published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, August 19th, 2016 – 12:34 pm
Steelers look bad in preseason loss to Eagles. Issues at backup QB, Tight End and in Secondary. Olympics talk. Sponsored by -Mama Pepino’s Pizza, Pub and Billiards! With the newly added Billiard room, enjoy 3,000 square feet of dedicated space for pool tables! Stop in and Check out Mama Pepino’s Pizza, Pub and Billiards in Glassport, PA for our daily food specials, happy hour drink specials Monday through Friday 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. or shoot a game of pool with friends.
Rob Rossi on James Harrison agreeing to meet with the NFL. Matt Cullen signs with Pens. Olympics talk.
published in category: College Sports on Thursday, August 18th, 2016 – 9:11 pm
Chris Peak has an exclusive interview with Pitt Panthers Starting QB Nate Peterman on the PantherLair Show.
Quotes from Pitt PR Staff-
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
Opening statement:
“Good afternoon instead of good morning. It’s good to see you this time of day. It’s a really sudden change. I wanted to see how you guys [the media] would react—just like our kids—to a little schedule change. We decided to go a little later today. We have gone with two doubles this week. They got off the field at like nine o’clock last night under the lights here. The trains were humming by. There’s a lot heavier traffic with trains at night—I don’t know if you guys know that—than there is during the day. We got two great practices in. I wanted to get them a little fresher today and give them a little bit more rest. We actually slept in an hour longer today. They were excited about that. We gave them a little bit of a later start. We had some good meetings in preparation for Saturday’s scrimmage. I think that’s huge. It’ll be a get-after-it practice today after two yesterday, and then we’ll lighten up a little bit tomorrow. We’re going to crank it up on Saturday, so that’s kind of the method there.”
On if Linebacker Bam Bradley has been taking reps at multiple positions:
“Bam [Bradley] will work both sides, and based on personnel, we feel good with what he can do out there on the field. It was good to see him be able to go out there and execute. We’ve gotten him so familiar with it now. A year ago he couldn’t do that, so his knowledge is better. Seun [Oluwaseun Idowu] is doing a great job. Elijah [Zeise] is doing a good job out there at that Star position as well. We’ll have more guys in space as opposed to a team that’s going to come out in 22 personnel and try to run it down your throat.”
On if having versatile, faster linebackers helps:
“It does, but depending on who you play, people will be able to personnel you a little bit knowing that. Then all of the sudden they’ll line up with two tight-ends, and then all of the sudden spread one of them out and put that guy in space. But the good thing is that Bam [Bradley] has done that against three or four wide-outs already. He’s done it against good wide-outs, so we’re not afraid to do it because he’s gotten those reps through camp.”
On how senior Linebackers Mike Caprara and Matt Galambos have improved since last year:
“They were already pretty good. It’s like Coach [Dave] Andrews always says in the weight room, ‘the freshman are going to make major gains in the weight room, as opposed to a senior who has been through four years of the strength program.’ It’s just hard. [Usain] Bolt isn’t going to set a world record every time he runs the 100 meters. It’s the same thing with those guys. They know what they’re doing on defense. Sometimes you even see a drop-off because they feel like, ‘Hey, I know what I’m doing. I don’t have to do that as perfect, Coach. You know I can do that.’ No, I’d like to see you continue to do it the right way. You just don’t see those major improvements out of guys that are vets.”
On if he has seen anything that stands out to him on special teams:
“Not really. We work a lot of the fundamentals during the day on these hot two-a-days. We’re running our guys around working on fundamentals, getting off blocks, protecting, punting and covering. Then last night was more of a laid back, ‘Hey, what happens if we’re kicking off after a penalty?’ All of those situational-type things that you don’t really spend a lot of time on because they might not happen all next year, but just in case they do, we’re prepared for everything.”
