Steelers Daily News & Links: Rooney Blasted, Arthur Smith Buzz

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.

🏈 Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks Art Rooney II needs to act accordingly to the poor results from the NFLPA survey. Rooney received an F and ranked 31st overall in ownership.

“It’s time for Art Rooney to look in the mirror and talk to players to figure out what he can do better. There’s a disconnect there. There’s something missing causing players to put that kind of a grade on ownership,” Florio said on 93.7 The Fan.

🏈 Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger congratulated Bill Hillgrove on a legendary career. Hillgrove announced his retirement on Thursday from the Steelers Radio Network after 30 years of calling games for the Black and Gold.

“Congratulations to Bill Hillgrove! You will certainly be missed. It was an honor to have you call my games. Enjoy your retirement!,” Roethlisberger said in a statement on X.

Mike Tomlin also congratulated Hillgrove on X.

“Congratulations on your retirement, Bill Hillgrove. You are a legend in Pittsburgh sports broadcasting, and a legend in life. It’s been a pleasure having you as part of the team all these years.”

🏈 Longtime NFL analyst Greg Cosell thinks new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is a good fit for what the Steelers want to do on offense

“He’s been a run-game guy. He’s been a base personnel guy who plays with multiple tight ends. This is what he’s done. So the question is, is that what he’s going to do in Pittsburgh? When he was in Tennessee, they had Derrick Henry, and so obviously, the run game was the foundation of the offense in Tennessee. So, again, that’s why the question is, is this what he believes in? Or was this just a function of personnel,” Cosell said on Steelers Nation Radio. “They obviously didn’t have a great wide receiver core in Atlanta and they had two good backs. I think it’s pretty evident that Mike Tomlin wants to play a certain kind of football, and he might see Arthur Smith as being part of that physical football, grind it out, run the ball, have that be a meaningful part of how you play.”

🏈 FedEx is ending their naming rights deal with the Washington Commanders two years early, per the Washington Post. The partnership lasted for 24 years. Arthur Smith’s dad, Fred, is the founder and owner of FedEx.

🏈 The Cleveland Browns are building a new weight room in response to the NFLPA survey. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the results of the NFLPA survey at the Combine, stating he’s always looking for feedback from players and “I’m happy to tell you guys, we’re building a new weight room.”

🏈 Art Rooney II said at his end-of-season presser earlier this month that the Steelers are not opposed to player feedback and are aware of the benchmarks around the country on what players need to be successful. It appears that he thinks the facility is in good standing compared to the rest of the league, however. Space is the biggest issue with the South Side facility, as there’s really no room to expand it.

“I haven’t met too many players that are architects yet,” Rooney said in regards to improvements to the practice facility. “We’re not opposed to player feedback…Look, we do look at what are the benchmarks around the country, what do players need to be successful these days. To be honest with you, we’re not as deep into the let’s say assessment of this facility as we are into the stadium. But that will come.”

🏈 ESPN ranked Ben Roethlisberger as a top College QB of the 2000’s. The highest rank of any MAC player.

ESPN ranked Ben Roethlisberger as a top College QB of the 2000's‼️

The highest rank of any MAC Player#RiseUpRedHawks | 🎓🏆 pic.twitter.com/SjEa4Vok7B

— Miami Football (@MiamiOHFootball) February 28, 2024

🎥 Steel City Star shared a throwback clip of former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis bowling in Campbell’s commercial. Bettis has actually bowled a 300 and was even inducted into the Celebrities Bowling Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jerome Bettis bowling in Campbell’s commercial

Bettis has actually bowled a 300 and was even inducted into the Celebrities Bowling Hall of Fame in 2006.

This makes him a “Pro Bowler” in more ways than one. https://t.co/PYgp3Zxowp pic.twitter.com/Ibokv8NcSu

— Steel City Star (@steelcitystar) February 28, 2024

NEWS FROM AROUND THE SPORTS NOW NETWORK

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Erik Karlsson scored in overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a huge win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a grand slam as the Pittsburgh Pirates clobbered the Atlanta Braves in Grapefruit League action.

Pittsburgh Sports Now: Pitt basketball lost a crucial game at Clemson, falling to the Tigers 69-62 and putting their NCAA Tournament hopes on thin ice.

West Virginia Sports Now: The once-promising WVU women’s basketball team has now lost three straight games.

Nittany Sports Now: A slow start doomed Penn State basketball in its loss at Iowa.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now: The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be on national TV four times in 2024.