DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Welcome to Tuesday 12 Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m., obviously in the immediate aftermath of the Mike Tomlin press conference, and offers you a chance to dictate the discussion.

The format is simple: Use the comments section below to submit an entry. No more than one per person, please. Submit it early if you prefer, and I’ll pick from that batch to get rolling, then monitor new entries once we go live.

All topics welcome, as always.

Stephen Dotts: Was the Steelers’ victory over the Texans a significant step in the right direction, or a product of three lucky minutes?

DK: I’m not, in any walk of life, a fan of analysis through omission. What happens actually happens. If Le’Veon Bell rans for 350 yards in one game, no more than 20 in any of the rest, he still ran for those 350. There are no rejected outliers in sports. Everything counts.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Welcome to Tuesday 12 Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m., obviously in the immediate aftermath of the Mike Tomlin press conference I’ll be covering, and offers you a chance to dictate the discussion.

The format is simple: Use the comments section below to submit an entry. No more than one per person, please. Submit it early if you prefer, and I’ll pick from that batch to get rolling, then monitor new entries once we go live.

All topics welcome, as always.

UPDATE 1 p.m.: Back from the South Side. Here we go …

eseeger89: Based on what you’ve seen and heard through six Steelers games and your familiarity with the principals, are you sticking with your prediction of 11-5?

DK: I don’t see value in “sticking by” opinions, whether they’re predictions or anything else. What I write is what I write on the day I write it, and I move on to the next piece. Ideally, sure you’d love to look like Nostradamus with everything, but I find that the “sticking by” philosophy only leads to a bad foundation for forming further opinion. Situations change. So should viewpoints.

That out of the way, wow, no. Absolutely not.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Welcome to Tuesday Twelve Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m. and offers you a chance to dictate the discussion.

The format is simple: Use the comments section below to submit an entry, with no more than one per person, please. Submit it early if you prefer. I’ll pick from those to get the thing rolling, then monitor new entries once we go live. All topics welcome, as always.

Ghost: So, no Gerrit Cole tomorrow. Still like having Edinson Volquez take the ball, with how he’s pitched for the Pirates. Gotta beat Madison Bumgarner first. But once they do, isn’t Cole lined up to pitch twice vs. the Nats? If they can just beat Giants, looks like pitching lines up optimally, far as we can go.

DK: To start, welcome. Kind of surprised it was this hard to pick out a wild-card question from the bunch — as opposed to the usual Russell Martin angst — but hey, it’s your event!

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

ATLANTA — Welcome to Tuesday Twelve Qs, our chat that takes place each week early in the afternoon … except this week, when we’ll go instead at 5 p.m. so I can bring you the freshest info from the Pirates’ clubhouse here at Turner Field.

The format is simple: Use the comments section below to submit an entry, with no more than one per person, please. Submit it anytime you want. I’ll pick from those to get the thing rolling, then monitor new entries once we go live. All topics welcome, as always.

UPDATE 5:16 p.m.: Sorry for the late push-off. Lots happening. Here we go …

jbucey: Do you believe the Pirates’ pitching staff has handled Andrew McCutchen getting thrown at properly? What are you hearing from them or him?

DK: It’s not always as simple as isolating on the pitchers. Not always. The manager and/or coaches will find a way to communicate what they want done. And it’s extremely evident after this weekend that the Pirates’ singular focus was beating Milwaukee. Which they did. It was equally evident, given the scores of those games, they were in no position to be throwing at people.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Welcome to Tuesday Twelve Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m. live from the Steelers’ headquarters on the South Side.

The format is simple: Use the comments section below to submit an entry, with no more than one per person, please. Submit it anytime you want. I’ll pick from those to get the thing rolling, then monitor new entries. All topics welcome, as always.

UPDATE 1:05 p.m.: Sorry, a little late. But away we go …

TLCinDC: If the Steelers finish worse than 8-8 this season, does Mike Tomlin end up on the Rooneys’ hot seat? In that instance, what’s your best guess on how that scenario plays out?

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Welcome to Tuesday Twelve Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m. live from the Steelers’ headquarters on the South Side.

The format is simple: Use the comment section below to submit an entry, no more than one per person. Submit it anytime you want. I’ll pick from those to get the thing rolling. I’ll then monitor new entries.

UPDATE 1 p.m.: OK, Mike Tomlin just spoke with us here in his press conference room, and I was able to get downstairs to the locker room for about 15 minutes of material from the athletes.

And off we go …

Kevin: It’s only two games, but the Steelers looked quite different than the past two years. The speed from Ryan Shazier along with Stephon Tuitt, Sean Spence and Mike Mitchell really makes the defense look stronger. If the O-line is improved, as well, then what are realistic expectations for the 2014 Steelers?

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