HEADLINES

Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

2016 Home And Away Opponents Named For All 32 NFL Teams

January 4th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the NFL revealed the complete list of home and away opponents for NFL teams in the 2016 season. Dates for these games will not be revealed until the spring, but these are the teams that will be on each club’s schedule, including home and away designation:

Read more

Latest On Dolphins’ Head Coaching Search

January 4th, 2016 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

8:13am: The Dolphins have also lined up an interview with Jaguars assistant Doug Marrone, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who tweets that Marrone is interviewing with the Browns as well.

7:51am: With the Dolphins’ season now over, weekend reports indicated that the team would interview Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase on Thursday, and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin at some point this week. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that Austin interview will take place on Tuesday, which is the same day the Detroit assistant is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Browns.

Austin won’t be the only head coaching candidate to sit down with the Dolphins on Tuesday. Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports that former Denver and Washington coach Mike Shanahan will interview for Miami’s head coaching job on Tuesday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds (via Twitter) that it will be Shanahan’s second meeting with the team, after having interviewed with the Fins on December 22nd.

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link), another candidate of interest to the Dolphins is Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. However, with Haley’s Steelers set to play this weekend in the Wild Card round, Miami wouldn’t be able to schedule an interview with him until next week.

Finally, while he’s not viewed as a top candidate for the Dolphins’ permanent head coaching job, interim HC Dan Campbell will get a formal interview from the club this Friday, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). As Rapoport notes, Campbell may be a long shot, but he’ll at least get the opportunity to state his case.

North Notes: Dalton, K. Long, Wolf, Steelers

January 1st, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton will meet with a specialist on Monday to determine his progress since fracturing his right thumb on December 13, but according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Dalton doesn’t know exactly what to expect from the visit. He hasn’t ruled himself out for a potential wild card game next weekend, but he isn’t expressing much optimism, either. “It depends how it feels and what the doctor says,” Dalton said today. “It’s hard to tell exactly how it feels. It’s getting better. That’s what they’re saying.”

Let’s dive into some more notes from the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • Kyle Long confirmed to reporters, including Patrick Finely of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he’ll be playing tackle for the Bears next season — but he still doesn’t know if he’ll man the right or left side. The former first-round pick slid out from guard to right tackle this season, and according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), didn’t fare all that well, grading as the league’s 40th-best tackle.
  • Packers executive Eliot Wolf could have his “pick of jobs,” according to Neil Stratton of Inside the League (Twitter link), as both the Lions and the Browns could express interest. However, Wolf is also seen as the heir apparent to current Packers general manager Ted Thompson, so Wolf might not be too eager to jump ship just yet.
  • Getting a head start on possible offseason futures deals, the Steelers brought in kicker Ty Long, receiver Levi Norwood, and quarterback Phillip Sims for workouts, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Steelers Waive Jacoby Jones

January 1st, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Wide receiver/return man Jacoby Jones has now been cut for the second time this season, as Steelers PR man Burt Lauten announced (via Twitter) that the club has waived the veteran. To fill Jones’ roster spot, Pittsburgh has promoted safety Ross Ventrone off its practice squad.

The Steelers claimed Jones off waivers from the Chargers in early November, assuming the remainder of his $900K base salary. The 31-year-old was expected to provide a spark to Pittsburgh’s special teams unit, but he averaged just over three yards per return on punts and less than 25 yards per return on kickoffs. Notably, Jones botched two kicks in early December and hasnt’t seen any game action since those miscues.

Jones was due a non-guaranteed 2016 base salary of $3MM, so the Steelers have now cleared that total off next year’s books. (It never appeared remotely likely that Pittsburgh would keep Jones on its roster for the 2016 season, as its waiver claim looked to be a move for 2015 only). Jones is no longer a factor in clubs’ offensive game plans, and now that he’s struggled even in his special teams duties, he could struggle to find a deal next spring.

Ventrone, 29, is a career special-teamer with 22 career games to his name (including five this season with the Steelers). He’s bounced on and off Pittsburgh and New England’s practice squads this year, and he’ll look to provide some depth as the Steelers head into their regular season finale against the Browns.

