Sports category, Page 1235
Steelers to wear helmet decal this season to honor late teammate Dwayne Haskins
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday announced the team will wear a No. 3 decal on the back of its helmets throughout this season in memoriam of late quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Haskins, who spent last season as the Steelers’ No. 3 QB, died in April. He wore No. 3. A star...
Diontae Johnson, Chuks Okorafor each declares himself ‘good to go’ for Steelers opener
Two tenured, important starters on the Pittsburgh Steelers offense declared themselves “good to go” Friday for Sunday’s season opener. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson has been hindered by a shoulder injury, and he left Thursday’s practice because of a painful cramp in his foot. Right tackle Chuks Okorafor was listed on...
Ravens GM: Lamar Jackson talks on hold until after season
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Get ready for at least a few more months of uncertainty about Lamar Jackson and his contract. Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement Friday that the Ravens and Jackson still haven’t agreed on an extension for the star quarterback and will keep working...
3 things Steelers defense must do to prevent a 4th straight loss to Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers should have two goals heading into their season opener Sunday in Cincinnati. • Make this opener look as much like the one last year in Buffalo as possible. • Make this game as unrecognizable as possible when comparing it to the two games against the Bengals last...
MLB adopts pitch clock, shift limits, bigger bases for 2023
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball adopted its first pitch clock, limits on defensive shifts and larger bases for next season in an effort to shorten games and increase offense in a tradition-bound sport. The decision on the clock and shift restrictions by the sport’s 11-man competition committee was made...
Mark Madden: Futures bets that could pay off during NFL season
The NFL season is here. The most important thing is to get your bets down. What would football be without gambling? The most flawed wager I’ve witnessed so far this season is Carolina back Christian McCaffrey drafted second overall in a $6,500-per-team fantasy league. McCaffrey has played just 10 games...
Pitt Take 5: Victory against Vols could push Panthers toward early-season elite status
The outcome of Saturday’s game between Pitt and Tennessee might decide the Panthers’ status going forward: elite or just another above-average team. Nothing wrong with above-average, but the national perception around Pitt may need the kind of jolt that a victory in a showdown of ranked teams would bring. Pitt...
Friday Football Footnotes: Steelers history in openers vs. division foes; Aaron Donald’s ‘retirement’ note; NFL revenge games
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” examines the Steelers’ history in AFC North season-opening games — and why this one in Cincinnati is so unique. There are some other quirks to the NFL’s schedule to begin 2022. We get the story behind Aaron Donald’s alleged retirement letter. An old Tennessee team...
Tim Benz: How the Steelers can replicate the 2021 season-opening upset in Buffalo this year in Cincinnati
The Pittsburgh Steelers began 2021 on the road in Buffalo as a 6 ½ point underdog against a Bills team that was coming off a division championship and was among the AFC Super Bowl favorites. Yet Mike Tomlin’s team won 23-16. This year they are opening on the road in...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 8, 2022: Luis Ortiz throws 6 no-hit innings in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 68-63) gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose 5-4 to Omaha (Royals). RHP John O’Reilly (5-3, 5.56) took the loss, giving up three runs on five hits in two innings. RHP Luis Ortiz (3.60) started and gave up two unearned runs without allowing...
Bills rout defending champion Rams in season opener
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Josh Allen passed for 297 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Von Miller had two of Buffalo’s seven sacks, and the Bills stamped themselves as a clear contender for the Rams’ Super Bowl crown with a 31-10 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday night. Gabe Davis, Isaiah...
Ons Jabeur beats shaky Caroline Garcia in U.S. Open semis
NEW YORK — Ons Jabeur reached a second consecutive Grand Slam title match without needing to produce her best tennis Thursday night, taking full advantage of a shaky showing by Caroline Garcia to win their U.S. Open semifinal 6-1, 6-3. The No. 5-seeded Jabeur, a 28-year-old from Tunisia, was the...
AFC West: tough division with talented group of QBs
DENVER — The AFC West no longer looks like such a cakewalk for the Kansas City Chiefs now that Tyreek Hill is dashing past defenders in Miami. Not only did the Chiefs shockingly send Patrick Mahomes’ top receiver to the Dolphins for a fistful of draft picks, but their rivals...
Bengals try to stay on top in balanced, brutal AFC North
CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett’s face cringed as if he had just missed a certain sack by letting a quarterback escape. On the brink of a new season, Garrett hates to think about how Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, coming off three straight fourth-place finishes and expected to do little...
Steelers rookie George Pickens wants to show off blocking abilities in season opener
George Pickens made his mark in his first NFL training camp with the type of body control and spatial awareness that led to a series of artistic catches which he carried over into the preseason. As his NFL debut approaches for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team’s second-round draft pick would...
If Pitt can score quickly, Pat Narduzzi will take his chances against Tennessee’s up-tempo offense
Pat Narduzzi might have been exaggerating Thursday afternoon when he mentioned that Tennessee could actually run 100 plays against Pitt’s defense on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. How big of a departure from the norm would that be? West Virginia ran 73 plays last Thursday night. Keeping the No. 24 Volunteers...
After eventful offseason, Larry Ogunjobi to make Steelers debut vs. former Bengals teammates
Larry Ogunjobi’s first game with his new team is on the same field as his last game with his most recent team. It’s against that team, too. “We always say,” the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman said, “that God has a funny sense of humor.” Ogunjobi has had quite a ride...
Diontae Johnson deals with cramps; Cam Heyward, Chuks Okorafor sit out practice
For the second day in a row, wide receiver Diontae Johnson was a limited participant in practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition to dealing with a shoulder injury, Johnson was bothered by cramps Thursday. Miles Boykin said he had to take Johnson’s spot with the first-team offense when the...
Bills rule AFC East, with Dolphins, Jets, Pats far behind
NEW YORK — Josh Allen refuses to live in anything but the present. The fact the Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East the past two years is nice, and so is having made the playoffs three straight seasons while building a bright future. It’s all about this season, though...
Adrian Peterson set to box Le’Veon Bell, wants to play again
Adrian Peterson still wants to play in the NFL after he fights Le’Veon Bell in the boxing ring. A four-time All-Pro running back, Peterson is taking on the two-time All-Pro back Bell on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It’ll be the first boxing match for the former...
Titans, Henry go for AFC South 3-peat chased by Colts, Ryan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Another year, yet another new starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts brings high expectations that this time Matt Ryan will put them back atop the AFC South. Then there’s the defending two-time divisional champ. The Tennessee Titans insist they aren’t paying much attention to the Colts. “I’ve...
All-Star closer David Bednar named Pirates nominee for Roberto Clemente Award
Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer David Bednar, a Mars alum, was named the team’s 2022 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, one of MLB’s most prestigious individual honors. The Roberto Clemente Award recognizes a major league player who best represents the game “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions,...
Dead last? Above average? Varied rankings for Steelers’ Mitch Trubisky among NFL starting QBs
After 18 years of a future Hall of Famer at the position, the Pittsburgh Steelers are learning how the other side lives in regards to their starting quarterback in 2022. Free-agent acquisition Mitch Trubisky was officially confirmed as the starter Tuesday. A day later, three national outlets who cover the...
Packers’ defense of NFC North title starts, yes, on defense
The transition for the Green Bay Packers has been ongoing for a few years, starting with their first-round draft picks in the spring and extending to the field in the fall. Despite the transcendent presence of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Packers quietly have evolved into a...
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gets raise, extended through 2031
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has a reworked contract that will pay him $115 million over 10 seasons through 2031. Swinney’s enhanced contract follows megadeals given to Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day earlier this season. Swinney’s average yearly salary of $11.5 million...
