Chris Adamski stories, Page 99
Bengals leading WR Tee Higgins not playing vs. Steelers, who will start OLB Jamir Jones
Leading receiver Tee Higgins is among three Cincinnati Bengals starters who are not in uniform for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of injury. Higgins, who has a shoulder injury, was officially listed as doubtful to play on the Bengals’ league-mandated injury report. Right guard Xavier Su’a-Filo (knee) was,...
How can Steelers offense improve? Answers are numerous
Last Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger 10 times in 7 minutes took the blame for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ struggling offense. Four days later, offensive coordinator Matt Canada maintained a similar pace of accountability, referencing in some way the need to get “better” 14 times in his 9-minute session with media. By Friday,...
Steelers Four Downs: Deeper dive into offensive line doesn’t yield better picture
1. (N)O-line The more advanced statistics and sophisticated metrics reveal what anyone watching the Pittsburgh Steelers offense this season already knows: Their offensive line is struggling. The Steelers emerged from Week 2 ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (57.0) and 29th in yards per carry (3.3)....
Najee Harris believes Steelers running game is improving, vows that will continue
On Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said Najee Harris was getting better “with each passing quarter.” Thursday, offensive coordinator Matt Canada noted Harris’ improvement from his first NFL regular-season game to his second. Friday, the rookie running back himself judged his play to be on the ascent. In the wake of...
Steelers’ T.J. Watt questionable, ‘leaving the door’ open to play Sunday
Not unlike how he might slip through a seam between two offensive linemen, T.J. Watt is hoping to prevent his chances of playing Sunday from slamming shut. “I felt like I did a good amount this week,” Watt said Friday, “to leave the door open for Sunday.” Per the league-mandated...
Trai Turner moves past spitting incident, grateful for support of Mike Tomlin, Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers guard Trai Turner regrets getting ejected from last week’s game. But he doesn’t necessarily believe his actions weren’t justified after a Las Vegas Raiders player spit on him early in the fourth quarter. “A serious action … took place,” Turner said Friday in his first session with the...
Steelers’ Roethlisberger, Bush, Haden will play Sunday; Johnson, Highsmith will not
A week of injuries that left the Pittsburgh Steelers with questions about their available personnel for Sunday’s game ended with answers beginning to crystalize. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger joined defensive starters Joe Haden and Devin Bush among those who practiced fully Friday and were designated as good to go against the...
Roethlisberger, Watt, Haden, Bush practice for Steelers; Johnson, Highsmith do not
Ben Roethlisberger and T.J. Watt were limited at Pittsburgh Steelers practice Thursday, and Joe Haden and Devin Bush were full participants three days before a Week 3 divisional game. Three players who would potentially start Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, though, did not practice because of injury: receiver Diontae...
Matt Canada won’t rule out no-huddle as change-of-pace offense for Steelers
Speaking for the first time since his quarterback twice said he has no option to operate a no-huddle offense, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada indicated that won’t necessarily remain the case as the season goes on. “Ben (Roethlisberger) and I talk all the time,” Canada said Thursday. “If he...
Injuries along defensive line will test Steelers’ depth as several untested players move into spotlight
One of the more positive revelations for the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp was the apparent quality depth of their defensive line. Two weeks into the regular season, that depth is getting pushed to its limits. The Steelers played the final 55 minutes of Sunday’s home opener without the the...
Steelers CB James Pierre fills in on short notice as ‘next man up’ in place of Joe Haden
If Sunday’s late-morning news that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be without Joe Haden was a surprise to Steelers fans, imagine what James Pierre must have been thinking when he was told he would be playing a significant role as an everydown outside cornerback in the home opener. “I didn’t know...
Tyson Alualu, Diontae Johnson further in-game injury casualties for Steelers in loss
The day began with the news that two depended-on starters on defense weren’t going to play in the home opener for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The biggest news of the day, aside from the deflating loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, was that star outside linebacker T.J. Watt was injured late...
