The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
DAVID POLLARD FROM WARRINGTON, UK: Dick LeBeau was elected to the Pro Football HOF in 2010. Was this due to his overall contribution as a player and coach? In your opinion, was his playing career with the Lions good enough to have seen him elected, even if he had never coached?
ANSWER: In the Pro Football Hall of Fame, enshrinees are inducted in one of three categories – player, coach, contributor. Dick LeBeau is enshrined in the Hall of Fame as a player, for his 14 seasons as a cornerback for the Detroit Lions where he had 62 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries in 185 career games. At the time LeBeau retired, his 62 interceptions had him third on the NFL's all-time interceptions list, behind Emlen Tunnell, who had 79; and Dick "Night Train" Lane, who finished with 68 and was a teammate of LeBeau's in Detroit for 7 seasons. LeBeau's career as a coach was not considered when the Board of Selectors voted on his candidacy, but LeBeau would say later that he believed his coaching career helped in that it kept him visible within the NFL community.
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REGIS HESS FROM CHESTERTON, IN: I truly appreciate and respect your opinions, but as a fan it gets frustrating seeing the same thing. Offensive and defensive play-calling that is so predicable that even I can tell what they are going to do. I cannot understand why they don't run the ball more. Your opinion on play-calling?
ANSWER: What I have come to learn and understand from experience is that I never hear complaints about a play-call when the play works, and I never hear praise for a play-call when the play doesn't work. And I am including myself in that line of thinking, too.
JASON DeBRITTO FROM PROVIDENCE, RI: In the 1st half of the Bears game Connor Heyward appeared to gain a first down on a "tush push", but the officials deemed him to be short of the line to gain, which caused a turnover on downs. With the extra time because of the possession change and with replay clearly showing the runner making the line to gain before the whistle was blown stopping play, why didn't Mike Tomlin challenge the spot?
ANSWER: A turnover on downs is considered a turnover in the same way an interception or a fumble recovery is considered a turnover, and all turnovers are automatically reviewed. So somewhere during that delay because of the possession change, the play was reviewed by the NFL office in New York, and it was determined that the on-field officials spotted the ball correctly. Once that was communicated to the on-field referee in Chicago, it was over. Once replay makes a decision, there is no way for either coach to challenge the play and try to re-litigate, despite what replay clearly showed.
CHAD EWELL FROM WAYNESBORO, PA: Looking at the QB situation the Steelers find themselves in, it makes me really appreciative of having Ben Roethlisberger as our QB for all those years. His play and ability to make those throws just makes me miss that level of consistency and effort. My question is one of his targets: Hines Ward. Do you see him getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year?
ANSWER: Hines Ward was announced as one of 26 semifinalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. During his Tuesday news conference, Coach Mike Tomlin was asked what he would say to the committee in support of Ward's credentials as a Hall of Famer.
"Numbers do not tell his story, although his numbers are special. They are. I think that's a guy with 1,000 or so career catches. But if you were around him, if you were in stadiums with him, if you were a member of his team or an opposing player, you understood what playing with and against Hines Ward was about. He was a football player first, a wide receiver second. To be quite honest with you, he was an offensive perimeter bully, and I say that in a complimentary way. To me, he's a legendary player in his generation because of the way that he played. The amount of respect that he carried when he didn't have the ball in his hands, when it wasn't even a pass play, is stuff of legend."
JAY BISHOP FROM ENID, OK: Please explain the penalty that negated Mason Rudolph's 22-yard run towards the end of the game. Who was out of place to make it an illegal formation?
ANSWER: On the right side of the formation, both Calvin Austin and Kenneth Gainwell were lined up outside of tackle Troy Fautanu, and both of them were off the line of scrimmage. One of them needed to be on the line of scrimmage for the formation to be legal.
BILL MACLEAN FROM HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: I am baffled by the play-calls and personnel packages in the waning minutes of the past few losses. It seems that our best offensive players, Jaylen Warren and Darnell Washington, have been on the sidelines when we get into the red zone. I would think you would keep your best proven playmakers on the field when needed.
ANSWER: During the four losses that brought the Steelers record from 4-1 to 6-5, the team has been a combined 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) in the red zone. Maybe you have a specific play or two in mind, but those numbers indicate that red zone performance has not been a root cause of "the past few losses."
HENRY LACAYO FROM MIAMI, FL: The Steelers defense for the most part has been a roller coaster this season. Why is it they only performs at a high level when they are called out by the media and on podcasts about poor performance in the game?
ANSWER: I believe you may have cause-and-effect backward on this one. The Steelers defense has been inconsistent of late, but I don't believe the reason for the bounce-back has been negative media and podcasts. I believe the negative media and podcasts have resulted from the below-the-line performances.
TERRY PECK FROM SPRINGFIELD, OH: Why did the NFL consider banning the "tush push" in the offseason?
ANSWER: I would point to the player safety issue being at the forefront of the move at the March 2025 Owners Meetings to ban the tush-push. On one side of the argument was Tony Dungy who cited the potential for injury whenever a large group of players is pushing the ball carrier at the same time another large group of players is trying to stop that. Former Eagles center Jason Kelce stated the opinion that the tush-push is no more dangerous than a typical quarterback sneak. The Green Bay Packers made the formal rules proposal, but in the voting of NFL ownership, the measure to ban the tush-push came up just short of the 24 votes needed to pass the proposal.
