**DAVID HAYES FROM HARTSELLE, AL: I think our kicker is one of the top two kickers in the NFL. Glad to see him sign a contract extension. How do Chris Boswell's numbers stack up against other Steelers kickers?**
ANSWER: Starting with the hiring of Chuck Noll in January 1969, the Steelers placekickers that enjoyed anything close to a tenure with the team included, in chronological order: Roy Gerela, Gary Anderson, Norm Johnson, Jeff Reed, Shaun Suisham, and Chris Boswell. Listed below are their respective statistics:
**ROY GERELA** Career FG Pct. (regular season) 114 games – 64.3 percent Career FG Pct. (playoffs) 14 games – 57.7 percent Career FG Pct. from 40-49 yards – 45.6 percent
Career FG Pct. from 50+ yards – 0-for-8; 0 percent
**GARY ANDERSON** Career FG Pct. (regular season) 197 games – 78.2 percent Career FG Pct. (playoffs) 10 games – 78.9 percent Career FG Pct. from 40-49 yards – 67.1 percent
Career FG Pct. from 50+ yards – 47.0 percent
**NORM JOHNSON** Career FG Pct. (regular season) 63 games – 82.7 percent Career FG Pct. (playoffs) 7 games – 83.3 percent Career FG Pct. from 40-49 yards – 71.4 percent
Career FG Pct. from 50+ yards – 33.3 percent
**JEFF REED** Career FG Pct. (regular season) 127 games – 81.9 percent Career FG Pct. (playoffs) 12 games – 88.9 percent Career FG Pct. from 40-49 yards – 67.1 percent
Career FG Pct. from 50+ yards – 47.0 percent
**SHAUN SUISHAM** Career FG Pct. (regular season) 71 games – 87.9 percent Career FG Pct. (playoffs) 5 games – 81.8 percent Career FG Pct. from 40-49 yards – 88 percent
Career FG Pct. from 50+ yards – 37.5 percent
**CHRIS BOSWELL** Career FG Pct. (regular season) 167 games – 87.7 percent Career FG Pct. (playoffs) 11 games – (19-of-19) 100 percent Career FG Pct. from 40-49 yards – 80.4 percent
Career FG Pct. from 50+ yards – (52-of-63) 82.5 percent
**GEORGE KELLY FROM COLUMBIANA, OH: Have the Pittsburgh Steelers ever drafted a QB and he was the starting QB for the first game of the regular season in the year he was drafted? Other NFL teams have done that, but I don't remember the Steelers ever doing that.**
ANSWER: It happened in 1970 when the Steelers made Terry Bradshaw the No. 1 overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft, and then he was the team's starting quarterback when the regular season opened on Sept. 20, 1970, vs. the Houston Oilers at Three Rivers Stadium. In that 19-7 loss, which was the first regular season game played at Three Rivers Stadium, Bradshaw completed 4-of-16 (25 percent) for 70 yards, with 0 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a rating of 19.3. Bradshaw also was sacked twice, and he ran out of the end zone for a safety. Backup Terry Hanratty replaced Bradshaw and accounted for the Steelers only touchdown with a 15-yard pass to Ron Shanklin in the fourth quarter.
**PERCEVAL SONDAG FROM FLEMINGTON, NJ: My understanding used to be that a roster bonus is paid if the player makes the final roster that year. But as I see some players having their roster bonus as part of the "guaranteed at signing" portion of their contract, I now wonder what the point of these bonuses is as compared to making it part of the base salary?**
ANSWER: Roster bonuses are paid to a player for being on the team's roster at a certain point in the calendar. For example, contracts can include a roster bonus that's paid to a player either just before or just after the start of the new league year in March, and in that case it's paid if the player is on the 90-man roster. I'm not going to pretend to know how roster bonuses can be used to get players guaranteed money while also lessening hits to the team's salary cap, but that is done regularly. A player earning a roster bonus rarely has it tied to making the 53-man roster coming out of the preseason.
**GREG TATSUGUCHI FROM HONOLULU, HI: I've read that Aaron Rodgers is very good teammate. That he enjoys giving back, in terms of passing down his quarterback experiences and wisdom to the younger players. Is this true?**
ANSWER: Very true. The following quote is from a recent media availability with rookie Drew Allar: "Aaron's been a huge help to not only me but the whole room. With me specifically, he's pulled me aside during practice to talk through some drill work or things to focus on throughout different drills. And in the film room, just asking me questions of what I was looking at and why. I'm really excited to keep learning from him. Obviously, he's one of the best to ever do it in this game. The opportunity I have is what I'm not going to take for granted. Just learn from him and everybody in that room."
**ROBERT NETOSKIE FROM SUN CITY WEST, AZ: With all of the talk about quarterback footwork and other things that need fixed or improved, I don't remember any of this when Ben Roethlisberger arrived. Did he have any shortcomings that had to be addressed? He seemed to hit the road running when he got his chance.**
ANSWER: The first difference is that the one of the QBs Coach Mike McCarthy is working with on footwork and other fundamentals is a 2025 sixth-round draft pick who never took a snap during his rookie season because of a broken finger in training camp, and the other is a third-round rookie who was labeled a project by virtually every pre-draft analysis. On the other hand, Ben Roethlisberger was a consensus first-round pick. But even with that, it wasn't as though the Steelers opened the entire playbook and turned over the offense to him when he became the starter after Tommy Maddox was injured in the second game of the season. In 2004, Roethlisberger started 13 regular season games, and he attempted 20 or fewer passes in 7 of those. He didn't attempt more than 25 passes in any game until Dec. 18 vs. the Giants in New York. The 2004 Steelers ran the ball 618 times and attempted 358 passes, and their defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL vs. the run and No. 4 vs. the pass, while recording 41 sacks and 32 takeaways.
**SCOTT SYMMONDS FROM OSSIAN, IA: We heard a lot about Gennings Dunker immediately after the draft. There was a lot of excitement, about more than just the sick mullet. News has dropped off since. Is there any information on how he is adjusting to the NFL and how he is integrating into the Steelers organization?**
ANSWER: Quite frankly, there isn't a whole lot going on right now beyond the installation of systems and procedures, and there just are not going to be regular updates about how that is progressing when it comes to individual players. One situation that appears to be forming along the offensive line is that Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick will be moving from the right side to the left side, which seems to indicate that Gennings Dunker's path to playing time is going to come at right guard.
**AL GOMEZ FROM CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, MEXICO: I just brought my Paris ticket, and since the Steelers are the "away" team, that means the Saints will handle most of the logistics, and media, right?**
ANSWER: There are some perks and advantages to being the designated home team for an International Game, but above all it's an NFL regular season game and the NFL is in charge. By that I mean certain things are mandated by the league and are not open to discussion by the participating teams. It's how the NFL ensures fairness, because this is going to be a game that counts in the standings.
**LUKE OTT FROM PEACHTREE CITY, GA: I've been saving this question for the offseason. Is there one biography of Johnny Unitas that you feel stands out above all the others?**
ANSWER: I haven't read all of them, but there is one written by Tom Callahan that's titled, "Johnny U: The Life and Times of John Unitas," that I have read and enjoyed.