Welcome to Paul Zeise’s weekly mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist and radio host of KDKA-AM and 93.7 The Fan answers your questions about sports, life and everything in between. If you want to ask a question, tweet him @PaulZeise or email him at pzeise@post-gazette.com.
Let’s get started:
Chad: Is it safe to say the NFL 2022 QB Draft Class is one of the worst of all time, or do you think it's too early to make that declaration?
Zeise: It is really, really bad. Brock Purdy has given the group a chance not to be a total washout. The rest of this group looks like a few backups at best and a bunch of guys out of the league within another year. But here is a list of classes of quarterbacks that were even worse. Good lord. There have been some really, really bad classes of quarterbacks. Looking at this list, I would say 2007 was definitely the worst. Wow, what a disaster that was.
Kurt: Hopefully you are enjoying some beautiful weather and a good stick this afternoon (I will be doing the same In N.C.). Kind of a crazy thought, but I wanted to hit you up on this. Given Fields' obvious athletic ability and Russell Wilson being 35.5 years old. Do the Steelers try to work Fields into a game for a couple of series by reprising Kordell Stewart's Slash role?
Zeise: I do think Fields will have packages that may or may not be used on a weekly basis. It will be situational. I just can’t imagine the Steelers will have a player with his ability and not try to use him from time to time. I don’t know if it will be an every-week thing, but I do think it will be a sequence of plays we will see with some degree of regularity.
John: The Steelers are acquiring some quarterbacks with some mobility! I hope they are looking for another in the draft. Maybe next year?
Zeise: They could and likely will draft their third quarterback this year. And Mike Tomlin has talked a lot about his love of mobile quarterbacks and now he has them.
George: It's irrational that the consensus opinion views the Steelers’ QB additions as being a slam dunk to playoff wins. Denver was willing to eat millions of dollars to dispose of Wilson and Chicago was willing to take a 6th round pick for Fields. I hope one succeeds, if not both, behind a better line than they previously had. Why are so many of you so convinced that the Steelers have upgraded their quarterback room?
Zeise: Because Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are better than the three guys the Steelers had last year? What part of that are you missing? I am not saying Wilson and Fields are stars, but to upgrade from last year is not a high bar to clear.
Nate: Do you think the Steelers will still try to acquire a WR through free agency even though they signed Van Jefferson?
Zeise: Yes, I think Van Jefferson is small potatoes. I still believe the Steelers will acquire a veteran receiver who still plays at a high level, and they will draft one. They know they need receivers, and they really only have one (George Pickens) who scares any other team.
Pete: As someone who has managed hundreds of talented people ... and something goes suddenly wrong ... 90% of the time, the fault lies in the team member's immediate supervisor. People don't leave companies. They leave their immediate supervisor. That is a fact you can depend upon. We have heard this before about Mr. Tomlin, have we not?
Zeise: The difference is Tomlin is one of the winningest coaches of all time, he is one of the most respected coaches around the NFL, and for every one disgruntled player that has played for him, 25 others sing his praises. Not everyone is going to be happy all of the time. Tomlin, however, is well respected and generally loved by his players, including players around the NFL who haven’t ever played for him.
Dan: Does it seem to you like the Steelers are willing to trade folks who want to leave, but they seem to have a habit of sending them places where their chances of success are slim to none?
Zeise: No. I think when they are trying to trade folks, every NFL team knows it; thus, there is no real market for their players. So they take the best deal they can get, which is usually underwhelming. The exception is the Bears, who the Steelers seem to be able to fleece every time they trade with them.
Steve: Both Diontae Johnson and Kenny Pickett were Tomlin favorites. Is Omar Khan trading two of Tomlin’s guys evidence that he is losing his power to make personnel decisions regarding the offense and maybe even getting close to being on the hot seat?
Zeise: I think that Art Rooney II basically said, “I am tired of us losing in the first round of the playoffs,” and put everyone in the organization on alert. In doing so, he freed Khan to go make bold moves, and I think Tomlin understands that there is more heat on him now than at any point. What’s that saying? Desperate times call for desperate measures. The two men are working together and have been given the green light to fix whatever is ailing the team.
Phantom Mike: As a yinzer living in Carolina, I watched Donte Jackson every week. Dude is 5’10” and 175 lbs, but he was faaaaast .. like 4.32 range ... had an ACL injury and now is quite a few steps slower. He tackles with as much enthusiasm as Dionte Johnson blocks with. He makes way too many boneheaded mistakes and takes chances, thus getting burnt a lot, and that is why Carolina was going to cut him until the Steelers swooped in and made the trade. Dionte Johnson was a head case, but getting this bum in a trade is mind-boggling. Why is Omar Khan getting a pass on this?
Zeise: I think it's because most fans are just happy to get rid of Diontae Johnson. It is that simple. I don’t think anyone is celebrating Donte Jackson coming back. More importantly, I don’t think the Steelers think he is a starting corner, and they understand they still need to address that position.
Ed: Of all of the Pittsburgh area college and pro teams, which one gives you the most agita? And if there’s more than one, then please rank them.
Zeise: Pitt football. And there isn’t a close second. Fans of that team are so fatalistic, and for good reason. The Panthers have found incredible ways to break their fans' hearts. Nothing is funnier than watching a Pitt game with Pitt fans and listening to them all trying to map out ways Pitt would lose. Pitt could be up 40, and their fans would start getting anxiety if the other team kicked a field goal. “That’s it, the comeback has begun...” That’s why that fan base is my favorite, because they love their team regardless of how many times their hearts get broken.
Vince: If the NFL had MLB's economic structure, would the Steelers be run like the Pirates?
Zeise: That is a great question. I think the Steelers would have to be run like that, although they would have more money at their disposal because the NFL is king. I don’t think they would be quite as frugal as the Pirates, but they would probably not have the highest-paid defense in the league.
Vince: There are college football playoff games scheduled for Saturday, Dec 21. The NFL will probably have a tripleheader that day. Why would they go head-to-head vs the NFL?
Zeise: The NFL has increasingly been passive-aggressive about going head-to-head with college football. I don’t think these colleges have much of a choice, as there are only so many days on a calendar. They do work together as much as possible but the battle for TV dollars is real.
Amy: Why did Kyle Dubas not do more to break up the Penguins' roster and get rid of some of their bad contracts? I just don’t see how they will be able to make any significant moves in the offseason with the contracts they have. He could have done more. Do you agree?
Zeise: After a week at the top, you are now at the bottom for two reasons - the Penguins stink and also because Clemson is trying to break up the ACC!! No, just joking, sort of ... As for Dubas, I agree 100 percent with one small difference: I think his hands were and are tied when it comes to the stars and maybe even Mike Sullivan. The stars and even a guy like Bryan Rust all have no-trade clauses. And I don’t think the Fenway Sports Group wants them to break up the stars. It will be very interesting this offseason to see what is actually done to change the team for the better. I will say this: if these four stars and Sullian still lead the team heading into next season, whatever it is that needed to be done was not done.
Paul Zeise: pzeise@post-gazette.com or @paulzeise on X
First Published: March 20, 2024, 7:17 p.m.
