Tag: legend

Steelers’ legendary QB gives his opinion on the team MVP in 2024 

Former Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger stated on Tuesday that he believes Pittsburgh’s current MVP is Special Teams Coach Danny Smith.

After winning two Super Bowls with two different head coaches, Steelers’ legendary QB Ben Roethlisberger is a solid judge of quality coaching ability. On this week’s episode of his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former Steelers’ QB stated that one man, and one man alone, is Pittsburgh’s MVP this season—Special Teams Coach Danny Smith. 

Smith’s unit has presented a masterclass in special teams coverage, from blocked field goals to excellent punt returns. Smith was visibly upset over a botched call against an impressive special teams effort made by FS Minkah Fitzpatrick on Week 7’s Sunday Night Football, but his demeanor quickly shifted to excitement later that night as the team successfully blocked a field goal in their win over the New York Jets. 

Roethlisberger is mostly taking this opportunity to give the Steelers’ coach his flowers, but Smith’s special teams unit has truly been a spectacle for fans this season.  

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Steelers’ DT to make history in Week 8 matchup

Steelers DT Cam Heyward will make history on Monday Night Football when his team hosts the New York Giants in Week 8.

No Pittsburgh Steelers defender bleeds Black and Gold quite like DT Cameron Heyward has in his 14 seasons with the Steelers. Heyward represents the Steel City honorably and continues to show younger generations of Steelers players exactly what it means to represent the city of Pittsburgh.

Teammate and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt cemented his name in history this year when he became the second-fastest player to reach 100 career sacks, and now it is Heyward’s turn to make history.

Heyward will play in his 202nd game on Monday Night Football when his team hosts the New York Giants in Week 8, and that is more games played than any Steelers defender before him.

Heyward has played more games for the Steelers than all-time great Pittsburgh defenders ‘Mean’ Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, Troy Polamalu, Jack Ham, and L.C. Greenwood, just to name a few.

While Heyward will forever have his name in Pittsburgh sports history, he will look to accomplish for this city what all-time great Steelers’ defenders have done for Pittsburgh before him—bring a Super Bowl to the Steel City.

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Legendary Steelers safety credits his NFL career to Danny Smith

Ex-Steelers safety Ryan Clark credited his former special teams coach Danny Smith with giving him his first NFL start.

When fans think of a Steelers legend who consistently poured his heart and soul out on the field for the team, they look no further than former safety Ryan Clark.

Clark is regarded as one of the many great safeties to come through the Steel City, and none of it would have been possible without one coach in particular. The former safety turned ESPN analyst credited Danny Smith, who is now the Steelers special teams coach, with giving him his first shot in the NFL with the Washington Redskins.

Smith made headlines last week on “Sunday Night Football” when he displayed his passion for his unit’s elite set of plays, one of which was incorrectly called back.

Clark’s admiration for Smith speaks volumes about the type of environment that Pittsburgh has fostered for generations.

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Two Steelers legends support Fields—but Tomlin has the final say

The greatest QBs in Steelers history, Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, agree that Justin Fields should be the starter moving forward.

While Head Coach Mike Tomlin believes in exploring what QB Russell Wilson is capable of, potentially at the expense of the 4-2 former starting quarterback Justin Fields, the two greatest quarterbacks in Steelers franchise history hold an entirely different point of view.

Future Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger publicly stated that the only stats the Steelers should focus on, when evaluating Fields, are his win-loss record. Roethlisberger argued that the combination of Fields’ strong arm and athleticism is more than enough to keep him as the starter.

Another legendary Steelers quarterback, four-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw, had a similar opinion on the matter.  Speaking to TMZ Sports, the original ‘TB12′ shared that he believes Fields “played well enough to keep the job” and should not be benched in favor of Wilson.


Andrew Filliponi, host of 93.7 The Fan, hit the nail right on the head. However, the only opinion that matters on gameday is Tomlin’s, and fans will simply have to hope for best in Week 7.

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Chiefs legend Tamba Hali to serve as drum honoree for Wild Card matchup vs. Dolphins

#Chiefs legend Tamba Hali will serve as the drum honoree for Kansas City’s playoff matchup against the #Dolphins on Saturday.

Sparks are sure to fly during the Kansas City Chiefs’ matchup against the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs on Saturday. The frigid weather conditions predicted for the game and Tyreek Hill’s return to Kansas City have been key storylines ahead of the elimination tilt, but a major announcement on Thursday has provided an extra layer of intrigue to the game.

Legendary pass rusher Tamba Hali has been chosen to serve as the drum honoree for the consequential playoff matchup and should have no problem getting fans riled up as they endure the frosty temperatures at Arrowhead Stadium.

