Steelers/NFL category, Page 461
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...
Surrounded by talent, Steelers’ Isaiah Buggs stood out at Alabama
Only four FBS teams in the country last season had more sacks than Alabama. And who led the national runner-up Crimson Tide in sacks? That would be the second of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ three sixth-round draft picks last weekend, Isaiah Buggs. “He can get to the passer,” said the man...
Pro day prospects earn NFL rookie minicamp invitations
Six prospects who attended the Cal (Pa.) pro day at Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena in Cheswick have earned rookie minicamp tryouts with NFL teams. A seventh player, St. Francis (Pa.) cornerback Jermaine Ponder, signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent. The second annual event, which was run...
Steelers to put individual tickets on sale
Individual tickets for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ eight regular-season and two preseason home games will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Ticketmaster will handle the sale of all individual tickets. They will not be sold at the Heinz Field box office. Fans may purchase up to eight tickets per household...
First Call: Artie Burns’ future, a rookie wants Le’Veon Bell’s number
In “First Call” Wednesday, Kevin Colbert talks about Artie Burns’ future, Benny Snell embraces the role of replacing Le’Veon Bell, Andrew McCutchen pokes fun at himself. Burns burned out? Is Artie Burns’ toasted for good? The Pittsburgh Steelers have been very blunt that Burns’ tough 2018 shot his confidence. Now...
U mad, bro?: Not all Steelers fans are happy with drafting Devin Bush, Diontae Johnson
It’s an all-Steelers-NFL-draft edition of “U mad, bro?” Fans are mad about trading up, my critique of missing out on certain positions, and uttering the name of a certain big-chested wide receiver out loud. An unsigned email takes umbrage with my article likening Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson’s draft profile...
Tim Benz: Father of Steelers draft choice renounces Browns fandom
Imagine being a fan of the Cleveland Browns. Your team leaves. It comes back. And becomes an NFL punchline for decades. Now, on the verge of, potentially, Cleveland’s first division championship in decades, you renounce your fandom to start rooting for … … the hated Pittsburgh Steelers? That’s what DeAndre...
Steelers 6th-rounder Sutton Smith: ‘My path is to fight’
Sutton Smith played football at Northern Illinois like he was a Summa Cum Laude student trying to graduate after only a handful of semesters. He packed a lot of production into a short amount of time. Smith had a combined 29 sacks and 56.5 tackles for loss in his redshirt...
