Steelers/NFL category, Page 350
Steelers’ Jaylen Samuels misses another practice but Mike Hilton on track to return to games
Mike Hilton was a full participant at Pittsburgh Steelers practice for the second straight day Thursday. Barring a late-week setback, the nickel cornerback appears well on track to make his return to the lineup after a four-game absence because of a shoulder injury. Thursday’s practice report offered no surprises. All...
Randy Fichtner hints that FB Derek Watt could play bigger role in Steelers offense
Derek Watt hasn’t provided the durability he displayed before the Pittsburgh Steelers gave him a three-year, $9.75 million contract. The 28-year-old fullback — and older brother of Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt — has appeared in just five games this season after playing in 64 consecutive games during his four...
Ben Roethlisberger proving difficult to bring down during Steelers’ perfect start
Ben Roethlisberger is debunking the theory that the more times a quarterback drops back to pass the more likely he is to get sacked. In his 17th season, at age 38, Roethlisberger will take his second-longest streak of pass attempts without a sack into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game Sunday against...
First Call: Steelers’ playoff lock jinx? Penguins get Mario Lemieux’s hard sell on alternate jersey
It’d take a meteor hitting the Earth to prevent the Steelers from making the playoffs this season. Or just a bad flashback to 2018? Hmm. The Steelers were hoping for a little help from the Las Vegas Raiders against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. That’s looking like a long...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans bristle over run game debate, Cincinnati attacks on Bud Dupree, question ILB snaps
Here’s how I know things are going well for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I start digging through my tweets, emails, column replies and various other interactions, and I actually have to … dig. No, seriously. I had to work a little bit, just to find a few juicy complaints for “U...
Steelers claim exemption from governor; players won’t wear masks on field
While athletes and coaches in Pennsylvania are required to wear masks under orders from Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, the Pittsburgh Steelers believe the team and their opponents do not fall into that category. “We have received guidance from the Governor’s Office that our players are exempt from wearing masks during...
Intensive protocol environment against covid-19 to become the norm for NFL, Steelers
At the end of their third week adhering to the NFL’s intensive protocol guidelines, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be getting some company. Make that plenty of company. The league announced Wednesday that, beginning Saturday, all 32 teams will be placed into intensive protocol because of the surge in coronavirus cases...
CB Mike Hilton practices fully for Steelers; RB Anthony McFarland returns from illness
It was another Wednesday of full practice for nickel cornerback Mike Hilton. But, as was learned last week, that does not mean he will play Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And while the Steelers wait for two players who remain on the reserve/covid-19 list, one player who had an illness...
Jaguars one of few teams Roethlisberger-era Steelers have struggled against
When it comes to facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger often struggles. His career passer rating of 78.2 against the Jaguars ranks 30th of 31 NFL teams. Roethlisberger only has a lower passer rating against the Buffalo Bills, but one of those games was played in a...
DL Chris Wormley activated to practice with Steelers
Veteran defensive lineman Chris Wormley returned to practice Wednesday but remains on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ injured reserve list. Wormley suffered a knee injury during the Oct. 25 win at the Tennessee Titans and was placed on injured reserve later that week. Rules dictate a player on IR must miss three...
First Call: Antonio Brown’s bike incident could have personal conduct consequences, WPIAL star up from Ravens practice squad
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some troubling news for former Steeler Antonio Brown. A former WPIAL player is up from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. And a Bengals signing bust. Oh, boy, A.B. Former Steeler Antonio Brown may be in more trouble than we thought. Well, that’s depending on how much...
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone gushes about Steelers memories, Rooney family
Recent memories that Steelers fans have of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone are mainly negative. He was the guy on the sideline as they plowed through Heinz Field with upset wins twice in 2017. Once in the regular season 30-9, then again in the playoffs 45-42. Meanwhile, Marrone’s earliest...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin won’t let James Robinson be a surprise for Steelers defense
During his Tuesday press conference, I think Mike Tomlin finally had an appreciation of what it’s like to be a sports talk show host. On light content days, sometimes you’ve got to say a whole lot about not much to fill the time. Hence his glowing monologue about Jacksonville Jaguars...
