Steelers/NFL category, Page 451
Mason Rudolph will start at quarterback in Steelers’ 2nd preseason game
The reviews on their performances on Chuck Noll Field the past three weeks have been up-and-down. But once Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph got into a game, each made plays and impressed. The competition for the No. 2 quarterback job is heating up, and the stage it will again play...
U mad, bro? Readers torn on Clint Hurdle, bash Antonio Brown, Penguins defense
In “U mad, bro?” this week, some fans attack Clint Hurdle. Others defend him. Antonio Brown is a target. So is Pirates management. And the Penguins defense doesn’t get away unscathed. Nick is fed up with the Pirates. “The Bucs will not be contenders until ownership agrees that a couple...
Steelers’ Keith Butler talks about Devin Bush’s fast start, getting ready for Chiefs
In our final “Letters from Camp” podcast at Saint Vincent College, I speak with Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler. It’s been a hard week for this coaching staff to focus on football, given the death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake. But Butler has managed to turn his attention back...
Steelers daily preview: Last chance to catch workouts at Saint Vincent
Each day of Steelers training camp, the Trib rounds up some things to pay attention to during practice at Saint Vincent: WHAT TO WATCH End of the road: The 54th consecutive season of the Steelers training at Saint Vincent will conclude with the team practicing without pads. It is the...
Steelers inside the ropes: Moncrief back to making plays
Over the first three days of training camp, before he suffered a finger injury, Donte Moncrief was wowing onlookers at Saint Vincent. The Pittsburgh Steelers marquee free-agent signing on offense looked as if he could be a quality No. 2 receiver to complement JuJu Smith-Schuster. A two-week absence related to...
Tim Benz: Here’s how Steelers can create more turnovers this season
The defensive backs can take as many reps on the JUGS machine as they want. They can catch balls until their hands look like Antonio Brown’s feet. We can point at Steven Nelson’s four interceptions coming to Pittsburgh from Kansas City. Everyone can keep their fingers crossed that safety Terrell...
Kevin Gorman: Pine-Richland’s Kevin Rader again facing long odds with Steelers
Signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers was a “dream come true” for Kevin Rader, a first-year tight end from Pine-Richland and Youngstown State — except for one small detail. Rader didn’t dare to dream it. “I never saw it coming,” Rader said Wednesday at training camp at Saint Vincent. “I love...
Steelers’ Devin Bush, Zach Gentry sit out final padded practice of camp
The Pittsburgh Steelers broke out the pads for the final time at training camp Wednesday, but three members of the team’s draft class were not a part of the hard-hitting workout. The most notable absence was first-round draft pick Devin Bush, who was in uniform but watched practice while sporting...
Injuries give 1st-team reps to Steelers returning practice-squad center Patrick Morris
On a team with four undrafted players among the projected top six offensive linemen, Patrick Morris has recognized over his 16 months with the Pittsburgh Steelers that this is a good place to be. “Obviously as an undrafted guy, there’s a harder road,” Morris said during minicamp, “so I like...
Cameron Sutton shows off his versatility in Steelers’ secondary
In the slot. As the dime linebacker. At outside cornerback, strong safety or free. If it’s in the secondary, Cameron Sutton has played it during his two full seasons plus one preseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Any position feels like home,” Sutton said before practice Wednesday at Saint Vincent. Sutton...
Alejandro Villanueva: Darryl Drake wouldn’t want Steelers to ‘dwell’ on his passingVideo
As the only player on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster to serve in the military, left tackle Alejandro Villanueva has experienced tragic loss, watching young boys in his platoon die while fighting overseas. An Army Ranger who was deployed three times to Afghanistan, Villanueva was awarded a Bronze Star, among other...
Tim Benz, Chris Adamski discuss mood at Steelers camp, Mike Tomlin’s praise of Devin Bush
Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast comes to you from a rainy Saint Vincent College. Steelers practice was washed out halfway through the afternoon session. It was a gloomy day to go along with the dour mood on campus as the team was clearly still thinking about the passing of wide...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Mike Tomlin compares Devin Bush to Ryan Shazier
Typically, coaches are prone to tamping down this sort of thing. However, if Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is willing to go there, don’t let me stop him. I’m willing to follow. During a news conference Tuesday, Tomlin — unprompted — offered a comparison between first-round draft choice Devin Bush and...
