The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
MARK KENT FROM SEATTLE, WA: The Steelers have many ''unofficial" retired players' numbers, with Terry Bradshaw's No. 12 being an example. What determines when a player's number is officially retired?
ANSWER: The Steelers have retired only three numbers in their franchise history – Ernie Stautner's No. 70, Joe Greene's No. 75, and Franco Harris' No. 32. In all of those instances the decision to retire the number was made by ownership.
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BRENT CROASMUN FROM PADEN CITY, WV: It appears that the Steelers always find capable players to sign after injuries happen during the regular season. How do they find them so quickly? Does the NFL keep a list of players looking for teams to play on? Does the Steelers organization make their own list?
ANSWER: The Steelers do an extensive job of scouting draft eligible players every year, and that work often serves as the foundation in situations such as the search for a replacement after an injury. Also, as a part of their Football Operations Department, the Steelers have a Director of Pro Scouting and a Pro Scout, whose jobs are to keep track of the movement and status of players throughout the NFL. Then in the case of an injury, they are quickly able to put together a "ready list" of potential replacements.
BILL LANPHERE FROM NORTH LIBERTY, IA: Has Mike Tomlin ever answered the question as to why he puts running backs in as kickoff returners?
ANSWER: I never asked Coach Mike Tomlin that specific question, but I did ask him to describe the skill-set he's looking for in kickoff returners. This was his answer:
"The courage to hit things at full speed. You know, there are windows, and those windows close particularly fast in the National Football League. They close at all levels of football, but those windows remain open a little bit longer the lower the level of football. And so the ability to make good decisions, the ability to stem – and by stem, I mean the initial steps the returner takes once he gets the ball. If you're good at stemming, then you can lead people to believe that you're running a kind of return that you're not really running. The legendary returners, they'll start right at you and then they'll bounce the ball to the perimeter, for example. And so the stem is important. But more than anything, it's about getting the speed, having the courage to get to speed and running into oncoming traffic, because those windows are going to close. And on the NFL level, those windows are going to close very quickly."
JULIA PENLEY FROM ASHEVILLE, NC: Too soon for early draft projections, but who do you feel is the "best fit QB" for the Steelers in the upcoming draft? And would the Steelers pick a QB in the first round if Aaron Rodgers decides to stay, or would they go with a position of need?
ANSWER: You begin with, "Too soon for early draft projections," but then you go right into asking me to make draft projections. In this case, I'm going to have to agree with you completely. It is too soon for draft projections.
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: What is the Steelers' record following the bye?
ANSWER: According to the Steelers PR Department, the team is 24-12 following the bye since it returned to the NFL in 1990, and Coach Mike Tomlin is 14-4 the week after the bye since his inaugural season with the team in 2007.
JAMES MARTIN FROM KINGSPORT, TN: With the injury to Jalen Ramsay, are there any free agent cornerbacks or someone on the practice squad who would be a viable option to replace him until he returns?
ANSWER: I don't know whether it would be a strict player-for-player replacement in terms of skill-set and job responsibilities, but I believe Jabrill Peppers might be someone the Steelers turn to if Jalen Ramsey is unable to play on Sunday vs. the Browns.
THOMAS WHITE FROM GARDENDALE, AL: With Skylar Thompson and Will Howard having been placed on injured reserve at the beginning of the season, will they be eligible to return?
ANSWER: Will Howard was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 28, and so he is able to be brought off injured reserve whenever the Steelers believe he's ready. Skylar Thompson was put on injured reserve on Sept. 10, and so he has to miss one more game before he would be eligible to return.
ANTHONY BELLAMY FROM CHICAGO, IL: Will the Steelers make the Dublin, Ireland, trip ever again, and who was the Steelers best defense coordinator?
ANSWER: Based on the multi-level success of the game in Croke Park, I could see the NFL scheduling a do-over in terms of a Steelers regular season game in Ireland. And in my opinion, the best defensive coordinator in franchise history would be either Bud Carson or Dick LeBeau. Both men won 2 Super Bowls while doing that job for the Steelers – Carson in Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X as a member of Chuck Noll's staff, and LeBeau in Super Bowl XL as a member of Bill Cowher's staff and then Super Bowl XLIII as a member of Mike Tomlin's staff. LeBeau is famous as the father of the zone-blitz and is very well-known to younger fans, while Carson believed in using smaller, athletic players on the defensive line and at linebacker, and he popularized the Cover-2 pass defense, which was transformed into the Tampa-2 by Tony Dungy. With the Steelers, both LeBeau and Carson utilized schemes that highlighted the talent available to them, and their defenses contributed to a lot of wins and a couple of Lombardi Trophies.
DREW FIELD FROM ANCHORAGE, AK: I know you don't claim to be an NFL rules expert. And this question isn't even about my Steelers, but an AFC North opponent: the Cleveland Browns. Is Deshaun Watson on the Browns 53-man roster? Or is he on some list that doesn't subject him to waivers?
ANSWER: Deshaun Watson currently is on the reserve/PUP list, which means he does not count on the 53-man roster but he does get paid and count on the team's salary cap.
