The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
BENJAMIN GILLESPIE FROM MYRTLE BEACH, SC: With Nick Herbig playing very well, will he keep on getting snaps with Alex Highsmith being back from injury?
ANSWER: This is what defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said about that very issue during his media availability earlier in the week: "(Herbig has) earned the right to be on the field as much as we can get him on the field. As we get going in this season, a long season, he's going to play a lot of snaps for us, play a lot of football. It's my job to find ways to get him in there to keep him on the field with what he's done because he's a splash player. He's always around the ball. He makes it miserable for offensive tackles. He's playing well. Guys who play well get rewarded by playing more."
- Download and listen to the Asked & Answered Podcast here: Apple Podcast | Spotify
STEVEN FALES FROM ENDWELL, NY: With all the stupid questions that I see in your segment I am still wondering about mine. Lately when the Steelers lose the field it is always Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward, and Coach Tomlin. Is that by design or just working out that way?
ANSWER: Your submission was used and answered in the Sept. 28 installment, and there even was a photo of Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward, and Coach Mike Tomlin walking off the field together following the win over the Jets.
BILL PACACHA FROM ELIZABETHTOWN, PA: My question relates to the Steelers working out someone they might consider to sign to the practice squad. What would that workout look like? What duration would that workout last, and what specifically do they require someone to do?
ANSWER: The kind of workout you describe typically is conducted by members of the scouting department, and the workout also is videoed to be viewed later if necessary or if anyone on the coaching staff might want to view it. The workout would consist of basic drills to measure fitness and movement, and those drills would be commensurate with the position the individual plays.
JASON PRASTER FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX: With Joe Flacco being traded, the Browns will start Dillion Gabriel against the Steelers. What is Mike Tomlin's record against rookie quarterbacks?
ANSWER: According to the Steelers PR Department, Coach Mike Tomlin is 26-6 vs. rookie quarterbacks, and his winning percentage of .813 in those games is second only to Don Shula's .826 (19-4) since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.
WILL McINTOSH FROM BELLEVIEW, FL: As a reader for many years, I have even had a few of my questions addressed here. I feel it has been my honor as a fan to read everyone's questions and your answers. The first thing that comes up when I turn on my computer is Steelers.com, and I look for Asked and Answered. Do other organizations have a knowledgeable person like you, and do they do something similar for their fans?
ANSWER: Thank you for the compliment and for being a faithful reader. I don't really know whether other teams have similar Q&As on their websites, but being completely honest the concept of Asked and Answered is something I "borrowed" from a colleague. Vic Ketchman, who was the sports editor of the Irwin Standard Observer and covered the Steelers for many years dating back to the 1970s, was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars when that franchise joined the NFL in 1995. He was the editor of the Jaguars team newspaper and then Jaguars.com, and then he subsequently was hired by the Green Bay Packers in a similar capacity. Anyway, he created a feature called "Ask Vic," that was very popular because it was both informative and entertaining. I stole his idea – and told him of the thievery – and called my version "Asked and Answered."
JOE CAPOZZELL FROM SCHAGHTICOKE, NY: Been a Steelers fan for 50 years, but my question is regarding the Pro Bowl. My idea to make the Pro Bowl good is to play the game at one of the military fields and give tickets to veterans and their families who served in wars, or to families whose spouses got killed in the line of duty. Your thoughts?
ANSWER: The Pro Bowl has evolved into what it is now because of safety concerns – players and owners were not interested in injuries for a meaningless game. And no matter who is in the stands, the Pro Bowl is a meaningless game, regardless of the quality of people in the stands watching it.
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: I understand the Collective Bargaining Agreement allows for players to be snatched from a practice squad, but don't you think it is unfair to lose a player without any compensation at all? If I were a team GM, I'd take players from future opponents and keep them for 2 weeks to learn all I can and then move on to the next future team. Costs you nothing.
ANSWER: Your understanding of the rules and procedures isn't accurate. If Team A signs a player off Team B's practice squad, Team A is required to put that player on its 53-man roster and pay him for a minimum of 3 weeks. That might mean cutting another player to create a spot on the roster, and with the NFL's annual minimum salary at $840,000, that ends up being at least a $140,000 charge to the salary cap for three weeks. Doing that over and over during the course of a season for scouting purposes is a waste of money; maybe you end up losing a decent player because you had to cut him to open up a spot on your roster for this addition from another team's practice squad; and who says this guy you took off another team's practice squad is knowledgeable about his former team's tendencies and strengths and weaknesses. Teams have pro personnel departments who do the job of advance scouting.
RYAN DALY FROM TILLSONBURG, ONTARIO, CANADA: I noticed on the latest injury report that veterans like Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Darius Slay were listed as DNP - resting vet. I get that's not unusual during a normal week, but it struck me as a bit odd coming right off a bye. Is there a real benefit to giving guys rest on Wednesday after the bye, or is there another reason behind it?
ANSWER: In many ways, routine is important for players when it comes to preparing their bodies for the week-to-week grind that is an NFL regular season, and sometimes these plans are formulated in conjunction with the medical and/or training staffs. And when a player doesn't take part in a particular day's practice, that doesn't mean he's at home napping on his couch. Those guys attend meetings, do rehab, lift weights, and attend practice even though they're a non-participant. T.J. Watt, for example, was a full participant in the other two days of practice, and regular season practices are not anything like training camp practices. There's little-to-no hitting, no tackling to the ground. And this is the way in-season practices are throughout the league. If there was no benefit to giving proven, veteran players a day off, then it wouldn't happen.
HANS KOLLER FROM FREDONIA, PA: The Joe Flacco trade got me thinking. He was an offensive captain for the Browns along with guard Joel Bitonio. What happens if a team loses all it its captains since they are mostly used for the coin toss?
ANSWER: In the NFL being a team captain is largely a ceremonial designation. If a team lost all of its team captains via trade or injury or retirement, whatever, it could pull a couple of people out of the stands and send them out for the coin toss.
MIKE VIOLA FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: Will the NFL ever consider implementing a draft lottery? I don't think teams tank, but looking at some teams' roster moves this year …
ANSWER: My opinion is that a draft lottery is not necessary in the NFL because of the nature of the sport. What I mean is that in basketball, there are only 5 players on the court at a time, and they play both offense and defense. In football, there are 11 players on the field at a time, and a team has separate 11-man units for offense and defense, which comes to a total of 22. That means the potential impact of a single player is much greater in basketball than football. And the other issue to me is that there are a lot of failures at the top of the NFL Draft every year. Here's a statistic I found on profootballhof.com: Since the NFL first instituted the draft in 1936, only 14 No. 1 overall picks have gone on to earn election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