Tim Benz: Are Penguins or Steelers a better bet to win a title?
Here’s something I noticed while hosting Mark Madden’s show on 105.9 the X. It spawned a lot of responses on the phone lines. I keep thinking about it. So I figured it was worthy of following up. I clicked on a story about the Tampa Bay Lightning being the 2020...
Steelers daily preview: Ray Sherman steps in to help out wide receivers
Each day of Steelers training camp, the Trib rounds up some things to pay attention to during practice at Saint Vincent: WHAT TO WATCH Filling a void: For the rain-abbreviated practice Tuesday, the first for the Steelers since the death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake, the position was overseen...
Kevin Gorman: The Steelers intend to march on but, first, they prayedVideo
The raindrops fell just as Pittsburgh Steelers players in white jerseys took a knee at Chuck Noll Field, sharing a prayer before position drills in their first practice without Darryl Drake. The wide receivers, the position Drake was in charge of coaching for the Steelers, were first to kneel. The...
NFL preseason debut ‘looked a little big’ for Steelers CB Justin Layne, who vows to adjust
Justin Layne acknowledged nerves all day Friday leading to his NFL preseason debut. “Oh yeah,” the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback said of being nervous. “Everything about it — walking into the stadium, driving in, checking in — all that. It’s crazy. “But hey, I got to learn.” By his appraisal...
Steelers injury notes: Sean Davis returns to practice, Joe Haden has ‘contusion’
For the first time in more than two weeks, Sean Davis took part in Pittsburgh Steelers practice. The veteran starting free safety took all the regular team reps in Tuesday’s session that was abbreviated by rain. Davis hadn’t practiced since July 28 because of a dislocated finger. Also taking part...
Mike Tomlin: Play from Steelers 3 QBs in preseason opener ‘above the line’
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn’t mention any of his three backup quarterbacks by name, but during Tuesday’s news conference he offered an unsolicited hearty endorsement of Josh Dobbs, Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges during the Steelers’ preseason opener four days prior. “I thought, generally, the quarterback play was positive,”...
Mike Tomlin ‘devastated’ by death of Steelers WR coach Darryl DrakeVideo
With a heavy heart and speaking at times while his a voice crackled with emotion, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tried his best Tuesday to articulate what Darryl Drake meant to players, coaches and himself. Drake, the team’s wide receivers coach, died early Sunday morning in the college dorms, leaving...
Steelers LB Devin Bush draws praise from fellow 1st-rounder Devin White
In Tuesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, I speak with linebackers Devin White and Devin Bush. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft choice, White will forever be linked with Bush, the Steelers’ first-rounder. Same name. Same draft class. Same position. For the entire draft process, they were discussed as if they...
Tim Benz: James Washington’s production for Steelers more important than title
James Washington had a very nice performance in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay. The second-year Steelers wide receiver caught four passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. He got high praise from observers locally and nationally. Now some are wondering whether he is going to supplant Donte Moncrief as...
Tim Benz: New info shows Antonio Brown’s helmet tantrum might have been unnecessary
The details surrounding Antonio Brown’s helmet holdout keep getting more amusing. According to one national report, Brown’s meltdown might have been even more needless than originally thought. Via ProFootballTalk.com: “Brown can’t use his preferred helmet — a Schutt AiR Advantage — in 2019, because that specific helmet is more than...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Steelers great Rocky Bleier ‘grateful’ for ESPN film
SC Featured producer Jon Fish approached Rocky Bleier a decade ago about the idea of doing a documentary where the Pittsburgh Steelers great would return to Vietnam for the first time in 40 years and revisit sites from his tour. “To some degree,” Bleier said, “I kind of poo-pooed it.”...
Steelers Inside the Ropes: Mike Tomlin pushes team to practice through rain
Three-and-a-half hours after he’d held back tears in discussing the loss of his longtime friend Darryl Drake, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin put on a jovial, defiant face at practice Tuesday. On a gray and largely miserable outdoor day at Saint Vincent, it was almost as if Tomlin was insistent...
