Indholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2021 i Steelers Digest

There is so much still to be determined when it comes to the Steelers and the National Football League in 2021. How much of the upcoming offseason will be impacted by COVID-19? Will the Steelers be at Saint Vincent College for training camp this summer? Will there be a preseason? Will there be fans in the stands? Of more immediate concern, what will the salary cap be? And will Ben Roethlisberger be back for another season as the team’s starting quarterback? But there is one thing that’s not going to happen. Not in Pittsburgh anyway. “You know, we've got to look at the whole roster, obviously, in the context of this year's salary cap and make decisions on it,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “But I would just say…

Digest Correspondent TYSON ALUALU DEFENSIVE LINEMAN AGE/BIRTHDATE: 33/May 12, 1987 ROLE IN 2020: Alualu was Pittsburgh’s starting nose tackle in their 3-4 scheme, but he also saw plenty of action when the Steelers only had two defensive linemen on the field. Alualu played 44 percent of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps last year in several different interior defensive line alignments and only missed one game. Alualu finished his 11th NFL season with 18 tackles and two sacks. VALUE ON THE OPEN MARKET: This former first-round pick has proven to be scheme versatile and could help any team in the NFL. But Alualu’s age drops his value significantly as does his only moderate pass-rush production. POTENTIAL IN-HOUSE REPLACEMENTS: The Steelers drafted Carlos Davis in the seventh round this past year and Isaiah Buggs…

Assistant Editor When you make a difference, when you have a huge impact, when you are a trailblazer who opened doors for others, the door deserves to be opened for you. And finally, the door has opened for Bill Nunn. Nunn, the legendary scout who served in multiple roles in the Steelers personnel department beginning in 1967 in a part-time role, and then in a full-time role from 1969-2014, was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Contributor as part of the Class of 2021. "I am thrilled that Bill Nunn has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor," said Steelers President Art Rooney II. "He was not only a special friend and advisor to me, my father, my uncle Art Rooney…

From the notebook of a sports writer who's trying to unearth some kind of wisdom from this past Super Bowl: • But I already knew that Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Leonard Fournette were pretty good. I mean, in the middle of Fournette's 27-yard touchdown run that put the game away in the third quarter – after Brady had thrown two TD passes to Gronk – I thought of the many Steelers fans who had put their money on the Chiefs and wondered what they must've been thinking. They had seen ALL of that before in big games. • On defense, the stars were Shaq Barrett, Devin White and Lavonte David. I remember Joey Porter raving to me about Barrett before the 2014 draft, when the Steelers could've added him…

Alan Faneca knew patience was the key, and that patience has paid off for him. In his sixth year of eligibility, Faneca was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021. "I want to congratulate Alan Faneca on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame," said Steelers President Art Rooney II. "Without a doubt, Alan was one of the best guards in Steelers history, and one of the best in the NFL during a 13-year career that saw him voted first-team All-Pro six times and to nine Pro Bowls. Alan was unique in that he was big and strong enough to handle interior pass rushers and keep them off our quarterback, but also mobile enough to pull in either direction…

Assistant Editor The center position for the Pittsburgh Steelers is one that has been built on consistency. There is a legacy, handed down from players through the decades, players like Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson, the best of the best who are immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Maurkice Pouncey’s name is right up there with the best of them, and he will forever be remembered with the top centers ever to wear the black and gold. Pouncey, along with his twin brother Mike Pouncey, announced via statements that former teammate Ramon Foster released on his Twitter account that they are retiring. Pouncey called it quits after an illustrious 11-year career with the Steelers, one filled with honors and accolades while he, like Webster and Dawson before him,…

Digest Correspondent It wasn't a good day for anyone in Pittsburgh, but it was a surprisingly poor day for the NFL's No. 9 defense. In the Wild Card Round playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 10, the Steelers: Allowed 263 passing yards, the most they yielded in 34 days and the second most of the season. Allowed 390 total yards, the most they yielded in 70 days and the second most of the season. Had zero turnovers and sacks, the first double-zero in those categories in 1,092 days. Allowed 48 points, the most yielded in 2,625 days. Not that the defense allowed all 48 points. The first snap, of course, sailed over Ben Roethlisberger's head and was recovered for a Browns touchdown. Roethlisberger then threw an awful interception…