49ers, Aiyuk must find a way to work things out

August 17, 2024

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press Matthew Judon wanted a new contract and ended up on a new team with a better chance of winning. Brandon Aiyuk isn’t in a similar situation. Aiyuk has been holding-in with the San Francisco 49ers, waiting for a lucrative deal or a trade. If the star wide receiver goes somewhere else — the Steelers appear to be the top option — his chances of winning a Super Bowl decrease. Judon, the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, was traded from New England to Atlanta on Wednesday. He went from a rebuilding team expected to finish last in the AFC East to ...

Cowboys trying to shake their image

August 10, 2024

Switching training camp sites from central Texas to the Pacific coast of California may not seem like an organizational move that would significantly impact a team’s chances of reaching the Super Bowl, but for the Dallas Cowboys, it is symbolic of a franchise that lost its edge long ago. The Cowboys won three Super Bowls while conducting training camp in Austin, Texas. Over the last 17 seasons, Dallas has trained in the comfortable ocean breezes of Oxnard, California and has yet to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs. The Dallas Super Bowl teams of the ’90s ...

NIL numbers adding up (too) quickly

August 3, 2024

By Bill Contz For the Mirror Having made a previous living knowing that the precise length of a holding penalty represents 45 precious feet of hard-to-occupy NFL turf, I tend to be a bit of a numbers geek. As such two recent, sit-up-and-take-notice NIL items had my full attention. Firstly, during Big Ten media days Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork revealed that “around $20 million” was allocated from collectives and brand affiliates to Buckeye football players in 2023. Quick math tells me that the 100 scholarship and non-scholarship gridders in Columbus each ...

Steelers’ schedule will require fast start

July 27, 2024

By Bill Contz For the Mirror War historians recognize the widespread devastation caused when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima that effectively ended the World War II. Pittsburgh fans may bear witness to similar carnage thanks to Roger Goodell and his schedule makers who have evidently piloted their own Enola Gay with the steel city dead in their sights when they unveiled the 2024 NFL schedule. The battle for bulging holiday television ratings and ultimate viewing supremacy will rage as the NFL faces competition from the NHL, the NBA, NCAA basketball and the expanded ...

Special coaches can make a difference

July 20, 2024

Baseball legend Jackie Robinson once said, “a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” When I heard about the recent passing of NBA star Bill Walton, that quote came to mind. Although a gifted athlete, Walton struggled with health issues. Yet, while doing so he remained an NBA standout. Despite facing 36 surgeries and chronic health challenges, Walton frequently asserted he was “the luckiest guy in the world.” So many athletes are recognized for their competitive achievements, but sometimes those we remember most do things that transcend ...

College sports not so travel friendly

July 13, 2024

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror The shifting landscape of college football is crimping the lifestyles of road-trippers. When Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, the forfeiture of independent status dramatically altered the football team’s road schedule. For Nittany Lion fans residing throughout Pennsylvania, an annual lineup of manageable excursions to the home venues of opponents such as Temple, Pitt, Maryland, West Virginia, Rutgers and Syracuse was replaced by lengthier trips to Midwest destinations. Three-plus decades later, the evolution of super-conferences is ...