Steelers/NFL category, Page 463
Steelers sign 7th-round pick, Maryland offensive tackle Derwin Gray
The Pittsburgh Steelers – or, at least their PR department – capped a busy of announced signings of draft picks with word that seventh-rounder Derwin Gray inked his four-year rookie contract. Gray (6-4, 320 pounds) was taken 219th overall after he started 25 games over the past three seasons for...
Steelers sign another draft pick, 4th-round RB Benny Snell
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the signing of a fourth draft pick in a 19-hour span with word Wednesday that fourth-round running back Benny Snell agreed to terms. Snell was one of college football’s best running backs over the past three years, last season earning second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors...
Steelers sign WR Diontae Johnson, acquired with pick in Antonio Brown trade
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed the player taken with a pick acquired in the trade of Antonio Brown whose game has been compared to Brown and who will be tasked to help replace Brown. The Steelers announced Wednesday that it had signed third-round wide receiver Diontae Johnson to a four-year...
ESPN power-ranking formula tabs Steelers as exactly average among NFL’s 32 teams
The Worldwide Leader is predicting that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be very average this season. ESPN’s first Football Power Index of 2019 is out, and the network used it to rank the NFL teams 1-32. The Steelers came out right in the middle at No. 16. The ESPN calculation projects...
U mad, bro? Penguins, Steelers, horse-racing fans air frustrations
In “U mad, bro?” this week, Pens fans pop off about a lack of toughness and too much trade talk. People sure are touchy about the Kentucky Derby. And some Steelers fans want to pretend Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown no longer exist. Bob is boiling down all the Penguins’...
Tim Benz: Reevaluating Mike Tomlin’s contract situation with Steelers
Highbrow sports columnists such as myself refer to it as “having a developing opinion.” The real world says, “I’m changing my mind, n’at.” Trolls on Twitter say, “You’re flip-flopping.” However you choose to phrase it, I’m altering my view on Mike Tomlin’s contract situation based on some new information. That’s...
Steelers sign another late draft pick, LB Sutton Smith
The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to get their draft picks under contract Tuesday, as linebacker Sutton Smith became the second player to agree to terms. The first of three sixth-round picks the Steelers made last month, Smith was a two-time Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Northern Illinois. He...
6th-rounder Isaiah Buggs becomes 1st Steelers draft pick to sign
The first of nine players the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted last month is under contract. Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs agreed to a standard four-year rookie contract, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. The 6-3, 295-pound Buggs led national runner-up Alabama in sacks last season with 9½. The 192nd overall pick taken with...
Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster to assist NFL as London academy ‘ambassador’
The NFL is opening an academy in London this year, and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will be one of its ambassadors. The NFL Academy, which begins in September, will provide students ages 16-18 the chance to learn professional football while training under the supervision of full-time coaches. The...
Odell Beckham wears sleeveless, skirted tux; says he’ll turn Browns ‘into the new Patriots’
Wearing a sleeveless, skirted tuxedo to a black-tie event wasn’t even the most ridiculous thing associated with Odell Beckham on Monday. Beckham, the former All Pro wide receiver who was traded from the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns earlier this spring, set some lofty expectations for his new...
Steelers’ Devin Bush has 4th-best betting odds to win NFL’s defensive rookie of year award
He was the 10th overall pick, and the seventh defensive player selected in last month’s NFL draft. But at least one sportsbook likes Devin Bush a little better than that. Caesars Palace listed the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker at +700 (7-to-1) betting odds to win the NFL defensive rookie of the...
First call: Martavis Bryant vies for reinstatement; Therrien, Yeo to coach Flyers
In “First Call” Tuesday, Martavis Bryant wants to be reinstated in Oakland. Mike Yeo and Michel Therrien are getting reunited in Philadelphia. Gerrit Cole may be finding his groove in Houston. And bees are taking over Cincinnati. Bryant back? Former Steelers — and Raiders — receiver Martavis Bryant apparently wants...
