The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
SCOTT CLEMENTS FROM CHESAPEAKE, VA: Who calls for the snap on an extra point or field goal? How does the long-snapper know when to snap the ball?
ANSWER: The process begins with Chris Boswell picking out the spot where he wants holder Corliss Waitman to place the ball. Waitman then will wait until Boswell gets set. After that, there are a number of different non-verbal signals to long-snapper Christian Kuntz, who snaps the ball. Those change on a regular basis so the field goal block team cannot time the snap.
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PAUL LUKACS FROM VIENNA, VA: A long time ago the Steelers were known for building their storied franchise from within. Times have changed and candy bars are smaller. I see a scary similarity between the Steelers and the Washington franchise of the early 2000s where they went out and attempted to "buy" success with overpaid and past their prime players. Are you worried that instead of building talent we've decided to buy a winning team?
ANSWER: I'm not familiar with the particulars of how Washington in the early 2000s went about trying to build its roster, and so I'm going to confine my answer to the current situation with the Steelers. First of all, I believe you have to acknowledge that things have changed from "a long time ago" in the NFL, and there's nothing wrong with evolving and adapting to some of those changes. Free agency. Trades. I would disagree with your assertion that the Steelers are abandoning the draft in favor of acquiring veteran players, because I see them as doing both. Yes, they have added a number of high-profile and pedigreed veterans since the end of the 2024 season, but I believe it's way premature to label them "overpaid and past their prime." Also, the Steelers have been accumulating draft picks and keeping themselves very much in the mix in every draft. I contend it's worth remembering that the Steelers have traded away their No. 1 pick just once in the Super Bowl era, that being in 2019 when they traded their No. 1 pick in 2020 to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Starting with 2010, there have been 16 drafts of 7 rounds apiece, which works out to 112 total picks. In those 16 drafts, the Steelers have made 126 picks, which does not indicate any widespread aversion to the scouting/evaluating/drafting process as its primary method of roster building.
OSCAR THOMAS FROM JACKSON, MI: What position did Dwight White play and what college did he attend?
ANSWER: Dwight White played defensive end, and he attended East Texas State, which now is called Texas A&M-Commerce.
HANS ØRTING FROM GANLØSE, DENMARK: Living in Europe I don't get many chances to watch Steelers games inside a stadium (I've been to two games in the US), so I'm very much looking forward to the game on Sunday, to which I got tickets. Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to, regarding the game in Dublin, or is this just another business trip?
ANSWER: For the players and coaches, the game in Dublin on Sunday has to be treated and viewed as just another business trip. At this time in the NFL schedule, it's all about stacking wins by whatever means necessary while continuing to work on flaws so that come the middle of November as the division races heat up, the team is rounding into form and has stacked a nice total of wins to have put itself in a position to be relevant in the race toward the postseason. The rest of it – the novelty, the excitement, the international flavor, the picturesque scenery – is more for the fans.
MICHAEL JOHNSON FROM VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: I am a lifelong Steelers fan and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about football. My question to you is how do you think Jalen Ramsey is performing after 3 weeks? He is making some splash plays, but I see more often than not him giving a huge cushion to receivers and them making easy catches and conversions. Given his pedigree and caliber of player I expected him to be much more of a "lock down" defensive back.
ANSWER: My understanding is that Jalen Ramsey is doing precisely what he's being asked to do within the defense. Through 3 games, Ramsey is tied for the team lead with 1 interception, which set up a first-quarter field goal vs. Seattle; he leads the team with 4 passes defensed – one of which came on fourth-and-3 with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter to ice the win over the Jets; and he has 1 hit on the quarterback. Ramsey was used in deep centerfield vs. the Patriots because offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels likes to attack deep on third-and-short and fourth-and-short, and New England never even attempted that. Ramsey's value is as a chess piece to be deployed to neutralize a particular opponent's strength or offensive tendency. He can be more than just a man-to-man cornerback.
