Joe Rutter stories, Page 84
Steelers embrace return of ILB Vince Williams to position ravaged by injuries
It’s not just the thumping Vince Williams brings as a tackler or the eight years of NFL experience he has playing a position decimated by injuries that Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler has missed the past two weeks. It’s the “voice” Williams brings as a defensive play caller. “The...
Stephon Tuitt added to Steelers injury report with back injury
As the Pittsburgh Steelers began preparation Wednesday for their game this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts, they had some new additions to the injury report. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt (back) and outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi (shoulder) did not practice, joining tight end Eric Ebron (back), inside linebacker Ulysees Gilbert III...
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger on recent criticism about his play: ‘I don’t blame them’
Ben Roethlisberger has heard the criticism. He understands it. In fact, considering the way the 17-year veteran quarterback has played in recent weeks, he expects it from fans, commentators and former NFL players. “Shoot, I don’t blame them,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “When you play like poo, you should get talked...
5 things we learned: December doldrums are nothing new for Steelers
Five things we learned from Bengals 27, Steelers 17: 1. Disastrous Decembers For a team that owned December the last two times they made the playoffs, the Steelers are slipping and sliding through the final month of the regular season for the third year in a row. When the Steelers...
Steelers’ late-season skid hits 3 games after loss to Bengals
CINCINNATI – An extra day of preparation was supposed to rejuvenate the Pittsburgh Steelers and help them recapture the groove that resulted in 11 consecutive wins to start the season. Instead, the opposite happened. The malaise that has stricken the Steelers in December lingered Monday night when they fell behind...
T.J. Watt leads group of 5 Steelers players selected to Pro Bowl
CINCINNATI – Five players from the Pittsburgh Steelers were selected Monday to a Pro Bowl that will not be played this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The players chosen are outside linebacker T.J. Watt, free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, center Maurkice Pouncey and guard David DeCastro....
Drops behind him, Diontae Johnson ready for fresh start when Steelers play Bengals
When Ben Roethlisberger approached Diontae Johnson on the sideline late in the second half Sunday, he asked a question that caught the second-year wide receiver off guard. “He was asking me if I really wanted to play or not,” said Johnson, who was benched for seven series after dropping two...
Division titles, playoff seeds at stake for Steelers, other AFC contenders
This much is known about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff situation heading into Sunday: They are assured of being in the expanded field of seven teams representing the AFC. They can win the division title if Cleveland loses at the New York Giants in prime time or if the 11-2 Steelers...
James Washington overcomes reduced playing time to make big plays for Steelers offense
If any wide receiver on the Pittsburgh Steelers can relate to the benching Diontae Johnson received in the first half Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills, it is James Washington. Two years ago, in his rookie season, Washington had a memorable drop of a deep pass that could have gone...
Steelers trying to fix defense that has wilted in 2nd half of back-to-back losses
When he combed through tape of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game Sunday night in Buffalo, coach Mike Tomlin noticed a lack of physical play by his team, a theme he addressed without prompting at his weekly news conference two days later. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward probably didn’t need a rewind to...
Ben Roethlisberger on Steelers’ back-to-back losses: ‘It’s not the end of the world’
For someone who just shaved his beard, Ben Roethlisberger did his best Santa Claus impersonation Wednesday morning. With gloom and doom surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers amid back-to-back losses that followed an 11-0 start, the freshly shorn quarterback spread some Christmas cheer ahead of his team’s last game before the holidays....
After ‘disappointing’ performance, Steelers focused on recapturing physical style
A week after saying his offense lacked physicality, Mike Tomlin witnessed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ toughness being surpassed in virtually every facet of play against the Buffalo Bills. At his weekly news conference Tuesday, Tomlin admitted his team’s defense and special teams were pushed around in a 26-15 loss, the second...
