The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
KEN MAULDIN FROM CLYDE, TX: I watched both the Steelers and Buffalo games last weekend and they both had huge crowds as the road teams. I bleed black and gold, but it doesn't seem right to me if the home team does not have at least 75 percent of the crowd. It's weird and I personally don't think it is good for the game. I know the Steelers fans live in Florida and they did not all fly there from Pittsburgh and that is a stumbling block to control that situation, but is there a way for the NFL to address this? Or is it just a non-issue.
ANSWER: It just might be the mother of all non-issues in my opinion. I'm not even going to get into the "how" of the NFL trying to limit attendance at each game to no more than 25 percent of the capacity of the stadium, but "why" in the name of all that is holy would the league want to do that? And here's something else: since all ticket revenue is pooled and divided among the 32 teams, why would the home team not want fans from the visiting team to buy tickets?
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MARK PETRO FROM MARIETTA, GA: With all the injuries at the wide receiver position, is there any reason that you can think of why the Swiss Army knife from Navy, Eli Heidenreich, has not been utilized? Is it because he hasn't had the opportunity, or more because he hasn't picked up all the soft skills of being a fully rounded football player in the NFL?
ANSWER: Back in the day when Le'Veon Bell was an All-Pro RB who could run the ball as well as catch it coming out of the backfield, many fans asked about the possibility of Bell lining up as a WR. When I ran that by General Manager Kevin Colbert, he said a RB in the NFL could be a weapon as a receiver, but RBs generally lack the speed to line up and play WR full-time and be effective. Think about it: When a RB is used as part of the pass pattern, the opposing defense would cover him either with a linebacker or a safety. The players at those positions don't have the speed and pure coverage ability that's required of a CB. But if Bell was to be lined up as a WR regularly, he would end up being covered by a CB, and that would turn out to be a mismatch in favor of the defense. The same thing applies to Eli Heidenreich. He just doesn't have the speed to play WR.
RICK SMITH FROM KELOWNA, BC , CANADA: So with the news that Aaron Rodgers is in his last year, why are the Steelers not playing the young upstarts on the roster and giving Aaron a breather or two. Even Mason Rudolph could use some on-the-field time in case Aaron goes down or is even having a bad day. I question some of the coaches' decisions, even coaches here in Canada's CFL.
ANSWER: Well, if those are the kinds of questions you have about coaches in the NFL and in the CFL, you're wrong a lot. I'm assuming by "the young upstarts on the roster" you're referring to QBs Will Howard and Drew Allar, and since you're asking this question this far into the season I'm going to guess you're not a regular reader of Asked and Answered. The next time the "young upstarts" are going to get any playing time is next summer in Latrobe in advance of the 2027 preseason. As for Mason Rudolph, he is an NFL backup, and the job of an NFL backup is to be ready whenever called upon and to be able to perform without a lot of on-field repetitions.
SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: What is our offensive line depth regarding healthy players right now?
ANSWER: There is not an offensive lineman on the injury report so far this week, and the only offensive lineman on injured reserve among the players who made the initial 53-man roster is Gennings Dunker, and he probably wasn't going to see a lot of playing time as a rookie this season unless there were a rash of injuries.
NICHOLAS MOSES FROM SIMI VALLEY, CA: Is anyone in the organization charged with considering longer-term concerns for the team, such as, oh I don't know, who is going to play QB for us after this season when Aaron Rodgers retires. Or is everyone in the building 100 percent focused on the current season and the current season only?
ANSWER: Yes, there are a group of scouts in the personnel department who are scouting the colleges and gathering information as part of the preparation for the 2027 NFL Draft. The coaching staff, including Mike McCarthy, will join that effort once the 2026 season is over.
CHUCK MILLER FROM GREEN ISLAND, NY: My question regards the Guardian Cap helmet that Germie Bernard wears. Are players mandated to wear a Guardian Cap, or can they elect to do so on their own? And once they select the Guardian Cap, must they continue to wear it for the rest of the season or for the rest of their careers, or can they switch out?
ANSWER: Everything about the Guardian Cap helmet covers is voluntary. Whether or not a player wears one, when he wears one, how long he wears one, all of it is voluntary, and the player can change his mind. There is nothing mandatory about Guardian Cap helmet covers when it comes to the NFL.
PHIL SCHEIDBACH FROM HENDERSON, NV: Is there a reason the Steelers were wearing their home (black) jerseys for their away game with Tampa Bay? Does this happen often?
ANSWER: The NFL rule about jerseys is that the home team gets to choose whether it wants to wear white or its primary color, and that choice is one that is made game-by-game. Now, there is a deadline when that decision has to be made, but sticking with the example of the Buccaneers, they can choose to wear scarlet/red jerseys for their next home game. Warm-weather teams often choose to wear white at home in September/October because they want to make the visiting team wear its primary color with the idea that those jerseys absorb heat and serve as a disadvantage in the area of conditioning. Personally, I think that's a load of hooey, but that's the reason.
DENNIS SLEEGER FROM YORK, PA: Watching the game last Sunday I was impressed with how many Steelers fans were there. It was almost like a home game. Have you ever seen that happen to the Steelers, where the opposing team had more fans in attendance?
ANSWER: Because of the ease of using the secondary ticket market and the popularity of Steelers tickets, there have been some home games where there has been a presence of visiting team's fans in the lower bowl of Acrisure Stadium, but nothing to the degree of last Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, or Super Bowl XL at Ford Field, just to give you a couple of examples.
PAUL GERNAND FROM WALDEN, NY: How can the officials not call offensive holding when the offensive lineman has his arm around T.J. Watt's neck? I saw it several times on national TV vs. the Bucs with the referee standing right there. Some fans complain about T.J.'s production, but he is occupying 2 defenders and getting held.
ANSWER: Regular readers of this forum are familiar with the number of times I have referred to the state of NFL officiating as being arbitrary and inconsistent, and so it doesn't surprise me one bit that T.J. Watt can have a chokehold administered during a pass rush and not draw a penalty flag. I remember that the first Steelers player who was regularly a victim of such a "technique" was James Harrison. Every summer as part of their training camp tour, NFL officials hold a briefing where they explain any rules changes and points of emphasis to any interested media in attendance that day. And I remember bringing up the point of Harrison being the victim of an arm around his neck while pass-rushing. The referee of that group of officials actually went into an explanation of how that's not necessarily holding based on the positioning of Harrison's feet at the time of the choke-hold. Totally ridiculous, and I never again have gone to another one of those sessions as a result.
BOB ALEXANDER FROM LECANTO, FL: A big shout-out to Steelers Nation for helping me with multiple ways to listen to Steelers games again on the radio, out of area. Truly the best fans in the world. Also thanks to Bob for my 15 minutes of Steelers fame in this great column.
ANSWER: When it comes to Steelers Nation, the strength of the pack is the pack.
