Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts joined the New Heights show with Jason and Travis Kelce to talk powerlifting, NFL MVP, and how he thought he was going to Pittsburgh in the 2020 draft
Jason and Travis Kelce have one of the top podcasts out as the brothers have teamed up for the critically acclaimed ‘New Heights’ show presented by Jukes.
With Philadelphia 8-0 and preparing for a Monday night matchup against the Commanders, Hurts talked powerlifting, the MVP race, cooking for his Eagles offensive line, and the thought that he’d be drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020.
Check below for clips from the episode and a full stream below.
Here’s a stat for you: 2 of Dennis Allen’s 11 career wins as a head coach have come against Mike Tomlin’s Steelers, his Week 10 opponent
Here’s a stat for you. While Dennis Allen has only won 11 of his 45 games in the NFL as a head coach, he’s taken down Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers twice back when he was coaching the Raiders. Now he’ll get another shot when Allen’s New Orleans Saints team flies out to visit Pittsburgh in Week 10.
So what gives? Did Allen just figure out the perfect formula for handling Tomlin’s team? Let’s take a look at each of those meetings to see whether anything might carry over.
First, back in 2012, we saw the Steelers kick off against the Raiders in Oakland — and they controlled that game for much of the afternoon, going into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead. But Allen’s defense shut down the Steelers offense in the final quarter, and a last-second field goal from Sebastian Janikowski sealed the 34-31 win. Pittsburgh had a good day on third down (converting 8 of 14 tries, plus both of their fourth down opportunities) and Ben Roethlisberger threw for 384 yards and 4 touchdown passes, only being sacked once. The Raiders had possession of the ball for just 23 minutes and 45 seconds in the game.
A year later, again in Oakland, the Steelers lost 21-18 but in vastly different circumstances. The Raiders scored all of their points in the first half, limiting Pittsburgh to just 3 points through the first three quarters. A furious fourth-quarter scoring output gave them a shot, but a botched punt return sequence set the Steelers offense up at their own 3-yard line without any timeouts. Allen’s defense showed up for this game, holding the Steelers offense to just 4-of-15 on third downs and sacking Roethlisberger 5 times while intercepting him twice. The Raiders offense ran at will with Terrelle Pryor (106 rushing yards and a touchdown run) and Darren McFadden (73 rushing yards with a pair of touchdown runs), throwing for just 88 passing yards.
So, no, there isn’t much to glean from this. And so much has changed over the decade since these games that it’s tough to take away much of it when forecasting this week’s Saints-Steelers game. Kenny Pickett is Pittsburgh’s quarterback now, and the Allen has a defense flush with more talent than he worked with on the Raiders now in New Orleans. Let’s see if he can make the most of it and recapture some of that success.
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#Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster spoke on the differences between playing for Kansas City and Pittsburgh as a guest on a recent podcast. | from @EdEastonJr
The Kansas City Chiefs return to action on “Sunday Night Football” this week against the Tennessee Titans following the bye week, looking to pull together for a solid run to the postseason. One of the many essential contributors has been wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is quickly adjusting to the Chiefs system following five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The former Pro Bowl receiver addressed multiple topics as a guest on the latest episode of Block Forever hosted by 13-year NFL veteran offensive lineman Ryan Kalil. The Audiorama podcast focused on Smith-Schuster’s transition from Pittsburgh to Kansas City with the quarterback and head coach comparisons.
“I’ll say, Big Ben (Roethlisberger), like his touch passes, like it’s pretty damn good,” Smith-Schuster said. “Like he’s putting it — he’s played so long that he knows how to put that touch on it, like if you shoot a three-pointer. For example, like someone ran across, you have a safety or top corner, outside linebacker underneath, (Ben Roethlisberger is) putting a little touch and dropping in the pocket. (Patrick) Mahomes, he had a crazy pass this past game where he can be on the opposite side of the field and throw a sidearm to get past the defense, and for us to get the ball. I mean, both are good, Ben with the touch pass, Patrick Mahomes with the darts and just putting it on the money in the spot.”
Smith-Schuster earned multiple honors with the Steelers, including a 2018 Pro Bowl selection, the youngest player to reach 2,500 career receiving yards, and the first to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He would tell Kalil about the differences he’s noticed between Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin and Kansas City’s Andy Reid.
“(The) biggest difference? So Coach (Mike) Tomlin is a defensive coach, head coach, great coach of defensive schemes, all that,” said Smith-Schuster. “Andy Reid (is an) offensive coach, big offensive scheme guy, you know. And I’ll say like that’s like the biggest difference, that they both master each side of the ball.”