Ben Roethlisberger after Steelers’ loss: ‘I need to be better’
The first public words spoken by Ben Roethlisberger after Sunday’s game were, “I wasn’t good enough.” Two questions from media later, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback’s answer included the phrase, “I just didn’t play well enough.” Not long after that, Roethlisberger remarked, “I just need to be better.” Sense a trend?...
Steelers’ T.J. Watt has groin injury, leaves game vs. Raiders
All Pro Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt left Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders because of a groin injury and did not return. Watt, who less than two weeks ago signed a nine-figure contract extension with $80 million in guarantees, played most of the first half of the...
Joe Haden, Devin Bush injured, did not play in Steelers’ home opener vs. Raiders
Coming off a strong effort in the season opener last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense was without two of its starters for Sunday’s home game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Cornerback Joe Haden and inside linebacker Devin Bush were late additions to the Week 2 injury report, each being listed...
Four Downs: Steelers shelve blitz-heavy philosophy in opener
1. Four is enough Going on three decades, a core tenet of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ identity has been an aggressive defense that pressures opposing quarterbacks. In the 2021 opener, the Steelers certainly pressured the quarterback, but they didn’t do it by being aggressive. After ranking near the top of the...
Steelers notes: Stephon Tuitt takes over police initiative, Raiders rule 5 players out Sunday
Maurkice Pouncey has retired, but a mark he left on the community is being carried on by a former teammate. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt is taking over an initiative in partnership with the Pittsburgh Police that distributes 25 tickets to every Steelers home game to the police department...
JuJu Smith-Schuster OK with his slot/outside assignments in Steelers opener
The change in his role appears to be minor from what he balked at last season, but JuJu Smith-Schuster is saying all the right things about his responsibility in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. “I was very happy with our playcalling and the position they put us in,” Smith-Schuster said Friday...
With 34 sacks in 32 games at Heinz Field, Steelers’ T.J. Watt excited for home opener
One by one, all week long, Pittsburgh Steelers players and coaches have discussed the eagerness with which they are looking forward to playing a game in front of a packed Heinz Field for the first time in more than 21 months. T.J. Watt, though, seemingly has the most to gain...
Joe Haden, Devin Bush questionable to play for Steelers
So much for the lack of “injury damage” that coach Mike Tomlin referred to in the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener. Tuesday, Tomlin indicated there were no injury concerns for the Steelers leading up to Sunday’s home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. But by the time the...
Eric Ebron, Carlos Davis do not practice for Steelers because of injury
Tight end Eric Ebron and defensive lineman Carlos Davis did not practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday because of injury, but linebacker Robert Spillane returned to work. Spillane suffered a shin injury during warm-ups for Sunday’s game at the Buffalo Bills. That prevented him from playing and also kept...
Dominant game has Steelers’ Cameron Heyward aiming for notice as NFL’s best defensive linemanVideo
A few days after he seemingly had taken up residence in the Buffalo Bills’ offensive backfield, Cameron Heyward wasn’t quite willing to say it was the best game of his career. “I don’t really try to rank them as an individual performance,” Heyward said Thursday. Polite modesty after pressuring Josh...
Execution, belief in plan lead to rare ‘splash’ punt block for Steelers
Every week for 16 — now, 17 — weeks, Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith pores over opponents film of dozens of punts, kickoffs and placekicks. He’s hoping to find a vulnerability in a protection or coverage team that can give the Steelers an advantage. The payoffs are rare...
Blocked punt proves pivotal in Steelers win at Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The first play of the season was a dud for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ special teamers. It took the unit three quarters to more than make up for it. A blocked punt returned for a scoop-and-score touchdown was one of the major plays of the Steelers’ 23-16...
T.J. Watt shows no ill effects his limited camp practice time in Steelers’ winVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Neither of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive or defensive captains could help but joke about T.J. Watt’s performance Sunday. “He’s fine,” defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said, eliciting laughs postgame. Moments later, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger quipped: “It just shows that the preseason’s overrated, right?” Watt was a force...
