It has been a one-of-a-kind offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. Unable to attend most player pro days and participating in the NFL’s first virtual draft, the Steelers keep pushing forward toward a return to football activities. Just because the NFL has cancelled the 2020 Hall of Fame Game and cut the preseason to an undetermined amount of games doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!
Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at the 87 years since the establishment of professional football in Pittsburgh.
Let’s get to the news:
- Only four NFL teams can predate the Pittsburgh Steelers
When it all began for the Steelers
By: Teresa Varley, Steelers.com
July 8, 1933
Pittsburgh Steelers Founding Date
A legacy has to start somewhere, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers that legacy began on July 8, 1933, when the fifth-oldest franchise in the National Football League was founded.
Art Rooney Sr., known as ‘The Chief,’ to his players, coaches, staff and fans, was one of the great pioneers of the sports world and brought the NFL to his beloved Pittsburgh.
At the time the Steelers joined the Eastern Division and were one of only 10 teams in the NFL. Only five teams from that current group still remain, the Steelers, Chicago (Arizona) Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and New York Giants.
To read the full article, click HERE (Free)
- Big Ben just makes everything better for the Steelers
Steelers defense will benefit from Ben Roethlisberger’s return
By: Mark Madden, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Here’s a fun prop bet for Steelers fans: What number will be higher in 2020, Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown passes or how many takeaways the defense gets?
I’d bet Roethlisberger. Anybody want to book that action?
At 38 and after major surgery on his elbow, Roethlisberger is hardly a guaranteed All-Pro. But Roethlisberger does offer leadership. He will imbue his platoon with confidence. His weapons aren’t nuclear, but they are diverse and plentiful.
Roethlisberger has to excel, because that’s how the NFL is. (He will.)
That defense, meanwhile, is a house of cards.
At a glance, that statement might sound silly.
In 2019, the Steelers defense led the NFL with 54 sacks and 38 takeaways. It allowed 4.7 yards per offensive play, tied for the NFL’s best. It allowed 303 points, fifth-fewest in the league. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive end Cameron Heyward and outside linebacker T.J. Watt made first-team All-Pro. It was a dominant unit.
To read the full article, click HERE (Free)
- Zach Banner speaks up for all minorities
Steelers OT Zach Banner supports Jewish community in wake of DeSean Jackson controversy
By: Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Saying he had a sleepless “couple of hours” Wednesday morning, Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Zach Banner used his official Twitter account to post his reaction to the DeSean Jackson controversy.
In his post, Banner wrote that his intentions were not to “harp on” Jackson, who has come under fire for anti-Semitic comments he posted on social media, but to educate his followers on the mistake that the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver made.
“We can’t move forward while allowing ourselves to leave another minority race in the dark,” Banner wrote.
Banner tried to hold back his emotions in the 2-minute, 18-second video in which he talked about a “common misbelief among Black and brown people … that Jewish people are just like any other white race.
“You mix them up with the rest of the majority and you don’t understand they are a minority as well.”
Banner, who is of Chamorro and African-American descent, said several of his family members are Jewish.
Banner spoke about the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in October 2018 that resulted in 11 deaths as an example of the hatred the Jewish community endures. The shooting occurred in Banner’s first season with the Steelers.
To read the full article, click HERE (Free)
- BTSC articles you may have missed
Steelers who it might make sense to even consider a 10-year contract
With the unusual offseason, does Anthony Johnson have a chance to make the team?
Four Steelers who will outperform their 2020 contracts
Devin Bush could be the Steelers next dominant man in the middle
Should the NFL play any games in 2020?
- Social Media Madness
From big plays to big games, what's your favorite #Steelers memory? https://t.co/KFOj8Rnfs5 pic.twitter.com/qoqBee57Xe
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 8, 2020
Wishing a #HappyBirthday to Jack Lambert! pic.twitter.com/pvT2qqIpK6
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 8, 2020