North Notes: Pettine, Fangio, Lions, Workouts

December 31st, 2015 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

With one game left in the 2015 season, Browns head coach Mike Pettine predictably faced a round of questions from reporters today about his job security in Cleveland. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter links), Pettine said that he wants to finish out his contract with the Browns and then some, and stressed the importance of continuity when asked about the future of general manager Ray Farmer.

Still, while Pettine was mostly optimistic – or at least hopeful – about the future in Cleveland, he acknowledged that if he’s retained for the 2016 season, he probably will have to make some changes to his coaching staff (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com).

Having had his usual Monday meeting with Jimmy Haslam this week, Pettine didn’t ask the Browns owner about his job security, so we’ll likely have to wait a few more days to know what Haslam is thinking for 2016 (Twitter link via Cabot). In the meantime, here are some more items from out of the NFL’s North divisions:

  • Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio interviewed a year ago for the 49ers’ head coaching job before the team hired Jim Tomsula, and as another offseason approaches, he’d be willing to listen again to a team that wants to interview him. “If the right opportunity and people were interested, yeah, I’d certainly listen,” Fangio said, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. “But like I’ve always said, these are their jobs and they [other teams] have their minds set on what they want. If I happened to fit that mold and what they’re looking for, that would be great.”
  • The first thing that consultant Ernie Accorsi noticed after starting to work with the Lions as they search for a general manager? Owner Martha Ford wants to win, and she wants to win now. Johnette Howard of ESPN.com has the story.
  • The Steelers are bringing in former Cardinals quarterback Phillip Sims for an audition today, per NFL Draft Diamonds (Twitter link). Pittsburgh may have its eye on Sims for an offseason contract.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has the latest on a couple more North teams auditioning players, tweeting that the Vikings are trying out defensive back Dexter McCoil, and tweeting that the Lions worked out defensive backs Jocquel Skinner, Raymon Taylor, and Jason Wilson.

Workout Notes: 12/30/15

December 30th, 2015 at 9:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL:

  • The Jets worked out defensive lineman Devon Still, receivers Marcus Thigpen and Eric Rogers, linebacker Willie Jefferson and defensive end/LB Tristan Okpalaugo (Twitter links via ESPN’s Rich Cimini).
  • The Cardinals tried out center Taylor Boggs, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The Bills worked out defensive end/linebacker Xzavier Dickson, Wilson tweeted. Dickson ended up joining Atlanta’s practice squad.
  • The Bengals worked out quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end John Peters, per Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Browns tried out quarterback Dustin Vaughan, running back Timothy Flanders, receivers Eric Rogers, Ricky Collins and Levi Norwood, and safety Jordan Kovacs (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Quarterback Ryan Lindley, defensive linemen Warren Herring and Eze Obiora, and linebacker Ryan Mueller worked out for the Colts, according to Wilson (Twitter link). They signed Lindley afterward.
  • The Giants worked out linebackers Cole Farrand and Glenn Carson – the latter of whom they signed to their practice squad – quarterback Pete Thomas, safety Ty Zimmerman, punter Spencer Roth and kicker Quinn Sharp (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • The Steelers tried out two safeties, Ray Vinopal and Jake Hagen, and linebacker Marquis Spruill (via Wilson on Twitter).
  • The Chargers worked out receiver Jeff Fuller, defensive end DeAngelo Tyson and linebacker Dexter McCoil, Wilson tweeted.
  • The Titans worked out receiver Kenny Stafford, defensive end Freddie Bishop, defensive backs Aaron Grymes, Steven Clarke and Emanuel Davis, long snapper Dax Dellenbach and kicker Swayze Waters (Twitter link via Wilson).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/15

December 29th, 2015 at 7:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: RB Kevin Monangai (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer)

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: CB Kyle Sebetic (link via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com)

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/15

December 29th, 2015 at 11:42am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves:

  • The Patriots announced that they have released running back Joey Iosefa. Iosefa lasted only two weeks on the club’s active roster. He saw 14 carries against the Titans in Week 15 and ran for only 51 yards. His spot has ostensibly been usurped by the recently-added Steven Jackson.
  • The Giants announced that they have placed 2014 fifth-rounder Devon Kennard on injured reserve. Kennard, who also missed four games last season, has 58 tackles to his credit for Big Blue.
  • The Steelers placed fullback Roosevelt Nix on injured reserve, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Steelers also announced that they have promoted linebacker L.J. Fort to the active roster.
  • The Bills placed Marcus Easley on IR, as Wilson tweets. Back in March of 2015, the special teamer inked a four-year pact worth $7MM with the Bills. A sizable chunk of that money – $2.2MM – was guaranteed.
  • Texans cornerback Charles James will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending foot injury, Wilson tweets.
  • The Chargers announced that they have claimed tight end Asante Cleveland off waivers from the Patriots.

