With rash of injuries at CB, Steelers add veteran Tre Flowers to 53-man roster
Tre Flowers received quite the Christmas gift Thursday when he was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster. With the Steelers dealing with injuries throughout the secondary, they added Flowers for depth heading into their game Sunday at the Cleveland Browns. Flowers, 30, was a fifth-round pick of the Seattle...
This Christmas, David Overstreet II is ‘where he needed to be’ to honor father’s legacy
FRISCO, Texas — David Overstreet II has faint memories of his father, but he was told stories about the type of man he was. The Cowboys’ cornerbacks coach was just 13 months old when David Overstreet I died in 1984 in a car crash in Winona, Texas. His father was...
Minnesota looks to stretch bowl winning streak to 9 when it faces New Mexico in Rate Bowl
PHOENIX — Opting out has become the in thing to do. Every year, players regularly choose not to play in bowl games, some wary of injuries affecting their pro prospects, others leaving for another school, or sitting out after a coaching change. Entire teams even opt out. Minnesota still finds...
Penn State has 4 opt-outs for Pinstripe Bowl; other veterans will be limited
Perhaps surprisingly, Penn State hasn’t had all that many “opt-outs” in the lead-up to Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl tilt with Clemson. Defensive tackle Zane Durant, safety Zakee Wheatley, offensive lineman Vega Ioane and running back Nick Singleton are the lone veterans who have declared for the NFL Draft and decided not...
Mikaela Shiffrin is perfect in slalom. She’s got big post-Christmas plans with Olympics approaching
Mikaela Shiffrin has plenty to celebrate this Christmas. The American skiing standout is off to a perfect start in slalom during the Olympic season — with four wins in four World Cup races. And she’s regaining her form in other disciplines, too, following the two biggest crashes of her career....
John Robertson, two-time European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, dies at 72
NOTTINGHAM, England — John Robertson, a former Scotland winger who won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest and scored the only goal in the 1980 final, has died. He was 72. The Premier League club said in a statement Thursday that it was “heartbroken to announce the passing of...
College Football Playoff ratings drop 7% as NFL competition impacts viewership
Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year. A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison versus Oregon, was on...
Hawaii stuns Cal in Hawaii Bowl on backup QB’s last-minute TD pass
HONOLULU — Backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, and Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over California in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday night. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous...
‘They try to get in your head’: Steelers players grow accustomed to opposing fans’ taunts
A credo of the Seattle Seahawks’ fan base is they are known as “The 12th Man.” It’s meant as a rallying cry to implore those on hand at Lumen Field for Seahawks home games to be loud at the appropriate times when the situation calls for it. As far as...
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t mind some ‘payback’ from Packers in game vs. Ravens
Forty-eight years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers took the unprecedented step of rewarding another NFL team for helping them reach the NFL playoffs. When Houston beat Cincinnati, 21-16, a week before Christmas in 1977, it sent the Bengals home for the playoffs and secured a spot for the Steelers. The Steelers...
T.J. Watt returns to practice for Steelers 2 weeks after lung partially collapsed
For the first time since having his lung punctured two weeks ago in a dry needling treatment, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis. It was Watt’s first on-field activity since the Steelers’ win on Dec. 7 at Baltimore. “T.J. is one our...
Hometown playoff hero Robbie Mertz staying with Riverhounds
The hometown hero of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ run to their first USL Championship title will be back in black and gold. Upper St. Clair’s Robbie Mertz signed a two-year deal with a club option for a third year, the Riverhounds announced Wednesday. Mertz, a 29-year-old midfielder, has spent parts of...
As NFL confirms Lions fan from altercation ‘remains under review,’ Steelers support DK Metcalf
Riding a three-game winning streak, on the verge of clinching a division title and with Christmas morning beckoning just hours away, spirits should have been high in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Wednesday. Its longest-tenured member, though, noted regret that there was a significant absence from the UPMC Rooney Sports...