On how helpful coming here in the spring has been for Running Back Chawntez Moss:
“I’m not a big proponent of mid-year transfers, but the two guys that we had come in at mid-year—Chawntez [Moss] and Patrick Jones [II]—both of them have made major improvements from what they did in the spring. You can’t see what the other freshmen [have done] because you don’t know where they were, but you see major improvements out of both of those individuals. Chawntez was definitely helped by coming here and being in the strength program for not only the spring, but the entire summer. A lot of the freshmen didn’t get here until later on. Both of those guys have taken full advantage of it. They have not only changed their bodies, but it’s given them a chance mentally to help themselves get on the field.”
On if there is a reason that he is not a big fan of the mid-year transfer:
“After watching those two progress, I’d be a fool not to like that. I think it’s in our best interest, but I don’t think it’s always in the kids’ best interest to pull them out of high school. They don’t finish with their [friends]. I don’t think I’d want my own kids to leave school early. I’d like them to go to prom. I’d like them to be able to enjoy it. Let me just tell you—football is 12 months a year. It’s not like it used to be when I was in school. We used to go home during the summers and see mom and dad and see your brothers and sisters. It’s 12 months a year. They’re here all the time. I tell recruits’ parents, ‘it’s a 12-month commitment.’ It’s like going to the army for four or five years. It’s not like it used to be 10 or 20 years ago. So to rush that is different. For the kids’ sake, I always give them the plusses [of transferring in mid-year]. Academically, you’re getting your degree faster. You’re going to have at least six [credits] in the summer plus 12 [credits in the spring]. You’re going to be 18 to 24 credits ahead of schedule academically. You’re going to be smarter and you’re going to be in better shape, but then there’s the other stuff.”
On where he stands on the ACC going to nine conference games:
“I really don’t have a preference. We’re going to look at who’s out there to schedule. If they put them on our schedule, we’re going to play them. We want great football teams to come into Heinz Field. We want to go on the road and play in great atmospheres as well. Like I said, I’d much rather play a good opponent than one that we’re supposed to beat. There’s a lot less pressure, in my opinion, when that happens. The higher-ups are going to make those decisions. Like I said last week, even if we had an opinion, they don’t listen to us. They do what they want to do.”
Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada
On how many reps the quarterbacks will get in Saturday’s scrimmage:
“Obviously Nathan [Peterman] will get the most and then the two guys behind him, but it also depends on how they play in the scrimmage. Last week we went after it a little bit, but we’ve had 13 opportunities, so Saturday is going to be a great chance to see how they can play when the lights are on. The three guys battling for No. 2 are all working at it, they all have good days and they all have bad days. They have days when the look like they’re going to be in the Hall of Fame, and then they have days when they don’t look like they’re going to be in the right Hall of Fame so it just depends on how they play. We are all working very hard and we’ll see how it goes. They’ll all get reps on Saturday.”
On choosing five offensive linemen to be starters:
“You know what, I’m not really concerned. I think having the ability to have some flexibility is really good. If you look, the [New England] Patriots have done a great job in the past couple years moving guys around. If we have five guys that are significantly better than everybody else then they’ll play the whole time; but if we can keep guys fresh and they’re equals then they deserve to play. Right now it’s getting close, we can smell it, but it’s still 16 days away so we have a lot of time to find it. I’m really pleased with the way those guys are working. We’ll move them around and try to find the best combination then if something happens what’s the best combination after that. We’re getting guys reps, so I’m not concerned about getting it to five too soon.”
On amount of depth on the Pitt offensive line:
“It is unbelievably magnificent to have this many quality linemen. It’s really special for us. We have quality depth. Injuries have forced some guys to play sooner, but once a guy gets hurt, somebody else has to play more, so we’re in a great situation and we’re very excited just to watch it and be part of it.”
On Wide Receiver Jester Weah:
“Jester is unbelievably talented. He’s very fast and makes plays. I thought he had a tremendous spring and for a wide out there’s a lot of running in camp, so there are days he has made plays and he’s working on his football. I’m really pleased with where he is and how he’s producing. I think he’ll have a very good fall for us.”