HGH Allegation Notes: 12/28/15

December 28th, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking over the phone to Peter King of TheMMQB.com on Sunday, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning once again strongly denied allegations connecting him to HGH, which surfaced in an Al Jazeera documentary.

“I can promise you this is a total fabrication,” Manning said. “I simply do not understand how somebody makes up something like this and it becomes a story. And then the guy (Charles Sly) admits he made it up and it’s still a story. How exactly does that work?”

As King and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk both detail, one primary point of contention between Al Jazeera and Manning’s camp is the timeline for when Sly was employed at Indianapolis’s Guyer Institute, which allegedly sent HGH to Manning’s wife. Founder Dale Guyer insists that Sly was never an employee, and only served as an intern in 2013, well after Manning was treated at the facility. However, reporter Deborah Davies is adamant that a transcript of a phone conversation she had with the clinic reveals that Sly began working there in October 2011.

The uncertainty surrounding Sly’s time at the Guyer Institute isn’t the only item related to the report that’s worth passing along today. Here are a few more:

  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the NFL had no real jurisdiction over players during the four-month lockout in 2011, and didn’t even didn’t test for HGH until September 2014. As such, even if Manning or other players did use certain PEDs, they may not have violated any league policies.
  • In a separate piece at Pro Football Talk, Florio wonders if Manning shouldn’t have simply gone the “no comment” route when these allegations surfaced, rather than extending the news cycle with his repeated, forceful denials. Florio also points out that Manning may not want to sue over the Al Jazeera report – as the quarterback suggested on Sunday that he might – since that process would mean making his private life public. For his part, Steelers linebacker James Harrison – who was also named in the report – said he looked into pursuing legal action, but decided it wouldn’t be worth it monetarily, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter links) points out that Manning made his visits to the Guyer Institute accompanied by Colts medical people, making it unlikely that the alternative treatment he received there violated any laws or NFL policies.
  • According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), the NFL is getting pressured to take these allegations seriously and devote resources to investigating them. After all, the NFL dedicated significant time and energy to the Deflategate allegations, treating them with at least as much weight as PED allegations, so the league will face scrutiny if it doesn’t do the necessary legwork to look into the latest accusations.

Latest On Drug Allegations

December 27th, 2015 at 8:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

We heard the nationally televised stance from Peyton Manning regarding the Al Jazeera report linking him to HGH usage, but James Harrison and Clay Matthews addressed their accusations following their games Sunday.

Although Manning’s name jumps out most in this report, Harrison appears prominently as well, and the Steelers linebacker predictably denied any wrongdoing, telling media (including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Mark Kaboly) “They never supplied me with anything. “I never took steroids. Point, blank, period. End of discussion.”

The report linked Harrison to the performance-enhancing drug Delta-2, but the 2008 defensive player of the year joined the chorus of denials emerging this weekend. At 37, Harrison is the NFL’s second-oldest defensive player behind Charles Woodson.

The Steelers declined to comment.

As for Matthews, whom the report connects with requesting Toradol and using other drugs, the Packers standout claims he did not know who alleged supplier at the Indiana-based Guyer Institute Charles Sly is (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

“I don’t know who the guy is. I don’t know what he looks like. I haven’t talked to him,” Matthews told media.

Also named in the report were Packers linebackers Julius Peppers and Mike Neal, who both denied involvement (Twitter links via Silverstein), with Peppers calling the report “irresponsible journalism.”

Sly said in the report he ventured to the homes of both Green Bay linebackers and talked to around 25 Packers players, alleging Peppers to have taken Delta-2 “maybe two days a week.” Peppers has served a suspension for PEDs, doing so as a rookie in 2002.

Matthews was not linked to the advanced performance-enhancer due to his higher-profile stature inducing reluctance, but the report does infer past HGH usage, claiming the seventh-year veteran wasn’t using the drug “anymore.”

Load More Posts