Steelers add depth to offensive line, sign guard Danny Isidora from Chiefs practice squad
Faced with a shortage of available bodies on the offensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed guard Danny Isidora from the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad Tuesday. Isidora will be added to the 53-man roster once he passes covid-19 protocols, which typically take five days. That means Isidora could be available...
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson ‘responded appropriately’ to 1st-half benching against Bills
Mike Tomlin was impressed with the way wide receiver Diontae Johnson handled his benching in the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 26-15 loss at Buffalo on Sunday night. After dropping passes on the Steelers’ first two possessions, Johnson didn’t see the field again until the second half. Johnson leads...
Mike Tomlin cites lack of physicality by Steelers in loss to BillsVideo
A review of the game tape from a 26-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night confirmed a flaw that is uncharacteristic for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were not the most physical team on the field. Coach Mike Tomlin addressed the problem several times Tuesday in his weekly news...
5 things we learned: Are Steelers running on empty heading into final stretch of season?
Five things we learned from Bills 26, Steelers 15: 1. Out of gas? The Steelers are starting to resemble that used car that runs like a champ when it is driven off the lot, holds up for a while under basic wear and tear but by the end of the...
Steelers lose AFC top seed, 2nd game in row with defeat vs. Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The only bit of good news to come out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trip to western New York on Sunday was they clinched a playoff berth for the first time in three years before they took the field against the Buffalo Bills. What transpired during the...
Steelers clinch 1st playoff berth since 2017
The Pittsburgh Steelers are playoff-bound. For the first time since 2017, the Steelers clinched a berth in the NFL postseason. Before it even took the field Sunday night, the team learned it would be part of the playoff field. With Miami’s loss to Kansas City, the Steelers clinched a spot...
Steelers activate Ulysees Gilbert III, place Robert Spillane on injured reserve
The Pittsburgh Steelers have added reinforcements at inside linebacker for their game Sunday night at the Buffalo Bills. With only two healthy players available at the position, the Steelers activated Ulysees Gilbert from injured reserve and promoted Tegray Scales from the practice squad Saturday. Avery Williamson, acquired in a trade...
Steelers will be without CB Joe Haden vs. Bills because of concussion
A starting cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers will miss a game for the second week in a row. Despite getting Steve Nelson back from a knee injury that kept him from playing Monday, the Steelers will be without Joe Haden on Sunday night when they play at the Buffalo Bills....
Injuries at ILB will put newcomer Avery Williamson in spotlight when Steelers face Bills
With inside linebackers falling like dominoes, Avery Williamson has gone from part-time backup to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most experienced starter at his position in a matter of days. “It’s crazy how the last week has spiraled,” Williamson said Friday. A knee injury to Robert Spillane in the third quarter Monday...
Steelers wary of damage Bills QB Josh Allen can cause with arm, legs
After the Pittsburgh Steelers absorbed their first loss of the season Monday, they had a chance to flick the channel to ESPN and get a preview of what awaits them this weekend in Buffalo. What defensive captain Cameron Heyward saw looked familiar. There was Bills quarterback Josh Allen moving around...
Steelers trying to rebound from 2nd-worst rushing performance of Mike Tomlin era
The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers ventured into Buffalo, Le’Veon Bell set the franchise single-game rushing record with 236 yards on a snowy December day at Bills Stadium. When the Steelers return to western New York on Sunday night for the first time since that 2016 game, they will be...
Steelers get RB James Conner back from reserve/covid-19 list
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their starting running back available Sunday when they play the Buffalo Bills in a pivotal AFC matchup. James Conner was activated from the reserve/covid-19 list Wednesday after missing games against Baltimore and Washington. He leads the Steelers with 645 yards rushing in 10 games. Center...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin threatens benchings if receivers’ drops continue
Dropped passes can be a subjective metric to calculate in the NFL. What one stat-tracking website views as a drop could be considered an uncatchable pass by other services. ESPN Stats and Info, for instance, calculates the Pittsburgh Steelers with an NFL-high 31 drops this season, 10 more than any...
