Steelers/NFL category, Page 316
Mark Madden: Losing David DeCastro has end-of-an-era vibe for Steelers
David DeCastro’s release has Pittsburgh Steelers fans looking forward and backward. Neither view is appetizing. In a little more than a year, the Steelers lost their entire starting offensive line: DeCastro, Matt Feiler, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey and Alejandro Villanueva are all ex- of this parish. Replacing them is a...
First Call: If David DeCastro wants to keep playing, many teams may want him; Jameson Taillon’s gem for New York
If former Steelers guard David DeCastro has any interest in pursuing his NFL career outside of Pittsburgh, he may have some suitors. A former local high school hoops star is keeping his career going. Robert Morris hockey alumni want to keep the sport alive at their alma mater. And Jameson...
Tim Benz: Worry about why David DeCastro was released later; worry about what remains of the Steelers’ offensive line
When the Steelers released starting right guard David DeCastro for non-football-injury-related reasons Thursday afternoon, a torrent of questions was raised. How did he get hurt? What’s the injury? Is he actually injured? Is this somehow money-related? Is he sick? Out of shape? Beat up? Worn down? Depressed that his buddies...
AFC preview with Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr: Steelers 3rd in North; Browns legit Super Bowl contenders
The latest BetOnLine.ag odds (21/20) have the Steelers most likely to finish third in the AFC North behind the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. That’s a bet I’d make. And it sure sounds like Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated would as well. Orr joins us for Friday’s “Breakfast With Benz”...
Steelers act quickly to add free agent guard Trai Turner to replace David DeCastro
A few hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers released Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro, ending his nine-year tenure with the team, they found his replacement for the 2021 season. Free agent guard Trai Turner, a seven-year veteran who spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, agreed to terms on a...
6-time Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro released by Steelers
In a surprising midsummer transaction, the Pittsburgh Steelers released six-time Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro on Thursday. A reliable veteran and trusted voice in the locker room, DeCastro joins longtime teammate Maurkice Pouncey as multi-time former All-Pro offensive linemen who left the Steelers this offseason. A nine-time Pro Bowl center,...
Second summer without Steelers another blow for Latrobe area
For a second year in a row, the Latrobe area will be on the sidelines during the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason, a fact that left local businesses and communities crestfallen. Team spokesman Burt Lauten announced Thursday the NFL’s covid-19 protocols will prevent the Steelers from holding a summer training camp at...
Steelers training camp will be in Pittsburgh, not at Saint Vincent
Westmoreland County will have to wait another year to welcome back its favorite annual summer guests. As concerns related to the waning coronavirus pandemic linger, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Thursday that they will stage their upcoming training camp at sites in Pittsburgh for the second consecutive year. Saint Vincent in...
First Call: Andrew McCutchen and Josh Bell hit dueling grand slams; Minkah Fitzpatrick credited for his quick ascent
Thursday’s “First Call” features quite a hitting duel between two former Pirates. An update on Al Villanueva’s progress in Baltimore. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is honored for his fast rise to stardom. And the Pirates may be heading to St. Louis at just the right time. Double the pleasure It...
First Call: Update on ex-Steeler Steven Nelson; James Conner’s big goals on and off the field; Bills may use Beaver Stadium
Ex-Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson may have a new team on his radar. His former teammate James Conner has big plans on and off the field in Arizona. The Bills will have all their fans in the stands when they welcome the Steelers during the season opener. And they may be...
Bill Cowher honored with Ireland Funds award named after late Steelers chairman Dan Rooney
Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher was bestowed with an award Monday named in honor of the team’s former president and chairman, the late Dan Rooney. Cowher was presented with the Daniel M. Rooney Ambassador’s Award at the Ireland Funds Pittsburgh Dinner on Monday evening at Heinz Field. According to...
First Call: Idea floated for Steelers to acquire former WPIAL star; who may be interested in trading for Adam Frazier?
Monday’s “First Call” looks at the idea of the Steelers swinging a trade with the New England Patriots to bring a former WPIAL star back to Pittsburgh. We wonder why the Steelers may want guard Trai Turner and who may offer a trade for Pirates infielder Adam Frazier. Plus, we...
