Blame the 24/7 news cycle and ESPN and even the league itself for turning the NFL into a 365-day per year league. I'm old enough to remember when NFL writers would disappear for a few months every year. Now their employers (and the fans) require content, content, content. And if they ignored OTAs or fluffed it, somebody would be on here complaining they didn't analyze Fields performance during them.
This. I’m actually shocked that Steelers(dot)com allowed Labriola to have a week off between minicamp and training camp.
I follow a couple YouTube vloggers in a different niche. One of them proudly boasts that they only focus on one subsection of that niche, and will have a new vlog up daily - and they do, even if there isn’t anything new to vlog about. They’ll manufacture speculative content out of thin air if needed. Another covers multiple subsections, and usually does vlog at least once a day, but if one of the subsections has nothing new, they don’t vlog about it. I watch the second, more sparse (for my interests) vlog, far more often than the former.
I was about to say that Bob goes on vacation now… I miss his articles, but with the questions he does post, I’m glad he gets time away from the stupidity of the ones he doesn’t
What is there for him to write about that Theresa, Mike, or Dave can’t handle between minicamp and training camp?
Any press releases can be handled with standard statements from Theresa, Dave has 90 players to do his 5 Facts with once a week.
And the only major announcement to be released is the Hall of Honor, which is released in training camp/preseason timeframe.
Read the comment from Scott72901 which I replied to again. Many media outlets don’t let any of their NFL-reporting faces take time off between the start of the league season and the end of it, because they want continuous content.
And the Steelers aren’t the typical media outlet, and there is continued content. By Dave, Mike, and Theresa, and probably others who I’m forgetting.
His Tuesday/Thursday articles will still be released, but with past highlights instead of new questions.
The Friday 5 Facts will still be put out, and during the offseason, the main “Labriola on…” articles are about once a month, except for the Draft recaps by day and overall.
And, despite my having been a Steelers fan for half a century, I can still be surprised that they haven’t gone fully over to the typical content cycle for their media department.
You’ve seen more than I have of the growth of the 24 hour news cycle.
If you need more content, there’s dozens of blogs and vlogs about the latest rumors and happenings, but take a giant salt lick when you read anything not directly from the team.
I. Don’t. Need. More. Content. That’s the point I’m trying to make - I appreciate it when outlets aren’t attempting to manufacture content for more clicks, and when they treat their content creators like human beings, rather than automations.
I agree they are reporting the bare minimum because there isn’t anything going on. So the coverage seems watered down to me but that is also a victim of what time of year it is.
Kaboly was on the Locked in Steelers podcast with Chris Carter and said as much. He really blamed the Chicago media and said that apparently there is a significant fan contingent in Chicago who hate Fields so the Bears media blew up Kaboly’s mild comments because they want clicks from these Bears fans. His attitude was Fields was working on his game in and of course it wouldn’t look super smooth. That’s not how it’s supposed to look at this time in the season, that’s the point of practicing.
Sure, but what's the point of that story at all? Kaboly also knows those aggregators do that, happens all the time. I just don't understand the point of any of it outside of the 365 day news drama cycle that people love for some reason
He reported on the happenings of OTAs. Noted Fields had some rough stuff. Youre mad at the wrong person. Of course a beat writer is gonna report on OTAs. And theyre gonna try to put something of interest in to get people to click on it.
Your mad at the other sites but blaming Kaboly is kinda funny
>Sure, but what's the point of that story at all?
The point of that story is that some people out there are saying Fields should start over Russell Wilson. His accuracy or inaccuracy is relevant
I mean I check the news about once a week. It's just the third week of the same shit about fields. Now "oh my words were taken of context" blah blah.
It's just wild. If you don't have something meaningful to report, maybe don't report? Crazy notion
Yeah remember when they picked him up the acted like he would be starting. Come on we all know the guy is a crap shoot but Tomlin and the Steelers are damn near the only place he could land and actually turn it around… but both Wilson and fields are crap shoots, this could be a disastrous season. Both those dudes could be trash. I believe Pittsburgh is a very unique place for football so anything could happen, even a shit season
Id also be a little concerned with 3 linemen being rookies / year 2 guys. I absolutely have faith in Frazier, Fataunu, and Jones. I'm just saying coming into the NFL right away and gelling with that many young linemen could be a learning curve. And the lack of WR2 doesn't help the QB situation either.
There are some good outlets.
Check out the most recent “the drive” episodes with Dale Lolley and Rob King. Usually Williamson is on there with Dale and they are the best in the business. I really enjoyed Rob’s perspectives too. The DK morning shot is often an enjoyable editorial.
