Chris Adamski stories, Page 139

Ulysees Gilbert showed enough promise during his rookie training camp and preseason that the Pittsburgh Steelers kept him on their 53-man active roster all season. That’s no small feat for a sixth-round pick. But for all the promise Gilbert showed, and for the value he brought as the Steelers’ most-utilized...

Injury forced the Pittsburgh Steelers to swap out players who fill one of their most prominent special-teams roles. Rookie Ulysees Gilbert was placed on injured reserve this week because of a back ailment, so Robert Spillane was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Each is an inside...

Sutton Smith never again will get a second chance to make his first NFL impression. But performing with a torn oblique made that impression increasingly difficult for Smith during his rookie training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It gets tougher and tougher to make a squad every day when it’s...

The Steelers have one of the worst kickoff return units in the NFL. Could a change be coming? Rookie running back Tony Brooks-James said practiced as a returner and would welcome the opportunity in a game. The speedy Brooks-James returned kicks for Oregon. As a senior, he averaged 26.1 yards...

For the third consecutive game he started and finished, Mason Rudolph guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to a victory. For a second-year quarterback with no NFL regular-season experience before seven weeks ago, that’s been good enough. “I think, as me being at the helm, we’ve gotten better and have shown growth,”...

Anyone in a friendly sibling rivalry with a brother or sister who is too athletic, too pretty or too smart can relate. Even during his best game as an NFL player, Trey Edmunds was Marcia Brady-d by the league. The NFL’s official social media accounts sent out notifications that the...

When a franchise quarterback retires, NFL franchises can spend years worth of draft, intellectual, financial and developmental capital searching for his replacement. The Indianapolis Colts appear to have done it without using significant resources, as Jacoby Brissett has emerged as a quality starter. Heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Colts,...

The tenure is over for what will go down as one of the worst free-agent signings in Pittsburgh Steelers history. Veteran receiver Donte Moncrief was released Saturday, less than eight months after signing a two-year, $9 million contract to, in part, replace Antonio Brown. A 6-foot-2 and with good speed,...

1. No fly zone? After being the target for fan scorn — and salivating opposing quarterbacks — for the better part of a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary quietly is building a resume worthy of one of the better pass defenses in the NFL. The full-season statistics are, at worst,...

Typically, when scouting an upcoming opponent, an offensive guard isn’t the focal point of an NFL team’s gam plan. But with the Indianapolis Colts, left guard Quenton Nelson might be their best player. Nelson, the No. 6 overall draft pick last year out of Notre Dame, was All Pro as...

Speaking publicly for the first time since a domestic incident at Nemacolin Woodlands involving his girlfriend last month, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo on Friday apologized for the distraction it caused and said he is “hopeful” the NFL will not discipline him further. “I just want to acknowledge that the...

Emboldened by wins in their past two games and with a chance to pull to within a game of a playoff spot with a victory, the Pittsburgh Steelers are beginning to embrace the potential of a season that teetered on the edge of irrelevancy earlier this month. Once 1-4, the...

When discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged his team’s perceived shortcomings. “We have had our issues with tight ends,” Tomlin said Tuesday. The Steelers have — in the past. But have they turned the corner when it comes to facing tight ends?...

It was not a case, James Washington said Wednesday, of spotting Nik Needham from afar Monday night and lining him up in anticipation of a highlight-reel pancake. “Honestly, I was just in the moment,” the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver said. “I just saw an opportunity, and I hit him.” Washington did...

T.J. Watt considers the art of pass rushing to be an in-game “chess match.” But when it comes to forcing fumbles, he’s barely playing checkers. But even if Watt stresses simplicity and points out defenses have precious little time to practice stripping the ball, the Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker...

One by one, Minkah Fitzpatrick fielded the questions from reporters from Pittsburgh and South Florida alike. And every time, Fitzpatrick insisted that a big game in a victory against his former team didn’t mean any more than a victory against any other team. “I think any game if I ever...

Going through a full practice week increased the optimism that running back Jaylen Samuels would return from a one-game absence following a knee scope earlier this month, but the Pittsburgh Steelers running back is not in uniform for Monday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field. Another player...