On which wide receivers will play:
“There are probably five, with [Dontez] Ford as the leader. I think they’re doing a great job. Quadree [Henderson] and [Jester] Weah are doing a great job. Rafael [Araujo-Lopes] is playing very well and Tre Tipton has really done a good job. Those five guys have separated themselves. It’s hard to do these things. Not that anybody else isn’t doing well and getting better, but those five guys right now are getting the majority of the reps. We’re going to start creating a lot of packages that we can use based on anywhere we want. I say it all the time, you have to play five and everybody else is a wildcard. Now we start deciding how those things work, the percentages, and going into a game which guys should play. It’s also predicated on what the defense it going to give us. Certain games it will be this; certain games it will be that. But those five guys are playing well.”
Defensive Coordinator Josh Conklin
On how Linebacker Bam Bradley has looked since he’s been changing positions:
“He’s been doing well. We started him out at the Star linebacker position, and then we felt like maybe he’d fit a little bit more at the Money. The bottom line is that we’ve got to find a couple guys that can play multiple positions, so I feel comfortable that he would know what to do if he got out there, but we wanted to make sure that we moved him around. We got a chance to get some other guys going.”
On if he feels comfortable on his depth at the Star linebacker position:
“Bam played Money last year, so I think he’s got a really good feel, as far as what’s going on there. We wanted to make sure that he got a look at Star. I think between Elijah [Zeise] and also Seun [Oluwaseun Idowu], we have a chance to get a good group there.”
On if he feels like he has a clear-cut starter at the Star position:
“No, not at all. This scrimmage coming up will be really important. We’re always working to see who’s going to be the next guy.”
On if he feels that in some situations that he’ll be able to go to a non-starter consistently:
“On third down we feel like we can do that. What we try to do on third down is get our best 11 guys on the field. We want to get a little more speed out there, but you want to get your best pass rushers out on the field, which is really important. You want to get guys that have a knack for making big plays. We’re always moving that around right now too—that depth chart. I feel like by the end of this Saturday and into the middle of next week that we’ll have a pretty good feel for those guys moving forward into game week.”
On what improvements he has seen from Linebackers Oluwaseun Idowu and Elijah Zeise:
“It’s just a matter of getting to know the package. Elijah [Zeise] doesn’t have as many snaps under his belt as Seun [Oluwaseun Idowu] does, but I’ve felt like they’re both picking it up. We feel like Elijah gives you a little bit of a different dynamic as far as an athlete out there, which is good to see. Seun had a great summer. He got bigger, stronger and faster. He’s had a good camp so far at Base, and then we’ve moved him in and tried to get him some reps at Delta, our third-down package. It probably slowed him down a little bit just because that’s a lot. It’s always working those different dynamics and working those different spots to see where a guy fits, but we feel decent at Star right now, we really do. We just feel like we’ve got to continue to develop those guys.”
On if any of the freshman defensive tackles look like they might be able to get some playing time:
“Yeah, I think they may. It’s just going to kind of depend on moving forward into this week and how they continue to pick it up. We’ve really changed them. Kind of like we challenged [Jordan] Whitehead last year, we’ve challenged those guys to step up and learn the package. They’ve been coming for early walkthroughs with Coach [Tom] Sims. They’ve been staying later. I’ve been working with them a little bit more on the field just doing some mental stuff more than physical, but I feel like those guys might have the potential to help us as the season goes on especially.”
On if any of those freshman defensive tackles have stood out in particular:
“All three of them really. We’ve been repping Rashad Wheeler. We’ve been repping Amir Watts, and obviously Keyshon Camp too. All three of those guys. Some days one guy has a great day, and the next day he has a poor day. That’s just part of being of being a freshman. We’ll keep working them.”
published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, August 18th, 2016 – 1:27 pm
James Harrison vs. the NFL, Steelers vs. Eagles, Arrow Up and Arrow Down on Steelers players. Tomlin not playing offensive stars in preseason is a new strategy. Sponsored by Goodrich & Geist, representing victims of negligence.
