Post-Gazette Sports Network: Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and more

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable break down the Panthers' 81-73 loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center in the ACC/SEC Men's Challenge. Why couldn't Pitt pay off a sometimes encouraging performance? Is Jeff Capel's team deep enough for ACC play beyond main guys like Cam Corhen, considering they only really played seven guys against the high-tem...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Christopher Carter to analyze T.J. Watt's recent play ahead of an NFL Week 14 matchup with the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. Is Watt's play as bad as his critics seem to think? Or has he been better than he's given credit fo...

Live around 5 p.m., Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise weighs in on the Steelers' losing skid of five losses in their last seven games. This show is presented by FanDuel. Specifically, he gives his thoughts on whether the preseason concerns about old age are proving valid. Do guys like Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey, Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt still have the ability to life this roster to an AFC...

Post-Gazette Pirates insider Colin Beazley analyzes manager Don Kelly's coaching hires this MLB offseason. This show is presented by FanDuel. Will Bill Murphy be the right fit as pitching coach? Mentoring young hurlers including Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows? Will third base coach Tony Beazley be a positive influence in his return to Pittsburgh? And wh...

On his weekly Chipped Ham & Football podcast, presented by FanDuel, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Ed Bouchette to sort through the team's losing skid. What are their chances in a crucial AFC North Week 14 battle with the Baltimore Ravens this week. Will T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr. and the defense have answers for...

Post-Gazette Pitt football insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable break down the possibilities for the Panthers' upcoming bowl game and which potential opponent they could face up against. Where should Pitt want to go, and who should they want to face? Is a rivalry matchup against Penn State a legitimate possibility? Are there any marquee programs out there they could meet up with? How can Pa...

The high school football season will come to an end this weekend when Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg plays host to six PIAA championship games. Our Post-Gazette insiders, veteran scribe Mike White and high school sports coordinator Keith Barnes, break it down. In the first segment the two look at games involving non-WPIAL teams in Classes 2A, 4A and 5A. After a quick break, they ex...

Post-Gazette Penguins insider Jason Mackey recaps a busy weekend of news for coach Dan Muse's team. This show is presented by FanDuel. Will Rutger McGroarty and Boko Imama make differences upon their recalls from the minors? Why do this team's outcomes seem so goalie-dependent? And can Tristan Jarry and Artur Silovs rise to the occasion consistently? Will Sidney Crosby continue his success against...

On the Monday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Christipher Carter and Ray Fittipaldo react to the NFL Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. Did coach Mike Tomlin's team show a lack of fight in defeat? How could the effort level not be an indictment of Tomlin and his coaching staff that...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to the team's NFL Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. Why did T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Nick Herbig, Keeanu Benton, Alex Highsmith, Payton Wilson and the defensive front seven struggle so mightily to contain James Cook and the Buffalo running game? Will coach Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin have answers before fac...

Host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise react LIVE to the Steelers' NFL Week 13 with the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. This show is presented by FanDuel. How did QB Aaron Rodgers look in his return from injury? Did he look like he could have played last week instead of backup Mason Rudolph? Were pass catchers including DK Metcalf, Darnell Washington, Roman Wilson, Jonnu...

On this special edition of the Serving Up Pitt volleyball podcast, presented by FanDuel, host Abby Schnable is joined by Panthers assistant coach Kamalani Akeo to break down the NCAA tournament bracket. Which teams on Pitt’s side of the bracket pose the biggest threats, and who could emerge as a dark horse? How has this Panthers squad grown since a rocky start to the season, and what does that mom...

Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Penn State insider Lyle Alenstein is joined by Joel Haas to break down the Nittany Lions' 40-36 win over Rutgers on Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. How was interim coach Terry Smith able to salvage a bowl game appearance at 6-6, and what does that say for his future prospects at the full-time job? What legacy are record breakers like Kaytron Allen and Nick...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable break down the Panthers' 38-7 loss to Miami on Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. What went wrong for the Panthers, and why weren't they able to get the win to keep themselves in ACC championship contention? Despite Pitt being relatively competitive in the first half, what changed heading into a severely lackluster second? Why hasn...

Pitt insiders Abby Schnable and Stephen Thompson break down Friday night's thrilling victory over Ohio State, as Damarco Minor carries the Panthers to a massive win. The Panthers defense was outstanding, as Minor led the way and the frontcourt shut down OSU's leading scorers Bryce Thornton and Christoph Tilly. Can Pitt carry this momentum into later games with power teams? Hosted by Simplecast, an...

On the Saturday episode of The North Shore Drive podcast presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Steelers insiders Christopher Carter and Brian Batko give the final look at Sunday's game against the Bills. How can Teryl Austin and Mike Tomlin dial up the right defense to stop a man they say can go into "Superman" mode in Josh Allen? And the AFC playoff race is getting tighter and mor...

Post-Gazette Penguins writer Jason Mackey analyzes Tristan Jarry's return to the Penguins net and what it means for the team's future. Can Kyle Dubas find a perfect trading partner, perhaps with Jarry's hometown Edmonton Oilers? Or should Jarry stick around until Sergei Murashov is fully ready to take over in net? Plus, Rutger McGroarty isn't far from rejoining the Penguins. What can we expect whe...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, presented by FanDuel, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes Steelers special team ace Miles Killebrew for a chat ahead of an NFL Week 13 matchup with the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. They discuss Miles' choices for the NFL's My Cleats, My Cause weekend this season; his favorite NFL road venues; his injury recovery that's caused him...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider Isaiah Maldonando tackle the latest buzz from the coaching search to replace James Franklin. This show is presented by FanDuel. Does interim coach Terry Smith have momentum after the home win against Nebraska? With many players and fans vocally supporting him? Why is there so much...

Post-Gazette Pitt football insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable preview a ranked matchup against the Miami Hurricanes with major ACC championship and College Football Playoff implications. This show is presented by FanDuel. Can coach Pat Narduzzi's offensive line handle Ruben Bain Jr. and Akheem Messidor along Miami's defensive front to open up space for QB Mason Heintschel and RB Ja'Kyrian...

Post-Gazette Penguins insider Jason Mackey analyzes a key portion of the season for coach Dan Muse's team. This show is presented by FanDuel. Why is the current stretch around the Thanksgiving holiday key for hopes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang eventually reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Did GM Kyle Dubas make the right move in sending goalie Sergei Murashov to the minors, leav...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder and Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Christopher Carter to sort through the offense's current issues. Is OC Arthur Smith to blame for what's gone wrong during the skid of four losses in the last six games? Or is the execution simply not good enough right now? From QB...

Live around 5 p.m., Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to Steelers legend James Harrison's scathing criticism of the coaching staff following the NFL Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears. Was Harrison right to call out coach Mike Tomlin, OC Arthur Smith and DC Teryl Austin on his podcast with former Steeler Joe Haden? Is TE Darnell Washington being used correctly? And how much truth is t...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to coach Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference ahead of an NFL Week 13 matchup with the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. How will the offensive and defensive lines cope with their respective losses of Broderick Jones and Derrick Harmon this week, after both were ruled out by Tomlin? Are names like Yahya Black, Spender Anderson an...

Host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette Pirates insider Colin Beazley to talk through the latest offseason news and rumors with the MLB Winter Meetings looming. This show is presented by FanDuel. What should we make of reports that GM Ben Cherington is planning to spend generously this offseason? And what counts as a sizable boost in payroll? Would Ryan O'Hearn make sense as a first base target? H...