The 2014 NFL Draft finally got under way last night, and after months of speculation on where certain players would land, as usual the draft did not lack for drama. The Pittsburgh Steelers had been expected to use their first-round pick to fill a spot of obvious need – cornerback or wide receiver being the most often suspected slots – but General Manager Kevin Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin bucked expectations and chose Ohio State ILB Ryan Shazier with the 15th overall pick. Shazier will be ... Read More
Pittsburgh Power Look For Tough Road Win Against Spokane
Welcome to Deaf Valley. The Pittsburgh Power (4-3) are looking for their second win in a row as they travel to Spokane to take on the Spokane Shock (5-2). Both teams had convincing wins last week and both rank in the top 5 in the AFL Coaches Poll. Spokane enters the game ranked 3rd in the AFL coaches poll but will try to find a way to win without their quarterback and reigning league MVP Erik Meyer who suffered a broken collarbone last week against Los Angeles. Spokane also lost their ... Read More
Steelers select Ryan Shazier in first round of NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ohio State OLB Ryan Shazier with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The 21-year old outside linebacker was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes, tallying 15.0 sacks and 317 total tackles. At the NFL Combine this past year, Shazier impressed scouts with 25 reps of 225 pounds on the Bench Press, a 42.0-inch vertical leap, and 130.0-inch broad jump. Shazier will come into Pittsburgh and compete with last year’s first-round pick OLB Jarvis Jones for ... Read More
On the Clock: Who Will Steelers Pick in Rounds 1, 2?
The wait is almost over, football fans. It seems like forever ago that the Seattle Seahawks were hoisting their first Lombardi Trophy after decimating the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. Thanks to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, pigskin addicts have had to wait an additional month this year for the NFL Draft – considered by many to be the official start of the NFL calendar year. On paper, the 2014 edition of the draft appears to hold one of the deepest talent pools in years. The ... Read More
Penguins down Rangers; take 3-1 series lead back to Pittsburgh
After being shutout in game two and three, the New York Rangers finally solved Marc-Andre Fleury. Unfortunately, they still couldn't stop the Penguins. Brandon Sutter broke a 1-1 game with a shorthanded goal, while Chris Kunitz added a backbreaker and the Penguins' defense held the New York Rangers to just 15 shots as Pittsburgh won 4-2, Wednesday night to take a 3-1 series lead. Evgeni Malkin scored his fifth of the playoffs just 2:31 into the game to get the Penguins on the board ... Read More
Best Steelers draft bargains of the past 20 years
In sitting down to write this article and its evil twin (Biggest Steelers Draft Misses of the Past 20 Years), I found that it was easier to pick the mistakes than it was to pick the true-blue bargains. For the purpose of this piece, I am setting some ground rules: 1. We are automatically eliminating first-round picks. In a 32-team league, every team should be able to make a solid first-round pick. Yes, occasionally there will be some BIG misses – JaMarcus Russell, Charles Rogers and David ... Read More
Biggest Steelers Draft Misses of the Past 20 Years
Since the early 1970’s, the Pittsburgh Steelers have crafted a reputation as a team that builds championship rosters mainly through the NFL Draft. Even the advent of free agency in the NFL didn’t force the six-time Super Bowl champions from changing their philosophy of building the “Steeler Way”. Pittsburgh has continually drafted and developed Pro Bowl-caliber players on both sides of the ball, and even in the modern-era NFL, the Steelers have won two Lombardi trophies with teams predominantly ... Read More
Pens blank Rangers to take 2-1 series lead
For the second straight night the Penguins played a strong defensive game and for the second straight night they defeated the New York Rangers, taking a 2-1 series lead in the process. Marc-Andre Fleury posted his second consecutive shutout, stopping all 35 shots by New York. Fleury, who is usually a lightning rod of criticism, has stopped 73 of New York's last 74 shots. The Rangers, once again, went scoreless on the power play (0-5). New York is now 0-13 in this series and 0 for their ... Read More
Penguin of the Week: Marc-Andre Fleury
Despite what some fans may thing, Marc-Andre Fleury can fuel the Pittsburgh Penguins to success. And he did so Sunday night to even the series at one game apiece with the New York Rangers. The ninth-year goalkeeper stopped 22 Rangers' shots in the 3-0 victory to earn his franchise-record seventh playoff shutout. The shutout was also his first of the playoffs this season but his sixth overall of the 2013-14 season. The win was the second in the past week for the Pens, with one loss sandwiched ... Read More
Post-free agency needs for Steelers
Thanks to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, football fans have had an extra month this year to impatiently wait for the NFL Draft. For fans of the back-to-back 8-8 record Pittsburgh Steelers, it seems as if the regular season ended eons ago. No fan base in the league is more ready to move onto the 2014 season than Steeler Nation, still trying to wipe away the bitter taste of missing the postseason for two years straight. However, something interesting happened between that ... Read More