Pro Bowl WR Antonio Brown restructured his contract on Friday, saving the Pittsburgh Steelers $4 million in cap space for the 2014-15 season. The story was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Multiple efforts have been made recently in order to get under the salary cap, as well as to provide space for free agency and the April draft. Earlier this week, Larry Foote, Curtis Brown, and Levi Brown were cut in addition to the contract extensions of TE Heath Miller and S Troy Polamalu. Antonio ... Read More
Archives for March 2014
Gannon’s Blazek named PSAC West Athlete of the Year
PSAC West awards were announced yesterday and three of the four individual awards came from Gannon's squad, which finished first in the West this season. Adam Blazek headlined the awards, taking home Athlete of the Year honors. CJ Oldham was named the West's Defensive Athlete of the Year and Gannon's coach John Reilly was named West Coach of the Year. The other individual award, Freshman of the Year, went to Clarion's BJ Andrews. Blazek averaged 16.1 points per game this season and is coming ... Read More
2014 Steelers draft preview: Safety
The NFL Draft is still over two months away, but the anticipation and arm-chair general managing is in full throttle. Last week, the 2014 NFL Combine drew huge ratings for the NFL Network – proving once again that the American hunger for football has absolutely no boundaries. Major college pro days are in full swing, highlighted so far by the noteworthy workouts of sure-fire top ten picks like Auburn OT Greg Robinson and Buffalo LB Khalil Mack. NFL team player development personnel will be ... Read More
Is Troy Polamalu a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
Gar Bercury — OK, i'll be the one to say it, Troy Polamalu is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I understand that saying this means I am risking life and limb with many of our loyal readers, but it is still the truth. I want to be clear, I do believe Polamalu will eventually get a bust in Canton, it just won't happen in his first year of eligibility. There are different reasons why it won't happen, some can be attributed to Polamalu's career as a whole. Some of it is due to a simple numbers ... Read More
Pirates Position Preview: Setup man / Closer
We move on with our 2014 Pirates position previews with the men that shut the door on opposing offences at the end of games. The Pirates back end was 73 - 5 -- three of those losses came in the final month-- when taking a lead into the eighth inning and it produced two NL All-Stars in Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli. Tony Watson and Justin Wilson also aided in the setup role with their power game to create one of the most feared groups in the league. Justin Wilson: 2013: 6 - 1, 2.08 ERA ... Read More
Brycen Spratling:The best ACC athlete that you haven’t heard of
When it comes to Track and Field, it did not take the University of Pittsburgh's Brycen Spratling long to catch on. Five years ago, Spratling was new to the sport, and though he had never ran track until his Senior year of High School, success came quickly. From out of nowhere, the Rochester, New York native would win a State Championship in the 400 meters and earn an athletic scholarship to Eastern Michigan University. Barely one high school season in a sport, and you earn a division one ... Read More
Trade deadline reaction: Pens a better team with Goc, Stempniak
After days of rumors and speculation leading up to the NHL trade deadline, Pens General Manager Ray Shero was not able to pull of the big deal many had hoped would come. Like deals that brought players like Marian Hossa, James Neal and Jarome Ignila to the Pens in recent years, many Pens fans hoped that Shero would work his magic and land another big name at the deadline. The Canucks Ryan Kesler was the name Pens fans heard the most, but in the end, the deal was not to be. That does not mean ... Read More
Duquesne Loses Back and Forth Contest, 78-74
Pittsburgh – From the looks of the first few possessions, the 2297 fans gathered at the A.J. Palumbo Center to watch Duquesne’s final game of the regular season knew they would be getting their money’s worth. “We didn’t make a couple plays and they made the winning plays down the stretch, that’s what it came down to,” said Ovie Soko. Soko finished with 18 points, 12 of those coming in the second half. Duquesne drew first blood, getting out to an early 15-6 lead as things warmed up. ... Read More
Penguins Acquire Lee Stempniak from Calgary
The Penguins acquired F Lee Stempniak from Calgary for a third-round draft choice at the deadline. It was a trade that was made last-minute after the Vancouver Canucks announced they would not be trading Ryan Kesler earlier today. In 52 games for the Flames, Stempniak recorded 23 points (8 G [2 short-handed], 15 A) with a +/- of -21. He, like Goc, will be an upgrade to the Penguins bottom 6 which needed help. Over 11 seasons, Stempniak posted 146 goals and 184 assists in 616 games for St. ... Read More
Steelers Cut Three
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced this afternoon that they have released LB Larry Foote, CB Curtis Brown, and OT Levi Brown. These moves come as the team continues to shed payroll and make space within the salary cap. The NFL announced last week that the 2014-15 salary cap will be about $10 million higher than last season, approaching nearly $133 million. Foote, a 13-year veteran, has spent all but one year of his career with the Steelers. After a career season in 2012 (75 solo tackles, ... Read More