Sports category, Page 1438
Tim Benz: The Steelers have been repeating recent history — it’s time to rewrite the ending
If 2021 is starting to feel familiar to Pittsburgh Steelers fans, well, it should. Because you just lived through it in 2018. The longer this topsy-turvy NFL season winds along, the more it looks like that ill-fated Black and Gold voyage of three years ago that ended in late-season heartbreak...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NHL should follow lead of NFL, NBA and just play
The NHL was supposed to resume its season Monday. That’s been pushed back to Tuesday. That postpones Monday’s game between the Penguins and host Boston. The Penguins are next scheduled to play at Toronto Wednesday. But the Maple Leafs had 13 players with covid as of Friday. There are also...
Players recall guidance of Steelers coach Chuck Noll on 30th anniversary of his retirement
It seems that anyone who ever played for Chuck Noll has a story about how he humiliated or confounded them. Noll was, to say the least, a puzzling character. Yet, they all seem to have come away with a feeling of enduring admiration for the man who led the Pittsburgh...
T.J. Watt the only one who doesn’t like talking about his dominant season for Steelers
From having two sacks in the season opener to missing a pair of game because of injury and racking up multiple sacks in seven of 12 games played this season, T.J. Watt is on pace to break the NFL’s single-season sacks record. Likewise, any time the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star outside...
Steelers Four Downs: No matter the method, offensive line rating among worst in NFL
1. The line is offensive Fans complain about it. The playcalling appears handcuffed by it. Troy Aikman seemed incredulous by it. And the number-crunchers agree: the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL. Fourteen games into the 2021 season, sample-size is no longer an issue,...
How does this Pitt team compare to the best in program history?
When old friends and former University of Pittsburgh football standouts Dan Marino, Jimbo Covert and John Pelusi get together to recall their playing days — perhaps rattling ice cubes in a glass or enjoying an after-dinner cigar — an argument often arises. Pelusi was the center on Pitt’s undefeated 1976...
Monday’s Penguins-Bruins game postponed
Monday’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins at Boston’s TD Garden was postponed. With the NHL inundated with well over 100 players testing positive for covid-19 over the past two weeks, the league postponed all games for Monday and essentially extended its ongoing holiday break by one...
Analysis: 2 go or not 2 go for 2-pointers is the questionVideo
To go or not to go. That is the question. It’s a query Ravens coach John Harbaugh has faced twice lately and many times in the past. It’s one that fellow AFC North coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers — yes, two of the NFL’s best sideline men —...
Browns activate QB Baker Mayfield, WR Jarvis Landry from covid listVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield moved a step closer to playing against Aaron Rodgers on Christmas as the Browns activated their quarterback from the covid-19 reserve list Friday before leaving for Green Bay. Mayfield has been out since testing positive Dec. 15, one of a slew of virus cases the past...
More QB issues for Ravens: Tyler Huntley misses practice
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Tyler Huntley missed practice Friday for the Baltimore Ravens with an illness, adding even more uncertainty to the team’s quarterback situation heading into this weekend’s showdown at Cincinnati. Huntley is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, which pits the AFC North co-leaders against each other. Lamar...
Browns face huge challenge vs. Packers as they cling to their playoff hopesVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Cleveland Browns are residing in the AFC North basement, dealing with covid-19 complications and playing two road games in a span of six days. Yet they remain in the mix for a second straight playoff berth. The Browns (7-7) can give their fading postseason hopes...
Gritty Titans 1 win from clinching AFC South after big rallyVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans know how to fight and not quit, no matter how ugly a game might be. That’s the biggest reason why the Titans are a win, or an Indianapolis loss, from clinching their second straight AFC South title with two games remaining. A team that...
‘All Madden’ documentary a labor of love for Fox Sports
Many gamers will receive the latest edition of the “Madden” video game for the holidays. On Saturday, some will even find out for the first time that the name behind the popular franchise was a successful coach and broadcaster. Or as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell succinctly puts it: “John Madden...
