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Asked and Answered

Asked and Answered: Sept. 4

Let's get to it:

EDITOR'S NOTE: Presented below, without comment, are all of the submissions by fans rubbing my nose in it over the news that the Steelers cut Landry Jones and decided to keep Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph as the backup quarterbacks behind Ben Roethlisberger. I hope that the glee expressed in so many of these is directed at me being wrong, as opposed to Jones losing his job, because he always impressed me as a team guy and a true professional. So, enjoy yourselves, all of you who took time out of your holiday weekend to tell me how stupid I am, and to the rest of y'all please understand that this issue will not be entertained in this space again. But just once more for your enjoyment: I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong.

JERRY JONES FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: You have been speaking to Steelers fans like we are idiots to suggest the Steelers cut Landry Jones. All along you've been saying he was going to be the backup. Well, the fans have proved you wrong. Landry Jones is cut because the Steelers have better options in Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph, which us fans have been saying all along. Please tell us that you were wrong, and we were right.

MATT KING FROM CHARLOTTE, NC: Why were you on the Landry Jones bandwagon? He crumbled when we needed him the most in the playoffs.

ANTHONY CONTI FROM CRANBERRY, PA: You spent most of the preseason bashing anyone who brought up the quarterback position and Landry Jones' spot on the roster and his position as the No. 2 quarterback. Can we get a little bit of humbled pie from you this week?

GREG FINDY FROM NORTH ROYALTON, OH: Why was Landry Jones released? You said all preseason he was the backup for 2018. What's up with this?

DOUG KLINKEBIEL FROM ALBANY, NY: You said Landry Jones was a lock. I couldn't agree more with the Steelers cutting him loose. He never impressed me.

WILLIAM JOHNSON FROM MONETA, VA: It's me again. Just writing to see if you plan to address the countless questions you will receive this week regarding your Landry Jones false prophecy? Or at the very least issue an apology to fans for suggesting such an absurd notion as cutting Jones? Perhaps Landry Jones should be the new Asked and Answered guy for Steelers.com? I'm sure Cleveland could use a guy of your talent.

FRANK FERRI FROM COZUMEL QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO: What just happened? Landry Jones looked very sharp in limited preseason action. Who will be Ben´s eyes looking at the other side of the field? When will you be an unrestricted free agent?

DAVID FINK FROM TREASURE LAKE, PA: In yo face, Bob. Who is gonna pick up Landry Jones?

TY PAUL FROM DAYTON, OH: Of course the reasons contributing to the quarterback decisions are ultimately speculative unless we hear it from Coach Tomlin or Kevin Colbert, but I think Pittsburgh fans would enjoy as much speculation as possible given the collective and long-present dislike of Jones. I'm confident Dobbs and Rudolph have the intelligence to fill the extra eyes role so other than money, I think one of the biggest reasons Dobbs was kept is his ability to flash (which translates to upside). Jones was never special, which is what fans hated. Dobbs may not have starter capability overall, but can flash brilliance, which is why fans like him. For example, his ability to throw a decent ball while essentially being sacked seems to defy physics when watching at normal game speed. The second, largely overlooked, and possibly huge reason for Dobbs over Jones may have been Rudolph - not Dobbs or Jones. His play looked so good against Carolina, I think the Steelers no longer felt the need to keep their "capable backup." Rudolph is already more polished and I think will become the No. 2 while they further develop the upside of a continually impressive Dobbs.

ACE CAPUTO FROM ONTARIO, CANADA: No question. Just this ... time to eat some crow, Mr. Praster and Mr. Labriola. "Landry Jones is our No. 2 quarterback. Get over it, people. Jones is our best backup for the 2018 season."

JASON PRASTER FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX: Joshua Dobbs is the No. 2 quarterback … I guess I was really wrong in my rant. My apologies to Steelers Nation. I will give credit where credit is due. Dobbs did have an impressive preseason, so, congratulations to Mr. Dobbs on earning your spot as primary backup to Big Ben. You earned it.

STEPHEN SCHRADER FROM PORTLAND, OR: I'm very excited for the way Josh Dobbs improved this preseason and essentially stole Landry Jones' job. He really seems like a great guy that you want to root for. The Steelers must be happy, as the fans likely are, to have two potential replacements to Ben's throne who can battle it out for years to come. But, wasn't this exactly what Ben was wondering about after the selection of Mason Rudolph in the third round when he was questioning about whether this could help the team now? And now he loses his security blanket in Landry Jones, so Ben can't be as happy as the rest of Steelers Nation with this turn of events. It seems like Ben saw this coming, as he was plugging Jones' value beyond being on the football field.

MICK WATTS FROM NORTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM: I've been reading through the last few Asked and Answered questions regarding the Steelers quarterbacks. Do you ever think "they done it to me again" where Mike Tomlin/Kevin Colbert have totally surprised you with a decision that you did not think possible?

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