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

In their weekly Pitt football chat, presented by FanDuel, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise to ponder Pitt's outlook amid a slew of injuries to some key players. Can coach Pat Narduzzi and Co. stay in ACC contention without RB Desmond Reid, LB Rasheem Biles and LB Kyle Louis at full strength? Which of those three players is the most valuable? Why hasn't Kade Bell'...

In their weekly Penn State football chat, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise ponder how meaningful the Nittany Lions results for the rest of the season will be. Will more struggles under interim coach Terry Smith from OC Andy Kotelnicki and DC Jim Knowles further validate James Franklin's firing as coach? Or has the move given the team permission to lose focus on 2025?...

On his weekly Chipped Ham & Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes Green Bay Packers legend LeRoy Butler to preview the showdown between the two teams in NFL Week 8 at Acrisure Stadium. Why does LeRoy believe coaches Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur could be matching wits again in a Super Bowl rematch of this contest? What does he expect from the QB matchup of Jordan...

Live around 5 p.m., Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise gives his thoughts on the Steelers quarterback situation through the lens of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields struggling elsewhere, with Fields notably drawing criticism this week from his New York Jets owner, Woody Johnson. Do coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan deserve more credit for zeroing in on Aaron Rodgers when he bec...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, presented by FanDuel, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider Isaiah Maldonado to react to the weekend loss to Iowa in the first game since James Franklin's firing. How much was Ethan Grunkemeyer to blame for struggles in his first start at QB in place of the injured Drew Allar? And how much criticism should OC Andy...

On their weekly Serving Up Pitt volleyball podcast, Post-Gazette Panthers insider Abby Schnable welcomes former standout Cat Flood to react to a busy weekend of action for the squad. What did we learn about coach Dan Fisher's team after it was able to rally from a steep deficit Friday night against Notre Dame? Does the win over No. 4 Louisville later in the weekend prove this team is still a natio...

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 the team's offensive line. Are young players like Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick actually improving? Or benefitting from heavy sets that include tight ends like Pat...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo report from the Steelers facility after Tuesday's practice leading up to the team's "Sunday Night Football" matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Can we expect reinforcements at wide receiver, with Calvin Austin III set to return after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury? How does that affect coordinator Arthur Smi...

On their latest Pirates season-in-review podcast, presented by FanDuel, Post-Gazette Pirates insiders Jason Mackey look at what went right and what went wrong for the infield in 2025. And moves GM Ben Cherington and manager Don Kelly could make to improve it in the year ahead. Was Spencer Horwitz the biggest success story within the group with solid production at first base? Can more be expect of...

Post-Gazette Pitt football insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable tackle a variety of hot topics around the team ahead of a key ACC matchup with North Carolina State on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Should fans worry about star running back Desmond Reid after he missed most of the Syracuse win last week because of injury? And how should we interpret coach Pat Narduzzi's comments on the matter...

Heading into the final weekend of the WPIAL football regular season, high school insiders Keith Barnes and Mike White tell you who should be the top seeds in each classification. Should Aliquippa get one of the two wild card playoffs spots in Class 4A and should Clairton or Fort Cherry get the No. 1 seed in Class 1A? Mohawk's Bobby Fadden is a five-sport athlete who has made WPIAL football history...

On the Tuesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel, host Noah Hiles welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to talk about Aaron Rodgers as he prepares to face his former team this week. Is the veteran QB ready for the challenge of taking down the Green Bay Packers in NFL Week 8 at Acrisure Stadium? What will he have to say about his first game as a Packers...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Christopher Carter and Ray Fittipaldo analyze changes the defense needs to make ahead of an NFL Week 8 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. What adjustments should coach Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin make? Particularly in the secondary? Do players includin...

Pitt football insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable react to Saturday's road win at Syracuse. Nick Lapi and Cam Lindsey stepped up with leading linebackers Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles out. But the offensive line was the crux of Pitt's offensive issues (penalties, not great blocking, allowed 7 sacks). It was anything but pretty, but a key play from Kenny Johnson and three interceptions kept...

On the Saturday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise to sort through the level of blame coach Mike Tomlin deserves for the NFL Week 7 loss to the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Was the game plan flawed from the start? Where was the pressure from the pass rush and stars lik...

Pirates insiders Jason Mackey and Colin Beazley begin their offseason analysis series by looking at the outfield. If Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds improve enough, will the issues in the outfield be addressed from within? If not, who should the Pirates go after in free agency? And how close is Esmerlyn Valdez to the big leagues? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for info...

In his weekly YouTube appearance discussing Pitt football, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise weighs in on the win against Florida State last week and what it says about the Panthers' chances in the ACC title race. Did the upset legitimize the upside coach Pat Narduzzi's team has? Or are the Seminoles under coach Mike Norvell too inconsistent to count as a significant landmark victory? Can N...

In his weekly Penn State YouTube segment, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to react to the Nittany Lions' firing of coach James Franklin this week. Was the move by AD Pat Kraft too impulsive in hindsight? Did he deserve at least another year considering Penn State was in the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff less than a year ago? What does Paul make...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Christopher Carter and Brian Batko react to the team's NFL Week 7 loss to the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Why were Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay Jr., DeShon Elliott and the Steelers' secondary so bad in many c...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo recap the Steelers' NFL Week 7 loss against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Why were the Bengals' Joe Flacco, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase able to have so much success against Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay Jr., Joey Porter Jr., DeShon Elliott and the Steelers' vaunted secondary? How did Bengals RB Chase B...

Host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise react LIVE to the Steelers' NFL Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup with the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Were Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Darnell Washington and others able to maintain their momentum in the passing game? How did Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and the offensive line perform again...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider Isaiah Maldonado ponder the top candidates to replace James Franklin as head coach after he was fired Sunday. Will the ties Matt Rhule, Al Golden or D'Anton Lynn have to the program and Joe Paterno years win out? Could successful head coaches with outsider resumes like Eli Drinkwit...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Christopher Carter welcomes NFL analyst Ross Tucker to chart the growth of the offensive line. Are Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Isaac Seumalo, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick figuring things out in protection of QB Aaron Rodgers? How much room do they...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo report from the Steelers practice facility after Tuesday's practice leading up to the team's "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. What can we expect from the Steelers defense, which went out and got defensive backs like Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay Jr. to pair with Joey Porter Jr. and take on guys lik...

Post-Gazette Pirates insiders Colin Beazley and Jason Mackey return for their first podcast of the MLB offseason talking arbitration decisions looming for GM Ben Cherington and manager Don Kelly. How much are names like Oneil Cruz, Dennis Santana, Joey Bart, Johan Oviedo and Colin Holderman worth to this team? Could any of them, or others like Jack Suwinski, Justin Lawrence, Yohan Ramirez or Dauri...