Latest Steelers Buzz: Lean Hodges & Here’s Why

Mike Tomlin putting on a coaching clinic Somehow, someway Mike Tomlin has his football team in the final wildcard spot with five games to go. Say what you want about Tomlin’s game management but crisis management is a pivotal trait to succeeding in the NFL and he’s put on a coaching clinic this season. Not only are the Steelers miraculously 6-5 with their quarterback situation and injuries, they’ve won five of six and since week 2, have suffered just one loss by more than four points. They’re doing all of this with an horrific offense that’s also getting dud seasons from two of their most important offensive players in Juju Smith-Schuster and James Conner who have been unreliable on the

On Myles Garrett, Pittsburgh Still Being Relevant at 10-Game Mark & Mason Rudolph getting Exposed

Steelers – Browns Fallout What I witnessed Thursday night might have been the most arrogant, cockiest 3-6 football team I’ve ever seen in the Cleveland Browns. You would have thought the Steelers were going up against a 9-0 football team destined for the Super Bowl. For the Browns part, the better team on the field on this specific night got the ‘W’. They set the tempo on the first drive of the game and legally/illegally physically punished the Steelers. But, everything about the Browns actions and performance Thursday night showed why they are now just a 4-6 football team instead of being a 7-3 team and right on the Ravens tail for the division lead. They’re a badly coached team

The Optimist Angle: 8-8 Season still more likely than a disaster 4-12 type season

The stats don’t lie. An 0-3 start to the NFL season is almost always a death sentence for NFL teams. Especially for ones without a franchise caliber QB behind center. Only six teams have made the playoffs since 1980 after an 0-3 start with the 2018 Houston Texans being the sixth team to it. While Mason Rudolph is capable of keeping the Steelers competitive in games as he showed vs the Seahawks in week 2 and the 49ers Sunday afternoon, unfortunately for the Steelers Rudolph is no DeShaun Watson. There’s every reason to think the Steelers are done and they probably are, but in a conference filled with mediocrity with little separation after New England and Kansas City, there’s reason

Biggest Disappointments in 0-3 Start: James Conner, Offensive Line

Conner, O-Line Top List of the Most surprise disappointments in 0-3 start There’s a number of reasons the Pittsburgh Steelers are off to an 0-3 start. The week 1 debacle vs New England highlighted glaring issues with this roster from the lack of playmakers on offense that is going to be a season long problem, to a talented defense that is a group of misfits from executing a complexed scheme with coaching that has shown no ability in elevating the group. Those two areas continued to be problems in the losses to Seattle and San Francisco, but what has been the most surprising development with the Steelers 0-3 start is the dreadful play of the offensive line and running back

Steelers deal 1st rounder for DB Minkah Fitzpatrick

Steelers betting on Rudolph How much the Steelers like Mason Rudolph in the short term to keep the team competitive in 2019 and the long-term in being the heir-apparent to Ben Roethlisberger is even more evident with the Steelers trading their 2020 first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins tonight for DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, the 11th overall pick of the 2018 draft. The bold trade for Fitzpatrick is the Steelers sending the message that Mason Rudolph is the future but that the organization is also not punting on the 2019 season and in a sense, trying to still maximize the Ben Roethlisberger window were Ben to return next season as the Big Ben of old. While the organization believes Rudolph will

Ben Roethlisberger out for the season

An MRI Sunday night delivered the worst fears for the Pittsburgh Steelers as Ben Roethlisberger at age 37 will need right elbow surgery and is out for the season. [hide] “Ben Roethlisberger had an MRI on his right elbow Sunday evening and it was determined by the Steelers’ medical team that surgery will be required. He will be placed on our Reserve/Injured List and is out for the season,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. With an 0-2 start, there are some many dynamics to this for the present and future. At age 37, this could be the end of the road for Ben Roethlisberger’s Hall-of-Fame career. In six quarters of play this season, Roethlisberger never looked right in throwing

What We Learned: Steelers Out-Classed, Look like pretenders against the Champs

Steelers – Patriots What We Learned It was Groundhog Day once again for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight at Foxboro. There were just no answers as Pittsburgh was out-classed in all phases and talk about a talent discrepancy that wasn’t supposed to be the case. “No need to sugar [hide] coat it. We weren’t ready for prime time tonight,” head coach Mike Tomlin said. [/hide] Tom Brady was doing Tom Brady things as the Patriots built up a 20-0 halftime lead, en route to a 33-3 win on Sunday night. Picks, crossers and play-action torched the Steelers where Pittsburgh was completely out-manned and stuck in constant confusion. Tom Brady has always been masterful at spreading the Steelers out,

Most Intriguing Storylines for the 2019 Steelers

TIOPS MOST INTRIGUING STORYLINES FOR THE STEELERS 2019 SEASON No Antonio Brown, less turnovers for Ben Roethlisberger in 2019? What will the loss of Antonio Brown mean for Ben Roethlisberger & Co? Even at age 37, Roethlisberger is primed to prove that the show goes on, even when you take a superstar talent like Brown out of the equation. Roethlisberger threw for 5,129 yards with 34 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 2018. Anybody will sign up for those numbers again in 2019, but many in the organization believe Brown constantly taking plays off and running wrong routes, some believe on purpose, has led to a spike in Roethlisberger’s interception numbers the last two seasons. Steeler coaches believe Roethlisberger can drop

Steelers sign Joe Haden, stick to organizational philisophy of lining up new extensions with the Big Ben Window

The long anticipated extension is now official. LETSSssssSSs GOOoOoOoO!!! pic.twitter.com/bWKtt1OYrm — Joe Haden (@joehaden23) September 2, 2019 The Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night signed cornerback Joe Haden to a two-year, $22 million extension. The deal includes a $16.8 million signing bonus for the 30 year old Haden and reduced his cap hit for the 2019 season by over $3 million. The deal is essentially a three year, $32 million contract for Haden as the 30 year old is now under contract through the 2021 season. Hade was due to make $10 million this season after signing a three year, $27 million contract with the Steelers in August 2017. The two sides began working on a new deal just before training

Latest Steelers Buzz: Fallout of Preseason Finale, Key Roster Decisions, Joe Haden Contract Extension & More Buzz

KEY STORYLINES OUT OF THE PRESEASON FINALE Rudolph outshines Dobbs  Mason Rudolph showed continued growth all preseason that’s what should have been expected for a 24 year old 2nd year quarterback the Steelers took with a third round pick and who the organization claims they had a first-round grade on. The good thing is Rudolph looked the part this preseason of a No. 2 QB. What the Steelers have long-term in Rudolph, if anything, is an obvious unknown, but Rudolph has taken what he was given and ran with it this preseason. Selecting Rudolph where they did, this was always a down the road situation of let’s take a chance and try to develop him into a legitimate NFL starter