Hali, who played for the Chiefs from 2006 until his retirement in 2017, spent his entire career in Kansas City and is among the team’s most beloved icons of his era. He tallied 89.5 sacks throughout his 12-year career with the Chiefs, and became something of an institution on Kansas City’s defense, especially when he was paired with fellow pass rushers Jared Allen and Justin Houston.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid comments on Jamaal Charles’ Hall of Fame candidacy

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave Jamaal Charles his endorsement after news broke that the prolific running back will be on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2024.

Jamaal Charles is one of the best running backs in Kansas City Chiefs history, and when news broke that he is officially a Hall of Fame candidate for the class of 2024, nobody in Western Missouri was surprised.

Perhaps the least taken aback was Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who commented on Charles’ candidacy during his comments to reporters on Wednesday.

“[He is a] Hall of Fame [caliber] player,” Reid told the media. “He was tremendous, could do everything. I mean literally everything; he could have played wide receiver, did play running back. You give him the ball, you’re guaranteed – whatever his average is but it’s one of the highest if not the highest in league history. He’s a great player, wish I would have had him when he was even younger than what I got him at.”

It seems that Charles has Reid in his corner as he hopes to be forever enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The ringing endorsement that the long-tenured head coach gave Charles on Wednesday may give Hall of Fame voters that extra push to give him the ultimate honor next August.

Panthers QB Bryce Young talks about his first NFL training camp

Bryce Young talks all things Panthers Training Camp in interview with NFL Network

The hype of being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft is over and this is where the rubber hits the road for former Alabama Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag]. This past week marked the beginning of training camps across the league.

Through OTA’s and other organized activities Young has been outstanding, both throwing the football and by what he has been able to pick up on mentally. Camp is the first chance the media and fans get to see what’s going on and meet with their players to gauge where they are all at heading into the season.

Young sat down at the Panthers training camp with franchise legend Steve Smith and Colleen Wolfe to discuss what his first training camp has been like in the NFL. The first question people always want to ask Young is what he expected coming into the league and what NFL practices and camps are like compared to what he experienced at Alabama with Nick Saban.

When asked that, he chuckles, because you can tell the media always want to know what goes on behind the curtains in Tuscaloosa and what kind of grueling work they put in. However, Young has the coach speak in him as he says,

“I didn’t know what to expect coming into training camp. It’s a new environment, something I have never done before. First training camp. Just being able to be here and bond with my teammates, being able to get away for a little bit and focus on ball and coming together as a team.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Bryce Young and other former Alabama players now in the NFL as the 2023 season approaches.

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Fans react to Brandon Miller being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2023 NBA draft

Social Media reacts to Brandon Miller being selected No. 2 overall

With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected [autotag]Brandon Miller[/autotag], the former Alabama basketball stand-out. Miller now becomes the second player in Alabama basketball history to be ranked No. 2 overall, which ties for the highest any player has ever been drafted in program history.

The Hornets are owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, who has been a Miller fan all along. Miller will be teaming up with NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball to make up one of the best young duos in the sport. The Hornets have struggled to sustain any sort of success over the past decade, so Miller will have the opportunity to get plenty of shots and playing time as a rookie.

Miller shot just under 40% from three in his one year with the Crimson Tide, but it is his versatility and defensive upside that have had franchises salivating the past couple of months. Maybe Bryce Young and Miller can split a place in Charlotte together?

32 for 32: Facts to celebrate the life of the late great Browns running back Jim Brown

These are 32 facts about Jim Brown as provided by the #Browns’ media relations department shortly after his death

Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown died unexpectedly last week at the age of 87. His career was defined by excellence on the gridiron and a steadfast determination to create social change during a time of extreme prejudice in American culture.

With his passing, Cleveland loses one of its most cherished and iconic figures, whose presence will never be duplicated. In celebration of his accomplishments and a life well lived, here are 32 facts about Brown, who wore number 32 for the Browns from 1957 until his retirement in 1965 as provided by the Browns’ media team.

Celebrating Jerome Bettis

Happy Birthday to the one and only Bus!

Sing it with me…

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town!

“The Bus”, [autotag]Jerome Bettis[/autotag], turns 51 years old today.  Bettis was a high school football star in Detroit before attending college at Notre Dame where he starred for [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag].  His performance to conclude the 1991 season in the Sugar Bowl victory over Florida was legendary and 1992 saw him and Reggie Brooks put together a downright incredible rushing campaign.

Bettis went on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Rams where he played for three years before spending a decade with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he helped them to a Super Bowl XL title in his final season.  The final stop for “The Bus” was Canton, as Bettis was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Just last year, Bettis returned to Notre Dame where he graduated after leaving early for the NFL.  Celebrate “The Bus” turning 51 today by looking back at photos of him through the years.