Called ‘The Grinch,’ Najee Harris hopes to finally break long run for Steelers
Najee Harris has a wide smile he wears often, and his interactions with media are typically gregarious and friendly. So it was surprising when the rookie running back revealed what some of Pittsburgh Steelers teammates call him. “They call me ‘The Grinch’ around here,” Harris said after the Christmas Eve...
Montravius Adams activated off Steelers’ covid list, 5 players remain on it
Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Montravius Adams was activated Friday, meaning for the time being the number of players on the covid-19 list is shrinking rather than growing — a positive development 48 hours before their game at the Kansas City Chiefs. Adams missed this past Sunday’s game against the Tennessee...
The hits keep coming for Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese
When they signed him out of Northeastern in March of 2017, Pittsburgh Penguins management suggested Zach Aston-Reese could be a replacement for power forward Patric Hornqvist. Today, he’s looking more like a replacement for forechecking forward Brandon Tanev. Through 28 games, Aston-Reese is tied for fourth in the NHL with...
Jonathan Sutherland’s return to Penn State adds depth, experience to defense
The Penn State roster for 2022 is slowly coming into shape with transfers, early entrants to the NFL Draft and other veterans electing to take advantage of extra eligibility all making announcements ahead of the Outback Bowl matchup with No. 22 Arkansas on Jan. 1. On Thursday, Nittany Lions redshirt...
Mark Madden: Immaculate Reception remains iconic moment, but still no one is sure exactly what happened
Thursday was the 49th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. It’s an iconic moment in Pittsburgh sports for a plethora of reasons. It’s got a catchy name. A fan coined it; it was popularized by the late sportscaster Myron Cope. It was thought to launch the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dynasty in the...
Crisper snaps for rookie C Kendrick Green to be tested when Steelers play Chiefs at raucous Arrowhead
Kendrick Green removed the glove from his right hand — the one he uses to snap the football — and removed some of the issues that have plagued him during his rookie season. A week after he was beset by several off-the-mark snaps in a loss at Minnesota, the Pittsburgh...
Pitt linebacker Phil Campbell will miss confronting Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker in Peach Bowl
Phil Campbell III holds a bachelor’s degree in communications while pursuing another in sociology. Given his academic background, Pitt’s senior outside linebacker understands what makes people tick. So, when former Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III announced his plans to opt out of the Peach Bowl, avoiding a date...
Hawaii Bowl canceled on eve of game after Hawaii pulls out
HONOLULU — The Hawaii Bowl was canceled Thursday on the eve of the game after Hawaii withdrew because of covid-19, season-ending injuries and transfers. “We are disappointed our season has to end this way,” Hawaii coach Todd Graham said in a statement. “As competitive as we are and as much...
Pat Freiermuth, Chris Wormley ruled out for Steelers vs. Chiefs
In addition to a covid list that included one starter among five players on the active roster, the Pittsburgh Steelers will head to Kansas City without two other starters because of injury. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and defensive lineman Chris Wormley were ruled out for Sunday’s game at the Chiefs....
Titans rally from 10 down at half, edge 49ers with last-second field goal
NASHVILLE — Randy Bullock kicked a 44-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining and the banged-up Tennessee Titans rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 Thursday night. The Titans (10-5) are a win or a Colts’ loss away from clinching their second straight AFC...
UCF captures first win over Florida in Gasparilla BowlVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — UCF receiver Ryan O’Keefe did just about everything in leading the Knights to a 29-17 win over the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium. The junior from Texas finished with a Gasparilla Bowl-record 251 all-purpose yards, catching a 54-yard touchdown...
Ode to Sports: A year when games and fans came off the bench
Essentially better, wouldn’t you say? Fans back in the stands and games back in play. Clearly more settled but far from routine: Some shots from the arc, some for the vaccine. A year on the rebound crisscrossing sports. A year next to normal, progress of sorts. First Quarter The New...
