Asked and Answered: May 9

RODGER SHAFFER FROM PLUM, PA: J.J. Watt asked to visit the Steelers, and Coach Mike Tomlin replied that he is welcome to stop in anytime. I know it’s just a dream, but is he a free agent?
ANSWER: J.J. Watt is a retired NFL player. In a story that appeared on NFL.com on Dec. 28, 2022, Watt was quoted as saying in a news conference after he had announced he planned to retire: “I’ve known for a little while. It’s the right time. It feels like the right time. I’ve put so much into the game and the wins and the losses, the mental stress and passion that comes with it, it just weighs on you. It’s heavy, I mean it’s really heavy. The losses are very tough to take. You live with the highs and the lows, and I’ve always said that I’d way rather live with the highs and the lows than never know in the middle. I’ve got a son now. Obviously, I had a heart scare in the middle of the (2022) year, so there’s certainly some of that that played into it. But I’m very happy and am very at peace with it.”

JACK LANG FROM GARLAND, TX: Regardless of which group of non-conference teams we are playing in a given year, we still always play the Patriots. Why is that?
ANSWER: This is a gross exaggeration, because the Steelers didn’t play New England in two of the previous three seasons – 2021 and 2020 – which hardly qualifies as “always.” With that out of the way, here is the procedure the NFL uses to create a team’s regular season schedule:

• Six games against divisional opponents — two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division in the other conference— two games at home and two on the road.
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.
• The 17th game is an additional game against a…