Steelers/NFL category, Page 218
Activation of Steelers WR Calvin Austin ‘possible,’ but ‘he’s a little rusty’
Speedy rookie Calvin Austin III could be worth a shot to help jumpstart the Pittsburgh Steelers’ ailing offense. But with two additional weeks remaining before he must be activated off the injured reserve list, Austin’s NFL debut isn’t necessarily coming Sunday. “It’s still possible,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Thursday....
Heinz History Center unveils plans to honor Immaculate Reception 50th anniversary
The Immaculate Reception has been called the greatest play in NFL history and it turns 50 on Dec. 23. Thursday morning, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, part of Pittsburgh’s Senator John Heinz History Center, announced plans for celebrating that 50th anniversary. Starting on Nov. 9, Sports Museum officials said the...
Steelers TE Zach Gentry returns to full practice, but 3 starters in secondary remain out
Tight end Zach Gentry returned to full participation at Pittsburgh Steelers practice Thursday and declared himself “ready” for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gentry, typically the Steelers’ No. 2 tight end, did not practice Wednesday because of a knee injury. His availability could be critical because the status...
Steelers corner Arthur Maulet: ‘I was heated’ when calling out teammates after 38-3 loss to Bills
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...
First Call: Bucs coach praises Steelers QB Kenny Pickett; Matt Murray’s first start for Toronto; rare storyline for Bills vs. Chiefs
Despite a lousy result in his first start, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett apparently put enough good things on tape to open the eyes of this week’s opposing head coach. We are going to see a first when the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs square off Sunday afternoon. A...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans in a snit over roster construction, T.J. Watt’s injuries, stadium name change
When on-field issues with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates become so overwhelming that no fix appears likely, fans tend to opine about less tangible problems. Like, for instance: stadium names, the media, former employees and 30-year-old plays from history. That’s what I discovered in this week’s “U mad, bro?” David...
Steelers tasked with trying to generate pass rush while figuring out how to defend Tom Brady
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...
Kenny Pickett focuses on ending Steelers’ skid, not sharing field with Bucs’ Tom Brady
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...
Scouting the Steelers’ Week 6 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Here’s a look at the Steelers’ Week 6 opponent: The basics Coach: Todd Bowles, first season (29-43 career) Record: 3-2 Division: NFC South, first place Wins: Cowboys (19-3), Saints (20-10), Falcons (21-15) Losses: Packers...
8 players sit out Steelers practice because of injury; Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth limited
All three starting cornerbacks were among eight significant contributors on offense or defense who did not take part in Wednesday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice because of injury. All eight of the ailments were previously known. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson and tight end Pat Freiermuth (concussion) were listed as a limited participants...
Shades-wearing Steven Sims says he will play for Steelers vs. Buccaneers
It was morning on an overcast day. And Steven Sims was indoors in a windowless room. Sims, though, was wearing black sunglasses. “Eyes are just a little sensitive to the light,” Sims said from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room Wednesday. Understandable, after Sims took a direct hit from a football...
Steelers practice-squad CB Josh Jackson forced into action, eager to play more if needed
The circumstances, on whole, were surely not ones Josh Jackson will be particularly eager to recall when looking back at his NFL career. His team lost, 38-3. He was beat for a touchdown. A pair of teammates at his position went down with injuries. But Jackson’s 26 snaps at cornerback...
Steelers players help cook up healthy meals for cancer patients
Steelers defensive tackle Montravius Adams had a slight look of trepidation as he prepared to take his first bite of a quinoa burger slider he had just helped prepare. He made up his mind to dive in and try it. Suddenly a smile crept over his face. “Mmmm, I like...
First Call: Steelers work out former Pitt wide receiver; Bills praise Kenny Pickett; Logan Cooley update
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a Pitt Panther who got a tryout with the Steelers. Kenny Pickett got the attention of some Buffalo Bills stars. We have a Logan Cooley update from Minnesota. And the NHL season is underway. Pickett draws praise In advance of their 38-3 victory over the Steelers...
Tim Benz: Time for national media to stop pretending that the Steelers’ lousy start is a surprise
Regarding his team’s dreadful 1-4 start, I agree with at least one point Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made during his press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We didn’t dig ourselves into this circumstance in one day, so we’re not going to dig ourselves out of this circumstance in one day or...
Mike Tomlin not ‘reading too much into’ Steelers frustrations after lopsided loss to Bills
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 won’t change ‘for sake of change’ as Steelers try to snap 4-game skid
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...
Which current athletes have the longest tenures in Pittsburgh?
The reality of modern-day sports is that players rarely spend their careers in just one town. Free agency, trades, owners unwilling to open their wallets (**cough cough Pirates cough cough**), salary caps, declining skills and a host of other reasons mean players can bounce from city to city over the...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore on flags for QB hits: ‘Refs are screwing up’
After what appeared to be two horrible roughing the passer penalties this week in the NFL, a former league referee is putting the onus squarely on the shoulders of the on-field officials and not the rule book. At issue are the NFL’s incredibly stringent rules to protect quarterbacks and whether...
Tim Benz: Steelers guard James Daniels says NFL office prevented his ejection in Buffalo
Offensive lineman James Daniels received a lot of praise from Steelers fans for retaliating on behalf of quarterback Kenny Pickett during the team’s 38-3 loss in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Late in the third quarter, down 31-3, Pickett was scrambling. He attempted to give himself up with a slide when...
Jaylen Warren promoted to Steelers’ 3rd-down back, plays more snaps than Najee Harris vs. Bills
That Jaylen Warren played more snaps at running back Sunday than Najee Harris is not necessarily a sign Warren is beginning to siphon away Harris’ playing time. But an unofficial official designation bestowed upon Warren by the coaches is. Warren’s role is as the Steelers’ third-down back was one few...
Steelers wouldn’t mind repeat of 2019 turnaround, the last time they started 1-4
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...
Diontae Johnson responds to Ryan Clark saying Steelers ‘didn’t play like winners’
Ryan Clark criticized the effort and pride of players on his former team. A prominent current member of the team zinged back. Clark, a former Pittsburgh Steelers safety turned ESPN commentator, seemed put off by the Steelers’ 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. A day after posting to...
5 things we learned: With loss to Bills, Steelers find themselves at bottom of AFC
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...
Mark Madden: The Steelers stink, and a fix could be years away
The Pittsburgh Steelers stink, and the horse manure is flying. Mike Tomlin threatened changes after Sunday’s 38-3 loss at Buffalo, be it to personnel or staff. But any change Tomlin makes will be to something he put in place. Kenny Pickett’s performance in his first NFL start is being overrated....
