Steelers/NFL category, Page 202
First Call: Pittsburgh tabbed as best fit for Vegas free-agent CB; Steelers show interest in star HBCU edge defender
Pittsburgh is listed as a top destination for one NFL free-agent defensive back, while a current Pittsburgh Steeler may want to consider heading west. The Steelers are one of many teams intrigued by an HBCU star pass rusher. An infamous name in recent Steelers history is looking for work. Connor...
First Call: 1 Steeler free agent sounds inclined to stay; Penguins’ FSG ownership discusses future of other investments
At least one Pittsburgh Steelers free agent sure sounds like a guy who wants to stay in Black and Gold. The Florida Panthers and New York Islanders are making waves in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins continue to dominate atop the NHL standings. And the Penguins...
First Call: Steelers may have found replacement for Brian Flores; XFL gimmicks beat Hines Ward’s team in coaching debut
Monday’s “First Call” gives us a potential replacement for Brian Flores on the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff. We recap how some ex-Steelers fared in the debut weekend of the XFL. Gerrit Cole has a little dart for the Pirates. And some heart-warming advice from the NBA’s slam dunk champ. Replacing...
Tim Benz: Questions remain around Kenny Pickett — and many other quarterbacks
At this time a year ago, pretty much any Pittsburgh Steelers conversation was focused on the quarterback position. Would Aaron Rodgers really retire or leave Green Bay? What’s happening with Russell Wilson and Derek Carr? Do the Steelers have any faith in Mason Rudolph? How serious is the team about...
Rookie Connor Heyward earned prominent role in Steelers offense that could expand in ’23Video
The first month of Connor Heyward’s rookie season went as it often does for sixth-round draft picks: He was an afterthought in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. The final Steelers’ possession of Heyward’s rookie season, though, illustrated just how far he had come. A leaping, spinning, high-pointed catch over the middle...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Blaming the offensive coordinator a relatively new pastime
I’ve been listening to sports talk radio since it started. (The first local show was probably Myron Cope’s, which started in 1968. John Cigna also dabbled.) The Steelers have been through a lot of quarterbacks in that time. When the quarterback faltered back when — whether it was Terry Bradshaw,...
First Call: NFL Star to host ‘SNL’; surprising Steeler named ‘most improved’; could Super Bowl go pay-per-view?
A surprising name is listed as the Pittsburgh Steelers most improved player. Might we see the Super Bowl go to pay-per-view? A Kansas City Chiefs star player is slated to host “Saturday Night Live” — and it’s not MVP Patrick Mahomes. Plus, we wrap up a three-pack of games from...
NFL may ban Eagles’ QB sneak, making some current, former Steelers very happy
Here’s a potential NFL rule change some Pittsburgh Steelers defensive players will actually embrace for a change. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Cameron Heyward recently ripped the idea of the NFL implementing a “hip-drop tackle” ban. But he may like the latest possible addendum to the rule book. Heyward is one...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fan still crusty; NFL referees absorb some shots; Pirates cynicism
Lingering bitterness from Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Agitation over NFL officiating. Cynicism about the Pirates. And disinterest in the Super Bowl. It sure seems like our readers weren’t hugged enough on Valentine’s Day. Or at all. Like, ever. I mean, going back to when they were kids. That’s why I put...
First Call: Another ex-Steeler critical of the offense; Brian Flores discusses time with Steelers; a Rex Ryan return to coaching?
Thursday’s “First Call” has more criticism of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense from another former employee. Damar Hamlin is wrapped up in an off-field controversy. Brian Flores speaks about his time in Pittsburgh while accepting his new job. And an old friend of the Steelers may be getting back into coaching....
Mark Madden: Back to being a distraction, JuJu Smith-Schuster shows who he really is — an immature punk
After wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster left Pittsburgh and signed with Kansas City during the 2022 offseason, he went relatively quietly. Smith-Schuster minimized his addiction to social media and self-promotion, chipping only occasionally. Did Smith-Schuster stop dancing on opposition logos, climbing milk crates, going to high school proms and starring on TikTok...
Steelers assistant head coach John Mitchell retires after 29 years with franchise
The Pittsburgh Steelers are losing the longest-tenured member of Mike Tomlin’s coaching staff. John Mitchell, the team’s assistant head coach and a member of the organization since 1994, has decided to retire. He is 71. Mitchell spent 29 years with the Steelers and has coached in some capacity for the...
First Call: JuJu Smith-Schuster ignites Twitter spat with Eagles; Steelers AFC rival loses QB; Alex Ovechkin out in D.C.
