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

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider Joel Haas preview this week's Big Ten opener and primetime matchup with Illinois at Beaver Stadium. What does coach James Franklin mean in calling for "White Out energy," and was the Fighting Illini's Bret Bielema providing bulletin board material with his comments a...

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 coach Mike Tomlin's handling of his QB situation ahead of an NFL Week 4 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Is he savvy to keep Russell Wilson in the QB1 spot as he continues his recovery from a calf injury...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Pirates' decision to designate first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment four plate appearances short of a $200,000 bonus in his contract. Was this a cheap move by manager Derek Shelton and GM Ben Cherington. Will it hurt perception of the club among MLB free agents this winter? And will the club really learn e...

On their weekly Pitt football mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson answer reader questions. Among them: Are coach Pat Narduzzi, QB Eli Holstein and the Panthers a playoff contender amid their 4-0 start? Or are ACC foes including Miami still ahead of them in the pecking order? What's the status of injured players including defensive linemen Anthony Johnson...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo react to coach Mike Tomlin's news conference at the team's South Side facility ahead of an NFL Week 4 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Is Justin Fields in line to start again at QB? How is Russell Wilson progressing in his return from injury? And has the plan for when he's fully healthy changed at all? Our duo tackles those question...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette insider Brian Batko welcomes comedian, impressionist and big Steelers fan Joey Mulinaro to look ahead to the team's NFL Week 4 matchup with the Colts. What is the mood around the team out in Indianapolis, where Joey resides? What's going on with Anthony Richardson, the former first-round draft pick who's struggled at QB so far? Will be b...

In his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey ponders the Penguins' power play unit as it looks to improve on an ugly 2023-24 NHL season. How will new assistant David Quinn shake things up, both in terms of personnel and scheme? How do pieces including Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell fit within that dynamic? And how can they help the Penguins get more out of stars Sidn...

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 3 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium. Specifically, they tackle the QB situation. Will coach Mike Tomlin elect to stay with the hot hand of Justin Fields in NFL Wee...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Steelers' NFL Week 3 victory against Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium. Are T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward's elite defense turning this team into a legit contender for coach Mike Tomlin? How can Tomlin bench Justin Fields as the starting quarterback when Russell Wilson is healthy? Should we feel good about th...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Joe Starkey react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium. Paul Zeise joins later with reaction from the locker room. How did Justin Fields perform in his third game as the starter amid Russell Wilson's injury? How did TJ. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers defense contain the Cha...

Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Joel Haas is joined by the Daily Collegian's Lyle Alenstein to recap Penn State's historic 56-0 blowout of Kent State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. How dangerous can OC Andy Kotelnicki's unit be in Big Ten play, which begins next week vs. Illinois, after setting a Nittany Lions record for yardage in a game against the Golden Flashes? Is Drew Allar playing the...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Stephen Thompson and Christopher Carter break down the Panthers' 73-17 win over Youngstown State on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. What led to the most complete performance of the season for the Panthers and quarterback Eli Holstein? How has Holstein improved week to week? Why didn't star running back Desmond Reid play, and how did others like Derrick Davis Jr. and Daniel...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter and Steelers insider Brian Batko look ahead to the Week 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers in Pittsburgh. What will make the Steelers' offense "dam break" when it comes to Justin Fields, George Pickens and others? Can either Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren help kickstart the scoring vs. Jim Harbaugh and co...

On the Friday Q&A edition of his First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey analyzes the Steelers' offense through two weeks this season and its struggles despite a 2-0 start against the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos. Also, what will Sidney Crosby's contract extension allow the Penguins to do during the 2024 NHL season and beyond? Jason also breaks down the chances of th...

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 3 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 Steelers insiders Brian Batko and Ray Fittipaldo report from the team's Thursday practice session at its South Side facility. Why is OC Arthur Smith praising QB Justin Fields, despite criticism of his lack of statistical production? How is the defense preparing to face Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert in NFL Week 3. Are Troy Fautanu and Dan Moore Jr. still locked into the starti...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider Joel Haas react to news from coach James Franklin that star safety Kevin "KJ" Winston will be out for the "long-term" with an injury. How long will the projected first-round NFL draft pick be out? And does Penn State have enough depth in the form of Jaylen Reed,...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to weigh Steelers QB Justin Fields' performance in an evolving NFL offensive environment. Is his lack of counting stats so far a concern? Or does it track with passing numbers that are plunging across the league? Is it unrealistic to hold Fields -- and any modern QBs -- to the pass-happy standard of...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to No. 1 Pitt volleyball's electric and dominant win over No. 3 Penn State, which drew nearly 12,000 fans to the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday night. Can anyone stop the Panthers from winning a national title? And what made the atmosphere so special for the big win? Later, Jason reacts to the Pirates' latest bul...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to analyze the team's situation at offensive tackle. Was benching Broderick Jones the right move for coach Mike Tomlin after Jones' numerous penalties in NFL Week 2 vs. the Denver Broncos? And what has rookie Troy Fautanu done right to earn a starting job across...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Pirates' latest loss Tuesday to the St. Louis Cardinals. He ponders another strong start from Bailey Falter; three hits for Nick Yorke in his MLB debut; manager Derek Shelton's curious decision to pinch hit Yasmani Grandal for Billy Cook late in the game; the disturbing surge of stolen bases allowed to opposing...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to Sidney Crosby's contract extension. How much pressure does it put on GM Kyle Dubas and coach Mike Sullivan to get back in the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs and win? Do additions including Cody Glass, Blake Lizotte and Kevin Hayes make the supporting cast around Crosby and fellow starts Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin be...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes ESPN Los Angeles Chargers reporter Kris Rhim to break down the teams' NFL Week 3 matchup Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. How has new coach Jim Harbaugh changed things since arriving from Michigan this offseason? Does Harbaugh have some surprises for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers with the unusual way he's...

On their weekly Pitt football mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson answer reader questions. Among them: Is offensive line play a concern for coach Pat Narduzzi's Panthers despite the thrilling Backyard Brawl victory against West Virginia on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium? How can the group better protect QB Eli Holstein and block for RB Desmond Reid? What ab...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo react to the team's NFL Week 2 victory against the Denver Broncos. Specifically they weigh in on Justin Fields' performance at quarterback. Is he doing enough to keep the starting job when Russell Wilson gets healthy? Or does he need to play better this week in a likely...