The legendary broadcaster achieved ‘folk hero’ status while calling Penguins games for almost half a century. But it was his appreciation of the region and its people that made him unforgettable.
The Eagles can make a statement while winning a championship in New Orleans. It’s one that would resonate among the NFL’s quarterback-starved majority.
Turning to Justin Fields in the Steelers’ ongoing quarterback saga is an idea whose time has arrived. There’s no guarantee it’ll work, but there aren’t many — if any — reasonable alternatives.
A team that for long stretches of the regular season appeared to be different turned out to be just that in the postseason — but for the worst reason imaginable. And it’s going to take more than a free agent or a draft pick to fix that.
They might not be good enough with their temperamental-but-talented wide receiver. But they absolutely aren’t good enough without him, and that’s a problem they can’t work around.
His traditionally respectful approach with his players when the going gets tough is no longer working. It’s time to change the public narrative, if only for change’s sake.
Less than a year ago even the players were throwing up their arms in utter despair. Now, an AFC North Division championship, if not more, appears well within their reach.
They should be better for having added Mike Williams and Preston Smith via trade. But getting Cam Sutton back from suspension might really alter the equation.
The Panthers have gone from three wins to intriguing faster than you can say ‘Eli Holstein.’ But it’s not just a quarterback that’s making college football fun again on the North Shore.
There’s a different approach this season, and it’s one that needed to be embraced. It won’t be popular but it might serve the franchise well in the long run.
Everyone’s anticipating a competitive training camp for a change. But unless it leads to actual change, the season ahead is destined to deliver more of the same.
The season has imploded but the organization is apparently resisting the urge to start over, again. One reason why might be that there’s no need to this time.
The first game that counts is obviously a much-anticipated event. Just don’t read too much into it as a barometer of what’s in store for the season ahead.
The season teased long enough to inspire dreams of October. But it’s imploded into another nightmare that’s more on who they are than what they’re spending.
The veterans appreciate it and the newcomers almost can’t believe it. But the connection that’s annually forged at training camp is as heartfelt as it is difficult to explain.
They can’t brawl every day, as they did in a high-profile, all-inclusive scuffle on Wednesday. But there’s a mentality, a camaraderie and a competitiveness that are fostered by such things, and that matters.
Our annual obsession with training camp is about to commence. And while the particulars are destined to be overblown, there’s a method to the madness that matters.
They need to add offense to maximize the opportunity at hand. But even if they don’t, and their history says they won’t, the postseason may yet be within reach.
They know they have to develop their next wave sooner rather than later. Development camp was an example of how hard they’re working to make it happen.
Seeking a quick fix in free agency wasn’t an option this time. But trading Sidney Crosby might be if the Pens are to contend again sooner rather than later.
Bob Nutting may be saying the right things. But until Ben Cherington does the right thing the Bucs are in danger of wasting the type of opportunity that doesn’t come around very often.
It’s sensory overload whenever the Buccos’ latest pitching phenom takes the mound. Such is the extent to which the franchise’s latest savior has already delivered.
The Steelers have been making changes at a furious rate for some time now. But changing head coaches clearly isn’t on team president Art Rooney II’s agenda.
It’s clear the teams that are still playing are doing so for a reason. And it’s just as clear what the Pens lack and how far away they are from a championship.
Their latest savior can’t and won’t solve all of the Bucs’ problems. But the long-awaited promotion of last season’s first-overall pick has nonetheless changed the game.
They appear to have won free agency and the draft. But team president Art Rooney II and head coach Mike Tomlin know that’s a long way from winning the Super Bowl.
There’s a chance they can drastically improve the offensive line, and thus the offense, in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. But their focus should be on a center — first and foremost.
Mike Sullivan deserves scrutiny but apparently won’t get it from Kyle Dubas. The latter is potentially a bigger issue amid the team’s late-season collapse.
The men’s and women’s programs were taken away and then reinstated. The men’s team has made the most of the re-boot with a playoff victory to remember.
He wasn’t a Penguin for life, but he was the second-best Penguin ever to lace up a pair of skates. And it’s about time his Penguins career is celebrated.
Hiring new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith won't make much of a difference without a significant improvement from a quarterback yet to be determined.
There’s a huge question mark looming over the quarterback position. But beyond that it’s easy to see the potential for growth and even explosiveness, if only the Steelers would notice.