The Steelers are encouraging fans to arrive early to enjoy in-stadium pregame activities for the team’s preseason contest vs. Philadelphia on Thursday, August 18. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and all gates will open at 5 p.m.
Neal Coolong of Steelers Wire and Josh Taylor on James Harrison vs. the NFL. Roger Goodell is an issue for the league.
published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, August 18th, 2016 – 12:59 am
It’s been two and a half weeks since Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline, when the expectations for any possibility of the Pirates making a run at a National League Wild Card spot became clear. Those expectations were specifically based on a handful of variables:
– IF Andrew McCutchen could re-gain his form as a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate;
– IF the starting rotation could stabilize itself after trading Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese, and eventually demoting Jeff Locke to the bullpen;
– IF Jung Ho Kang could break out of his funk since mid-June;
– IF Gregory Polanco could get healthy and bolster the middle of the lineup; and
– IF the bullpen could perform effectively after All-Star closer Mark Melancon was traded.
Well don’t look now, but the if’s are finally happening for the Pirates. They had a false start of sorts in their first series after the deadline, losing two out of three against the Atlanta Braves, the worst team in the National League. During that series, McCutchen was benched by manager Clint Hurdle, who said the decision was “not a white flag. This is for the greater good.”
The greater good may have yet to be completely realized, but the past two weeks have been closer to the greater good than the previous not-so-good.
McCutchen returned to the lineup in the opener for the following series against Cincinnati at PNC Park on August 5, with Jameson Taillon starting on the mound. Since that day, the Pirates have won nine of 12 games and four straight series, including a sweep of the San Francisco Giants on the road at AT&T Park.
In that same span, McCutchen is hitting .317 with a .472 on-base percentage, two homeruns and eight RBI. Kang has a slash line of .286/.464/.536 with three homers and four driven in. Polanco has driven in 11 runs with three extra base hits in nine games since being moved to the clean-up spot after being out of the starting lineup for three games with a sore shoulder.
The rotation of Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Ivan Nova, Ryan Vogelsong and Chad Kuhl have brought the exact stabilization the team needed, even if it wasn’t expected. The Pirates’ rotation entered Wednesday afternoon’s game as the second-best in the National League in August (3.80 ERA), joining the Chicago Cubs (1.13) as the only two starting staffs in the league with an ERA under four since the trade deadline.
The difference for the Pirates’ rotation in the past two-plus weeks is what they failed to get from their starters in the first four months of the season: depth and consistency. Each of the current five have pitched five innings or more at least twice in August, and Taillon and Vogelsong have done it three times. They have gone six innings or more eight times in 15 starts, and they’re 7-1 in those games.
By removing Liriano, Niese and Locke from the starting five, the Pirates eliminated an overabundance of walks and homeruns allowed almost instantly. The averages in walks and homeruns allowed per nine innings for the rotation so far in August are on pace to be the best of any month by a wide margin this season. Their 2.11 BB/9 is second in the league behind the Cubs, and their 0.53 HR/9 is tops in the National League. For reference, their walks per nine innings had not been lower than 2.89 in any other month this season, and their homeruns allowed per nine innings had never been lower than 1.31.
Then there’s the bullpen’s transition: they’ve gone from one of baseball’s most over-worked units in the first half of the season to throwing the fourth-fewest innings since the trade deadline. They also have the National League’s best ERA (2.70) and the fifth-fewest homeruns allowed per nine innings (0.77), and new closer Tony Watson already has seven saves in eight opportunities, tied with Seattle’s Edwin Diaz for the most in the majors in August.
If this Pirates team looks different this month compared to what we’ve seen in the previous four, it’s because they are better in a few key areas; and it’s just what they need to be going forward in order to clinch a fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, August 17th, 2016 – 1:50 pm
Mike Tomlin previews Preseason Game #2 vs. the Eagles, talks injuries and young players that have impressed.
