Dale Lolley

The Steelers were supposed to have played their preseason opener last Thursday night in Canton, Ohio.

These are strange times in the world of sports. Heck, they are strange times in general, so sports are certainly no different.

NFL teams have until 4 p.m., Wednesday to work out extensions with their franchise-tagged players. If that doesn’t happen by that time, they cannot talk about a new contract until after the season ends.

Everyone is focusing on how strange it will be to not have fans in football stadiums this fall. The general feeling, thus far, has been that it will hurt defenses, who usually feed off the energy of the crowd, more than offenses.

John Harbaugh is right. The Baltimore Ravens head coach said during an interview with a Baltimore radio station that the NFL’s coronavirus protocol is “humanly impossible” to follow to a T.

We could see some type of minicamp for every team in the NFL by mid-June.

There is a small but very vocal segment of the media that seem to think the Steelers are doomed in 2020.

James Harrison just can’t stand not being in the news. At least that’s how it appears.

The Steelers’ newly released schedule is one of the easiest in the NFL, based on 2019 records.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision to move the goal posts on the area – which met his previously stated criteria for beginning to reopen – is going to have long-lasting effects on our economy, our lives and the lives of our children.

Over the years, the Steelers have made a habit of drafting young players with plenty of upside, banking on what those players might become down the road, over looking for players who were more finished products.

The Steelers have had a pick in the first round of the NFL Draft every year since 1967, a span of more than 50 years – or approximately the last time the Cleveland Browns were relevant.

It appears the NFL’s one-year experiment with having pass interference up for in-game review by the league office in New York has run its course.

With less than three weeks to go before the NFL holds its annual draft, there is a small but vocal group of reporters out there who are questioning why the league would move forward while the country is mostly shut down because of the COVID-19 virus.

INDIANAPOLIS – It appears that, sometime in the next couple of weeks, NFL players will approve a new CBA that will include a number of changes to how the league conducts its business.

Much of the talk about the CBA offered by NFL owners to its players was on the proposed 17-game schedule that was part of the deal.

MIAMI – Troy Polamalu is making his plans to go to Canton. Alan Faneca will have to wait another year.

Here’s hoping Antonio Brown gets the help he needs.

Art Rooney II said what should have been obvious to everyone when he spoke last week about the Steelers’ offense in 2019.

We will find out later this week – Wednesday morning, in fact – if the Steelers will have at least one or more members in the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

There was a lot to like about the Steelers’ 2019 season. There also were some things that weren’t so good.

The Steelers’ offense hasn’t been good. The amazing thing is that it took the rest of the NFL so long to figure that out.

Did the clock finally strike midnight for Devlin Hodges?

Not that it’s necessarily a surprise considering the run the Baltimore Ravens have been on, but the Steelers now know that their path through the playoffs will be on the road – if they make it that far.

When the Steelers started the season 0-3, and then 1-4, it looked like they were in for a long season.

Dale Lolley covers the Steelers for DKPittsburghSports.com and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.

How’s that Minkah Fitzpatrick trade looking now?

The Steelers didn’t get the help they needed last week. The Baltimore Ravens went to Seattle and went home with a victory to improve to 5-2 heading into their bye week.

Mike Tomlin wasted no time last week. He didn’t want there to be any questions about who the Steelers’ starting quarterback would be.

Steelers relying on James Conner would go a long way into helping Devlin Hodges, who is making his first career NFL start.

Heading into the season, the AFC North looked like it might be one of the stronger divisions in football. A month in, however, shows how quickly things can change.

Dale Lolley covers the Steelers for DKPittsburghSports.com and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.

Ben Roethlisberger has missed some time here and there, for a number of reasons, throughout his 16-year NFL career. Counting the first two games of his career – when he was the backup to Tommy Maddox – Roethlisberger has missed 27 starts.

There are a lot of people walking around the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

The NFL will kick off its 100th year Thursday night when the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears to open the 2019 season.

The Steelers held their final practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College Thursday afternoon and it raised a question.

It wasn’t quite Ryan Shazier’s debut – Shazier, after all, had an interception to go along with nine tackles in his first preseason game – but Devin Bush made a nice first impression in the Steelers’ 30-28 preseason opening win against Tampa Bay Friday night.

LATROBE — The Steelers are more than halfway through training camp at Saint Vincent College and there’s been little to no drama to report.

It’s been a quiet month for the Steelers. And that’s a good thing. In fact, for the Steelers, it’s been a very good thing.