Joe Rutter stories, Page 47

Brian Flores told a Pittsburgh Steelers spokesman this week that he was politely declining interview requests since the questions almost assuredly would focus on his high-profile return to Miami and his unresolved civil suit that involves the Dolphins, his former employer. Flores apparently has extended that ban to the Steelers...

Kenny Pickett took the first step toward reclaiming his starting job as Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback when he was a full practice participant Wednesday. Coach Mike Tomlin has said Pickett will start Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins if the rookie first-round draft pick is cleared from concussion protocol. While Pickett...

While unwilling to provide details, wide receiver Diontae Johnson said Wednesday that he and quarterback Mitch Trubisky talked “man to man” and are fine after a reported argument between the Pittsburgh Steelers teammates at halftime of the Oct. 2 game against the New York Jets. Johnson reportedly was upset he...

Given the opponent on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule this week, Brian Flores’ civil lawsuit that involves the Miami Dolphins is bound to be a storyline ahead of the matchup Sunday night in South Florida. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wants no part of it. At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Tomlin...

Mike Tomlin is proceeding with Kenny Pickett as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Sunday night in Miami, ending any talk of a brewing controversy before it gathers momentum. Tomlin’s decision comes with a caveat. Pickett, the rookie first-round pick from Pitt, must be released from concussion protocol before he can...

The names Jackson, Wilson and Riley would have the makings of a reputable law firm if those three men already didn’t have jobs as professional football players. Until Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers fans could be forgiven if they didn’t realize the trio of Josh Jackson, Quincy Wilson and Elijah Riley held...

Five things we learned from Steelers 20, Buccaneers 18: 1. Cut to the chase Not only did Chase Claypool catch the touchdown pass — the first by a Steelers receiver this year — that provided a 20-12 lead in the fourth quarter, he had a pair of third-down grabs on...

Facing the most decorated quarterback in NFL history, the Pittsburgh Steelers trotted out a defense that was missing four veteran defensive backs, including three starters. The league’s reigning defensive player of the year was on the sideline, too. Tom Brady not only was playing against a depleted secondary, he was...

The obstacles facing the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary Sunday are tantamount to trying to climb Mt. Everest in tennis shoes. Four of the top six defensive backs won’t suit up because of injury, leaving the Steelers to start two unproven players at cornerback and deploy a safety tandem that won’t include...

Arthur Maulet doesn’t regret speaking his mind in the visiting locker room after the Steelers’ 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. Maulet spoke out about players laughing and smiling on the bench while the Steelers were in the midst of the most lopsided defeat in coach Mike Tomlin’s...

Despite being a defense that thrives on getting after the quarterback, the Pittsburgh Steelers have applied about as much pressure as a leaky faucet without NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. In four games without Watt, the Steelers have totaled three sacks, and the lack of pressure was...

Growing up in New Jersey, Kenny Pickett was a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, and he had his heart broken four months shy of his seventh birthday when the New England Patriots beat his favorite team 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX. Pickett was a few months removed from his freshman...

Mike Tomlin said slot corner Arthur Maulet had every reason to be upset after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, although he didn’t necessarily agree with the sixth-year veteran’s assertion that laughing and smiling was taking place on the sideline. Maulet spoke up in the locker room...

Mike Tomlin remains open to making changes in personnel and on his coaching staff as the Pittsburgh Steelers take a four-game losing streak into their game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He just won’t use public pressure to influence his decision. “I don’t intend to change for the sake...

The turnover on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster has been significant enough that only about a dozen players remain from the 2019 team that also began the season with a 1-4 record. The situations are similar in that both teams underwent a quarterback change. In 2019, it was Ben Roethlisberger’s right...

5 things we learned from Bills 38, Steelers 3: 1. Bottom of the barrel No matter what transpires in the “Monday Night Football” game, the Steelers will enter Week 6 with the worst record in the AFC. It’s just a matter of whether they will be the sole 1-4 team...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — That was no fake slide Kenny Pickett attempted late in the third quarter Sunday when he tried to scramble for a first down against the Buffalo Bills. And that was no fake hit delivered by safety Damar Hamlin, Pickett’s former teammate at Pitt. Hamlin lowered his...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — On a day when the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up their most yards in nine years, the shoddy play of the secondary masked another issue on defense. The Steelers still can’t generate a pass rush without defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. Watt sat...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Too bad for Kenny Pickett that his first NFL start couldn’t have come against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. That way he might be savoring a victory instead of enduring one of most lopsided defeats in franchise history. Pickett could only stand on the sideline Sunday afternoon...

T.J. Watt had arthroscopic knee surgery, which could extend the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker’s stay on injured reserve, according to an ESPN report Saturday night. Watt was placed on injured reserve after the season opener with a pectoral injury, and he isn’t eligible to return until after the Steelers play...

Given that the Pittsburgh Steelers are installed as 14-point underdogs Sunday, Kenny Pickett won’t have the odds in his favor when he makes his first NFL start in Buffalo. What the Steelers’ first-round draft pick will have working to his advantage is a bit of history. Since the second half...

Strong safety Terrell Edmunds, who spent the week in concussion protocol, has been downgraded to out and will miss the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game Sunday at Buffalo. Edmunds was listed as questionable when the Steelers released their final injury report of the week Friday. That Edmunds won’t play against the Bills...

Teryl Austin doesn’t know which players he will have at his disposal Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Buffalo Bills and $258 million quarterback Josh Allen. The Steelers first-year defensive coordinator just knows he will put 11 on the field for every snap, and that will have to suffice...

Kenny Pickett’s first NFL start coincides with the Pittsburgh Steelers being the biggest underdogs in franchise history dating to the 1970 merger. The Buffalo Bills are listed as 14-point favorites when they host the Steelers and their rookie quarterback Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Pickett, thrust...