After seven games with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster has 34 catches for 494 yards and two touchdowns. He’s increased his production over the last few weeks leading into the bye week, becoming a trusted option for Mahomes.
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The Jaguars and Steelers won’t meet on the football field this season, but they will go head-to-head on the golf course.
Jacksonville Jaguars legend Tony Boselli and a yet-to-be-named former Jaguars player will team up on the golf course on Oct. 7 against a pair of former Pittsburgh Steelers led by Ben Roethlisberger, according to the Florida Times-Union.
The Jaguars vs. Steelers showdown on the links is set to happen at the Constellation Furyk & Friends PGA Tour Champions event, which will be held at the Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville.
Boselli, who became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, and his Jaguars teammate will be playing for the charity Blessings in a Backpack. Roethlisberger and his yet-to-be-named Steelers teammate will be playing for Beaches Habitat for Humanity.
The pairs will be a nine-hole scramble and will include additional competitions to decide which team earns the most of the $100,000 in charity money up for grabs.
Roethlisberger retired earlier this year after 18 seasons as the Steelers’ quarterback. He threw 12 interceptions in nine career games against the Jaguars. Only his AFC North rivals — the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns — recorded more picks against Roethlisberger.
Big Ben shared some interesting thoughts on the Bengals.
Right before the Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit the podcast scene and proceeded to hit the Bengals, too.
Big Ben, appearing on his own podcast named Footbahlin, talked about playing within the AFC North and said that at times he feared playing the Bengals due to dirty or cheap plays.
“When you played Baltimore, you knew it was going to be a physical football game… Clean, just physical,” Roethlisberger said. “But when we played Cincinnati, there was a stretch of games there, years then when you played them, you almost didn’t want to play…There were times I was almost fearful to play because I was afraid I was going to get hurt because of something dirty. Something cheap.”
In context, Big Ben’s comments aren’t totally out of line. There was a stretch of time there where Bengals-Steelers games were borderline uncomfortable to watch because it seemed inevitable a scrap or two would happen.
But…this narrative the Ravens were a respectable rival and the Bengals weren’t is silly, especially given the long line of dirty things done by players within Big Ben’s own organization, ranging from Antonio Brown and Mike Mitchell to Joey Porter and James Harrison, among others.
Either way, those days of Bengals-Steelers street fights are things of the past, especially with the Bengals on to contention and the Steelers looking to rebound quickly in the post-Big Ben era.
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CBS Sports ranked the Super Bowl quarterback matchups of all time – here’s where Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks landed.
This year’s Super Bowl pitting Matt Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams against Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is now less than a week away. The battle between opposing quarterbacks in the big game has always been interesting to watch and this season will be no different.
Ahead of the contest, Bryan DeArdo over at CBS Sports ranked every Super Bowl quarterback matchup in history. Below is where the Seahawks’ three appearances landed in the rankings.
No. 15. Tom Brady vs. Russell Wilson, Super Bowl XLIX
“The 37-year-old Brady was in the midst of a career resurgence,” DeArdo writes. “After a decade without a ring, Brady finally won his fourth Super Bowl after getting the better of Seattle’s ‘Legion of Boom’ defense. Brady also out-dueled Wilson, who was just completing his third season in Seattle. Since that game, Wilson has blossomed into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. He’s made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons, and is coming off of a career-high 40 touchdown season.”
No. 16. Russell Wilson vs. Peyton Manning, Super Bowl XLVIII
“While Wilson was coming off of his first Pro Bowl selection, Manning entered Super Bowl XLVIII fresh off of his fifth and final MVP award,” DeArdo notes. “Had these two both been in their primes, this one would have been a top-10 matchup. That being said, No. 16 isn’t too shabby.”
No. 32. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Matt Hasselbeck, Super Bowl XL
“Though he threw for just 123 yards, Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl,” DeArdo starts. “His counterpart, Hasselbeck, was bedeviled by costly penalties and an ill-advised interception late in the game. Along with helping lead Seattle to its first Super Bowl, Hasselbeck was a three-time Pro Bowler who retired as the Seahawks’ all-time leading passer. ”
Super Bowl LVI is set to kick off Sunday, Feb. 13 at 12:30 p.m. PT.
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Former #Eagles director of pro personnel and #MNF analyst Louis #Riddick to interview for #Steelers’ GM opening
The #Steelers are scheduled to interview ESPN commentator Louis Riddick for their vacant GM job, sources say. He last worked in the NFL as the #Eagles Director of Pro Personnel in 2013.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2022
Louis Riddick is one of the top football minds on broadcast TV and the Pennsylvania native is currently an analyst for ESPN on Monday nights, but constantly has his name mentioned when a front office or personnel job opens up around the league.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the former Pitt and NFL safety will interview for the vacant Pittsburgh Steelers general manager openings.