Mark Madden: DK Metcalf has only himself to blame
Only one person is to blame in the DK Metcalf imbroglio. It’s DK Metcalf. Sure, the blue-haired dipstick in the stands at Ford Field was looking to ensnare the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout in a web of stupidity. Shame on Metcalf for letting him. That dope had nothing to lose. Metcalf...
U mad, bro?: Readers not in the Christmas spirit thanks to DK Metcalf’s suspension, NFL refs and Penguins’ struggles
The last thing in the world I want to be is a “Bad Santa.” With that in mind, I’m off on Christmas Day. So I’m making sure to get “U mad, bro?” posted a day earlier than normal because the holiday falls on a Thursday this year. And I know...
On Sports: Lions fans feel ‘robbed’ after loss to Steelers; Marc-Andre Fleury’s retirement might be cut shortVideo
It’s been a rough couple of days in Detroit after the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Lions’ playoff chances from possible to extremely unlikely. A former Penguins goalie could be considering a return to the ice, and Duquesne men’s basketball gets a marquee moment on “SportsCenter” in Wednesday’s “On Sports,” pinch-hitting...
Tim Benz’s Steelers stocking stuffers: DK Metcalf ‘whataboutism,’ T.J. Watt’s murky status, resting if Ravens lose
“Breakfast With Benz” is taking a long winter’s nap for Christmas on Thursday morning and the day after. As a result, there will be no “Football Footnotes” on Friday. Instead, we’re offering up a Christmas cornucopia of Pittsburgh Steelers stocking stuffers to ease you into the holiday following Mike Tomlin’s...
Ohio beats UNLV in Frisco Bowl to run bowl winning streak to 7
FRISCO, Texas — Sieh Bangura rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and Ohio beat UNLV, 17-10, on Tuesday night to win the Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats (9-4) have won their last seven bowl games — dating to 2017 — after losing eight of their first 10. Defensive coordinator and...
Western Kentucky rallies to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss
NEW ORLEANS — Quarterback Maverick McIvor came off the bench to lead three second-half touchdown drives and Western Kentucky rallied to beat Southern Mississippi, 27-16, on Tuesday night to win the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Coach Tyson Helton has led the Hilltoppers (9-4) to a bowl game in...
Packers QB Malik Willis says he’ll be ready if Jordan Love isn’t available against Ravens
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis said his throwing shoulder is feeling better, and he expects to be available for Saturday’s game against Baltimore if starter Jordan Love remains in the concussion protocol. “I try to take it one day at a time, but I would...
Jets place QB Justin Fields on injured reserve, ending disappointing season
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Justin Fields’ season is officially over. And perhaps, too, his brief tenure with the New York Jets. Coach Aaron Glenn announced Tuesday that Fields was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury that sidelined him the past three games. “It wasn’t getting as better...
Penguins’ struggles continue with loss to Maple Leafs
Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas feels the team he has assembled can be better. It’s difficult to do much worse than what it has offered throughout most of December, as wins have been as rare as sunlight. That trend continued Tuesday with a 6-3 loss to the...
Miller Moss throws for 2 TDs, Louisville holds off Toledo in Boca Raton Bowl
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Miller Moss took a knee to run out the clock on Louisville’s season, then flipped the ball to an official. The official had the presence of mind to flip it right back to Moss. After all, he earned the souvenir. Moss closed his college career by...
Brooks Koepka is first player to defect from LIV. The next step is if PGA Tour will take him back
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka became the first player to defect from LIV Golf, a significant blow to the Saudi-funded league that raises questions whether the PGA Tour will find a way for him to return. LIV Golf posted an announcement to its website under a statement that Talor Gooch...
Shedeur Sanders continues to focus on present, not on how Cleveland Browns might look next seasonVideo
CLEVELAND — Plenty of people have opinions on where Shedeur Sanders factors at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns heading into next season. The person at the center of the debate, though, isn’t spending time looking ahead to 2026, especially with two games remaining this season. “I live in the present....
