Steelers/NFL category, Page 403
U mad, bro? Readers blast Big Ben, Bud, Benz. Jeff Capel and the NFL, too.
It may be March. But it’s a football-heavy “U mad, bro?” this week. Readers throw elbows at Ben Roethlisberger and his… well… throwing elbow. I take one in the chops, too, for questioning how well Roethlisberger’s recovery will go. Bud Dupree, Jeff Capel and the entire NFL machine get roasted...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Team is ‘comfortable’ with its backup quarterbacks
Editor’s note: Pittsburgh Steelers fans are getting ready for the start of NFL free agency on March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23. So we are investigating a few things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason. And if we believe those things...
First Call: T.J. Watt’s new commercial, NHL player takes skate to face, Duquesne owns overtime
The NFL’s Watt brothers start off Wednesday’s “First Call.” Why wouldn’t they? They are everywhere else. Also, we check out what happened in the rest of the Eastern Conference while the Penguins finally got back on the winning track. An NHL player gets a skate to the face. Duquesne owns...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Ben Roethlisberger will be back as good as ever
The building of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers is about to begin. NFL free agency starts March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23. So let’s take a look at some of the things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason and if we believe...
U.S. pro sports leagues, NCAA begin to prep contingencies in wake of coronavirus
Even if COVID-19 has not yet spread throughout the U.S., concern about what is better known as coronavirus has. And it is beginning to have an effect on the sports world. The NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball to varying degrees all have announced they are monitoring the threatened...
First Call: Tight end for Steelers?; Tom Brady wants Antonio Brown; Bud Dupree update; Tom Wilson bobblehead
Tuesday’s “First Call” features a potential tight end target for the Steelers. Also, updates on Bud Dupree’s franchise tag and Tom Brady’s free agency. It looks like Antonio Brown is still on Brady’s radar. A one-time Penguins prospect is coming to PPG Paints Arena in a different uniform. And the...
Steelers’ offseason plan? There may have been clues at the NFL Combine.
The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis has come and gone. Our Joe Rutter — TribLive Steelers beat writer — was on hand covering all sorts of Steelers angles. He joined me on 105.9 the X Monday afternoon and we touched on most of them. First and foremost, these are uncharted...
First Call: Watt brothers exchange jabs on Twitter; Alex Ovechkin keeps scoring for Capitals
Today’s “First Call” features a little brotherly love. Pfft! No. Not from Philadelphia. Why would we ever subject you to that? Naw. This is from Pittsburgh. And… Houston. J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans tweeted this video of himself working out. Watt is trying to return to top form after...
Tim Benz: Fans should have seat at NFL’s collective bargaining table
When it comes to NFL coverage, I‘m usually one of the last guys to write a weepy column that sobs, “But what about the fans!?” Actually, make that the last guy. The absolute last person to do so. You’re a football fan. Not a child in an orphanage, an abandoned...
Tight end class likely to have Steelers callingVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — As the Pittsburgh Steelers await ratification of the collective bargaining agreement and the salary-cap figure for the 2020 season, no position on the roster could be affected more by the outcome than tight end. Vance McDonald has started the past three seasons, but he had a career-low 7.2...
Steelers officially will not play outside U.S. in 2020
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be staying stateside in 2020. The Arizona Cardinals on Friday announced that they will shift one of their home games this season in order to be the “host team” in Mexico City. Steelers president Art Rooney II had previously said the Steelers would “raise their hand”...
Dane Jackson gets inspiration from former Pitt teammates as he preps for NFL CombineVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — For the second year in a row, the Pitt football program has just one representative at the NFL Combine. Dane Jackson, however, doesn’t feel like he is alone for the event. Former teammates Avonte Maddox, Jordan Whitehead and Quadree Henderson were among the players who provided words of...
Tim Benz: How the Steelers should address the dirty little secret about their defense
The word “luck” wasn’t often used in connection to the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially relating to injuries. • The team lost the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart. • The starting running back sat out six games and parts of four others. • The starting tight end missed two...
