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Let's get to it:
RON McHUGH FROM JACKSONVILLE, FL: The Immaculate Reception, like many historic moments, has a lot of myth and legend surrounding it. I'm curious about the pause that took place between the play itself and the official signaling touchdown. Can you shed some light on what went on among the officials that led them to make their decision?
ANSWER: Dan Rooney dedicated the opening chapter of his book: "Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL" to the Immaculate Reception. Here is his first-hand eyewitness account of the immediate aftermath following the end of the play:
"Just then the (Three Rivers Stadium) press box phone rings. It's on the wall right where I'm standing, so I answer it. It's Jim Boston, our man on the field, calling from the baseball dugout. He tells me he's got Fred Swearingen, the referee – the guy in charge of the crew officiating the game – standing right next to him. Boston says Swearingen wants to talk to Art McNally, the NFL supervisor of the officials. I can see McNally in his usual place at the other end of the box. So I yell, 'Art McNally! Art McNally! They want to talk to you!' He comes over, takes the phone, and I hear every word he says. The noise in the press box still hasn't died down, so McNally is pressing the phone to his ear so he can hear what Swearingen is saying. I don't know what the ref said, but McNally shouts into the phone, 'Well, you have to call what you saw. You have to make the call. Talk to your people and make the call!' Of course, no one had seen the television replay yet—it all happened too quick. So I turn back to the field. The officials are huddled together at the 30-yard line. I know the rule: If the ball bounced off Tatum before Franco caught it, then the play stands and it's a touchdown. If the ball bounced off Frenchy, then the pass is incomplete, the game's over, and the Raiders win. I'm straining to see the replay on the TV suspended overhead in the press box and trying to hear what the commentators are saying. They're debating the call: 'Did Frenchy touch the ball? Was the catch good?' Finally, Swearingen steps away from the other officials and raises his arms to signal touchdown. The press box goes wild, papers fly, reporters yell at each other – and I run for the elevator."
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SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: Let's bypass the QB situation until it's really solved. I want to know how the offensive line will look and how Troy Fautanu is healing? I know it's early, but I'm very curious as to where they may put him.
ANSWER: As of this point in the offseason, there seems to be no question that Troy Fautanu will be healthy enough to participate in on-field sessions, and the plan is to have him at right tackle with Broderick Jones at left tackle.
BOB MOORS FROM COLBERT, WA: When the Steelers acquired Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett went to the Eagles, there were quite a few reports that he left on "other than good terms" with the front office. My question is, considering the Browns have five quarterbacks on their depth chart and the fact that Omar Khan said he wants to take four into training camp, if the Steelers don't acquire Aaron Rodgers or another vet, is there any world where they would look to add Pickett back to the roster?
ANSWER: I would see it as doubtful the team or the player would be interested in a reunion at this point.
RANDY HANENBERG FROM WAYNE, NJ: I think the answer Jim Bayles from New Jersey was looking for in regard to what draft class has produced the most Hall of Fame players pertains to all teams combined in a given year. Is there a year in which more than 6 players entered the league and eventually made it to the Hall of Fame, and which year has the most total?
ANSWER: For future reference, the term Draft Class refers to an individual team's haul in a particular draft. If your interpretation of Jim Bayles' question is correct, he should have asked, "which NFL Draft produced the most Hall of Fame players?" Anyway, here is the answer, and a thanks to FoxSports.com for handling the research.
• The 1952 NFL Draft produced 7 Hall of Fame players:
LB Les Richter
HB Ollie Matson
HB Hugh McElhenny
HB/FL Frank Gifford
DE Gino Marchetti
S Bobby Dillon
S Yale Lary
• The 1953 NFL Draft also produced 7 Hall of Fame players:
DE Doug Atkins
FB John Henry Johnson
OT Bob St. Clair
OL/DT Stan Jones
C Jim Ringo
LB Joe Schmidt
OT Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown
• The 1961 NFL Draft also produced 7 Hall of Fame players:
TE Mike Ditka
CB Jimmy Johnson
CB Herb Adderley
DT Bob Lilly
OG Billy Shaw
QB Fran Tarkenton
DE David "Deacon" Jones
• The 1981 NFL Draft also produced 7 Hall of Fame players:
LB Lawrence Taylor
S Kenny Easley
DB Ronnie Lott
LB Mike Singletary
DE Howie Long
LB Rickey Jackson
OG Russ Grimm
• The 1988 NFL Draft also produced 7 Hall of Fame players:
WR Tim Brown
WR Sterling Sharpe
WR Michael Irvin
OG Randall McDaniel
CB Eric Allen
RB Thurman Thomas
C Dermontti Dawson
• The 1967 NFL Draft produced 8 Hall of Fame players:
QB Bob Griese
RB Floyd Little
DT Alan Page
G Gene Upshaw
CB Lem Barney
LB Willie Lanier
OT Rayfield Wright
S Ken Houston
• The 1968 NFL Draft also produced 8 Hall of Fame players:
OT Ron Yary
DE Claude Humphrey
FB Larry Csonka
DT Curley Culp
QB Ken Stabler
TE Charlie Sanders
DE Elvin Bethea
OT Art Shell
• The 1983 NFL Draft also produced 8 Hall of Fame players:
QB John Elway
RB Eric Dickerson
OT Jim "Jimbo" Covert
OT Bruce Matthews
QB Jim Kelly
QB Dan Marino
CB Darrell Green
DE Richard Dent
• The 1957 NFL Draft produced 9 Hall of Fame Players:
HB Paul Hornung
QB Len Dawson
FB Jim Brown
OL Jim Parker
WR Tommy McDonald
QB Sonny Jurgensen
DT Henry Jordan
OG Gene Hickerson
WR Don Maynard
• The 1964 NFL Draft produced 10 Hall of Fame players:
T Bob Brown
HB/WR Charley Taylor
DE Carl Eller
WR Paul Warfield
DB Mel Renfro
S Paul Krause
LB Dave Wilcox
WR Bob Hayes
RB Leroy Kelly
QB Roger Staubach
OWEN O'CEALLAIGH FROM KILKENNY, IRELAND: Are OTAs the only cure for Mock Draft Withdrawal Symptom? (Asking for an unrecognizable friend I saw in the mirror earlier).
ANSWER: I hate to break this news to you, but the next time you see your friend in the mirror warn him that there already are 2026 mock drafts out there in the ether.
