Joe Rutter stories, Page 50

Mike Wagner has four Super Bowl rings to show for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. This weekend, the former safety received another piece of hardware that is just as meaningful. Wagner was one of nine former players, comprising the Class of 2020 and 2021, to be...

Mason Rudolph got most of the snaps with the first-team offense in practice, so he was prepared to play when coach Mike Tomlin called Saturday night and said he would be starting Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Rudolph was pressed into duty for the Pittsburgh Steelers when starter Ben Roethlisberger...

The scoreboard didn’t reflect a loss Sunday afternoon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It just felt that way after they played the NFL’s only winless team and still couldn’t extend their winning streak to five games. On a cold, damp day at Heinz Field, the Steelers played a game that was...

Ben Roethlisberger will be placed on the reserve/covid list and will not play Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field. The Steelers made the announcement Saturday night. Mason Rudolph will make his first start of the season at quarterback in place of Roethlisberger, and Dwayne...

What Pressley Harvin III has done with his right foot at the midpoint of his rookie season indicates he is among the bottom third of NFL punters. The Pittsburgh Steelers, though, place a value on what Harvin can do with his hands, and it is in that job as a...

Facing a short week of preparation after playing Monday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers had their first bona fide practice Thursday, and the session didn’t include quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Chase Claypool. Roethlisberger did not participate because of a shoulder injury that cropped up on the injury report last...

A day after being released by the Atlanta Falcons, outside linebacker Jacob Tuioti-Mariner was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers to their practice squad. Tuioti-Mariner is an intriguing depth addition, considering that he played in six games for the Falcons this season and contributed two sacks while playing 18% of Atlanta’s...

Defensive coordinator Keith Butler has noticed a trend in the Detroit Lions’ games this season that has him concerned when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the NFL’s only winless team Sunday at Heinz Field. “They have played well, then had an off day, played well and had an off day,” Butler...

When the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Seattle Seahawks last month before heading into their bye, the game had the makings of a breakthrough performance for Alex Highsmith. The second-year outside linebacker contributed 1 1/2 sacks, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and seven tackles in the Steelers’ 23-20 overtime...

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Louis Lipps Jr., who was charged with driving under the influence last weekend, will not attend his Hall of Honor induction this weekend at Heinz Field. Lipps, 59, is among the 2021 class that will be inducted Saturday night and honored during the Steelers’ game...

The winless Detroit Lions are all that separates the Pittsburgh Steelers from the rugged second half of their schedule. The Lions are 0-8 heading into their matchup with the Steelers (5-3) on Sunday at Heinz Field. While the teams are heading in opposite directions — the Steelers have won four...

Mike Tomlin is a proponent of the NFL’s crackdown on taunting — and not because such a call benefited the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night in a 29-27 victory against the Chicago Bears. “We’re just trying to clean our game up,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. Former...

Najee Harris didn’t take an erroneous comment about his hardscrabble upbringing lying down, prompting an ESPN broadcast to apologize for his mistake. ESPN play-by-play voice Steve Levy told an anecdote about the rookie running back during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 29-27 victory against the Chicago Bears on Monday night. He referenced...

The winless Detroit Lions are all that separates the Pittsburgh Steelers from the rugged second half of their schedule. The Lions are 0-8 heading into their matchup with the 5-3 Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field. While the two teams are heading in opposite directions — the Steelers have won...

Five things we learned from Steelers 29, Bears 27: 1. Dropping the ball Ray-Ray McCloud’s tendency to put the ball on the ground, particularly on special teams, could soon spell the end to his role as kickoff and punt returner. McCloud’s fumble on a punt return with 6 minutes, 31...

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ string of consecutive home victories on Monday Night Football was put to the ultimate test by the Chicago Bears. Despite holding 14-point leads in the first and third quarters and a 10-point advantage with less than seven minutes to play, the Steelers needed Chris Boswell’s 40-yard field...

Ben Roethlisberger accidentally called tight end Zach Gentry by the wrong name in a recent practice. It was meant as a compliment. Perhaps it was the size, or the way Gentry has improved as a blocker, but he evoked memories of another tall tight end who spent seven of his...

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was limited in practice for the second day in a row Friday, and a new injury was cited as the reason. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is dealing with a shoulder injury that was not listed on the injury report previously. When Roethlisberger was limited Thursday, it was...

If there’s a position in an NFL secondary that Cam Sutton hasn’t played, it’s probably because it hasn’t been created yet. Sutton can play both cornerback positions for the Pittsburgh Steelers, although his main assignment this season has been starting at the right outside spot. He can play both safety...

At first blush, the matchup Monday night against Justin Fields presents a good chance for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense to fatten up on its sacks total. The Steelers have led the NFL in that category four years in a row, and the Chicago Bears rookie quarterback has been sacked an...

On a day when Aaron Rodgers became the highest-profile NFL player to test positive for covid-19 this season, Ben Roethlisberger was asked about the precautions he takes against contracting the virus. Roethlisberger spent five days on the reserve/covid-19 list last season because he was in close contact with a team...

By most statistical measures, the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has shown improvement in recent weeks. The Steelers have run the ball more consistently and successfully. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been hit and sacked less frequently. And, more tangibly, the Steelers have pieced together a three-game winning streak that has gotten...

Mike Tomlin has no interest in rehashing the hit that landed kicker Chris Boswell in concussion protocol. Boswell was flatted on a fake field goal attempt that went awry late in the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 15-10 victory at Cleveland on Sunday. Browns defensive tackle Jordan Elliott delivered...

The Pittsburgh Steelers gave new meaning to the phrase Taco Tuesday. Taco Charlton is in, and Melvin Ingram III is out after a day when the Steelers reconfigured their outside linebacker rotation behind starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Ingram, who was disgruntled in his role as the team’s No....