Steelers Beat Writer Chris Adamski joins Josh Taylor-secondary depth is a huge concern right now, not prepared for these injuries.
Jeff Erickson of Rotowire gets you ready for your draft! Steelers, Saints, Bills, Colts defenses could struggle, leads to more fantasy points for those offenses. Tight End position wide open. Zero running back strategy.
published in category: College Sports on Wednesday, August 17th, 2016 – 8:53 am
The Panthers debut the new throwback uniforms, Jerry DiPaola checks in live from Pitt Training Camp with the latest news. Plus Trending Topics.
From Pitt PR Staff-
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
Opening statement:
“We got a double in yesterday. They were off the field at like nine o’clock last night. We woke our guys up early this morning. We had two really good practices yesterday. They came out and got after it pretty good, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve got today.”
On if he’ll be taking it easy on the players today after working them hard yesterday:
“It’s camp. There are no easy days. We will have a lot of focus. We won’t do anything live today even though we’re in full pads, but it will be heavy, heavy thud.”
On whether or not one of the practices yesterday was lighter than the other:
“In the evening. I guess you can ask the kids if it was light or not, but we went indoors. I think it was like 150 degrees in there last night, but we got good work done. We didn’t go live, but we got a lot of work done. We had some good thud period and some good focus periods.”
On offensive lineman John Guy competing for a starting spot:
“John [Guy] is just a steady, steady-Eddie, guy. He’s tough, he’s physical, and he just goes about his business in a professional way. That’s what you really like about John. He doesn’t say boo out there, he just gets the job done. He’s doing a god job of competing for that right guard position.”
On if John Guy is leading the competition at right guard:
“I don’t know if he is leading at this point. We’re still kind of juggling them around in there. There’s a lot of competition going on the offensive line. The great thing is that, I think on game-day you’re going to see that we can play up to eight guys, which will be good. You’re keeping a guy fresh, and then in the fourth quarter, maybe you don’t have an exhausted guy. Maybe we can make a big play, or pop a big run because there’s a fresher guy in there. It’s good that we can play more guys at that position.”
On if offensive lineman Alex Officer is John Guy’s main competition:
“There is all kinds of competition. I think it depends on how you throw them out there. There are only five starting positions, and I think we’ve got eight guys. There’s a lot of guys fighting to be a starter out there.”
On if offensive lineman Alex Bookser has been taking reps at both center and guard:
“[Alex] Bookser is taking some snaps at guard. [Alex] Officer is taking guard and center. Jaryd [Jones-Smith] is taking reps at both tackles. We will continue to work those guys around. The more positions they know, the more valuable they become.”
On how Alex Bookser has matured in the past year:
“He’s really matured a lot. As coaches, you see daily stuff. For example, even in the spring game, he misses a block and Rachid [Ibrahim] gets hit in the backfield three yards deep and he was—I don’t want to say this laughing—in the huddle like, ‘Sorry, that was my bad.’ I haven’t seen any of that this year. He’s been more serious. I think he understands how important it is. Even just from the spring game, I’ve already noticed that he’s matured a lot.”
On if Alex Bookser is more natural at center or guard:
“It’s hard to say. I think he does a good job at both.”
On if Alex Bookser’s snaps from center are improved:
“I think they are. There are ups and downs. Some are up; some are down. Overall I think they’ve improved. They haven’t floated back there like they did a little bit in the spring. He’ll continue to get better.”
On what the cornerback position looks like opposite Avonte Maddox:
“Opposite of Avonte [Maddox], it’s Ryan Lewis right now. He had nice day again yesterday. He’s made some strides. You start to look at him and say, ‘Hey, we can rely on him.’ Phillipie Motley and Dane Jackson are in a heat right now, and I’m not sure that Dane Jackson isn’t ahead of him. Dane Jackson has really come on strong the last four or five days. Phillipie [Motley] is still there. Malik Henderson had maybe an average day yesterday, so he’s battling. They’re all battling out there.”
