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

On a special Thursday edition of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko to preview their NFL Week 18 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. How much will QB Lamar Jackson's absence impact the matchup? How many other Ravens starters might sit with the No. 1 seed clinched? Does the list include Gus Edwards,...

On their weekly college basketball show, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Abby Schnable analyze Pitt's uneven start to the season and conference play. Do the Panthers need more from Blake Hinson, even as he's their leading scorer? What identity is coach Jeff Capel's team taking on? And why is West Virginia's RaeQuan Battle having one of the more interesting seasons in college basketball? Our d...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnists Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to discuss Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's recent defense of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Does Kelce have a point in praising Tomlin for his non-losing seasons streak? Or do national observers like him not see the full picture? Is Mike Tomlin's decision to use Mitch Trubisky as Kenny Pickett's backup...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Seth Engle analyze the Nittany Lions' ugly loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Did the Rebels' 540 yards of offense prove that departed coordinator Manny Diaz's unit was overrated with rankings inflated by putrid Big Ten competition? Or were the opt-outs of NFL-bound players including Johnny Dix...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo react to quarterback Kenny Pickett's response to rumors that he refused to serve as the team's backup quarterback during the NFL Week 17 win against the Bengals. They also analyze the way Mason Rudolph's presence has helped the entire off...

In their weekly Pitt basketball mailbag, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Christopher Carter answer reader questions. Amon them: Which members of last year's NCAA tournament team do the Panthers most miss? Is Jamarius Burton at the top of that list? When will Jaland Love get a chance to start at point guard for coach Jeff Capel's team? Should Capel be on the hot seat if this team has a losing...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko joins host Adam Bittner to discuss Kenny Pickett and the quarterback situation heading into NFL Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. Did Pickett refuse the backup role to Mason Rudolph last week at Seattle as some media have reported? Where does he go from here now that coach Mike Tomlin has chosen Rudolph i...

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers' insider to break down the team's NFL Week 17 victory against the Seahawks in Seattle. Why did the game plan by offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner and play caller Mike Sullivan work so well for playmakers including Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Picken...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 17 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.   Did Mason Rudolph maintain his momentum from his first start against the Bengals in place of the injured Kenny Pickett? Were Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt able to keep the banged up defense on course? Did George Pickens have another huge effort? And did...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to discuss the Steelers QB situation heading into their NFL Week 17 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Should coach Mike Tomlin be considering next season at all when choosing between Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph for this game? How much could Pickett realistically change perceptions by getting hea...

On their weekly Penn Stare football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Seth Engle preview the Peach Bowl matchup with Ole Miss in Atlanta. Who needs this game more to shed their reputation for coming up small in big games? The Nittany Lions' James Franklin or the Rebels' Lane Kiffin? Will we see players with NFL aspirations like Theo Johnson, Olu Fashanu, Kalen Kin...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes insider and former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex to break down the state of the franchise heading into Week 17. Is Mike Tomlin handling the team’s quarterback situation with Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett the right way? Also, Trai gives his insights on the progress and...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko joins host Adam Bittner to analyze the team's quarterback situation heading into NFL Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. Will Kenny Pickett be healthy enough to play this weeK? Or will Mason Rudolph continue to get starter's reps all week? Is it possible that Tomlin will keep Pickett's status murky in the e...

In their weekly Pitt mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Christopher Carter look back that the year that was in 2023. What was the Panthers' biggest win of 2023? Was the Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia in football their worst loss? Is Blake Hinson the athlete of the year for helping coach Jeff Capel and the basketball team get back to March Madness? And what accolades do the...

On a special Sunday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter and Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo break down the team's NFL Week 16 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Should Mason Rudolph's performance allow him to keep the starting quarterback job even if Kenny Pickett is healthy? How did the defense hold...

Post-Gazette sports writers Adam Bittner and Paul Zeise react live after the Steelers' NFL Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium.   How did Mason Rudolph fare in his first start this season, a possible last chance to prove he can lead an offense? How did the defense look without Damontae Kazee and Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary? How did George Pickens respond to a tu...

Post-Gazette sports editor and fantasy football columnist Chris Dell joins host Tony Squares to break down all things Steelers-Bengals for Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. game, as well as talk about their top fantasy football players to start, sit and stream for Week 16 on our new "Steel City Sleepers" show. Can Pat Freiermuth be trusted in starting lineups after having his best game of the season against Ci...

Post-Gazette Pirates insider Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to break down the Pirates re-signing outfielder Andrew McCutchen and what it means for the franchise. Also, who will the team feature at catcher in 2024? And what type of starting pitcher should the Pirates add for next season? Our duo also breaks down their favorite moves so far this offseason and discusses who will end up seeing t...

In his weekly YouTube appearance, Post-Gazette sports columnist Paul Zeise joins host Adam Bittner to discuss the roles of current general manager Omar Khan and former GM Kevin Colbert in the Steelers' recent struggles. Should they share some blame with coach Mike Tomlin? Should three years of ugly NFL draft results from 2020-22 stain Colbert's legacy in Pittsburgh? Did Khan do as well in free age...

On the Wednesday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by Mike's Beer Bar, host Christopher Carter welcomes Steelers insider Brian Batko to analyze receiver George Pickens' controversial comments to reporters Tuesday. Is Pickens capable of maturing and taking accountability for valid questions about his effort? Or do the comments prove that his attitude will always be an issue for th...

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Seth Engle react to coach James Franklin's hiring of former Indiana coach Tom Allen as defensive coordinator. Is he the right guy to maintain the momentum Manny Diaz had built for the unit? ANd are there valid concerns with how his Hoosier defenses have played in recent years? Our duo tackles th...

Post-Gazette Pirates insider Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to break down the Pirates signings of outfielder Andrew McCutchen and Martin Perez in the last 24 hours. Can McCutchen still produce over a whole season? How long might his second act with the club last? And how does Perez fit into the rotation alongside the recently acquired Marco Gonzales? Our duo tackles those questions and also...

On their weekly Penguins podcast, Post-Gazette insiders Andrew Destin and Matt Vensel break down hot topics around the team. How has Sidney Crosby's new role on the left flank helped the power play? What should we make of Valtteri Puustinen's first extended look in the NHL? And should we be concerned about Ryan Graves' slow start? Our duo tackles those topics and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ads...

On his weekly Chipped Ham and Football podcast, Post-Gazette Steelers insider Brian Batko welcomes NBC Sports analyst Devin McCourty to discuss hot topics around the team. How will Mason Rudolph look with his latest chance at quarterback if Kenny Pickett remains too injured to play? What direction should Mike Tomlin go with his next offensive coordinator hire and why does McCourty believe it needs...

In their weekly Pitt football mailbag, Post-Gazette insiders Noah Hiles and Christopher Carter answer reader questions. Among them: What grade should coach Pat Narduzzi get from his incoming recruiting class, and what kind of impact is reasonable to expect? Which players will have a chance to see the field most often in 2024? Could there be any late additions to the class? And how have Pitt's earl...