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

On their weekly Pitt football mailbag video, Post-Gazette insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson answer reader questions. Among them: Did coach Pat Narduzzi leave the door open to Eli Holstein returning from injury in 2024? Either for the regular season finale this week against Boston College or the Panthers' bowl game? What is RB Rodney Hammond's future with the program? And on the bask...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey looks ahead to the Steelers' NFL Week 13 matchup with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals. Is Joey Porter Jr. the defense's key player as it looks to shut that duo down twice in the final six games? Do we need to see more from him with other tough games looming against the Eagles, Chiefs and Ravens? Could th...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey ponders the Steelers' NFL Week 13 matchup with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the AFC North rival Bengals this week in Cincinnati. Can coach Mike Tomlin, DC Teryl Austin and players including safety Minkah Fitzpatrick fix pass defense issues that crept up in the Week 12 loss to Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns? And how...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko to react to receiver George Pickens' latest outburst in his team's NFL Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Was the scrap with Browns CB Greg Newsome II just the latest example of Pickens failing to lose with grace? Or does coach...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Christopher Carter break down the Panthers' 37-9 loss to Louisville on Saturday afternoon, with Stephen reporting from L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Simply put: What happened to the Panthers' once promising season? How exactly did the wheels come off during this four-game losing streak? What does Eli Holstein's injury mean f...

Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Penn State insiders Joel Haas and Lyle Alenstein break down the Nittany Lions' 26-25 win over Minnesota on Saturday afternoon from Huntington Bank Stadium in Minnesota. How were the Golden Gophers able to give the Nittany Lions such a scare? How did Drew Allar perform? Why can't the Nittany Lions running backs seem to put together a solid game? What led to James Frankl...

On a Saturday edition of First 10, Post-Gazette columnist Jason Mackey looks at how Steelers coach Mike Tomlin fell into yet another trap game and the questionable coaching decisions behind the loss to the Browns. Did the offense out-think itself with Justin Fields? Can the offensive line figure out how to protect Russell Wilson? And on the flip side, can T.J.Watt and the pass rush wake up? Hosted...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports, specifically the Steelers' NFL Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. Is this team still a true contender with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in the race for the AFC title? Or are those teams still a step above? What should we make of Russell Wilson, George Pickens, Najee Harris and the offe...

On the Friday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko to react to the team's NFL Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Offensively, what should we make of the late surge from Russell Wilson, Calvin Austin III and the offense after a sluggish first half? Was the Justin Fields package a...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to the team's NFL Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. What went wrong for Russell Wilson, Najee Harris, George Pickens and the offense after a lackluster first half cost them in the end? Did Arthur Smith deploy backup QB Justin Fields correctly? Or was his late-game miss a bad call? What happened to T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and th...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 12 matchup with the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Were Russell Wilson, George Pickens, Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Mike Williams and the offense able to generate more red zone success? How did Zach Frazier, Broderick Jones and offensive line contain dangerous Browns pass rusher Myles Garre...

On the Thursday episode of First 10, Post-Gazette columnist Jason Mackey talks about Myles Garrett's comments on T.J. Watt. Does the Steelers star really owe the Browns' pass rusher an apology for anything related to the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award? Plus, a look at Thursday night's matchup, including Justin Fields' potential as a red-zone threat. Then we take reader questions about the...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Joel Haas analyze the job coach James Franklin has done to put the Nittany Lions in contention for a College Football Playoff spot. Does he deserve more credit despite his lack of big wins? Would Penn State be out of the CFP discussion had it slipped up against an inferior team as the Alabama Cr...

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 preview the team's NFL Week 12 showdown with the AFC North division rival Cleveland Browns. How can QB Russell Wilson and his offensive line be more effective in the red zone? How can OC Arthur Smith get playmakers i...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Penguins' latest loss, a 3-2 defeat in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Is the Fenway Sports Group ownership hurting the team with its loyalty to coach Mike Sullivan? Would a coaching change be in the best interests of all involved? Is there any other way to get players including Erik Karlsson and Tris...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports news. Should the Steelers be using Justin Fields more in the red zone after his personal package of plays debuted in NFL Week 11 against the Ravens? Or should OC Arthur Smith stick with Russell Wilson in those situations? How much longer can Smith and coach Mike Tomlin stick with Broderick Jones? And how much of a thre...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Brian Batko and Ray Fittipaldo report from practice ahead of the team's NFL Week 12 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. How does OC Arthur Smith plan to fix the red zone issues that manifested again in the win over the Ravens last week? Could we see more of Justin Fields when the threat of his running ability could help? Could we see him and Russell Wilson on the fiel...

On his weekly Chipped Ham & Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider welcomes former Pitt and Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Jason Pinkston to break down the rivals' NFL Week 12 matchup. Do T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Preston Smith and the Steelers' pass rush have the potential for a huge night with the Browns navigating injuries to key linemen including Dawand Jones and Jedrick Wills?...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to news that Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has won National League rookie of the year honors. Jason explains why he feels Skenes was deserving over the San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill; how he expects Skenes to fair in NL Cy Young award voting against the Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale and the Philadelphia Phillies' Zack W...

On their weekly Pitt football mailbag video, Post-Gazette insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson answer reader questions. Among them: Could coach Pat Narduzzi be on the hot seat if the Panthers' losing skid continues through the end of the season? Is his apparent criticism of OC Kade Bell warranted? And should young offensive linemen get some chances to play before the end of the regular...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise reacts to the day in Pittsburgh sports. Can the Steelers stay focused to beat the Cleveland Browns with a short week to prepare for the NFL Week 12 matchup on Thursday night? Or could there be a hangover from the emotional win over the Ravens? What did we learn about T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers defense after it dominated Lama...

On the Monday 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 team's NFL Week 11 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. How much credit do coach Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin deserve for their gameplan to stop Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry? Why did the defense led...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Steelers' NFL Week 11 victory against the AFC North division rival Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. How long can the good vibes of this victory last, with coach Mike Tomlin's team in prime position to win the division? What did T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the defense prove in shutting do...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Joe Starkey react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 11 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. Were Russell Wilson, George Pickens, Mike Williams and Pat Freiermuth able to create more magic in the passing game? How did T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the defense able to contain Ravens playmakers Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henr...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to a crucial NFL Week 11 victory against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. How did T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen, Nick Herbig, Payton Wilson and the defense dominate Ravens QB Lamar Jackson yet again? Even with Derrick Henry in his backfield? What should we make of a sluggish day from Russell Wilson and the offe...