Asked and Answered: May 28

BOBBY STICKEL FROM ITHACA, NY: Now that teams are starting to plan for the new kickoff rules, and the Steelers signed Cordarrelle Patterson, the thinking is that this new rule allows for more “designed” return plays to bring offensive opportunity back to this play. While I don’t buy into the idea of having Justin Fields return kicks (as rumors have suggested), my question is: If the Steelers use 2 returners on the field at the same time and one is Patterson, what other kick returner currently on the roster do you think would be a good fit for the second returner?
ANSWER: I have no idea. Calvin Austin III has some of the speed/short-area quickness helpful for returners, but his experience and expertise, even going back to his college career at Memphis, has been as a punt returner. I believe one of the reasons the Steelers made the effort to sign Cordarelle Patterson was because they realized they didn’t have any kickoff returners on their roster, and there was no reason to look for those kinds of players recently because the vast majority of kickoffs went for touchbacks. Maybe a second kickoff returner is something the Steelers will investigate once practice begins at training camp and then into the preseason, but there is nothing that mandates all “designed” return plays cannot be handled by Patterson.

CRAIG TSCHAPPAT FROM BETHESDA, OH: I vaguely recall a couple of Steelers defensive backs named Clendon Thomas and Jim Bradshaw. I also think I remember Bradshaw intercepting three passes in one game. Am I correct ? Any background on these two players?
ANSWER: Clendon Thomas came into the NFL as a No. 2 pick (19th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1958 NFL Draft. After 4 seasons in Los Angeles, Thomas spent 7 seasons with the Steelers as a safety, and in 96 games (72 starts) he recorded 23 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries. Jim Bradshaw entered the NFL as an 18th-round pick (248th overall) of the Steelers in the 1963 NFL Draft. In 62 regular…