Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has come under fire lately for some less than spectacular results from some of his more recent draft classes. At the end of the day, bad drafts have played a large role in why this franchise has produced back-to-back 8-8 seasons. As soon as this past draft ended, many experts were grading Colbert’s performance either very positively or very negatively, with not much ground in the middle. I for one did not like the past draft at all, but ... Read More
Troy Polamalu, Ryan Shazier out vs. Jets
The Pittsburgh Steelers, owners of a three-game winning streak, will head into Sunday's game against the 1-8 New York Jets minus two key starters on defense. Both safety Troy Polamalu (knee) and linebacker Ryan Shazier (ankle), along with backup safety Shamarko Thomas (hamstring) have already been ruled out for Sunday by head coach Mike Tomlin. Polamalu, who sprained his knee in Sunday night's win over the Baltimore Ravens, will miss his first game since 2012. He had played every snap ... Read More
Injury replacements on defense must step up for Steelers
In a span of 10 plays, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the misfortune of losing three defensive starters to injury. In an otherwise fantastic night for the Steelers defense in a resounding 37-19 victory, this certainly was the lowlight of the game. First to go was linebacker Jarvis Jones, who broke his wrist on play where he forced a Cam Newton fumble. Jones had surgery earlier this week to repair the fracture, and the Steelers placed Jones on the injured reserve/designated to return, meaning ... Read More
Steelers’ first team looks to be in mid-season form
If Saturday’s preseason matchup was a preview of the upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers season, we’ll take it. The Steelers won 19-16 over the Buffalo Bills. They won as time expired on a Shaun Suisham field goal courtesy of another forced turnover by back-ups Vic So’oto and fumble recovery by Howard Jones. The real upside their second preseason matchup was the play of the Steelers first team offense and defense. They won the first half, 13-6, with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger placing the ball to ... Read More
Pittsburgh Steelers Show Promising Signs In Preseason Win Over Buffalo
The Pittsburgh Steelers are pinning their revival hopes on a high-flying offense and a rejuvenated defense. After a so-so preseason opener against the Giants last week, the Steelers showed a promising preview of that game plan Saturday night at Heinz Field, controlling the first half in a 19-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Pittsburgh's first exhibition win since Aug. 30, 2012 - a span of five games - featured a nearly-flawless Ben Roethlisberger and a dynamic performance from rookie ... Read More
Can Tuitt make an early impact?
Not since Kendrell Bell in 2001 has a rookie defender opened the season as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In spite of an knee injury that will keep him out of the Steelers preseason game tomorrow against the New York Giants, first rounder Ryan Shazier looks to be on track to break into the starting lineup immediately. Though second-round pick Stephon Tuitt might not share that honor with Shazier, he might just join him sooner than later. Two rookies starting for the Steelers defense? ... Read More
Ryan Shazier, other Steelers rookies off to good starts in camp
For the past couple of seasons, there has been the call for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get younger and more athletic on both sides of the ball. Even though the team only reported to camp on Friday and were in pads and hitting for the first time on Monday, some of the Steelers youth has already begun to open up some eyes. Granted it has only been a couple of days, but some of the players general manager Kevin Colbert drafted in May could make a strong case for a lot of playing time by turning ... Read More
Who will step in at linebacker opposite Timmons?
In the third installment of some of the key questions heading into Steelers training camp, we will look specifically at the left inside linebacker position. When it comes to the inside linebacker position, it's fair to assume that Lawrence Timmons is locked in on the right side. Timmons is coming off an outstanding season where it easily can be argued he played at a Pro-Bowl level, and there is no reason to think there will be a significant decline for the eight-year pro. With that ... Read More
Job Competition Scarce for Steelers at OTA’s
Coming off back-to-back 8-8 seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a much different look than they had just two seasons ago. But with so many new faces now wearing black-and-gold over the course of the past 24 months, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be much competition for playing time. As OTA’s began on Tuesday for the Steelers, there were really only three jobs apparent that there would be competition for, which is rare for a team that has missed the playoffs the past couple ... Read More
2014 NFL Draft Round One Notes: Shazier is a Steeler, Donald to the Rams, Manziel a Brown
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