On if any of the freshman are battling for that second cornerback spot:
“A little bit. Damar [Hamlin] and Henry Miller are still going strong. Therran [Coleman] mentally is probably a little step behind them, but they’re all going to be great players.”
On how the players responded to the new throwback uniforms behind released:
“They exploded a little bit. They were fired up. I showed them a little video—maybe the same thing that you guys have seen. We’ll let you know later today. We’ll let you see it.”
On if the new throwback uniforms are a one-time thing:
“I think it’s going to be something that our seniors, our eagles, will kind of decide, ‘Hey, what do we want to do?’ If they like the look, I’m open to anything. I just want to coach football.”
On how things are progressing now that we are in the second week of camp:
“I feel good with where we are. We are going into [practice] No. 10 today. I think we’ve had a good camp so far. We’ve got to continue to stay healthy and take care of our bodies. Right now I think we’re ahead of where we were a year ago.”
On if there are any major injuries right now:
“No major injuries, no. We’re good.”
Offensive Lineman John Guy
On his thought on campus so far:
“It’s going well so far. We’re getting better each day. I’m watching film, learning a lot from it. So I think it’s going really well.”
On working with the first team as right guard:
“I feel like [right tackle] Brian O’Neill and I are doing really well in there. We’re communicating and talking every play so that we don’t make a mistake. The coaches have entrusted in me and given me the opportunity to go out there and believe that I can play with the No. 1s, so I appreciate that.”
On what Coach John Peterson has said to him about the competition at right guard:
“He said that there is a competition at every position and that nothing is locked down. Everyone is going to get their fair chance to play. We’re going to plug each guy in and see how they respond.”
On being a player the coaches can count on every day:
“Coach [Matt] Canada told me I do a really good job learning from the film. I’ll make a mistake in practice but when I watch the film I won’t make the same mistake twice, so that’s what he has told me, which I really appreciate.”
Offensive Lineman Alex Bookser
On playing some center in camp thus far:
“I’m getting there. Obviously there is an added part where you have to snap the ball. But it’s definitely more natural than it was in the spring.”
On Coach Narduzzi saying he’s matured since the spring:
“Personally, I think I have a grasp on the playbook better. I’m a year older; I’ve grown up. Last year at times I didn’t take things as seriously as I probably should have. I think I’ve turned a new leaf on that. It’s just been the process of growing up. I realized that I’m not here forever. If I want to play here, I’m going to have to take things seriously and do everything the right way.”
On taking on some leadership qualities:
“I have to come out and identify the front. I have to make calls and tell people where to go. I wouldn’t call myself the leader because we have so many veterans on the line. I’m just doing my best to try to make sure that the guys we have on the line know where they are going.”
On following in the footsteps of former Pitt center Artie Rowell:
“Artie was starting here for so long. He’s one of the hardest working guys in the building. I can just hope to try and duplicate his work ethic and how much he cared about this team.”
Quarterback Manny Stocker
On the battle for the backup quarterback spot:
“It’s a grind every day. I try to do my best and work on what I can control. I just try and be the best player I can be to help this team.”
On Coach Canada and how he has changed from his time at NC State:
“He hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still that fiery coach that’s going to be on you and do everything he can to make you a better player. He’s going to do everything he can for this team, and I’m just happy to have a chance to work with him again.”
On when he moved to quarterback:
“It was this January. I played receiver last year and then the coaches moved me to quarterback to give it a shot there.”
On the transition from wide receiver to quarterback:
“I played quarterback my whole life. Receiver was actually more difficult to learn—coming out of breaks, cutting and things like that. Making the switch to quarterback was a fun move for me. I know how to control the game from that position.”