Former Pittsburgh Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster ignited a post-Super Bowl Twitter spat with some angry Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers will meet a frequent AFC rival with a new quarterback next year. The Capitals are facing a stretch of games without Alex Ovechkin. And it was a wild night in the Metropolitan...
Tim Benz: Preparing for XFL coaching debut, Hines Ward embraces Steelers ‘standards’ from Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher
Former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward is doing that thing you do when you get older. That thing where you catch yourself saying something to your kids, and you realize you sound just like your mother or father. Except in Ward’s case, he’s not a parent educating a child. He’s a...
‘NFL on CBS’ rules analyst Gene Steratore on late penalty in Super Bowl: ‘It needs to be called’Video
Ever since the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, there have been complaints from fans about the officiating. Specifically, a defensive holding call against Philadelphia’s James Bradberry on Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with 1:54 left in the game, deep in the Eagles defensive...
Chuks Okorafor has become a reliable presence on Steelers offensive line, but will he be retained?
What player has been on the field most for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the past three years? Not T.J. Watt, not Cameron Heyward, not Minkah Fitzpatrick nor Diontae Johnson. The man who (literally) has played the most for the Steelers through the 2020-22 seasons is right tackle Chuks Okorafor. Okorafor...
Tim Benz: Jerome Bettis’ critique of Mike Tomlin’s offense should resonate
In his post-retirement life, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis has done his fair share of media work at ESPN, NBC and locally at WPXI. At no point has anyone ever labeled Bettis a “hot-take artist.” At no point has The Bus garnered the reputation of a flamethrower, spewing...
First Call: JuJu Smith-Schuster describes recruitment to K.C.; predictions for Cam Sutton’s contract; big Super Bowl TV ratings
Tuesday’s “First Call” features some interesting offseason predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers, including one about Cam Sutton’s future. JuJu Smith-Schuster describes how his recruitment to Kansas City began. The Super Bowl television ratings were gigantic. And the Pitt basketball team looks to stay hot against Boston College. Recruitment revealed Wide...
Long way to go? Oddsmakers peg Steelers twice as unlikely to win Super Bowl as Jets, Jaguars
Super Bowl LVIII is 363 days away. If the people who set the betting lines have anything to say anything about it, don’t bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in it. Then again, a wager on the Steelers would pay off quite handsomely if they do lift the Lombardi Trophy...
Tim Benz: Fancy stats prove a simple notion in Chiefs’ Super Bowl win — coach, QB shine en route to victory
Sometimes we oversimplify NFL coverage. We make everything about the coach and the quarterbacks. Sometimes, though, that is the case. And sometimes fancy stats can be used to highlight a simple premise. All that was proven true in Super Bowl LVII as the Kansas City Chiefs outscored the Philadelphia Eagles...
First Call — Super Bowl edition: Where are Terry Bradshaw’s rings? JuJu Smith-Schuster’s fashion; WPIAL star Skyy Moore scoresVideo
In a post-Super Bowl “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw reveals the whereabouts of his four championship rings. New Kensington product Skyy Moore scores in the Super Bowl. JuJu Smith-Schuster steals the Super Bowl Sunday fashion show. A veteran Baltimore Raven announces that he’ll be back for a 16th...
Madden Monday: After watching the Super Bowl, the Steelers are ‘nowhere close to being in a game like that’
Let’s try to view the results of Sunday’s Super Bowl victory for the Kansas City Chiefs over the Philadelphia Eagles through the lens of what it means for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE offers a rather blunt assessment....
Former Steelers Javon Hargrave, JuJu Smith-Schuster on big stage at Super Bowl
A few weeks before he can strut into free agency, Javon Hargrave can wobble onto the field at the Super Bowl. Hargrave was affectionately dubbed “J Wobble” by teammates upon being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. But five days after turning 30, Hargrave could cap his third season...
Ranking the best 57 plays in Steelers’ Super Bowl historyVideo
It could be a way to honor the 57th installment of the Super Bowl. Or it could be an homage to the number of ketchup varieties produced by the food and beverage conglomerate that used to have its name affixed to the Steelers’ home stadium. Either way, as Super Bowl...
A look back at Steelers’ 8 Super Bowl appearances
The Steelers have appeared in eight Super Bowls, winning six Lombardi Trophies, four of them within a six-year period. Here is a look back at a collection of Associated Press and Tribune-Review archival photos. Steelers running back Franco Harris gains yardage on his way to setting a new...
