Steelers/NFL category, Page 306
Instead of replacing Devin Bush, Robert Spillane ready to join him in middle of Steelers defense
The tackle that introduced Robert Spillane to Steeler Nation provided a memory that he has carried well beyond the 2020 season. It was his head-to-head Week 7 hit that dropped eventual 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry short of the end zone that showed Spillane had the toughness and skill set required...
With so many returning wide receivers, can Steelers keep everyone happy?
Like so many people inside and outside the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, Chase Claypool thought the wide receiver room would have a new leader in 2021. JuJu Smith-Schuster was a free agent expecting to command top dollar, and the Steelers were trying to remain compliant with the limited finances they had...
First Call: Ravens looking at Todd Gurley; Browns DBs getting healthy; Robert Morris rink negotiations appear dead
Steelers fans will be interested in Friday’s “First Call” as we have updates on two AFC North rivals. The Cleveland Browns are getting healthy in the secondary, and the Baltimore Ravens’ deep group of running backs may be adding another familiar name. Meanwhile, we celebrate the present and the past...
Steelers OT Chuks Okorafor takes both contract year, move across offensive line in strideVideo
A day after teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster spent a good portion of his 13-minute media session openly discussing free agency and maximizing his value for when he hits the market next spring, Chuks Okorafor laughed when asked for his thoughts about playing out a contract year for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I...
First Call: Steelers’ Devin Bush ‘100%’ sure he can cover Browns’ Jarvis Landry; Ray Shero’s new job; Dave Parker turns 70
Thursday’s “First Call” features a bold Devin Bush, as the Steelers linebacker talks about tough tasks in coverage. There are a few newsworthy items about some former Penn State stars. A familiar Penguins face is heading out to Minnesota to reunite with Bill Guerin. Plus, we wish a happy birthday...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick says ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Agreed. But how ’bout a tune up?
This week at Steelers organized team activities, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was asked about the prospect of his role in the 2021 defense and if it will change much from his first two All-Pro seasons in Pittsburgh. “I don’t think too much is going to change,” Fitzpatrick replied. “If it ain’t...
Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster expects to hit peak contract value with strong 2021 season
JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to keep being a security blanket for Ben Roethlisberger even if he plays outside in the offensive formation. Smith-Schuster also wants security of the financial nature. And he’s willing to go outside to get it, too. Working on a one-year contract that was a byproduct of the...
ACL recovery wrapping up, Devin Bush assures he’ll be 100% by Steelers camp
While most of his teammates ran through football drills on the two fields behind him last week, Devin Bush was relegated to doing what could described charitably as labored sprints. Flanked by fellow rehabbing Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Zach Banner, Bush dragged a weighted plate that was tied to his waist...
Behind the mane: Book captures essence of Steelers great Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu is a man of few words. But author Jim Wexell came up with a book’s worth of them about the beloved former Pittsburgh Steelers star strong safety – 432 pages, in fact. “Troy is the most mysterious sports figure and the most liked in Pittsburgh,” said Wexell, of...
Mark Madden: Ben Roethlisberger must risk more for Steelers offense to reap rewards
Matt Canada is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new offensive coordinator. He served as the quarterbacks coach last season. Canada was supposed to have influence on the offense then. If he did, it was negligible. But now Canada is in charge. Or maybe he’s quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s new bobo. Canada’s offense features...
First Call: Minkah Fitzpatrick wanted fifth-year option for Steelers’ teammate; Gerrit Cole’s awkward Spider Tack response
Wednesday’s “First Call” features interesting comments by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on some recent front office decisions. Gerrit Cole gives a bizarre explanation about Spider Tack. Levon Kirkland sees a lot of himself in a potential NFL star linebacker. And yet another entertaining game out west between the Colorado...
Tim Benz: Steelers QB Mason Rudolph is certain about his uncertainty, and that’s OK with him
There’s one thing Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph can’t buy with his one-year, $5 million contract extension from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Certainty. Peace of mind? Maybe. To a degree, anyway. But certainty? No. All that contract means (announced an hour before the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29) is that Rudolph...
Extension gives Mason Rudolph security as he pursues starting job with Steelers in 2022Video
Mason Rudolph doesn’t know if he will be a starting quarterback or if he’ll be a backup when the 2022 NFL season arrives. He just knows he’ll be playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And that’s good enough for him. Rudolph talked Tuesday about his decision to take a year of...
‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’: Minkah Fitzpatrick anticipates same role with Steelers in 2021Video
With two starters departing via free agency and some youth injected into the position over the past 14 months, there is the potential for changes in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary. Not, though, for its most decorated player. Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t foresee any tweaks to the role he’s filled for the...
First Call: High hopes for Steelers’ Najee Harris; Bruce Arians gets bump in pay; long range depth for Ravens O-line
Expectations are already high for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Najee Harris. Bruce Arians is getting a bump in pay for winning a Super Bowl ring. Depth is coming for the Baltimore Ravens offensive line. But not this year. And now we have an idea of how the Duquesne basketball...
Levon Kirkland on his College Football Hall of Fame nomination, Super Bowl XXX, Bill Cowher’s book
Former Pittsburgh Steelers will be abundant at this summer’s Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions thanks to elections of safety Donnie Shell, coach Bill Cowher, guard Alan Faneca and safety Troy Polamalu (former scout Bill Nunn was already posthumously enshrined April 28). Canton, Ohio will be filled with Black and...
First Call: How Julio Jones trade may impact Steelers; no Selke for Sidney Crosby; curtain call for Andrew McCutchen
Monday’s “First Call” tells us how the Julio Jones trade will impact the Steelers. Andrew McCutchen is getting hot. Sidney Crosby is shut out of the Selke voting. And local product Brandon Saad is back on the score sheet in the NHL playoffs. But he was one-upped by someone on...
Steelers’ Cameron Sutton quickly goes from young depth to veteran leader of secondaryVideo
Soon after he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive back Tre Norwood heard from new veteran teammate Cameron Sutton. “He kind of extended his arms as a big brother, as a guy who’s been here,” Norwood said last month. “I can’t wait to sit down and pick his brain...
Ben Roethlisberger encounters ‘fun, new challenge’ in learning Steelers’ revamped offense
Attendance for organized team activities is, per NFL policy, strictly voluntary. It’s not until minicamp, which takes place in the fourth and final week of the league’s on-field offseason conditioning program, that players are required to attend. And in the years preceding the coronavirus pandemic, Ben Roethlisberger took it to...
Mark Madden Hot Take: There’s an obvious choice to replace Tunch Ilkin in Steelers booth
Tunch Ilkin became a Steeler in 1980 and will never stop being one. His playing days ended in 1993, and he just retired from broadcasting, but Ilkin is as black and gold as any Rooney. Ilkin has been a faithful servant and supporter of the cause. More important, he is...
Steelers’ B.J. Finney ready to make most of 2nd chance
He had a seven-figure signing bonus in his bank account and a partially guaranteed contract assured, and he didn’t want to lose it. That is the Cliffs Notes version of how B.J. Finney showed up “overweight and out of shape” last year with the Seattle Seahawks, a decision that ultimately...
Brother of Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt killed in hit-and-run
The brother of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident Wednesday night in Georgia. According to a police report, Richard Bartlett III was killed in Johns Creek, which is located about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. WGCL-TV reported that Bartlett was struck when...
First Call: Can the Maulers return in the new USFL?; a snag in Robert Morris hockey talks already; Jordan Staal comes up big
Friday’s “First Call” wonders if a return of the Pittsburgh Maulers could be coming. Brandon Saad and Jordan Staal are keeping Pittsburgh hockey fans interested in the NHL playoffs. Gerrit Cole gets burned by an ex-Pirates teammate. And things may already be going backward in the Robert Morris hockey negotiations....
Tim Benz: What was Bill Cowher’s best Steelers team he ever coached? His answer is surprising.
One of the more surprising declarations in Bill Cowher’s new book “Heart and Steel” comes when the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach describes the disappointment of losing the 1997 AFC Championship game. “That 1997 team might have been the best team we had in my 15 seasons in Pittsburgh,” Cowher wrote....
Tunch Ilkin announces retirement from Steelers broadcast duties
Standing on a balcony overlooking the practice fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Tunch Ilkin watched the Pittsburgh Steelers go through organized team activities Thursday morning. Flanked by a group that included his wife, Karen; best friend, teammate and broadcast partner Craig Wolfley; team president Art Rooney II and general...