Boise State pass-rushing LB Curtis Weaver to visit SteelersVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t attend every college’s pro day, particularly those in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, which is why they visit with some prospects from those locations when everyone is gathered at the NFL Combine. One such player is Boise State outside linebacker Curtis Weaver, who said he...
McKeesport’s Khaleke Hudson draws comparisons to Troy Polamalu
INDIANAPOLIS — Khaleke Hudson grew up in McKeesport, returned home between semester breaks at Michigan and worked out at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with other former WPIAL players. It’s safe to say Western Pennsylvania is a part of his DNA. As he prepares for the NFL Draft, Hudson would welcome...
Retired Steelers star James Harrison the latest to come out against NFL CBA proposalVideo
Seeing as how he has been retired for two years, James Harrison doesn’t have a vote or formal say in the latest NFL collective bargaining agreement proposal. But as someone who was outspoken in his dislike for the previous terms between the league and its union, Harrison expressed a strong...
Michigan’s Josh Uche would like to follow Devin Bush to SteelersVideo
INDIANAPOLIS – Josh Uche spent the past four years wearing maize and blue at Michigan. He agrees with a prominent draft analyst’s opinion that he also would look good in black and gold. Uche, a 21-year-old outside linebacker, let out a wide smile Thursday at the NFL Combine when he...
U mad, bro? Readers vent about Penguins trades, Pitt coverage, potential Antonio Brown return
This week’s “U mad, bro?” is really rough on Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. It’s also unkind to former Steeler Antonio Brown. And I didn’t come off very well either. John emailed me about the Penguins trades in recent weeks. He’s not thrilled with general manager Jim Rutherford dealing Dominik...
Steelers’ Kevin Colbert endorses NFL Combine going to prime time
INDIANAPOLIS — The first workouts of the NFL Combine began Wednesday with the bench press inside the Indianapolis Convention Center. The fun stuff starts Thursday. For the first time, the workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium will be conducted in prime time, with NFL Network providing seven hours of coverage in...
Lack of respect for RBs could play into Steelers’ favor in NFL Draft
INDIANAPOLIS — When it comes to running backs in the NFL Draft, the respect level is about on par with Rodney Dangerfield. A year after Alabama’s Josh Jacobs was the only running back taken in the first round — and he didn’t come off the board until No. 24 —...
Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey posts profanity-laced tirade against proposed NFL CBA
It’s fair to say that Maurkice Pouncey is against the proposed collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players. In a 43-second, not-safe-for-work video message posted to his verified Instagram account Wednesday, Pouncey blasted the proposal that was ratified by the league’s owners and has been sent to a...
First Call: Steelers talk with WR; Le’Veon Bell staying with Jets?; Zamboni goalie honoredVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” is packed. The Steelers talked with a high-profile wide receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine. A radio host in Cleveland got suspended for ripping Baker Mayfield. “Zamboni Goalie” David Ayers was honored in Carolina. Le’Veon Bell may be staying in New York after all. And all of...
Tim Benz: NFL is insane for reinstating Vontaze Burfict
The National Football League is welcoming back longtime Steelers nemesis Vontaze Burfict. The NFL deserves whatever comes next as a result of this decision. Unfortunately, whatever player Burfict attacks next does not. According to NFL.com, the former Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker quietly got reinstated by the NFL last...
Steelers Hall of Famers Donnie Shell, Bill Cowher to be part of separate ceremonies
Steelers fans will have two chances to attend a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year. The Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that the 20-member Centennial Class will be inducted in separate events, with the traditional ceremony in August and a Centennial Celebration in September. Safety Troy Polamalu...
Kevin Colbert wants Bud Dupree to finish career with SteelersVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL and its players association agreed to push back the time frame when teams can use the franchise and transition tag by two days, but that change likely means little for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although teams can begin tagging players Thursday and face a March 12 deadline...
