We are somehow at ground zero while simultaneously being on grounds walked before for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh has lost five of its last seven, sparking yet another collapse in the back half of the season – I’ll be doing a piece on the history of collapses over the last two decades, so keep an eye out for that.
Pittsburg, PA
Varsity & JV: Winners and losers from Steelers loss to Bills
In the meantime, though, let’s get through what will be a very brief edition of Varsity and JV.
Echols had a terrific first quarter. He read the screen to Khalil Shakir on the first drive perfectly (even if the pass was incomplete) and picked off Josh Allen to end the Bills’ first drive. He also had two pass deflections on the night.
Herbig had two tackles for loss and was in on the fumble by James Cook recovered by Patrick Queen.
EDGE T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith
Zero sacks on backup tackles. Good thing the Steelers made sure Watt made more money than Myles Garrett for him to not even be half as good as the Browns’ star. As for Highsmith, he’s constantly injured and isn’t as good as Herbig. If the Steelers do finally rip the band-aid off this offseason, Watt and Highsmith should both be traded.
The Bills ran for 249 yards, which is the most in the history of Acrisure Stadium. James Cook took the first play from scrimmage for an 18-yard gain, and that set the tone for the evening. Mina Kimes of ESPN posted a screenshot that summarized the game of Ray Davis having a two-lane highway to run through.
Who played well offensively? Kenneth Gainwell made a pretty nice one-handed catch, but that’s the only notable offensive play that comes to mind. The receiving corps is worse than it was in 2024, DK Metcalf couldn’t separate a yolk from an eggshell, and the Steelers totaled just 166 yards of offense. Additionally, Aaron Rodgers and the pass-catchers never being on the same page is taking a big toll on the offense.
Rudolph went 0-for-3 and threw an interception that had as much hang time as a punt. Hopefully that ends any cries from the portion of the fanbase begging to see Rudolph “get a shot.” Nice guy, solid backup, but he’s not a starting NFL quarterback.
Smith is far down the list of the biggest problems with the Steelers, but Sunday was brutal. A bad play call inside the red zone to run on 4th-and-short that killed a scoring chance. Pittsburgh couldn’t run the ball against one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers completed less than 50 percent of his passes. The offense was awful from top to bottom.
He is the worst defensive coordinator in football. There is a reason he was fired by both the Lions and didn’t last a season with the Bengals. He’s not a capable defensive coordinator, and the case for that claim gets stronger by the week.
This needs to be the end. He can’t be back in 2026. The scheme is stale, the message is falling on deaf ears, and everyone looks checked out. In a season where the AFC North was begging the Steelers to win it, Tomlin missed the dunk.
The fans are the ones who suffer more than anyone. Mediocre season after mediocre season. Collapse after collapse no matter who is the offensive coordinator or quarterback. And guess what? It’ll probably be more of the same next season because Art Rooney’s fear of life after Mike Tomlin is greater than his desire for a winning football team. The fans deserve better, and hopefully real changes will be made in the offseason.
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a recent move to their rotation, which has resulted in a surprising move from one player.
The Pirates announced that they placed right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski on the restricted list and recalled right-handed pitcher Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of their series finale vs. the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park on May 31.
A player going on the restricted list means that they either left the team without a valid reason, or could be announcing retirement, but may consider returning in the near future to play later on.
It is a shocking decision, as there was no indication something like this was happening and makes a big change to the Pirates pitching staff moving forward.
Why Pirates May Have Placed Mlodzinski on Restricted List
This case with Mlodzinski is likely the former, although not confirmed, as he was in the clubhouse ahead of the game, so something may have happened closer to first pitch.
Pirates manager Don Kelly announced postgame in the 10-9 win on May 30 that Mlodzinski would follow right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft in the series finale.
Mlodzinski was a part of the Pirates starting rotation for the first two months of the season, but Jared Jones recently came off the injured list and took his role in the rotation, with the Pirates sending Mlodzinski back to the bullpen.
He said following the decision that he would talk with his agency and those close to him, so he may have decided to depart the team after this.
“Obviously just excited to have Jared back with us,” Mlodzinski said. “I can honestly say I’m just still communicating with the organization and the people in my corner, whether that’s my family or my agency, about what is next. I really don’t have any comments after that.”
How This Changes Pirates Pitching Staff
Mlodzinski has been an effective relief pitcher with the Pirates, with a 2.63 ERA over 140.1 innings pitched and 94 appearances.
The Pirates had plans for Mlodzinski as a bulk reliever, but someone that can also fill any role, including in high-leverage situations and as a middle reliever, something the team has seriously needed.
His departure hurts a Pirates bullpen that has really looked for consistent arms that can get outs, preserve leads and give the team a chance to make a comeback late.
Sanders has struggled in his time in MLB with the Pirates, with a 9.26 ERA over 11 appearances, a .300 batting average allowed and a 2.20 WHIP.
The Pirates can make a few decisions on Mlodzinski, who could technically still comeback, but it looks like they will trade him at this point.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
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Amidst over 70 Pride festivals in Pennsylvania, I stand alone as none of my friends want to go. Not the big Pittsburgh Pride, not the small community park festivals.
This feels upside down. I’m a lesbian blogger and have no Pride friends?
I respect personal decisions, but this is a year to show up. Show up even just for an hour. Buy something, throw some coin in a basket. Our community might crumble. Showing up for Pride is not the same ask as door knocking or phone banking. Connect with people without saying a word. Remind yourself who we are. Send a message. Insert more little sayings. You get my point.
I decided to skip tabling this year. My energy is low. If I go to Pride, I want to just be one of the folx.
I wouldn’t actually mind going solo, but I have no vehicle. Gertie is still not running. Should I Uber? How long might I have to wait for a drive home?
Tomorrow, May 31 is Ross Township. I might Uber there.
Saturday, June 6 is New Castle Pride in Lawrence County.
Sunday June 7 is Pittsburgh and Connellsville. I can walk to Pittsburgh.
Saturday June 13 is tough – Indiana, Oil City, Mt. Lebo, Scottdale
Sunday, June 14 is Vandergrift and Freeport
Saturday June 20 is Millvale
Sunday June 28 is Forest Hills, Dormont, and Hazelwood
Monday June 29 is Aspinwall/Fox Chapel
Showing up in Lawrence, Fayette, Indiana, Venango, Westmoreland, Armstrong counties feels important.
What do you think?
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