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

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Steelers' NFL Week 2 victory against the Denver Broncos. Can Broderick Jones be fixed following a penalty-plagued performance? Can OC Arthur Smith's offense as a whole clean up its numerous mistakes that short-circuited its second half? Are we seeing positive signs from Justin Fields with Russell Wilson's retur...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 2 matchup with the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. How did Justin Fields perform in his second consecutive game filling in for the injured Russell Wilson? Did receivers behind George Pickens including Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III get more involved? How did T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson break down the Panthers' 38-34 win over West Virginia on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl. How on earth did QB Eli Holstein and the Panthers offense stage a crazy comeback for the second week in a row? How did new-found star Desmond Reid perform against the Big 12's Mountaineers? How did Pat N...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter and Steelers insider Brian Batko look ahead to the Week 2 matchup with Broncos in Denver. Is first-round pick Troy Fautanu ready to make his NFL debut? And would have change how Justin Fields and the Steelers offense would attack the Broncos? Plus, keys to game and predictions on if the Steelers will start the season 2...

On the Friday edition of First 10, Jason Mackey takes reader questions and looks ahead to the Penguins season, which begins with training camp. Will Erik Karlsson live up to his hefty contract? Where does new addition Rutger McGroarty fit? Plus, thoughts on the job Pirates GM Ben Cherington has done and what should happen with Andrew McCutchen. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ads...

The Post-Gazette's Brian Batko and Christopher Carter report from the Steelers' South Side practice facility, where the team's QB plans for NFL Week 2 against the Denver Broncos remain uncertain. Why does the story about Russell Wilson's status seem to keep changing? And is Justin Fields the likely starter for a second week in a row?  Our duo tackles those topics, plus comments from other notable...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider Joel Haas ponder the outlook for coordinator Tom Allen's defense after it was torched in the first half against Bowling Green this past week at Beaver Stadium. Was this just a bad, one-off effort physically? Or could it be a sign of more struggles to come? They also weigh in on som...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to analyze the Steelers' situation at receiver behind George Pickens. Was the group's two catches by Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III for eight yards vs. the Atlanta Falcons in NFL Week 1 alarming? Or is it sustainable in the type of offense OC Arthur Smith wants to run? Did GM Omar Khan bank too...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey weighs in on what Pitt should be looking for in its next athletic director after firing Heather Lyke earlier this week. What role should fundraising play in the new college athletics world of NIL? And what are the challenges of the job in a saturated sports market that includes the Penguins, Pirates and Steelers, to say noth...

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 2 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 Pirates insiders Noah Hiles and Andrew Destin react to GM Ben Cherington's statement Wednesday that he expects Derek Shelton to return as manager in 2025. Is that the right move for the club after another disappointing season? Could owner Bob Nutting have a different opinion on the matter? And on Cherington himself? Could Cherington change his mind over the last 2.5 weeks of the seaso...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to react to coach Mike Tomlin's news conference Tuesday at the team's South Side facility. Does Justin Fields have any chance to keep the starting QB job after Russell Wilson gets healthy? If so, what does he have to show to Tomlin and OC Arthur Smith? Our duo ta...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's Tuesday news conference. Why does it seem only natural for Justin Fields to start in NFL Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, in place of the injured Russell Wilson? And is now the time to settle on Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones at the tackle spots with Dan Moore Jr. injured as well? J...

Post-Gazette insiders Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo report from the Steelers' South Side practice facility, where coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that the team is preparing for Justin Fields to start Sunday in NFL Week 2 against the Denver Broncos as Russell Wilson continues to nurse a calf injury. Is Tomlin being sincere? Or could he be playing mind games with Broncos coach Sean Payton? How are i...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes the team's new play-by-play commentator Rob King to react to an 18-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in NFL Week 1 and look ahead to a crucial matchup vs. the Denver Broncos in Week 2. How did King's debut in the booth go? Does Arthur Smith deserve more credit for his own debut as the team's off...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the firing of Heather Lyke as Pitt athletic director, first reported by the PG's Christopher Carter. What prompted the shocking move from chancellor Joan Gabel, during Backyard Brawl week with prominent alumni including DeJuan Blair and Darrelle Revis in town no less? Could names including Pat Bostick, Louis Riddic...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, Adam Bittner hosts in place of Christopher Carter and welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to react to the team's NFL Week 1 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Specifically they analyze the quarterback situation. Did Justin Fields' solid outing after a shaky start give coach Mike Tomlin the latitude to let the inj...

On his daily First 10 podcast, Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey reacts to the Steelers' 18-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in NFL Week 1. He highlights the dominance of LB T.J. Watt and kicker Chris Boswell on a day when the offense took center stage. And ponders what should happen at quarterback after Justin Fields filled in capably for injured starter Russell Wilson. He also wei...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 1 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. How did QB Justin Fields look in starting for the injured Russell Wilson? How should we assess new OC Arthur Smith's unit in his first regular season test? How did the offensive line navigate the uncertainty of the last few weeks surrounding I...

Post-Gazette Pitt insiders Christopher Carter and Stephen Thompson break down the Panthers' 28-27 win over Cincinnati on Saturday at the Bearcats' Nippert Stadium. How did the Panthers complete their epic comeback, as they were down 21 points with just a few minutes left in the third quarter? What adjustments did Eli Holstein make that allowed him to perform so much better in the second half? What...

On the Friday episode of First 10, Jason Mackey takes reader questions about the hottest topics in town, including the future of Pirates manager Derek Shelton and GM Ben Cherington. Has Bob Nutting seen enough to make a change? Plus, Mackey offers thoughts on the Steelers quarterback quandary and if the Penguins have enough to make a playoff run for Sidney Crosby and Co. Hosted by Simplecast, an A...

On the Friday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, host Christopher Carter and Steelers insider Brian Batko discuss the latest injury to quarterback Russell Wilson, which has his Week 1 status in doubt. Is this going to be a problem for the rest of the season? And is Justin Fields ready to start the opener? Plus, we break down the matchup in Atlanta and give our predictions. Hosted by Simplec...

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 1 using his top 200 rankings cheat sheet. Host Dalton Brown runs through the guys that Chris is higher and lower on vs. the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR), as well as looking at optimal strategy for defenses/kickers heading into the w...

Post-Gazette Steelers insiders Ray Fittipaldo and Brian Batko recap another busy afternoon at the team's practice facilities Thursday as reporters met with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin ahead of the Week 1 matchup with the Falcons. Is it really business as usual for Smith as he prepares to face the team he coached last season? How is Austin preparing for...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian Nittany Lions insider react to the win against West Virginia and what it could mean moving forward, starting with Saturday's game vs. Bowling Green at Beaver Stadium. Was the explosiveness we saw from OC Andy Kotelnicki's offense sustainable, particularly for players like QB Drew Allar and WR Trey Walla...