice on the weekend of Aug. 1-2, I would suggest those two practices, because they should be lively. There will be practices every day of your stay except on Tuesday, Aug. 4, which is the players' day off. Here's a link to a website offering things to do in the area – museums, shopping, amusement park – if that might have some interest. http://www.visitpa.com/pa/ligonier/attractions-activities#1|2||1912||||||||| On your trip to Canton, make sure you allow time to tour the Hall of Fame. If you've never toured that facility, treat yourself to a nice leisurely visit. One final suggestion: There are Steelers radio shows throughout training camp, and the applicable dates during your visit are Monday-Friday, Aug. 3-7. Those are broadcast from 7-9 p.m. from venues at training camp and are simulcast on Steelers Nation Radio and 970 ESPN. The two most likely locales for those Steelers shows are Sharky's Café, which has a spectacular outdoor deck area called The Pier; and Dino's. Both of those establishments are located on Route 30, just east of training camp. Enjoy. And if you need anyone to house-sit, I betcha my wife would do it for free.

Fifty years of Steelers football at Saint Vincent College.

JOHN HUNT FROM LEXINGTON, KY:
What restrictions, if any, will be imposed during Le'Veon Bell's suspension, in terms of access to team facilities to maintain his training? Love Asked and Answered.

For the sake of answering this question, let's say Le'Veon Bell is suspended for the first two games of the 2015 regular season, and the suspension is announced the day before players are due to report to Saint Vincent College. He participated in the whole Steelers offseason program, and Bell would be permitted to report to training camp where he would be eligible to participate in all training camp practices and all preseason games. Following the Steelers' final preseason game – against Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 3 – the suspension would begin. He then would be banned from all practices and games during the suspension, but at the last NFL owners meeting it was decided to allow a suspended player to be at his team's facility. While there he could use the weight room, have access to the trainers, etc. That would last until the day after the final game of his suspension. Again, for the purpose of this question, a two-game suspension would allow him to return to active status on Monday, Sept. 21.

MICHAEL McKIBBEN FROM GREENVILLE, NC:
Kevin Fogg is a young, lesser-known player who appeared in three preseason games for the Dolphins before being cut and picked up by Pittsburgh in December. What do you believe the chances are that he makes the roster for this upcoming season?

Not to be flippant, but he has a chance, and right now it's really impossible to quantify that chance. Kevin Fogg was signed out of Liberty University by the Miami Dolphins on June 19, 2014, and you are correct when you say he played in three preseason games. After being cut by the Dolphins, Fogg signed with the Brooklyn Bolts of the FXFL and was named the league's Special Teams MVP. Coming out of college in Raleigh, N.C., Fogg was a 5-foot-9 running back who generated little interest from big college programs and so he decided on Liberty. Fogg played in all 11 games as a freshman cornerback before becoming a starter on defense and a kickoff returner as a sophomore. He led the nation in kickoff return average (33.5) as a junior, but he missed the 2012 season with a broken foot. He returned in 2013 to intercept four passes, and during his pro day he ran a 4.49 and had a vertical jump of 33-inches. What this all indicates is that Fogg has some physical ability, and he will arrive at camp competing at a position where the Steelers are looking for productive players. He had his moments during the offseason program, but the waiver wire in late August is always littered with the names of guys who had their moments during the offseason program. Wait and see, but I believe he's one of the under-the-radar guys worth watching during this camp/preseason process.

Check out the greatest photos of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd.

GUILLERMO LUJAN FROM CHIHUAHUA, MÉXICO:
I am a big Steelers fan who enjoys this section very much. What do you think of the 1995 Steelers, the team that lost Super Bowl XXX to the Dallas Cowboys? Where do you rank this team vs. other Steelers teams?

That was a very good team, but it also was a team that lost a Super Bowl through a combination of an offensive coaching staff too interested in passing the ball and a quarterback ill-equipped to handle the biggest stage in the sport. That Steelers team lost All-Pro cornerback Rod Woodson to a torn ACL in the first quarter of the regular season opener, and after stumbling around to a 3-4 start won eight in a row before losing a meaningless regular season finale in Green Bay to finish 11-5 and as the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs. That was the year Carnell Lake stabilized the defense by switching from safety to cornerback, when Greg Lloyd played like a man possessed after Woodson's injury to finish with 6.5 sacks and three interceptions, when Kordell Stewart became Slash and averaged 16.8 yards receiving, 5.7 yards rushing, and posted a passer rating of 136.9 as a goal-line quarterback. In the Super Bowl, the Steelers started slowly but took over the game in the second half. Dallas built a 10-0 first quarter lead, but that shrunk to 13-7 at halftime. In the second half, the Steelers defense limited Emmitt Smith to 9 yards on seven carries, and Troy Aikman completed 4-for-8 of his passes while the Cowboys were 0-for-4 on third downs. In the fourth quarter, a 1-yard touchdown by Bam Morris cut the Cowboys lead to 20-17, and four plays later the Steelers defense forced a punt to put the offense back on the field, at the Pittsburgh 32-yard line with 4:15 remaining. Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson was fond of light, quick defensive linemen, and those guys were sucking wind after being on the field for more than 21 minutes of the second half. But instead of taking advantage of that, the Steelers came out with multiple receivers and started passing, and Neil O'Donnell threw a bad interception to Larry Brown The 33-yard return put the ball at the Steelers' 6-yard line. Dallas ended up winning, 27-17. The 1995 Steelers were a lot of fun to watch, and they had a lot of guys step up in critical situations. I would maintain that of the two Steelers teams that lost Super Bowls, the 1995 team had a better defense than the 2010 group, it had more depth at receiver than the 2010 group, and it had a better offensive line than the 2010 group. If the 1995 team had the 2010 team's quarterback, the Steelers would own seven Lombardis.

CHARLES MARTIN FROM SEATTLE, WA:
Can you see Bud Dupree being a down lineman in the mold of Aaron Smith? Further, leading to a tandem of Vince Williams and Bud Dupree terrorizing quarterbacks as Smith and James Harrison did?

No, no, a thousand times no. Where does this stuff come from?

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