Just a few days after watching one Pittsburgh Steelers veteran call it a career, another longtime member of the Steelers defense has done the same. Veteran cornerback Ike Taylor announced his retirement, putting an end to a successful 12-year NFL career. “Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime,” Taylor told Steelers.com. “It is rare, in this day of free agency that is super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity ... Read More
Troy, Rod or Mel: Who’s the best Steelers defensive back?
Throughout the history of the Steelers, there have been numerous special players that called the defensive backfield their home. But like always, we want to know who the best was. The three players we are going to compare are Mel Blount, Rod Woodson and Troy Polamalu. Blount was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 1970 Draft. The Hall-of-Fame corner played 14 seasons in the NFL all for the Steelers. In his career, Blount was voted to the Pro-Bowl five times and was an All-Pro ... Read More
Is Shamarko Thomas ready to replace Troy Polamalu?
Now that we have had a couple of days to let the dust settle on Troy Polamalu’s retirement, the Pittsburgh Steelers must turn their attention to third-year pro Shamarko Thomas. Whether the Steelers target a safety early on in this month’s draft remains to be seen, but one thing is crystal clear and that is the fact that Thomas will have the first crack at replacing Polamalu. The only question to ask is whether or not Thomas is ready? Sadly the answer is we just don’t know. Usually by ... Read More
Steelers re-sign safety Will Allen
One day after veteran safety Troy Polamalu’s retirement, the Steelers quickly started preparing for life after Polamalu. In order to add much needed depth at the safety position the Steelers re-signed veteran Will Allen on Friday. Allen, who turns 33 in June, has played 11 seasons in the league for three different teams. Of those 11 seasons Allen has spent five with the Steelers. Over his career Allen has played 163 games mainly as a backup and has recorded six interceptions and forced five ... Read More
COLUMN: Steelers lose more than a great player with Troy Polamalu’s retirement
When I awoke early this morning to the news of Troy Polamalu's announcement that he would be retiring after 12 incredible years as a Pittsburgh Steeler, my immediate reaction was the Steelers did not lose a great player, they were losing an remarkable man. I want to be careful and make myself clear; when you think about the greatest to ever play the position of safety in NFL history, Polamalu is one of a handful of players that are up for debate. At his peak, it's fair to say no safety ever ... Read More
Troy Polamalu announces his retirement
Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu has retired. Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsder.com broke the story late Thursday evening with an exclusive interview with the legendary Pittsburgh defensive back. Polamalu, 33, will retire as one of the Steelers all-time greats. In 12 seasons, he started 158 games, made 581 tackles, and accounted for 39 takeaways as one of the unquestioned leaders of a Steelers defensive unit that won two Super Bowls and played in a third. Troy cited his ... Read More
Steelers announce 2015 preseason schedule
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced their 2015 preseason schedule on Thursday afternoon. As previously announced, the Steelers will kick off the NFL preseason in the Hall of Fame Game on August 9 against the Minnesota Vikings. The game will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, which is adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Legendary Steelers running back Jerome Bettis will be inducted into the hall of fame that weekend. The game will be televised on NBC at 8 ... Read More
COLUMN: Bell suspension is just another example of NFL overreach
After months of speculation on how many games Steelers All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell would be suspended after his DUI arrest last August, the news broke earlier this morning that <a href="http://www.pittsburghsportingnews.com/leveon-bell-suspended-three-games/21435">Bell would miss the first three games of the 2015 season</a>. Though not exactly shocking news, it's a blow to a team that will have to start the season without arguably the best running back in the NFL today. When ... Read More
Le’Veon Bell suspended three games
The Pittsburgh Steelers knew that they would have to be without Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell to begin the 2015 season. Now they know for how long. Bell was handed a three-game suspension on Thursday by the NFL and fined one game check for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He is appealing that decision. The suspension comes from a DUI arrest back in August 2014 during a traffic stop in Pittsburgh in which Bell and former Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount were ... Read More
Who the hell is Monica Wignot?
When the Pittsburgh March Madness started, everyone had the same expectations. It was going to be the four No. 1 seeds — Ben Roethlisberger, Sidney Crosby, Andrew McCutchen and Antonio Brown — in the Final Four. That’s just how it works. Except this time, it wasn’t. In the first round, when we logged on to check the results to see who advanced, one result made our jaw drop: #16. Monica Wignot - 459 votes vs. #1. Andrew McCutchen - 455 votes. For the first time ever in a tournament, a ... Read More