On his familiarity with Coach Canada’s system:
“Coach Canada has a good system. We’ve been working at it every day. It has progressed a lot since last year, so we’re learning new plays. But it’s an adjustment for everyone.”
On being a mobile quarterback and the challenges to stand out in practice:
“As of right now I’m just going through my reads, and doing everything I can to make the right decision and throw the ball on time. It’s kind of hard to stand out, but I don’t necessarily think it takes back from my abilities and what I can do. I have the red jersey on right now, so I can’t really run around much. If I can operate in the system with a red jersey on just like any other quarterback, it makes me suitable for that position.”
Wide Receiver Quadree Henderson:
On the competition level between the wide receivers:
“The competition is always there. We are all competing for a spot as a starting receiver. The competition in the wide receiver room is always a good thing. We’re competing, but at the same time we are trying to help each other.”
On being a sophomore:
“Being that I sat out a little bit of last year, I watched Tyler Boyd and learned from the little things he did and the small mistakes he made and the little things he corrected himself on. I watched from the sidelines and watched a lot of things I can do to better myself for the 2016 season.”
On his chemistry with quarterback Nathan Peterman:
“Nate and I are like brothers. In the summer we would come out to the fields every day after workouts to make sure our timing was down perfectly. The chemistry with Nate is top notch.”
On Tuesday’s Pitt alternate jerseys reveal:
“I love the new uniforms. Coach Narduzzi had two of our teammates come into a meeting late. He made it feel like since we had two-a-days yesterday that some people were slacking off, and then the players came into the room in the new uniforms and my eyes lit up.”
Offensive Lineman Dorian Johnson
On the movement within the offensive line:
“They are trying to get different guys at different positions. We want to see who we have.”
On Alex Boosker playing different positions:
“He’s doing well. He’s putting in extra work after practice. I think he’s transitioning well.”
On starting his freshman year up to his senior year:
“I was just talking to my mom about that a couple days ago. The time here has flown by. I’ve gained a lot of confidence. I look back at this experience and I’m definitely happy I started my freshman year.”
On the throwback Pitt script uniform:
“The new uniforms are crazy. They feel great. I like the colors. You look back at all of the national championship teams and they wore those colors. That gives us something to look forward to. We are a new team, and we can’t look back at the past, but it’s definitely something we keep in our minds.”
Defensive Back Ryan Lewis:
On the defensive back unit chemistry:
“We have a great group of corners. A lot of our guys have high energy. They want to get better and are willing to learn. They’ll do whatever it takes to get on the field. We are a strong group together.”
On the new script uniforms:
“I was hyped up. Coach Narduzzi had us thinking that a couple of the guys were late. He did a really good job acting. When I saw those uniforms I was speechless. I didn’t think we had any other uniforms and when those came out I got a whole bunch of energy and my eyes lit up. I’m excited to wear them.”
On learning from Lafayette Pitts last year and competing for a starting job now:
“I definitely learned patience. Last year I was behind Lafayette Pitts, who is a great cornerback. I was waiting for my chance. Now that I’ve been given the opportunity, I want to seize the opportunity. I want to do whatever to get on the field. It’s great being able to work with the No. 1s and I’m taking it day by day.”
Defensive Back Dane Jackson:
On having leadership from Avonte Maddox and Ryan Lewis:
“It’s very big. They are both veterans. It’s good learning from them.”
On being in a competitive group:
“It’s just about staying focused. I focus on myself and strive to get better. I want to get better in the film room and on the field.”
published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, August 15th, 2016 – 1:15 pm
Steelers Corner Doran Grant had a good preseason game, now they are giving him time at safety to get him on the field more? One on one interviews with Steelers Tight End Jesse James and Tackle Al Villanueva.
Rob Rossi talks about his Big Ben column-he does not need to play in the preseason, plus 90s music and Pirates talk.
The Steelers host the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field on Thursday, August 18, in their second consecutive preseason home game. The Steelers signed free agent linebacker Jermauria Rasco and released long snapper Matt Dooley.
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