Steelers Daily News & Links: Your daily stop for all of the news and links from the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL and around the Sports Now Group.
? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Steelers are eliminating the last of the stadium’s urinal troughs, those men’s room throwbacks that require a certain confidence and not much aim.
Sports and Exhibition Authority board members on Thursday approved the team’s plans to replace the urinal troughs in four men’s restrooms on the stadium’s upper level with 97 regular urinals with dividers.
The work represents the final phase of a movement to dispose of the troughs.
Last year, the Steelers spent $1.4 million to upgrade 12 restrooms at their North Shore home. Among them were four upper level men’s rooms — two on the east side and two on the west — where 95 urinals with dividers replaced troughs. They and eight women’s restrooms on the upper level also received a new floor coating as part of the spending.
This year, the team will spend $800,000 to remove the last of the troughs and install the 97 urinals. The restrooms are located on the upper north, west and east sides of the stadium. They also will receive new floor coating.
SSM Industries, Avalotis, and Mascaro Construction will complete the work. The Steelers hope to have the new urinals installed by early summer. They are paying for all of the work.
? T.J. and J.J. Watt were in the house to watch comedian Sebastian Maniscalco’s show in Las Vegas on Friday night.
Ross Dress for Less.
Irregular Aisle.@SebastianComedy @_TJWatt pic.twitter.com/J8YHsTd1Hk— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 10, 2024
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? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed that he voted for T.J. Watt to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Florio is on the Associated Press’ panel of 50 voters.
“Garrett was phenomenal but at the end of the day sacks are sacks and Watt had too many more to ignore,” Florio wrote.
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. received one first-place vote for NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. Florio had Porter third on his ballot. The award went to Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
“Someone made a strong case to me that Porter at least deserved a little recognition for his ability to play and to make an impact on a very good Pittsburgh defense as a rookie,” Florio wrote.
? Pro Football Talk: Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported recently that The NFL Today host James Brown has signed a new two-year extension. Presumably, he will continue to host the CBS Sunday pregame staple. The rest of the cast around the 72-year-old Brown remains to be seen. Via Marchand, all other full-time analysts have expiring contracts, including Nate Burleson, who could become the biggest media free agent in all of sports, given his role on CBS This Morning. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason, and Phil Simms also have deals that conclude on Sunday after Super Bowl LVIII.
? Nearly two decades later, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is still thinking about the Super Bowl XL loss to the Steelers. Alexander thinks it was a fluke that the Seahawks lost.
“If we had played the Steelers 100 times, we probably would’ve lost one,” Alexander said on KOA Sports Radio’s Big Al and JoJo podcast. “And that night, it was the one. We knew they wouldn’t be able to play with us if we did three things. Don’t turn the ball over, don’t have any offensive penalties, and don’t let them have any big plays. And if you go in reverse order, 50-yard reverse pass for a touchdown, 80-yard run in the beginning of the third quarter. We knew they wouldn’t be able to drive.”
? Happy Birthday to former Steelers offensive tackle Wayne Gandy, born on February 10, 1971 in Haines City, Florida. Gandy was a first-round selection out of Auburn by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1994 NFL Draft. After five seasons with the Rams, Gandy signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent and started 63 games at left tackle over four seasons. After his tenure with the Steelers, Gandy played three seasons in New Orleans and three in Atlanta before calling it a career. Gandy hosted a weekly TV show for CBS-Atlanta Sports’ SEC Show with Guy Rawlings from 2011–2012, and is currently a color analyst for ESPN TV (2013–present).
? Missi Matthews of Steelers.com caught up with Cam Heyward to reflect on winning the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
.@missi_matthews caught up with @CamHeyward to reflect on winning the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. pic.twitter.com/l51REo088b
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 9, 2024
NEWS FROM AROUND THE SPORTS NOW NETWORK
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Will Friday’s game against the Minnesota Wild be the last chance for the Pittsburgh Penguins to honor — and score on — Marc-Andre Fleury?
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: How has the Pittsburgh Pirates offseason compared to the rest of the NL Central?
Pittsburgh Sports Now: Pat Narduzzi broke down the late additions to the Pitt football recruiting class for 2024.
West Virginia Sports Now: It’s decision day for 2025 Florida CB Knahlij Harrell and West Virginia is in the mix.
Nittany Sports Now: Penn State basketball fought off Iowa for a big-time win at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Pittsburgh Soccer Now: Robert Morris women’s soccer has hired Michelle Rich as the club’s next head coach.
