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

On the Monday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to discuss moves the team can make with its own roster. Could RB Najee Harris and TE Pat Freiermuth be in line for extensions as they near the end of their rookie contracts? Why are names including Chuks Okorafor and Patrick Peterson at...

In the first NFL mock draft tracker podcast of the offseason, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo analyze the most interesting team draft pundits made for the team this week. Is Washington's Michael Penix Jr. a realistic first-round option for this team as it ponders its options beyond Kenny Pickett? Would Iowa's Cooper DeJean pair well with Joey Porter Jr. at corner...

On the Friday episode on the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko break down some hot topics around the team. The duo gives their take on the quarterback situation with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph, then gets into the search for a new offensive coordinator. How far outside Steelers circles will coach Mike...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to analyze headlines from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's end-of-season news conference. Will Tomlin truly make Kenny Pickett compete to be the starting quarterback in 2024? Or will it realistically be his job to lose during the season? Will the offensive coordinator hire truly come from the outside? Or...

On their weekly college basketball podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Abby Schnable discuss the fading March Madness dreams of Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris basketball. What do the Panthers and Dukes still have to play for if it's not postseason berths? And whose job is most in jeopardy if situations don't improve from the group of Pitt's Jeff Capel, Duquesne's Keith Dambrot and RMU'...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo. The two react to news from colleague Gerry Dulac that coach Mike Tomlin will return in 2024 following the team's NFL wild card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday.   What changes will he look to make, assuming a contract ext...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Seth Engle break down some major transfer portal additions in the past week. Is Georgia transfer A.J. Harris -- a former five-star prospect -- the No. 1 cornerback the Nittany Lions need? How much does Florida transfer Jalen Kimber's experience help the CB room? Will D-III commit Logan Cunningha...

On their weekly Penguins podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Andrew Destin and Matt Vensel discuss Matt's midseason report card for the team. Why did players including Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel gets A's? Why have blue liners including Ryan Graves and Pierre-Olivier Joseph marked as disappointments? How did goalies Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic fare? And what have the team's biggest surprises...

Long-time Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ed Bocuhette joins host Adam Bittner on the weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast to react to the Steelers' NFL wild card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday at Highmark Stadium.   What should we make of the rumors swirling around coach Mike Tomlin after he stormed out of his post-game news conference when asked about his future? Will this defense...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner, Christopher Carter and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Wild Card playoff matchup with the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.   What impact did the wild Western New York weather have on the contest? Did Mason Rudolph, Najee Harris, George Pickens and the offense maintain momentum, or go out with a whimper? How did the absence of T.J. Watt impa...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko to analyze the impact the winter weather postponement will have on the team's NFL wild card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday in Orchard Park, N.Y. Will the improved weather conditions help Josh Allen and the Bills as heavy...

On the weekly Pitching In Pirates podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Jason Mackey and Andrew Destin share their thoughts from a busy Piratesfest weekend at the David L. Lawrence convention center. Did president Travis Williams, general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton have good answers for fans during the Q and A session? What's the latest on the catching journey of former first overal...

On the Friday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko preview the team's NFL wild card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y. They analyze the way a weather forecast packed with snow and especially wind could impact the game; whether the return of Minkah Fitzpatrick...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to discuss a range of hot Steelers topics. Could coach Mike Tomlin really leave the team to take time off or possibly move onto another gig in 2025, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and FOX's Jay Glazer? Is he just looking for leverage in contract negotiations? Is Tomlin babying Kenny Pickett by k...

On their weekly college basketball show, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Abby Schnable talk about the disappointing season so far for college hoops in Pittsburgh. Does Pitt have any chance of returning to the NCAA tournament? Will the bye week help or hurt them? And should we be surprised that Duquesne and Robert Morris are performing below expectations? Our duo tackles those topics and more....

On the Wednesday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Adam Bittner welcomes former Steelers and Penn State cornerback Justin King to discuss the team's Super Bowl chances. Are there any parallels with the 2005 team that won the championship as the final seed in the AFC playoffs? Are the Bills the toughest team the Steelers might see on the AFC side of the br...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Daily Collegian/Post-Gazette insider Seth Engle discuss Michigan's College Football Playoff national championship victory over Washington in the context of coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions program. How did Franklin fall so far behind Michigan's Jim Harbaugh after beating him in three out of four years from 2017-2020? What lesso...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick to discuss some hot topics ahead of the team's wild card playoff game against the Bills on Sunday in Buffalo. Should T.J. Watt be named defensive player of the year over foes like the Browns' Myles Garrett and the Cowboys' Micah Parsons after leading the league in sacks...

In their weekly Pitt football mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Christopher Carter answer reader questions. Among them: Is Alabama transfer Eli Holstein the new favorite to start for the Panthers at quarterback? Can he have more success than past transfer portal additions such as Phil Jurkovec and Kedon Slovis? And how will the offensive coaching staff change after assistants T...

On their weekly Penguins podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Matt Vensel and Andrew Destin analyze some hot topics around the team. Among them: What worked for the team in December as it closed 2023 on a hot streak? Is the goalie situation more of a tandem now with Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic? What is Jake Guentzel's future in Pittsburgh after he offered little clarity in an interview with Siriu...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast presented by Mike's Beer Bar, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo joins Christopher Carter to preview the AFC playoffs. Can Pittsburgh shock the world against the Bills and make a serious run? And how will Mason Rudolph fare against Bills Mafia and a talented defense? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

The Post-Gazette's Adam Bittner and Christopher Carter react as the Steelers clinch a berth in the AFC playoffs with the Jaguars' NFL Week 18 loss to the Titans in Tennessee. Now that they're in, which team should they hope to face in the wild-card round? The Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills? How could good news about T.J. Watt's MCL injury impact the team's playoff run? What will it mean for t...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Christopher Carter react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 18 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.   Did Mason Rudolph stay hot after seizing the starting quarterback job from Kenny Pickett? Did Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt find a way to slow a Ravens offense that was missing Lamar Jackson? Did George Pickens yet another big outing? A...

On the latest episode of the Pitching In podcast, Pirates insiders Jason Mackey and Michael McKenry take a look a couple of big-name pitching targets still available: Trevor Bauer and Madison Bumgarner. Plus more thoughts on their offseason in totality, which has been distressingly quiet.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...

On the Friday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by the Acrisure Fan Advantage, host Christopher Carter welcomes Ravens Vault podcast host Sarah Ellison to break down her team's NFL Week 18 matchup with the Steelers. Does Baltimore have anything to play for despite locking up the AFC's No. 1 seed last week with a win against the Miami Dolphins? Are AFC North foes like the Steelers...