Madden Monday: ‘We’re pretending Dwayne Haskins might be good, and he won’t be’; Pirates’ Derek Shelton ‘is an amateur’
Mark Madden is back from an extended weekend, and he has opinions stored up and ready to fly. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, we start by discussing the rumors that PLB Sports & Entertainment CEO Ty Ballou wanted to buy the Pirates, even though they aren’t for sale. Madden...
Steelers’ Diontae Johnson eyes more consistent season after leading NFL in drops
Diontae Johnson purchased a tennis ball machine in the offseason. It wasn’t so he could improve his volley or sharpen his backhand. After leading the NFL in drops last season, the young Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver bought the machine so he could improve his concentration and hand-eye coordination. “It’s a...
Steelers’ Mike Sullivan chasing another Lombardi Trophy, not Stanley Cup
If he didn’t realize it when he was hired in February by the Pittsburgh Steelers, it didn’t take long to discover he isn’t the only Mike Sullivan coaching in the city. One has been part of two world championships and worked closely with a long-time leader and captain who is...
First Call: Some confidence in Steelers’ Chuks Okorafor; an award for Sidney Crosby as his coach is snubbed
Friday’s “First Call” has some faith in Steelers tackle Chuks Okorafor. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby gets a little love while his head coach does not. Plus, a confusing look at the future of NHL divisional play. And a milestone for a local hockey program. Take a chance on Chuks One...
Tim Benz: More money, more responsibility, but Steelers’ Cameron Sutton is still moving around so others can flash
Even as he ascends the Steelers depth chart at cornerback, Cameron Sutton’s role may not be changing all that much. For now, he’s still the guy who plays in the secondary wherever he’s asked based on whoever else is on the field at a given time. That’s not exactly untraveled...
Steelers, Mike Tomlin await decision on training camp dates, location
The start of training camp remains unknown for the Pittsburgh Steelers. So does its location. Could be Saint Vincent College, the team’s summer home in Unity Township for 54 years until the coronavirus pandemic surfaced. Could be Heinz Field, the site of the 2020 camp because of the covid-19 outbreak....
After abrupt exit in Washington, Dwayne Haskins enjoying fresh start with Steelers
Dwayne Haskins has never whistled a football through a car wash — like Ben Roethlisberger recently wondered — to see whether it would get wet. The metaphor, though, could be an apt description of Haskins’ young NFL career. After his two-year experience in Washington left him covered with dirt on...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are fretting; Penguins fans are pushing back; Pirates fans are just fed up
This edition of “U mad, bro?” touches all the bases. Oops. Sorry. Too soon? Ke'Bryan Hayes hits a home run for the Pirates, but missed first base. #Dodgers win the challenge. It remains 0-0 pic.twitter.com/uLa7FzTFVP— AM 570 LA Sports (@AM570LASports) June 9, 2021 This week we’ve got Steelers fans fretting...
Tim Benz: Alex Highsmith’s 3-point plan to replace Bud Dupree as T.J. Watt’s OLB running mate
We already know that Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith is one of the team’s biggest variables heading into 2021. Replacing Bud Dupree effectively will be no small task. Dupree had a total of 19.5 sacks and six forced fumbles over his last 27 games as a Steeler prior to...
Joe Haden trying to keep up to speed with changes in Steelers secondary
The legs usually are the first thing that goes south for a boxer in a prize fight, and Joe Haden believes that theory also holds true for an NFL cornerback as he gets to the later rounds of his career. As he enters his 12th pro season and fifth with...
Mark Madden: Steelers OC Matt Canada’s real changes will start with Ben Roethlisberger’s successor
Matt Canada is the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator — kind of. If there was any doubt regarding who’s the real boss, Canada erased that Tuesday when he said, “We are going to do what Ben (Roethlisberger) wants to do and how he wants to do it.” Meet the new bobo....
First Call: Mike Tomlin avoids Steelers minicamp health questions; Tyler Glasnow blames MLB pitch-grip policy for injury
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is playing coy about some injury questions at minicamp. Tyler Glasnow went off about his injury and a possible connection to pitch-grip regulations. Marc-Andre Fleury is the new Conn Smythe favorite. And former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue still has concerns about gambling. All that...
Stats show Matt Canada’s approach and Ben Roethlisberger’s preferences even further apart than Steelers may have thought
For those of us in the media suggesting Matt Canada’s offense will be a big change for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, we were wrong. It’s actually going to be gigantic. Well, it will be if Canada decides to incorporate many of his tendencies and preferences from his college coaching days...
