The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
MICHAEL POLECHKO FROM MOUNT PLEASANT, PA: I remember L.C. Greenwood being fined for wearing gold colored shoes in the 1970s. Was such a rule a team rule or a universal NFL rule? As I watch various NFL games today, I notice white, black, and various other colors. Are there presently rules regarding shoes?
ANSWER: Any fines assessed to L.C. Greenwood for his gold hi-tops came from the NFL. The current NFL uniform code allows for players to wear shoes that are white, black, or an official team color. The exception comes during the My Cause My Cleats initiative, when the NFL allows players to wear custom cleats for causes they support.
MICHAEL COOPER FROM CHAGRIN FALLS, OH: Is there anything regular fans can do to help sway the Hall of Fame voters? We all know that Hines Ward deserves it, but WR is such a crowded field.
ANSWER: No, there is no real mechanism for fan involvement in the voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame once the process gets beyond the nomination stage.
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RICHARD SHARRATT FROM MARSKE BY THE SEA, ENGLAND: I was lucky enough to win tickets to Super Bowl XX. How far away were the Steelers from qualifying for that game?
ANSWER: Super Bowl XX was the climax of the 1985 NFL season, and the Steelers finished 7-9 for third-place in the AFC Central Division. Miami, the Jets, New England, Cleveland, and the Los Angeles Raiders qualified for the AFC Playoffs. The Patriots defeated the Jets in the Wild Card Round, upset the top-seeded Raiders in the Divisional Round; and then defeated the Dolphins in Miami for the AFC Championship. But all that did was earn New England the right to be bulldozed by the Chicago Bears, who for that one season were among the most dominant teams in NFL history.
ALLAN JEFFREY FROM UNIONTOWN, PA: There were 2 plays from last Sunday's game in Chicago where I wondered why Mike Tomlin didn't challenge them. The first was the tush-push that failed on fourth-and-1 from the Bears 30-yard line; and the second was Mason Rudolph's fumble that was recovered near midfield, because the only shots on TV made it appear that Rudolph's butt hit the ground and the ball popped out.
ANSWER: Because the failed tush-push was a turnover on downs, the NFL treats it as a turnover and automatically reviewed the play, as it does with every interception or lost fumble. Most likely the league office reviewed the play during the commercial break and informed the in-stadium referee of its decision. The Mason Rudolph play was ruled a fumble and a recovery by the Bears on the field, and so that goes to automatic review as a turnover. That review upheld the decision on the field. In both instances, once the league office rules on those replays, it doesn't matter what TV showed or didn't show, the decisions are final. Coaches cannot challenge at that point.
TOM HENSON FROM MARTINSVILLE, IN: It looks like 9 wins could possibly be enough to take the AFC North Division crown this year, and almost certainly 10 would do it. It also looks like the division winner will be the only team to make the postseason. By that formula, if the Steelers beat Miami and Cleveland, split with Baltimore, and then win one of the other two (Detroit or Buffalo), that's 10 wins. How likely do you think that scenario is to play out?
ANSWER: I have no idea, and that is an honest opinion. The NFL typically is a week-to-week league during a regular season, because there are only 17 games making each one very significant, and two could represent a turning point. Two weeks ago, I was hearing that the Ravens were going to run the table, and then they lose to the Bengals at home in a game where they only score 14 points against the league's 32nd-ranked defense. It's the same league where the defending champion Eagles went from 8-2 and the top seed in their conference to 8-4 and being chased for the NFC East lead by the surging Cowboys. Anything can happen, and with 6 weeks left in this regular season, I would suspect most of it will.
DAVID BOGNAR FROM GERMANTOWN, WI: I'm glad to see Hines Ward is a semifinalist again for the Hall of Fame. I'm very surprised Maurkice Pouncey didn't make it as a semifinalist. He was a 9-time Pro Bowler and was chosen to be on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. I thought he was a lock for the Hall of Fame. Are you surprised he didn't even make it as a semifinalist?
ANSWER: The reality is that it's very difficult for a center to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and so I would suggest you temper your expectations and hope for the best down the road. Remember, neither Mike Webster nor Dermontti Dawson was elected in his first year of eligibility. I understand you're just talking about getting to the semifinal round, but center is not a glamorous position.
ISRAEL PICKHOLTZ FROM ASHKELON, ISRAEL: So since Calvin Austin recognized the problem, why didn't he cover Troy Fautanu himself once Kenneth Gainwell was not reacting to his entreaties?
ANSWER: There also was a previous shift or motion already involved in this play, and at that point if a guy who's off the line of scrimmage steps forward onto the line of scrimmage it would be interpreted as a false start.
CHRIS WELBURN FROM GLASTONBURY, CT: When an expedited review takes place (usually a good thing) is that final? Can a team challenge a play that was part of an expedited review with any hope that a different decision would be made?
ANSWER: As I explained in a previous submission in this installment and also in a previous installment of Asked and Answered, the result of an expedited review is final and cannot be challenged.
BENJAMIN ANDERSON FROM PICKERINGTON, OH: Do you play fantasy football? If so, how's your team doing this year?
ANSWER: I do not, have not ever, and never will. Fantasy football is not for me.
RICK CHABOREK FROM WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA: When a pass is thrown to an eligible receiver, and the ball gets tipped or bounces off that intended receiver, is the defensive back allowed to hold or impede that receiver from catching the ball?
ANSWER: Yes. Once an attempted pass is tipped, even at the line of scrimmage before any intended receiver might be identified, the defense is permitted to make contact with any offensive players beyond the line of scrimmage.
PAT FLYNN FROM OAKDALE, PA: It seems like every week a player is signed and/or released from the practice squad. What is the process of releasing a player? Does Mike Tomlin speak individually with each player who is released? Or is it left to an assistant coach to inform the player?
ANSWER: Because of the daily demands of an NFL regular season, the personnel department would typically handle the informing of a player that he has been released from the practice squad.
