The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
BOB SWANSON FROM BETHLEHEM, PA: During the Green Bay game, Aaron Rodgers said he needed to use a silent count because the Packers fans were so loud in Pittsburgh. I've been to a few Steelers home games over the years and the black-and-gold pretty much covered most the stadium seating for those games. Were Steelers fans selling their tickets to Packers fans one reason why so many people from the visiting team had seats?
ANSWER: That had to be what happened, because the Packers fans were primarily in the lower level seats directly behind the visiting team's bench, and those seats are sold on a season ticket basis. There were reports that as late as Oct. 26, the average ticket price on the secondary market was $880.
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LARRY LININGER FROM MESA, AZ: I live in Mesa, AZ., and I watched a lot of Arizona State football last year. Watching Cam Skattebo play last year, I was tempted to write to the Steelers and plead with them to draft him. It was sad to see his devastating injury Sunday, and my heart goes out to him. I know the Steelers' organization pays many people to scout for the draft. My question is, how many letters do the Steelers receive with advice on players they should draft? Do they read those letters?
ANSWER: The scouting of college players for the upcoming draft is a sophisticated process, and I cannot believe there was a single NFL team that hadn't heard of Cam Skattebo of Arizona State, or really any other college player at that level of competition. And teams prefer to gather their own information in rating the players, so I would doubt a letter written by a fan would be treated as anything more than a curiosity.
ROBERT KING FROM TILGHMAN, MD: I'm not sure I understand the question about the compensatory draft picks for Najee Harris, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Since it's going the way it's going for those guys in terms of playing time does that mean that the Steelers will get the low end of the deal? Doesn't seem fair if that's the case.
ANSWER: As I tried to explain in that answer to whether playing time will impact the compensatory draft picks the Steelers may get for losing Nahee Harris, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson as unrestricted free agents, the formula the NFL uses to determine those things is complicated and not one that's made public. My information is that playing time can have an impact on where the compensatory pick falls within the round, but already that playing time has changed from when your question was received because Justin Fields started and played every offensive snap in the Jets win over the Bengals on Sunday.
MILTON MANION SR. FROM LOUISVILLE, KY: If a team has the ball on the 7-yard line and it is third-and-goal, and if that team scores a touchdown, is that considered a first down in the team stats?
ANSWER: If it's third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, the team that scored would not be credited with a first down. If it was third-and-5 from the 7-yard line, the team that scored would be credited with a first down.
CHRISTOPHER GIBSON FROM MANALAPAN, NJ: From the photos I've seen the 1933 throwbacks for the Green Bay game are similar, but still quite different than the version the Steelers wore in 1994. Notably the city crest got much smaller and the front jersey numbers got much bigger, among other things. Are some of these changes mandated by more recent league rules regarding numbers and adornments or is this just someone's more modern stylistic interpretation of the original 1933 design? I, for one, like the 1994 version better and think it more faithful to the original.
ANSWER: Your memory is correct in that the 1994 version of this throwback did feature smaller numbers on the front of the jersey, but my memory is that those smaller numbers made it more difficult for Myron Cope to distinguish the players in his role as the color commentator during the radio broadcast of the team's games. And if Cope wasn't happy about something that impacted his job he was not shy about pointing that out into a live microphone.
STEPHEN FOSTER FROM BROADSTAIRS, UNITED KINGDOM: Every time I see Will Howard interviewed, I am not only impressed by his intelligence and love for the game, but he also seems like a genuinely nice guy. Although I appreciate he was a sixth-round pick, he did lead Ohio State to the National Championship and can clearly play the game. There is a lot of talk about the Steelers selecting a QB in the first round in next year's draft, but what are the chances that we already have our QB of the future on our roster? Is there a chance that Aaron Rodgers returns for one more year, and Will Howard continues to learn behind him?
ANSWER: Regular readers of Asked and Answered know that I see it as way too early to try to make an y sense of the 2026 NFL Draft, as there being way too many variables at this point to figure out how the Steelers plan to approach the three-day event. Stay tuned. Just like this season is proving to be, that also should be interesting to watch unfold.
