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

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Christopher Carter & Ray Fittipaldo react to the NFL Week 3 victory against the New England Patriots. Should coach Mike Tomlin be encouraged that Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Jabrill Peppers, Cole Holcomb and Brandin Echols were able to generate five turnov...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to an NFL Week 3 victory against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. They offer thoughts on Aaron Rodgers' inconsistent effort at QB that included touchdowns to Calvin Austin III and DK Metcalf but frustration in between. And a up-and-down day for Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell behind the offensive line led by Broder...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Were Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Keeanu Benton, Jalen Ramsey and coach Mike Tomlin's defense able to bounce back after a couple of rough outings to open the season? Did Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu perform better up front? What chemistry was Q...

On the Saturday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, Steelers insiders Christopher Carter and Brian Batko break down the team's Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots. Will Pittsburgh's defensive struggles and frustrations continue to build against an upstart offense led by Drake Maye, TreVeyon Henderson and Stefon Diggs, or will we continue to see inefficiency from the likes of T.J....

Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to ponder the future of Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi after the Panthers' Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia. Should Narduzzi's job be in jeopardy after dropping such a winnable rivalry game? What are AD Allen Greene's options realistic options considering Narduzzi's sizable buyout? And how much is Pitt's casual fan base a problem in t...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey to analyze the Steelers' recurring communication issues. How much blame does coach Mike Tomlin deserve for them? Are they becoming a stale excuse for him? Is his scheme the problem considering they've persisted after names like Mi...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to recap the non-conference portion of Penn State football's 2025 schedule and look ahead toward Big Ten Conference play. Did we learn anything about coach James Franklin's squad against outmatched Nevada, Florida International and Villanova teams? Would we have liked to see more from Drew Allar through three games? Is Dani Dennis-...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to gauge the Cy Young Award chances of Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Does he have the award locked up on the National League side? With only Detroit's Tarik Skubal coming close to matching his production on the American League side? How badly would a Cy Young in a losing season for Skenes reflect on owner Bob Nutting, GM Ben Cherington...

On this week's episode of Serving Up Pitt, Post-Gazette Pitt insider Abby Schnable is joined by Panthers outside hitter Blaire Bayless to break down the team's statement win on the road over No. 13 Penn State, the defending national champion. Abby and Blaire also reflect on lessons learned during the Panthers' non-conference slate, during which they faced some of the top competition in the country...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise takes stock of the AFC North after two weeks of action in the 2025 NFL season. How does the picture change now that the Bengals have lost QB Joe Burrow for at least a couple of months? Are the Ravens now a runaway favorite? Or did the loss by Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Co. versus Buffalo in NFL Week 1 show that Baltimore is still a flawed team? Can co...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable go through who's lived up to expectations and who's underwhelmed them through the first three games of the Panthers' season. Which young players have taken advantage of their newfound playing time and carved out a role for themselves? How have Deuce Spann and Bryce Yates helped to elevate Pitt's passing game? How has Zach Crothers found...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac & Ray Fittipaldo recap news conferences by OC Arthur Smith and DC Teryl Austin at the team's UPMC Rooney Sports Complex ahead of their NFL Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots. Will Derrick Harmon be able to make his NFL debut? Or will an injury continue to hold the rookie defensive lineman back? Could injuries to players including DeShon Elli...

Post-Gazette high school sports insider Matt Press interviews Quaker Valley girls soccer Annabel Miko, the PG's WPIAL athlete of the week. He gets her thoughts on recently scoring her 50th-career goal; her commitment to the Delaware Blue Hens for college and the recruitment process; winning last year's WPIAL championship; and the similarities and differences between high school and academy games....

In his weekly Pirates mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insider Noah Hiles answers reader questions. Among them: Should they commence a search for a new hitting coach this offseason after a lackluster first year from Matt Hague? What are the chances either Mitch Keller or Bryan Reynolds — or both — is traded this offseason? Now that top prospect Bubba Chandler is in the major league rotation, will he...

On his weekly Chipped Ham & Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes MyCole Pruitt, a tight end for the team last year, to analyze its mixed results through the first two weeks of the 2025 NFL season. Why does MyCole have hope for Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, Kaleb Johnson and the running game? Despite offensive line struggles from names including Broderick Jone...

Post-Gazette high school sports insider Keith Barnes interviews Beaver Area quarterback Travis Clear, who was named the PG's WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League athlete of the week for his standout performance again Hopewell. Travis explains how he passed for a WPIAL-leading 391 yards and a pair of touchdowns to life his team a thrilling 51-50 victory that kept it in the mix in Class 3A. Hosted by Si...

Live around 5 p.m., Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise ponders the Steelers' recent past at the quarterback position. Would GM Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin have been better off drafting current Patriots QB Drake Maye -- their opponent in NFL Week 3 -- or another young QB like Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, or C.J. Stroud? Even if it had meant losing seasons following the retirement...

On the Wednesday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Christopher Carter analyze the team's struggling running game and what can be done to fix it. Is the lack of success holding back Arthur Smith's offense, even as its identity has shifted more toward Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf and the passing game...

Live around 5 p.m., Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise offers his thoughts on the struggles of the Steelers defense through the first two weeks of the NFL season. Specifically, he ponders the concern level regarding T.J. Watt not having a sack yet in 2025. Can the Steelers' defense be its best if he isn't making disruptive plays? How much have the defensive line's struggles in the absence of...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to coach Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex ahead of an NFL Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots. They give their thoughts on Kaleb Johnson losing his role as a kickoff returner after his major gaffe against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2; Johnson's future in a backfield that Jaylen Warr...

On the Tuesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey and insider Ray Fittipaldo sort through blame for the Steelers' defensive struggles through the first two games of 2025. Are coach Mike Tomlin and position assistant Karl Dunbar most to blame for the defensive line's ineffectiveness, particularly against the run? Or do Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Is...

Post-Gazette Pirates insider Colin Beazley discusses the last week of Pirates' minor league action, as High-A Greensboro was swept in its South Atlantic League playoff series. Colin highlights the success of the Indianapolis Indians and previews the Altoona Curve's upcoming playoff series, before giving updates on Hunter Barco, Jack Suwinski, Brandan Bidois, Eddy Yean, Konnor Griffin, Duce Gourson...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable sort through an ugly Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia for the Panthers and how coach Pat Narduzzi and Co. can bounce back ahead of ACC play. Can coordinators Kade Bell and Randy Bates get the penalties cleaned up? What's the latest on the health of RB Desmond Reid and DB Cruce Brookins? Can Bell get QB Eli Holstein back into rhythm...

Editor's note: We apologize for audio syncing issues with this episode. On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Ray Fittipaldo and Christopher Carter sort through the NFL Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. What's behind the inconsistency coach Mike Tomlin's defense has shown through two games? Particularly...

Post-Gazette high school sports insiders Mike White and Keith Barnes recap a busy week of football news around the WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League. What should we make of Shady Side Academy's injury situation a week after forfeiting in controversial fashion against Clairton? Is Aliquippa championship material once again in Class 4A? What should we make of a key rule change for students at faith-b...