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

On the Friday mailbag edition of his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey gives his official predictions and breaks down all things Penn State-Oregon ahead of Saturday's Big Ten championship game, as well as the Steelers-Browns on Sunday afternoon. Jason gives his predictions on both games and also looks ahead to the NFL offseason to examine which positions the Steele...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports news around 5 p.m. How do the AFC North's coaches stack up with the division now in the HBO "Hard Knocks" spotlight? Is the Steelers' Mike Tomlin really the best as his team sits atop the division standings? Or should Ravens' John Harbaugh, Bengals' Zac Taylor get credit for more recent NFL Playoffs success?...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey ponders the futures of Russell Wilson, George Pickens and Najee Harris with the Steelers amid the offense's success this season under OC Arthur Smith. Can GM Omar Khan keep the group together with their contracts expiring this year or next? Is Wilson the most valuable of the three, despite being by far the oldest at 33 years...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports news. Is the Steelers' decision to trade WR Diontae Johnson for CB Donte Jackson looking good, now that coach John Harbaugh's cryptic comments about him cast doubt on his future with the AFC North rival Ravens? How should the Steelers be feeling about the guys who've replaced Johnson behind George Pickens, including Ca...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Joel Haas preview the Nittany Lions' Big Ten championship matchup with top-ranked Oregon. Will their College Football Playoff path be easiest with a win? Or a loss that could result in a No. 5 seed with a favorable path to the semifinals, a quirk in the new 12-team system? Could Penn State fall...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to react to the impending return of pass rusher Alex Highsmith on defense. How can he be a gamechanger for this defense as it looks to do a better job against QB Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns in NFL Week 14 th...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the first episode of HBO's 'Hard Knocks' show, which is taking an inside look at the Steelers and their AFC North rival Browns, Bengals and Ravens this season. Why was coach Mike Tomlin the obvious star? Could the show change perceptions about him by giving fans more insight on how he interacts with his players and...

On his weekly Chipped Ham & Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes WTOV9's Jack Hillgrove to preview the NFL Week 14 matchup between the Steelers and Browns. What's at stake for the Steelers heading into their clash with Jameis Winston and a red-hot Browns offense? What will we learn about Mike Tomlin's team over the next few weeks as the NFL season enters the hom...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports news, including the Steelers' NFL Week 13 victory against the Bengals in Cincinnati. What should we make a big day offensively from names including Russell Wilson, George Pickens, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth? Should there be concern about the defense -- particularly the oft-flagged Joey Porter Jr. -- despite some k...

On their weekly Pitt spots mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson answer reader questions. Among them: Will the ACC's relative weakness in the non-conference slate hurt Jeff Capel's men's basketball team in its bid to vindicate last season's March Madness snub? Or will wins against Ohio State and West Virginia be plenty to get them over the top at their curr...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Penguins' three-game winning streak. Is coach Mike Sullivan's team showing real signs of life with a renewed commitment on the defensive end? Or will a Tuesday night matchup with the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers expose them? What is Tristan Jarry doing better in net? What difference has Phil...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to react to the Steelers' NFL Week 13 win against the Bengals in Cincinnati. Did Russell Wilson and the offense prove they're finding the balance they've long sought? What does it mean that Wilson is getting so many different targ...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Steelers' NFL Week 13 victory against the Bengals in Cincinnati. How important was it for coach Mike Tomlin's team to prove it could win a shootout, with Russell Wilson outdueling Bengals QB Joe Burrow? And does that ability make this team an AFC contender with the Chiefs and Bills? Jason tackles those question...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 13 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. How did George Pickens, Russell Wilson, Najee Harris and the offense bounce back from an uneven Week 12 outing against the Browns? Were Joey Porter Jr., Minkah Fitzpatrick and other members of the secondary about to contain Bengals stars Joe Burr...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to the team's NFL Week 13 victory against the Bengals in Cincinnati, in which QB Russell Wilson passed for over 400 yards. How dangerous can this offense be with Wilson at the helm? And to what degree has he transformed this unit in his image in just six games under OC Arthur Smith? How important were RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee H...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Christopher Carter break down the Panthers' 34-23 season-finale loss to Boston College on Saturday afternoon, with Stephen reporting from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass. It's time for a postmortem — what all went wrong in the Panthers' season-ending five-game losing streak? What areas does Pat Narduzzi need to shore up heading into next season...

Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Penn State insiders Joel Haas and Lyle Alenstein break down the Nittany Lions' 44-7 win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. Was this latest blowout a good sign of things to come as the Nittany Lions prepare for an unlikely Big Ten title game appearance? How did star tight end and Mackey award candidate Tyler Warren perform in...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Christopher Carter break down the Panthers' 91-90 overtime win over Ohio State on Friday afternoon, with Chris reporting from Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Could this big nonconference road victory, keyed by Zack Austin's buzzer-beating 3-pointer, be a resume builder for the Panthers come March? How did Pitt get so much production from its...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports news around 5 p.m. EST. Should the Steelers worry about losing OC Arthur Smith this offseason? His name has already been linked to some open college and NFL jobs, and many more vacancies are expected to open soon. What grade should he get for the job he's done in the wake of Matt Canada's struggles? And how much more p...

On the Friday mailbag edition of his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey breaks down the reasons why the Bengals scare him ahead of Week 13 when the Steelers visit Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon. Jason also talks about the Penguins needing to build on Wednesday's performance before getting into reader questions, including who he believes is the franchise's best all-t...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko to preview an important NFL Week 13 showdown with the Bengals. Is it time for TE Pat Freiermuth to feast on this Cincinnati secondary again after dominating it at Paycor Stadium last season? And should we be expecting more fr...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports news around 5 p.m. Eastern. Specifically, he gives his thoughts on a report from the Athletic's Diana Russini that the team plans to re-sign QB Russell Wilson. Is that the right move, given what we've seen from him so far? Or should GM Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin wait for more results? And what would such a move me...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey offers his thoughts on the struggling Penguins. Why are the next few games crucial if expectations remain to get Sidney Crosby, Evgani Malkin and Kris Letang into the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs? And how much heat does GM Kyle Dubas deserve for the club's slow start amid intense speculation about coach Mike Sullivan's job? Th...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to talk Steelers ahead of a crucial NFL Week 13 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. What can coach Mike Tomlin and OC Arthur Smith do to fix the red zone issues that have surfaced the last few games? Or is better ex...

On his weekly Chipped Ham & Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider welcomes ESPN Bengals reporter Ben Baby to preview the teams' NFL Week 13 matchup. What has gone wrong for the Cincinnati secondary this season? And is it one that Russell Wilson, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and OC Arthur Smith's passing game can exploit? How does Pickens match up with Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt sp...