SCOTT BEGLEY FROM CLIVE, IA: The NFL claims to be committed to player health and safety, but there are a number of "unsafe" acts I see going on in every game. Guys either don't have a mouthpiece at all or their mouthpiece hangs from the facemask and doesn't get put in. Some guys' chinstraps aren't tight. Some guys have so much hair that their helmets do not fit properly. Why doesn't the NFL step in? There are definitely not flags being thrown for improper equipment. Are there fines going on behind the scenes?
ANSWER: This is another of those answers that I begin with, "This is the NFL, and these are professional football players who are protected by a union." The NFL and the Players Association have come to some set of guidelines pertaining to helmets and mouthpieces and knee braces, and elbow pads, etc. All due respect, but do you think you are capable of sitting on your couch and watching a game on television and determining that a player's helmet is not fitting properly because of his hair? Troy Polamalu played 152 regular season games over 12 NFL seasons, and in every one of those games he had long hair under his helmet. What about players with shaved heads? Maybe their helmets don't fit properly because they don't have any hair. Again, these players are professionals and legal adults. They are provided with whatever "safety equipment" – braces, pads – they want. The league does tests on helmets, and players are given that information and allowed to choose among those that qualify. A chinstrap is required, but you want to regulate the tightness of it? Fining a player because his chinstrap's tightness isn't to some standard? Then who determines the standard? How is it enforced? See where I'm going with this? That's just not real.
PAUL SCHLUETER FROM ANKENY, IA: Knowing it's so hard to win in the NFL, as you consider this team's early performance, do you put more stock into two early road wins or an uninspiring home loss?
ANSWER: As I consider this team's early performance, I put stock into two wins in three early games. Venue doesn't matter. Opponent doesn't matter. It's my opinion that at this stage of the NFL calendar nothing matters more than number of wins – with an acknowledgement that injuries are a very close second. I accept that there is a standard of play required to be successful down the stretch of the regular season and then into the playoffs, but you really don't have to be playing to that standard until that time comes (and history has shown that champions in September-October often peaked too soon). Until Thanksgiving, what's most important is stacking enough wins so that when you're in the third weekend of November you have enough to be relevant. That's my opinion.
LIAM BOYD FROM BOONSBORO, MD: With an aging starting QB on a one-year deal, do you see a first-round QB selection in the 2026 NFL Draft?
ANSWER: Current circumstances indicate that's a possibility. A reminder: The 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh, is on April 23-25, which will be the fourth month of 2026. Today is Sept. 25, which means there's still 5 days left in the ninth month of 2025.
CRAIG DUMNICH FROM AVONDALE, PA: I recognize that the defense created 5 turnovers, but I'm still critical of the defense because New England looked like they had their way with us. They completed all 4th-down attempts, except one. They simply were not afraid of us. Where is our mojo?
ANSWER: The days of fearsome defense in the NFL are over. Have been over since 2010. Players will get penalized and fined for falling on the quarterback while making a legal sack. A defensive player can use textbook technique, hit with the shoulder and avoid the head, and a penalty will be assessed for "unnecessary roughness." I'm not advocating for a return to the 1970s-80s style of play because safety is a worthwhile and necessary initiative, but what good defense in the NFL has become is making a play at a critical moment during a drive that either forces a field goal instead of allowing a touchdown, or better yet, takes the ball away. Five defensive takeaways – and a sixth turnover that came on downs to ice the victory – is what mojo is nowadays. A defense cannot rely solely on takeaways, but the ability to take the ball away after is a significant weapon for a team as it works to find ways to win games.
ROGER MURRAY FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX: I really don't have a question, but I'd like to encourage Steelers Nation to calm down. There are a plethora of ways to win a football game. Folks expect because the Steelers got 5 turnovers, we were supposed to blow out the other team that also is made up of professionals. A win is a win.
ANSWER: Better watch yourself. If you keep being rational, you'll get thrown out of the club.
