Kevin Gorman stories, Page 139
Steelers defensive backs raving about Teryl Austin’s impact on secondary
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believes it’s “much too early” to judge Teryl Austin’s impact secondary coach, given that they have yet to play a regular-season game. “We’re just getting started,” Tomlin said. “We haven’t been in enough battles to make those types of judgments on any one particular add....
Kevin Gorman: Teryl Austin looking for bounce-back season with Steelers
Teryl Austin can joke about how coaching for the Pittsburgh Steelers has fixed friendships but fractured the family that has followed his 15-year NFL career from Seattle to Arizona to Baltimore to Detroit to his short stay in Cincinnati. “I got a lot of friends that are talking to me...
Kevin Gorman: JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to show Steelers he’s ready to go deepVideo
A breakout season saw JuJu Smith-Schuster rank among the NFL leaders in receptions and yards. A tumultuous offseason saw him ascend to a role as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top target. What Smith-Schuster wants to evolve into this season is a different player, one who adds dangerous deep threat to his...
Kevin Gorman: Pressure brings out best in Steelers kicker Chris Boswell
Mike Tomlin promised to “create a little pressure” for Chris Boswell this preseason, pushing the fifth-year kicker to return to Pro Bowl form for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That became the burning question throughout training camp: What constituted a pressure kick? The countdown kicks at Saint Vincent or the field-goal showdown...
Kevin Gorman: Mark Barron picked perfect number, position to play for SteelersVideo
When Mark Barron signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was issued a number of notoriety. No. 26 was last worn by Le’Veon Bell, the All-Pro running back who sat out last season, and worn best by Hall of Famer Rod Woodson. “I do know Rod, and I do know about...
Kevin Gorman: Sutton Smith ready to finally show Steelers what he can do
Sutton Smith went from being one of the most intriguing storylines of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp to an afterthought when he was sidelined for a long stretch. Never was that more evident than last week, when Mike Tomlin was asked if the sixth-round pick from Northern Illinois was falling behind...
Diontae Spencer hopes big plays for Steelers in preseason opens NFL eyes
Diontae Spencer didn’t play in the first half of Saturday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, so he told himself to make the most of every touch. Spencer knew he would be handling the returns for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half, so he told himself to be...
Kevin Gorman: Playing true or false with Steelers’ Mike Tomlin’s news conference
The NFL preseason should come with a warning label: Objects on your television aren’t as close as they appear. When it comes to watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, you can’t trust everything you see. You certainly can’t trust preseason statistics to tell the story of training camp. And, no matter what...
Kevin Gorman: Young Steelers receivers shut out noise, deliver for Darryl DrakeVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers warmed up at Heinz Field wearing black hoodies with “SHUT OUT THE NOISE” in gold, adopting the words of Darryl Drake as their motto. Drake’s death last Sunday became a dark cloud that hovered over the final week of Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent,...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Nothing normal about Steelers’ second preseason game
The Pittsburgh Steelers started the week dealing with the death of Darryl Drake, and Mike Tomlin warned football wouldn’t necessarily provide a return to normalcy. The Steelers rescheduled their routine this week to grieve the passing of their wide receivers coach. Their initial return to the practice field was interrupted...
Screening of ‘The Return’ shows Steelers great Rocky Bleier’s vulnerable sideVideo
A captivated crowd sat in spellbound silence for 30 minutes while watching the story of Pittsburgh Steelers great Rocky Bleier’s return to Vietnam 49 years after fighting in the war. They saw Bleier break down into tears upon reaching the rice paddy where he was wounded by gunshot and grenade...
Kevin Gorman: With Jameson Taillon out, Pirates must pay up for ace
When Dr. David Altchek operated on the flexor tendon of Jameson Taillon’s right arm and determined Tommy John surgery was required, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their ace. Or, at least, Taillon was the closest thing the Pirates had to an ace, not to mention a leader. The 27-year-old right-hander was...
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...
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...
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.”...
Kevin Gorman: Rocky Bleier’s return to Vietnam gives new perspectiveVideo
When Rocky Bleier surveyed the open rice paddy at Hiep Duc in the Que Son Valley last August, the Pittsburgh Steelers great tried to visualize the differences of nearly five decades. “Jesus Christ,” Bleier said, stopping in his tracks. “You think about those guys that got killed.” Bleier sniffled, then...
Steelers, NFL players and coaches pay tribute to Darryl Drake on social media
The death of Darryl Drake on Sunday morning at training camp at Saint Vincent College stunned the NFL. Tributes to the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach on social media from players and coaches were heartfelt. Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who blossomed into a 100-catch, 1,000-yard Pro Bowl pick under Drake,...
Fans construct memorial to late Steelers coach Darryl Drake at Saint Vincent
Eileen Smalley had been parked second in line near Saint Vincent for three-plus hours Sunday morning when a Pittsburgh Steelers training camp staffer informed her practice was canceled. “None of us believed the guy because it’s a beautiful day,” said Smalley of Stahlstown, who arrives to park on Brouwers Road...
Kevin Gorman: Darryl Drake’s death leaves stunned Steelers at a loss for words
The serene setting at Saint Vincent suddenly felt like an eerie silence — save the occasional caws of crows flying among the trees — when the church bells rang at Saint Vincent Basilica to signal Sunday Mass was soon to start. A sudden pall was cast over the site of...
Kevin Gorman: Steelers need James Washington to build on preseason performanceVideo
James Washington knows what you’re thinking, even shooting a side-eye to the suggestion that his performance in the preseason opener was exactly what he needed. That the second-year receiver had four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in a 30-28 victory over Tampa Bay on Friday night at Heinz...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Devin Bush’s debut, QBs highlight Steelers’ victory in preseason opener
You know it’s only the NFL preseason when there are more fans in their seats at Heinz Field at the start of the second half than for the opening kickoff. Then again, there might have been more fans in their seats after the 2018 season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals...
Kevin Gorman: With Sean Davis out, free safety becomes a storyline for Steelers
Sean Davis isn’t happy about being stuck on the sidelines for the majority of training camp, a self-described cheerleader for the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary. While recovering from a fractured ring finger on his left hand — taped to cover what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called “an open wound” — the...
Steelers’ Joe Haden suffers injury, tweets he’ll be ‘just fine’
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden suffered an undisclosed injury early during practice Wednesday, but he downplayed the severity. Haden left the session early on a cart, according to Steelers.com, and will not play in Friday’s preseason opener. On Wednesday night, Haden tweeted thanks to fans for their thoughts and prayers...
Steelers free safety Sean Davis ‘pretty close’ to returning to practice
Sean Davis has missed most of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp, but the fourth-year free safety said he’s “pretty close” to returning. “I want to be a full participant by next week,” Davis said Wednesday at Saint Vincent College. “That’s my goal.” Davis has been out with a dislocated ring...
Kevin Gorman: Steelers place a premium value on versatility of B.J. Finney on O-line
B.J. Finney doesn’t describe himself as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, even if his offensive linemates include him when talking about their top six instead of front five. Then again, Finney doesn’t even describe himself as a center or a guard. Why bother when there is a chance that...
