Steelers/NFL category, Page 428
Rookie TE Zach Gentry excited for expanded role in Steelers offense
While the Pittsburgh Steelers traded a future fifth-round pick to acquire a veteran tight end, their current fifth-rounder is hoping to assume a bigger role at the position Monday night. Zach Gentry, the former Michigan quarterback-turned-tight end, will have the second-most experience with the Steelers when they face the Cincinnati...
New Steelers tight end Nick Vannett: ‘I see this as a great opportunity for myself’
Word of his trade from the Seattle Seahawks broke Tuesday night. It was made official Wednesday morning, and the following day, Nick Vannett moved across the country and settled into UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “It’s been a crazy 24 hours,” the Pittsburgh Steelers’ newest tight end said, “but it’s part...
U mad, bro? Readers grouse over Steelers’ losses, Minkah Fitzpatrick trade
“U mad, bro?” is all about spicy Steelers opinions from readers this week. It gets heated about how badly the team is playing, roster construction, the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade and… ….me. Like many of us in Pittsburgh, Mike is mad at the Steelers. “That team is awful. I am expecting...
Tim Benz, Kevin Gorman look at why the Steelers are falling apart
It’s my weekly Mike Tomlin press conference wrap-up podcast with fellow TribLive columnist Kevin Gorman. We try to figure out how the Steelers have gotten so bad. As Kevin reminds us, this isn’t just a lousy 0-3 start to 2019. This is about a 2-7 stretch dating back to last...
First Call: Steelers’ Bud Dupree a good fit for Eagles?; Charlie Morton sizzles; Baker Mayfield vs. Rex Ryan
In “First Call” Thursday, trade talk surrounds a Pittsburgh Steeler. Baker Mayfield responds to Rex Ryan. And Charlie Morton shines again. City of Brotherly Bud? The Steelers have been busy trading for players in recent weeks. Now there’s one suggestion that Pennsylvania’s other team should try to snag a current...
Tim Benz: 2019 has been one of the worst Pittsburgh sports yearsVideo
Let’s just skip Halloween. Forget Thanksgiving. Fast forward through Christmas and get to New Year’s Eve! I’m dying to flip the calendar to 2020. Because 2019 has been one of the worst Pittsburgh sports years in recent memory. In fact, unless the Steelers turn things around and scramble to make...
Kevin Gorman: Time for Steelers to stop talking about winning and handle businessVideo
Mike Tomlin issued a declaration Wednesday that was a bit of bravado tinged with a touch of truth, one that perfectly captured what is wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Football is our game. Our business is winning,” Tomlin said at his weekly news conference. “So, we haven’t been handling business.”...
In surprise move, Steelers place tight end Xavier Grimble on injured reserve
During his weekly news conference Wednesday, coach Mike Tomlin seemed to take great pains to repeatedly point out he was not ruling out Vance McDonald or Xavier Grimble to play in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming Monday night game. Four hours later, the team not only ruled Grimble out for that...
L.A. doctor who performed Ben Roethlisberger’s surgery has Western Pa. roots
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger underwent surgery for an elbow injury in Los Angeles on Monday, but his care was still in the hands of a Steelers Country native. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan Jobe Institute — surgeon to celebrities, professional athletes and a...
Hines Ward, Bill Cowher among Steelers Hall of Honor class formally inducted this weekend
The two days leading into Monday night’s game represents the third annual Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor induction ceremony. This year’s class includes 1970s offensive tackle Larry Brown, former head coach Bill Cowher, franchise career receptions leader Hines Ward and post-World War II tight end Elbie Nickel. The formal induction...
Nick Vannett acquired for Steelers’ tight end depth, not because of injury
Mike Tomlin was careful to repeatedly point out he was not ruling out Vance McDonald or Xavier Grimble to play in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming Monday night game. But he did acknowledge their lack of availability at points during this past Sunday’s game facilitated the need to acquire Nick Vannett....
Recent trades not sign Steelers abandoning traditional philosophies
Over the course of nine days, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away two draft picks. That leaves them at the moment possessing only five picks for the upcoming draft, with potentially just one among the top 100 picks. It has been uncharacteristic times in that regard for a franchise that has...