Tim Benz: Le’Veon Bell’s funny explanation for staying away from offseason practices
It’s somehow comforting to know New York Jets fans already are getting used to asking the same question about Le’Veon Bell that Steelers fans had been asking for the past few seasons. “So, when is he going to show up?” Bell has yet to appear for offseason workouts in New York....
Tim Benz: Antonio Brown could get another clown in the Raiders circus
If there is truly a God above, this will happen. Just for the sake of our entertainment. The NFL Network reported the Raiders are working out free agent offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Here’s an interesting one. The #Raiders are working out free agent G Richie Incognito today, sources say. Incognito...
Versatile new Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson ‘a natural’
Jason Candle was entering his first game as coach at Toledo when necessity required him to expand the role of freshman wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the 2015 Boca Raton Bowl. Alonzo Russell, Toledo’s top receiving threat who is now with the New York Giants, was ineligible for the first...
Tim Benz: Kentucky Derby controversy a warning amid NFL rules changes
It’s probably not the best strategy to start a sports column with an admission that you are utterly unfamiliar with the sport you are discussing. But here goes. I know very little about horse racing. Just because I’m built like a jockey, doesn’t mean I know anything about riding a...
Podcast: Gus Frerotte huddles up with former Steelers great Rocky Bleier
Former Ford City High School standout and NFL quarterback Gus Frerotte sits down with former Steelers running back great Rocky Bleier in the latest edition of the podcast, “Huddle Up with Gus,” on TribLIVE.com. In each episode, Frerotte discusses with guests how sports has shaped their lives. Part 1: Nickname...
Steelers draft picks Justin Layne, Zach Gentry ‘still learning’ after college position switches
Heath Miller was given the Mackey Award 15 years ago as college football’s best tight end, and he became a two-time NFL Pro Bowler who set records as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most productive career tight end. So, there Steelers tight end coach James Daniel was late last month dropping Miller’s...
Alba Tull, Ryan Shazier debut fitness facility in Sewickley
Innovative fitness studio Ramp ‘N’ Rize opened its doors in Sewickley on May 4 as owners rolled out the black carpet for a private gathering to showcase the new facility. The studio, developed by Alba Tull, boasts state-of-the-art equipment, instructors who have trained under master trainer Joy Johnson, group workouts...
Steelers, rookie running back Benny Snell are ‘perfect marriage’
Seven months later, Eddie Gran still regrets not giving the ball to Benny Snell. With an SEC game on the line last October, Kentucky faced a third-and-2 in overtime at the Texas A&M 17. Everyone expected the ball would end up in the belly of Snell, the Wildcats’ bruising running...
Steelers LB Ryan Shazier’s wedding creates social media buzz
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has yet to recover enough to return to the gridiron, but he was able to dance at his wedding Friday night, according to video that was spreading virally on social media. About a year and a half ago, Ryan Shazier was told he had a...
Bucky Brooks: Steelers are trying to get back to their identityVideo
Apparently not everyone was enamored with the Steelers’ draft. In a segment titled NFL Draft Grades, the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks gave the Steelers a C+ for their effort. Yet, they still had plenty of superlatives for the franchise. “Mike Tomlin was intent on make sure he...
First Call: A safety for the Steelers?, Torts’ Tumble, a humiliating first pitch
In Friday’s “First Call,” we consider a familiar name as a fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Plus, the “Torts Tumble,” a humiliating first pitch, and people are already turning on Jameson Taillon. A safety for the Steelers? Keep this name in mind for free agency next season, Steelers fans. It’s...
Friday Football Footnotes: Backing Big Ben continues
For “Friday Football Footnotes” this week, two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization made sure that the recent wave of support for Ben Roethlisberger continued. There has been a unified response from the organization of late, after a few months when the Steelers quarterback was slapped around in the media...
Tim Benz: So much for prioritizing Artie Burns’ confidence, or his option
Remember how we started yesterday’s “First Call” with Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert telling the world the team was hoping that struggling cornerback Artie Burns could regain his confidence? Yeah, forget that. Unless the organization thinks that refusing to pick up Burns’ fifth-year option is the best route to restoring...