Mike Tomlin admits Steelers running game is ‘below the line’
Mike Tomlin no longer is downplaying the problems with the Pittsburgh Steelers run game. Two days after insinuating his undefeated team could continue to thrive despite a stagnant rush offense, Tomlin reversed course Tuesday at his weekly news conference, calling the running game “ineffective.” “We spent a lot of time...
Mike Tomlin says 9-0 Steelers won’t underestimate 1-8 Jaguars
The difference in win-loss record is astounding, yet Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is not about to take the Jacksonville Jaguars lightly. The Steelers will put their 9-0 record on the line Sunday on the road against the Jaguars, whose 1-8 record is second-worst in the NFL. And with the...
Tim Benz: Steelers, Chiefs need to avoid AFC ‘middle class’ uprising
Having a strong middle class is usually a good thing. Not if you are the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers or Kansas City Chiefs, though. Elsewhere in life, that’s true. Economics. Politics. Education. You know, less important stuff than the AFC playoff picture. However, there seems to be a rising middle class...
First Call: New reports of an off-field Antonio Brown incident, Steelers won’t get Jaguars starting QB
Former Steeler Antonio Brown is already back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A Baltimore Raven is catching some flak from his own fans. Even less reason for Steelers fans to worry about the Jacksonville Jaguars. And a bus is the reason why coaches of the Kansas City...
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger up to No. 5 betting choice for NFL MVP
His four-touchdown, zero-interception effort helped lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to 9-0. It also lifted Ben Roethlisberger into legitimate hype regarding the NFL’s MVP race. Roethlisberger has moved into the top five among the betting odds to be named the 2020 league MVP. According to co.sportsbetting.com, a Monday wager on Roethlisberger...
Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger unconcerned about Steelers’ recent rushing woes
None of the other 31 NFL teams has a better record than the Pittsburgh Steelers. But 23 of them average more rushing yards per game, and 26 average more yards per carry. For the offense of a 9-0 team that has averaged 30.1 points per game (tied for fourth most...
Moving around defense doesn’t faze Steelers’ versatile Sutton
He has as many NFL seasons as he has starts. So why is Cameron Sutton viewed as being so valuable to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense? Perhaps because the number of positions he plays is greater than number of his seasons or starts. “You got to respect it,” teammate Terrell Edmunds...
5 things we learned: Time for Ben Roethlisberger to join the NFL MVP talk
Five things we learned from Steelers 36, Bengals 10: 1. Big award for Big Ben With the Steelers continuing to roll along as the NFL’s only unbeaten team, is it time to give credit to the player most responsible for that happening? Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s name will start surfacing as...
Mark Madden: Can the 9-0 Steelers run the ball when needed?
When the playoffs start, the Steelers better hope they don’t have to run the ball. The Steelers very often can’t. When they can’t, they stop trying to. There isn’t much to complain about when a 9-0 team wins by 26. But I do sports-talk radio and am obligated to try....
First Call: Bengals fans lash out at Bud Dupree, Patriots’ trick play burns Baltimore, Browns gut gamblers
Monday’s “First Call” features some Bengals fans wagging their fingers at Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree after their team lost at Heinz Field. The New England Patriots spring another trick play on the Baltimore Ravens. The Cleveland Browns ruined a bet. And the Jacksonville Jaguars gave the Steelers a few things...
Madden Monday: Can Steelers fans start obsessing about Chiefs the same way they did with Patriots?
It’s time to stop wondering “how” and time to start wondering “how many.” In other words, forget how the Steelers managed to get to 9-0. Now let’s focus on how many in a row they will win before that streak is snapped. It’s time to stop asking “when” and start...
Covid-19 issues don’t affect Steelers in win; team facility will get deep cleaning
The Steelers will have Monday off. That’s not unusual after a victory in the second half of the season. But what is unusual about this particular “victory Monday” is that UPMC Rooney Sports Complex team headquarters will undergo a deep cleaning. According to team spokesman Burt Lauten, the facility will...
