Pittsburg, PA
PFF Denies Bias Against Steelers LB
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase and Pro Football Focus (PFF) are squarely in opposite camps. Most NFL fans are critical of PFF for their selective use of statistics and “advanced” measurements of players, but Steelers Nation has another bone to pick. Most Pittsburgh fans feel PFF is bias against the Steelers, especially when it comes to ranking the premier defensive players in the game.
Over the past few seasons, Steelers’ star linebacker T.J. Watt has consistently been ranked below Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett. It’s one of the most exciting individual rivalries. Playing in the same division, Garrett and Watt have been the two of the most dominant defenders in the league since they both entered the NFL.
But according to PFF, Myles Garrett continues to be the better player. They released their rankings of the best players in the NFL entering the 2024 season and ranked Watt 14th compared to Garrett who was second. Watt also was below Dallas Cowboys star rusher Micah Parsons.
Unsurprisingly, the list received criticism, especially from Steelers’ fans. Writer Sam Monson, who authored the best players list, heard the backlash and recently defended his choices on PFF’s youtube channel.
“It’s going to be interesting when the NFL releases their top 100,” he said. “They tweeted out a bunch of ballots of players having voted. I didn’t see a single one that had T.J. Watt above Myles Garrett, and that’s one of the things about last season that Steelers fans that are upset that we have this vendetta against T.J. Watt have not found an answer to yet.”
The only problem is that Steelers fans do have answer: on the field performance. The only year Garrett has outpaced Watt in sacks was during 2022, when Watt was limited to just 10 games due to injury. Similarly, 2020 was the last time Garrett forced more fumbles than Watt. Watt has more passes deflected, interceptions, and quarterback pressures on a year-to-year comparison and overall than Garrett. Really, when you look at the two side by side on paper, T.J. Watt is the far better and more productive defender.
The two rushers are also tied in the hardware battle. Neither has secured a Super Bowl championship, but both have Defensive Player of the Year award under their belts. Garrett won his first this past season and Watt won his following a 22.5 sack season in 2021. Even Monson had to admit that Watt’s game is consistent and terrifying.
“There may not be a better playmaker on the defensive side of the ball,” he said.
Yet, PFF and much of the league continue to place Watt below Garrett and disrespect his game. Heading into 2024, they have him ranked as the fourth best defensive player in the NFL. Not that Watt needs the extra motivation, but PFF continues to give him and the Steelers reason to continue proving them and the rest of the league wrong.
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Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
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