Longtime Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will step down after the 2022 NFL draft in April, team owner Art Rooney II said of the veteran front office executive who has been with the Steelers for 22 seasons. Colbert took over as general manager in 2010 after a decade as the director of football operations, helping the storied franchise win two Super Bowl titles and three AFC championships.
Riddick started out as a scout in 2001, before being named pro personnel director for the Washington Football Team.
He later joined the Eagles and was promoted to pro personnel director.
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In just a few short months, Mason Rudolph will get into the nitty-gritty of his first offseason as QB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ben Roethlisberger was the reason the Steelers won as many games as they did in 2021. Take him out of the equation, insert Mason Rudolph, and they’re easily a sub-.500 team.
Rudolph will get into the nitty-gritty of his first offseason as QB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers in just a few short months. He’ll get first-team reps, he’ll be “the man,” he’ll be the focus of the Steelers offense, he’ll be the first guy not named Ben Roethlisberger at the helm of the team in nearly two decades.
But even a full offseason as QB1 won’t magically make Rudolph good enough to be the face of Pittsburgh’s franchise. He just isn’t that type of quarterback. Rudolph doesn’t have that “it” factor. If he had, we would’ve seen a glimpse of what could be in his 10 career starts.
Given what Rudolph has shown in those starts, he won’t find success in 2022. He’ll fold under the pressure alone. But trot him onto the field and see what happens. If he flounders, so be it. Send Dwayne Haskins out there.
Times have changed — quickly. The Steelers won’t be ready to compete with the likes of the Bengals (or even the Ravens) in 2022. With all of the pieces the Steelers need, it will take patience.
There’s no harm in having a subpar season other than a bruised ego. A season with eight or fewer wins will get you in the top 15 of the NFL draft. Less than that, even better. It’s not what Pittsburgh wants; it’s not what it aims for. But if it’s what you get, it only means a higher draft pick and (hopefully) greener pastures in 2023.
These nine-win seasons only get you in the 20s — that’s not where the future is and certainly not a shot at a franchise quarterback.
Throw caution to the wind.
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A perfectly hilarious and troll-oriented headline from @dan_labbe on Big Ben’s retirement and big failure:
The Cleveland Browns have long been the victim of quality play from Ben Roethlisberger during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As shared when announced his retirement, the Steelers were 26-3-1 against the Browns.
Roethlisberger’s retirement, along with multiple changes in Baltimore, could lead to a changing of the guard in the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals enter the AFC Championship Game with a chance to go to the Super Bowl. They must get through the Kansas City Chiefs but their rise to division champion was quick.
The Steelers could go a number of directions at quarterback, along with defensive coordinator, for 2022. The team hopes that their new quarterback has more success against Cleveland in the playoffs than their old quarterback, as perfectly laid out in a local headline:
@JaredKMueller pic.twitter.com/s2vbhuw9Al
— Doc Michaels (@GabeMichaels) January 30, 2022
Dan Labbe of The Plain Dealer did a great job trolling Roethlisberger for the one time he faced the Browns in the playoffs. The 2020 playoff victory by Cleveland looked as if it could be the final nail in Big Ben’s professional coffin but he came back for one more season.
In his final season, Roethlisberger’s Steelers defeated the Browns both times. While the retiring quarterback didn’t have huge games, he did enough to help his team win and push Cleveland’s disappointing season closer to the final failure it ended up being.
That doesn’t change the fact, as the headline states, that Ben Roethlisberger could never get the job done against the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs.
Antonio Brown took to social media with some kind words for Ben Roethlisberger.
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When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Thursday, the last person I expected to congratulate him would be have been former teammate Antonio Brown.
However, that is exactly what Brown did, taking to Twitter and Instagram with surprisingly kind words for his former quarterback.
Brown said he and Roethlisberger were the best tandem of all time. This might not be wrong. When Brown was with the Steelers, he and Roethlisberger had a rare connection which led to Brown topping 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards for an unprecedented six consecutive seasons. Neither guy has the career they do without the other.
It is good to see Brown willing to bury the hatchet publicly after his scathing comments about Roethlisberger after Pittsburgh traded Brown to the Las Vegas Raiders. Brown has since turned his opinion of Big Ben around and made peace on some level.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPzicivpOt/
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