The 2014 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers came to an abrupt end Saturday night at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, but while a return to the playoffs was a nice thing for Mike Tomlin’s squad, getting back there in 2015 could prove to be a daunting task. On the surface, while there is a lot to like about the progress this team made this season after missing the postseason the past couple of seasons, the reality of the situation is that it could be awfully difficult to sustain. This ... Read More
Good luck finding one person to blame for Saturday’s Steelers loss
Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans are looking for someone to blame in the wake of the 30-17 beatdown they suffered at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens Saturday night that ended the 2014 season. Good luck finding one culprit. The simple truth is that it was a total team effort in the failure to secure victory. You can’t look at any phase of the game in which the Steelers didn’t lose the battle. Offensively, the gameplan seemed to be focused on establishing the run with an undrafted rookie Josh ... Read More
Steelers subdued in home Wild Card loss
In the third and most important battle in the 2014-15 season between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, the home team had to play without its top running back and team MVP. The absence of Le'Veon Bell for the Pittsburgh Steelers proved to be too much as the Ravens advanced to an AFC Divisional playoff date next week at New England, winning 30-17 Saturday night at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh controlled much of the first half, dominating time of possession and earning 70 more yards, but ... Read More
He’s Ficken Here: Penn State Kicker Ends Illustrious Career
Sam Ficken is Penn State’s man of the hour, just like he has been for the last five months. It all started with his game-winning 36-yard field goal against UCF in Dublin, Ireland, at the Croke Park Classic and it ended with his game-winning extra point attempt (after tying the game on a 44-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation) against Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe bowl at Yankee Stadium. Walk-off wins, which bookended his senior season, seem to have become Ficken’s ... Read More
Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card after playoff loss to Ravens
After a nice stretch of football for the past couple of months, the Pittsburgh Steelers reverted back to their old ways Saturday night as they saw their season come to a close with a 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. There wasn’t much to like about the Steelers performance in this one on either side of the ball. With that being said, here’s a look at how the team graded out in my weekly Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card. Quarterback- Without the threat of a running game, everything was ... Read More
Canadiens spoil Perron’s debut, beat Penguins 4-1
The Montreal Canadiens came into Pittsburgh riding a red-hot Carey Price to a five-game winning streak. The Penguins did very little too cool off Price as he shut down the Penguins offense and the Canadiens put four past Marc-Andre Fleury to win 4-1 at Consol Energy Center on Saturday. “We didn't generate that many chances, and when you face a goalie that good, you don’t give yourself a chance to win the game,” said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. Montreal’s Max Pacioretty started out the ... Read More
Polamalu returns, Ike out; Ravens-Steelers pregame report
While safety Troy Polamalu was announced as active for the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the day, coach Mike Tomlin listed cornerback Ike Taylor as out for the Wild Card game vs. the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night at Heinz Field. Taylor has a shoulder/arm injury and has missed a good portion of the season. Also out, as a bit of a surprise, is veteran WR Lance Moore. For Baltimore, tackle Eugene Monroe and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan are among those inactive. The Ravens are, at this ... Read More
Brice McCain, Antwon Blake helping sure up Steelers’ secondary
Had I told you at the beginning of the season that cornerbacks Brice McCain and Antwon Blake would be pivotal parts of the Pittsburgh Steelers winning a Week 17 game, your first thoughts would likely be something like this. Who? Are we playing for the first pick in the draft? But the Steelers weren’t playing for the first pick in next year’s draft, they were playing for the AFC North division crown and the Steelers are hosting a playoff game on Saturday night, largely due to the play of ... Read More
Downie leads Penguins to victory over former squad
2015 is already looking positive for the Pittsburgh Penguins, because after Friday night’s 6-3 win against Tampa Bay, they are now first place in the Eastern Conference. Steve Downie made a triumphant return to the lineup, scoring two third period goals to seal the Penguins win. “I had a couple of opportunities,” said Downie after the game. “I got lucky tonight. I thought we played well.” His coach was quicker to praise Downie’s game. “He’s an underestimated player,” said Penguins head coach ... Read More
Three Steelers named to 2014 All-Pro Team
With the way the Pittsburgh Steelers offense performed this season, there’s a good chance that many of their players will receive some postseason recognition. That started on Friday when three Steelers players were named to the 2014 All-Pro team. Wide Receiver Antonio Brown (49 votes out of a potential 50), running back Le’Veon Bell (44) and center Maurkice Pouncey (21), all were voted onto the first team. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who received four votes, was the only other Steelers ... Read More