Roosevelt Nix out, Vince Williams, others ‘questionable’ for Steelers vs. BengalsVideo
Mike Tomlin likes to say the Pittsburgh Steelers will “leave the light on” for injured players in regards to their availability for an upcoming game. It sounds as if the switch has all but officially been flipped to dark for Roosevelt Nix. The lone fullback on the Steelers’ roster, Nix’s...
Mike Tomlin says Steelers not juggling with trades but focused on winningVideo
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held a press conference Wednesday as the team prepares for a meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals at 8:15 p.m. Monday at Heinz Field. Tomlin spoke about the trade to acquire tight end Nick Vannett from the Seattle Seahawks and shared an injury update. But the...
Tim Benz: Who are NFL’s legitimate 3-0 and 0-3 teams?Video
After three weeks of the 2019 NFL season, some teams have lived up to their offseason hype and are unbeaten. Others are every bit as bad as predicted. Some teams are stunningly 3-0. Others are a dreadfully disappointing 0-3. I think we all know what category includes the Pittsburgh Steelers....
Tim Benz: Steelers’ only hope? That AFC North teams stink worse than they do
It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention. That appears to be especially true if you are inventing optimism. For the most part, that’s what is happening within the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base in 2019, and even within the locker room. In a town that lives, breathes, and eats...
Steelers trade for Seahawks tight end Nick Vannett
The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired tight end Nick Vannett from the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, sending a 2020 fifth-round draft pick to Seattle in return for the four-year veteran. In a move that signals Vance McDonald’s shoulder injury could keep him out of future games, the Steelers added to a depleted...
Steelers make practice squads moves, including releasing Homewood’s Trevon Mathis
With their tight end corps depleted, the position was addressed among two practice-squad moves the Pittsburgh Steelers made Tuesday. A local product in Woodland Hills High School alumnus Trevon Mathis was one of the casualties. Mathis, who played at the University of Toledo, was signed midway through training camp. Little...
Steelers’ Jaylen Samuels willing to play tight end, not willing to question his lack of usage
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Samuels is certainly well aware that he was not given a carry or targeted with a pass during Sunday’s loss at the San Francisco 49ers. But if the versatile second-year pro was angry about it, he sure didn’t show it when speaking to media Tuesday....
Zach Gentry satisfied with NFL debut, ready for possible bigger role with Steelers
He played only 10 snaps, and his lone statistical contribution was, of all things, a tackle. But Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tight end Zach Gentry was satisfied with his NFL regular-season debut, and he insists he’s ready for a possibly much-expanded role after the injury to starter Vance McDonald. “I wasn’t...
Cameron Heyward to Steelers defense: ‘Any guy pointing the finger, I’ll break that damn thing’
A jovial type not unlike his father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward doesn’t exactly serve in his role as team captain with a proverbial iron fist. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t dislike any infighting among his unit. Heyward was asked Tuesday if in the locker...
Turning around Steelers’ 0-3 start begins with stopping the run
The point of emphasis this week is so engrained into the psyche of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive players T.J. Watt would not allow a reporter to finish asking the question. “How does the Steelers defense get to being what it wants and needs to …” “Stop the damn run!” Watt...
Kevin Gorman: Denver debacle behind him, Xavier Grimble ready to step in for SteelersVideo
With Vance McDonald walking around Pittsburgh Steelers headquarters wearing a sling, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in next-man-up mode at one of the team’s thinnest positions. That the next tight end up is Xavier Grimble has to be a concern, considering he’s remembered more for the touchdown he didn’t score than...
Loyal Steelers fan from Beaver County appears in commercial with Terry Bradshaw
There was a knock at the front door. “I opened it, and there stood Terry Bradshaw … THE Terry Bradshaw … and I just lost it,” said Rick Holman of Brighton Township in Beaver County. “As a child he was my favorite player.” Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback and television...
Tim Benz: Steelers game stats are as ugly as their 0-3 record
After a terrible 0-3 start for the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans may be wondering if the team is really as bad as its record. Sadly, it is. If you look deeper at the numbers than just the winless start, the statistics are even worse than you may think. Let’s start with...
