Welcome to Paul Zeise’s weekly mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist and 93.7 The Fan radio host answers your questions about sports, life and everything in between. You can also chat about all sports with Paul at noon Thursdays. If you want to ask a question, tweet him @paulzeise or email him at pzeise@post-gazette.com. Let’s get started:
Marley: You wrote that the Steelers weren’t as good as the Ravens and Chiefs. What evidence do you have that this is the case? Why do you assume those two teams are the best in the AFC?
Zeise: It is just an opinion based on what I’ve observed. The Chiefs are the defending champs and have a quarterback who is a cheat code. I mean, how good is Patrick Mahomes? He alone makes me think the Chiefs are the best team in football. And the Ravens are really good too and won 14 games last year. It could be that I’m wrong and the Steelers prove they are the best team in the AFC. I doubt it, but if that happens, you can call me an idiot at the end of the season.
George: Why is Mike Tomlin so bad at challenging calls? He almost always loses, it seems. Is there not someone in the whole organization with sound judgment who could make a correct call once in a while for him?
Zeise: He has been very bad at challenges and a lot of it seems to be just ego. I know he brought in someone who was supposed to help with these challenges, but I don’t know how much he uses him.
Chad: Why is Ben Roethlisberger not getting credit nationally for the job he has done? He has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but all anyone seems to talk about is Tom Brady, Pat Mahomes, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson. Ben is better than them all and deserves credit.
Zeise: Roethlisberger has been good this year, and the Steelers are 3-0. Why do you care what Skip Bayless or Screamin’ A. Smith has to say about the Steelers or Roethlisberger? Why can’t you just be happy he is back and has the team at 3-0? That being said, let’s not lose our minds. He isn’t better than Mahomes, Rodgers, Brees or Brady and he probably isn’t better than Jackson, either.
Marty: Are you still convinced after Monday night that the Ravens are better than the Steelers? Also, are you still convinced the Ravens can win big with Lamar Jackson?
Zeise: Well, unless the Steelers traded for Mahomes and I don’t know it, yes. The Chiefs will make a lot of teams look silly this year, especially when they are dialed in. The Ravens had no answer for Mahomes and let it snowball. That doesn’t mean they are a bad team. It means they played the best team and got behind and got out of what they do really well. I still think they are better player-for-player than the Steelers.
JZinder: Aside from Ke’Bryan Hayes, who on the Pirates do you think are legitimate building blocks? This roster doesn’t have much to get excited about.
Zeise: Good question. We haven’t found out enough about a lot of players on this team. Joe Musgrove maybe showed he can be a steady middle of the rotation pitcher for them. Cole Tucker is a great fielder but perhaps needs to learn how to hit. Bryan Reynolds needs to do more obviously, but I still think he is a good baseball player. But this is why I’ve said a bunch of times that this team is a long way away from being competitive.
Jim: What does Pitt have to do to get some respect? They win and drop in the rankings. And why are they always on ACC Network? When do they get to play on a channel most people have?
Zeise: Pitt has won three games. If they continue to win games, they will get the respect they want and deserve. Pitt has not accomplished enough over a long period of time to demand the respect the fans think they deserve. Just win games, and it will come. As for the ACC Network, don’t ask, but demand...
Matt: Why do you stereotype police officers as bad? Your recent comments in your mailbag are harmful to police officers who are doing the job the right way. (The author of this question is a police officer)
Zeise: I’m really confused as to what I have said or written that suggests I don’t respect the job police officers do. In fact, I have consistently said the opposite. Police officers have a tough job, and the overwhelming majority of them do it right. That being said, we do need to make sure we are doing a better job of training and screening officers. But we should always support police because they do have a tough job.
Paul Zeise: pzeise@post-gazette.com and Twitter @PaulZeise
First Published: September 30, 2020, 6:06 p.m.
