The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
STEFAN PISOCKI FROM WILMINGTON, DE: In the Sept. 1 Asked and Answered, you confirmed what I had been hearing about Gennings Dunker, in that he is very good as a run blocker but may need to work on his pass protection. This made me think, "doesn't that make him a great candidate to be the 6th lineman when a play calls for such a formation?" Will the offense be running "jumbo" packages as they have in the last few years? It seems to be a trend in the NFL these days, but I don't think I saw it from our team in the preseason.
ANSWER: Sometimes the offensive lineman who's chosen to be the extra guy in the jumbo package has some experience in his athletic past doing other things than just serving as a traditional offensive lineman. Gennings Dunker for example, competed in track and wrestling in high school, and the footwork required in those two sports could end up being a help to him if he is chosen for that role. But neither track nor wrestling might be as important as his title as a hay bale champion. In the "hay bale" event, competitors "use a pitchfork-style or direct overhead motion to throw heavy bales of hay or straw (typically 40 to 50 pounds) vertically over a high crossbar, similar to the high jump. The bar is raised incrementally until a winner remains." In addition to Dunker, previous hay bale champions who went on to have NFL careers as offensive linemen were Tyler Linderbaum and Tristan Wirfs.
But maybe Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't plan to use a jumbo package when the Steelers want to impose their will by running the football. Maybe McCarthy plans on using fullback Riley Nowakowski as a lead blocker, or as a "move tight end" who can function as an extra offensive lineman. We'll get a better idea of McCarthy's plans in this area starting with Sunday's regular season opener vs. Atlanta.
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TOM ALBIN FROM SEA GIRT, NJ: With the NFL now allowing teams to have a third quarterback dressed for emergency situations, do you have any idea who it might be or how that will be determined?
ANSWER: It will be determined by Coach Mike McCarthy, and while I do not know who might be the designated No. 3 QB my guess would be Will Howard.
JAMES MAC PHERSON FROM BEACHWOOD, NJ: If the numbers I see are correct we only have $13 million left in salary cap space, which tells me we cannot sign Joey Porter Jr. this year. If we free up some space at year's end, can we sign him before using the franchise tag?
ANSWER: I have no doubt – none – that if the Steelers come to an agreement on a contract for Joey Porter Jr. before the franchise's deadline of the start of the regular season, General Manager Omar Khan has a plan in place to create the necessary salary cap space to make that happen.
CARLOS OLIVARES FROM SILVER SPRING, MD: I think it's very concerning that just days before the first NFL regular season game, and the Steelers are still trying different combinations for the offensive line. That should've been set by now so that the starting five can get used to working with each other and jell, but it seems like they are still not there yet. How concerned are you?
ANSWER: Not very concerned, because what makes you think that Atlanta's offensive line is completely set and stable and coming off a preseason during which it worked together extensively? In September football in the NFL, it's about finding ways to win a particular game against a specific opponent. There are no minimum standards of play that are necessary to win a game; you just have to be better than the other guys that day.
JOE ASHER FROM TAMPA, FL: In your Sept. 8 Asked and Answered you wrote that Len Dawson was traded to the Browns after the Steelers drafted him. Although it hurts that the Steelers let such a talented quarterback go, it's nice to know the Browns made the same mistake. What was Len Dawson's path that led him to the Chiefs and that Super Bowl IV victory?
ANSWER: Len Dawson was traded by the Steelers to the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 31, 1959, but just as was the case in Pittsburgh with Bobby Layne, Dawson was unable to beat out Cleveland veteran Milt Plum. Coach Paul Brown released Dawson after the 1961 season, and to that point he had completed only 21 passes for 204 yards and 2 TDs in his 5 NFL seasons. Dawson signed with the AFL's Dallas Texans in June 1962 where he was reunited him with his former college coach at Purdue, Hank Stram, who was beginning his third year as the Texans' head coach. In 1962, Dawson led the AFL in TD passes and was selected as the MVP of the AFL. He also quarterbacked the Texans to the first of three AFL Championships in a win over the Oilers in Houston. In 1963, the Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs.
MARK SZABO FROM PARLIN, NJ: Have you noticed over the last 10-15 years or so, teams have tended more towards kicking off when winning the opening coin toss? But with the league now more pass oriented (in theory anyway), would it now make more sense to start receiving the opening kickoff when winning the coin toss, giving them an early opportunity to put points on the board?
ANSWER: I think what you are seeing teams do after winning the coin toss is deferring their choice until the second half, which typically means they kick off to start the game. Deferring their choice until the second half is drastically different than electing to kick off. If a team that wins the coin toss chooses to kick off to start the game, its opponent likely would get the football to start both halves. If it defers, it kicks off to start the game and then receives the second half kickoff.
TIM AIKEN FROM SISTERSVILLE, WV: Is the Friday, Nov. 27 game vs. Denver subject to flex scheduling?
ANSWER: It is not. Once the NFL sets the matchup for its Black Friday game that's played on the day after Thanksgiving, it's a done deal.
AL WARNER FROM EAST SPRINGFIELD, PA: In his recent piece on Steelers.com, Brian Batko mentioned that Kevin Jobity Jr. was a kicker on his high school team. It got me wondering if the Steelers ever hold tryouts for the job of emergency kicker?
ANSWER: A team only holds tryouts for that job if that job is open. Otherwise, it's a gigantic waste of time.
LOUIS CHILES FROM MARIETTA, GA: It sounds like the Steelers kept both Drew Allar and Will Howard in order to give themselves additional time to evaluate if either of them can play high-caliber NFL football as either a starter or backup. However, like you mentioned in your Sept. 3 Asked and Answered, in-season practice reps are devoted almost exclusively to the starter and backup. So how is this coming year going to be useful in evaluating the potential of Howard and Allar?
ANSWER: I'm sure that Coach Mike McCarthy has a plan. Maybe it includes some version of his "quarterback school." Maybe it includes work away from practice with quarterbacks coach Tom Arth. I cannot give you any specifics, but I believe there is a plan, because if not there would've been no reason to keep both of them on the 53-man roster.
DON SEGRETI FROM NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX: I know that there are a lot of variables, with more games possibly being added in the future, so do you see the NFL ever increasing the active roster from the current 53-man version?
ANSWER: The Steelers currently have 70 players available for every day of this upcoming season – 53 on the active roster and 17 more on the practice squad. The guys on the practice squad take part in meetings, practices, conditioning, weight-lifting, everything that guys on the 53-man roster do each and every day. Guys on the practice squad can be elevated for game day and then sent right back to the practice squad without being exposed to waivers, and this can be done 3 times for each individual before the team has to make a more permanent decision about his status. Why would there be any interest in expanding the roster? Isn't 70 enough?
DAVID LEWELLEN FROM GLENDALE, WI: From the Sept. 3 Asked and Answered, a tip that may help Bill Fitzharris navigate the roster page more easily: The default is alphabetical order, but if you click the # symbol at the top, it will rearrange the roster by jersey number order. And if you click on "position" at the top, it will rearrange the roster by position groups. As a former sports copy editor, I had exactly the same complaint until a colleague showed me the workaround.
ANSWER: Thanks for sharing. I hope this solves the problem.
