The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
DONNIE BROWN FROM VAN BUREN, ME: The Steelers-Ravens rivalry has had its coaching reset, but some things will never change. My question is, how has Lamar Jackson fared during his career against the Steelers? He's a great football player, and he seems to help out the Steelers from time to time.
ANSWER: In 8 regular season starts vs. the Steelers, Lamar Jackson has completed 138-of-240 (58 percent) for 1,719 yards, with 11 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a rating of 76.2. Jackson was sacked 28 times in those 8 games, and he rushed 65 times for 252 yards (3.9 average). The Ravens were 2-6 in those games. In 1 playoff game, Jackson completed 16-of-21 (76.2 percent) for 175 yards, with 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a rating of 132.1. He rushed 15 times for 81 yards, and the Ravens won that game to give Jackson an overall record of 3-6 vs. the Steelers as a starting QB.
BOB GAYDOS FROM SPRINGDALE, PA: OK, so you're not really into predicting, but I have to ask anyway – what is your starting offensive line on opening week?
ANSWER: Just because you have to ask, doesn't mean I'm going to answer. Check back after the second preseason game.
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MIKE NUSIDA FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: Besides the competition for backup quarterback, what camp battles are you looking forward to? I'm excited to see what the offensive line battles look like with the new additions.
ANSWER: There will be so many interesting developments during this training camp, not the least of which being the way Coach Mike McCarthy runs things coupled with the way the players adapt to it all. There might not be a lot of starting spots – and I'm talking about 11 on offense and 11 on defense – up for grabs, but those 22 players will only account for 41.5 percent of the spots on the roster coming out of the preseason. And while I always hope for the best when it comes to the team's health through camp/preseason, the impact of injuries is going to be a significant factor in who makes the roster. Training camp battles often come down to one guy staying healthy enough to practice daily, and by being able to practice daily he gets the coaching and repetitions necessary to improve and impress the right people to win a spot.
MICHAEL COOPER FROM CHAGRIN FALLS, OH: Do free agents like Stefon Diggs stay unsigned because they're asking for or expecting too much money? Because of diminishing skills? Some combination of both?
ANSWER: For a proven NFL starter, for a guy who was a first-team All-Pro, there are a lot of reasons to be unemployed on the eve of training camp, and the ones that you cite are legitimate. But what also should be considered is that a proven NFL starter, a guy who was a first-team All-Pro, is still unemployed on the eve of training camp on purpose. I am speculating here, but maybe a guy who will turn 33 in September is not all that anxious to get into a training camp. Maybe he knows how to prepare his body for an NFL season, and maybe he keeps himself in shape all year. Maybe he's waiting to see if any injuries on contending teams create a better opportunity. Maybe he doesn't want to play on artificial turf. Could be a lot of things on both sides of the bargaining table.
KERWIN BROMAN FROM DECATUR, IN: Do you know if there have ever been any NFL head coaches to lead his team to a Super Bowl in his first season with that team?
ANSWER: I believe there are 5. Mike Vrabel was in his first season with the Patriots in 2025; Gary Kubiak with the Broncos in 2015; Jim Caldwell with the Colts in 2009; Jon Gruden with the Buccaneers in 2002; and Red Miller with the Broncos in 1977. Only Gruden and Kubiak finished with a win in the Super Bowl.
SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: Thankfully with training camp in sight the team can now put on pads and see who will be just as good as they seemed in OTAs. If Roman Wilson is the No. 3 WR and Germie Bernard is No. 4, where does that leave others? How many wide receivers will they keep?
ANSWER: A player trying to win an NFL roster spot as a No. 5 WR better be somebody of great value to the special teams coordinator. It doesn't matter what team it is, and the pecking order of the guys in front of him doesn't matter. Special teams is the ticket, either as a returner or as a coverage guy. Gunners on the punt team, someone who flashes some kick-blocking ability. And if there is even going to be a No. 6 WR figures to be about special teams as well, because a No. 6 WR might actually be competing for a roster spot with a No. 4 TE and a No. 4 RB and a No. 5 ILB and a No. 10 DB. What young players are told every summer at training camp is that if you're not first-team or second-team at your position, you better be a starter on special teams.
SCOTT GOODLIN FROM NEW CUMBERLAND, WV: Who do you see as the two or three new coaches not named Mike McCarthy as having the biggest impact on team success?
ANSWER: What will interest me is what the offense and defense develop into as complementary units, because that's certainly something to be impacted by the individual assistants on that side of the ball.
ED JOHNSON FROM GERMANTOWN, OH: Do you think it's wise to let Mason Rudolph go? With Aaron Rodgers' age and the possibility of him getting injured, we would then have to go with two young QBs with no NFL experience.
ANSWER: I think you let training camp and the preseason decide things like this. Jobs should be won, not awarded.
MELDON BRINDLEY FROM XENIA, OH: I remember when the field-goal kicker was considered good if he could make a 45-yarder. These days, 60-yarders are happening regularly. What has changed to make the kickers so good?
ANSWER: People have changed. Bodies are bigger, stronger, more flexible. Kickers receive specialized training at a younger age. Being a placekicker isn't seen any more as a job for a guy who isn't good enough to play a position. High school kickers can get scholarships to big-time football programs, and that means being a kicker can be the ticket to a free college diploma. The competition for jobs exploded, the athletes had to adapt, and they did.
