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

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react the to team's NFL Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium. Did Justin Fields take a step back at QB with Russell Wilson's return from injury looming? Why did George Pickens have such a quiet night? What went wrong for the defense as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys were able to sustain drives...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Chris Dell react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. Was Justin Fields good enough to keep the starting QB job with Russell Wilson getting healthy? How did T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and the defense contain Dallas stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb? Did Najee Harris get back on track in the running game?...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Christopher Carter break down the Panthers' 34-24 win over North Carolina on Saturday, with Stephen reporting from Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. What allowed the Panthers to break their streak of seven straight losses on the road to the Tar Heels? Desmond Reid has solidified himself as one of college football's most electrifying players...

Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insiders Joel Haas and Lyle Alenstein break down the Nittany Lions' breezy 27-11 win over UCLA on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Did Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions offense underwhelm again? And what can they do to improve and come out of the gates faster? What's Nick Singleton's injury status? On the other hand, what made defensive coordinator Tom Allen's unit so domina...

Post-Gazette sports editor and fantasy football analyst Chris Dell breaks down his favorite players to start and sit at every position ahead of Week 5 using his top 150 rankings cheat sheet and positional tiers. Host Dalton Brown runs through the players that Chris is higher and lower on vs. the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and looks at top trade targets, sleepers and stashes headin...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Christopher Carter and Steelers insider Brian Batko give their final preview of Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys. Has Justin Fields earned the freedom to show everything he’s capable of as the starting quarterback? Will offensive coordinator Arthur Smith allow Fields to change calls at the lin...

On his daily First 10 podcast presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey goes on a rant about whether Bob Nutting actually cares about the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise and why the team is sticking with "this group" heading into 2025 and beyond. He also talks about Terry Francona coming out of retirement, as well as the future of Ke'Bryan Hayes...

Post-Gazette insiders Ray Fittipaldo and Brian Batko report from Steelers practice ahead of an NFL Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. Why was OC Arthur Smith effusive in his praise of QB Justin Fields on Thursday? And what does that mean for Fields' future in the starting role when teammate Russell Wilson is healthy? And what did Smith have to say about the slow start and...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey recaps comments Wednesday by Pirates general manager Ben Cherington. Where exactly did Cherington see "clear evidence" of progress after his team matched its 2023 win total, in a disappointment to fans? How could he believe the club is doing "fine" in free agency and trades despite the struggles of player...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Daily Collegian/Post-Gazette Nittany Lions insider Joel Haas react to the Nittany Lion's key win against No. 19 Illinois and look ahead to their next matchup Saturday against UCLA at Beaver Stadium. How much is the offense's inability to finish drives damaging perception of coach James Franklin's teams and OC Andy Kotelnicki's unit...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey weighs in on the Steelers quarterback situation ahead of a crucial NFL Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Is Justin Fields playing to keep the starting job with Russell Wilson getting closer to a return from his calf injury? And what should we make of coach Mike Tomlin's comments on the matter at his weekly news confere...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette insider Ray Fittipaldo to ponder whether Steelers GM Omar Khan should pursue a deal for Raiders star Davante Adams amid his request for a trade out of Las Vegas. Could the team afford to make the deal, given Adams' lucrative contract? What kind of cha...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo recap coach Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference ahead of an NFL Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. What's the latest on Russell Wilson as he recovers from a calf injury? How did Justin Fields' performance in Week 4 vs. the Indianapolis Colts impact his grip on the starting job? Why was Tomlin bothered by mistak...

On their weekly Pitt football mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson answer reader questions. Among them: Should QB Eli Holstein and the Panthers be favored by more than two points this week against North Carolina amid the Tar Heels' mediocre start? Are the problems on OC Kade Bell's offensive line more about talent? Or scheme? Was Miami's near loss to Virgi...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette insider Brian Batko welcomes Yahoo! Sports' Jori Epstein to break down the Steelers' NFL Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. Will OC Arthur Smith be at an advantage against the Cowboys defense, given significant injuries to star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence? Will this be another tough matchup f...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey welcomes Pirates insiders Andrew Destin and Noah Hiles to react to news that the club has fired Andy Haines as hitting coach and Justin Meccage as bullpen coach. Why were the two men let go? Could GM Ben Cherington and/or manager Derek Shelton be next? And why are players including closer David Bednar and former No. 1 overal...

Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Andrew Destin react to the end of the Pirates' 2024 season after a 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees. Is the MLB rotation for next season already set after the success of Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter? Can Ke'Bryan Hayes bounce back from injuries that led to a rough year offensively and defensively? What's next for struggling young hit...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette insider Ray Fittipaldo to react to the Steelers' NFL Week 4 loss against the Indianapolis Colts. What happened to DC Teryl Austin's defense in yielding by far its most points in a game this season? How could the game have ended differently if Joey Porter seizes two opportunities to make intercepti...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Steelers' NFL Week 4 loss against the Indianapolis Colts. What were some of the poor decisions coach Mike Tomlin made that impacted the game? And did Tomlin's post-game explanations for them make sense? Would the outcome have been different if not for key fumbles by Justin Fields and George Pickens, as well as...

Post-Gazette insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to the Steelers' NFL Week 4 loss against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Does Colts coach Shane Steichen have Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's number after gashing his defense in each of the last two meetings? Why did OC Arthur Smith's offense get off to such a slow start? What should we make of Justin Fields' day at QB, which was...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Christopher Carter react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 4 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Did QB Justin Fields continue to put pressure on coach Mike Tomlin to start over the injured Russell Wilson? How did TJ. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers defense handle second-year Colts QB Anthony Richardson? Was...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey talks about why Derek Shelton remains the Pittsburgh Pirates' manager, what should happen in a few days once the MLB regular season concludes and why Bob Nutting continues to own the franchise. He also takes a look at how the Penguins' top-six will look this season and who has earned depth-forward spots moving forward. Jason...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter and Steelers insider Brian Batko look ahead to the Week 4 matchup on the road with the Indianapolis Colts. Will the Steelers' No. 1-ranked defense continue its dominant ways against turnover-prone QB Anthony Richardson and RB Jonathan Taylor? Also, how will the Steelers' run game look with both Najee Harris and Jaylen...

Post-Gazette sports editor and fantasy football analyst Chris Dell breaks down his favorite players to start and sit at every position ahead of Week 4 using his top 150 rankings cheat sheet and positional tiers, as well as his top offensive matchups to target. Host Dalton Brown runs through the guys that Chris is higher and lower on vs. the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and looks at...

Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey, sitting in for colleague Paul Zeise, joins host Adam Bittner to react to a report from ESPN's Dan Graziano about the Steelers' interest in pursuing a trade for a No. 2 wide receiver behind George Pickens before the NFL trade deadline. What should the level of urgency for GM Omar Khan be after he missed out on dealing for the San Francisco 49ers' Brandon...