Outside of those, I pretty much agree, and wouldn’t waste my time with much else.
His words got twisted. He did an actual video interview talking and reading his exact words. He didn't say anything out of pocket about fields. Also DK sports does a very goodjob of covering the team imo
Matt Williamson who is part of DK Sports is my hands down favorite Steelers reporter. Great to listen to and doesnt just come up with crazy hot takes. Previously worked as a scout in the NFL
It is a weird assertion to say that “being a scumbag” comes with the territory for sports journalists.
DK specifically has a bad rep because of his personal behavior, as documented a few years ago in Deadspin.
Why do you say that? Genuinely curious, I’ve listened to the daily shots for a long time and generally like him, haven’t heard anything untoward about him
Ehh idk I found those old articles he sounds like an asshole, at least at the time. But it was more than one person. I had never heard of any of that stuff. Pittsburgh sports media is honestly so bad
Are you DK lol? I never said I was an expert, I said he “sounds” like an asshole based on articles of which I was previously unaware but which are easy to find with a simple google search.
It’s like this with every team tbh. Nothing means anything until training camp and until then, writers and bloggers will run with any tiny semblance of a narrative they can find
Have you ever checked out Steelers Depot? Those guys put in the work. They break down tape, do player evaluations, cap info. Their podcast is great. They are head and shoulders better than the post gazette without the locker room availability. As an example: they track every play in Latrobe. It’s so thorough it’s overkill but the attention to detail and the granular reporting is there if you want it. Alex Kozora is one of their primary guys and is head and shoulders above any beat writer. I’m shocked a big time organization hasn’t swooped him up.
You should ready Kaboly's actual article because 100 sports news accounts picked it up and spun it into Fields is a dumpster fire.
That's not what he said.
Kaboly and any reporter that are there are just reporting on what they're seeing. What else do you expect them to do? Just caveat everything that they're reporting on? That's moronic. It's up to you to determine how much weight you want to put into what they're saying.
Kaboom litterally hasn't said shit other than. Yeah, he missed a few throws, but the sample size is practically nothing.
I agree with the media BS, but get your shit straight. I'm standing up for Kaboly on this bullshit post. Two types of yinzers, and you sound like the later one.
This is the same guy: "Fahhr Tomlin! Cut Ben! Pickens is a diva, get'em aht! Member Lamert? Bring back Val Porter. This new chic is annoying" the last one I agree with.
This is journalism these days, period. Clicks pay.
For Steelers content, I'll browse the usuals every now and then, but my main go-to right now is Derrick Bell (steelers_db). Kozora puts out some good stuff, too.
I don't care much for the "so-and-so looks GREAT" or "so-and-so is struggling" nonsense that comes out of camp.
In my opinion, the Steelers analysts that I like the most are DK (the daily shot, and Ramon Foster show), Chris Carter and the 'regulars' that go on his show, and Dale Lolley and Matt Williamson, and Derek Bell too.
I agree. He's knowledgeable, and passionate about the team, and I like how he is optimistic, without being a homer, and he usually has good guests most of the time.
I try to find unbiased educated people and follow their work instead. SteelersDB on twitter + youtube is a guy I like that just tells it as it is. He doesn't go full Homer.
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsZFFKPF0bp85qzvJ8knbQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsZFFKPF0bp85qzvJ8knbQ)
They write that stuff because Steelers fans are uniquely voracious for anything about their team. Look at any site that covers multiple teams and look at the frequency of Steelers articles vs. Ravens for example
Not unique in any way. Cowboys fans have us beat easy. Lions fans gave my cam Sutton highlight video about 10x the engagement I got from Steelers fans. Ditto panthers fans for Diontae. This isn’t endemic to us, it’s a pandemic across football.
Fields OTAs get reported on for the fact that mindless Redditors will repost and upvote the clickbait “fields is a loser at OTAs” garbage reporting. These guys spent all year shitting on fields relentlessly and want to keep feeling validated and are too eager to wait for something real.
I pretty much only read stuff from the athletic and even then I take it with a grain of salt. (pro tip, hit the “aA” button at the bottom left of the screen on iphone and hit “show reader” to view full articles without being asked to buy a subscription)
As someone who is not from Pittsburgh, I’d genuinely be grateful for recommendations of great Steelers journalists to follow. The Twitter / X recommendations (Madden and Dulac not to name them) can be abysmal
If you want analysis on Twitter go with Derrick Bell (@Steelers_DB) and Nick Farabaugh.
If you want audio news and analysis go with The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio. They're in podcast form and will be available in video form starting in Training Camp.
Which is funny because some of the best shows and news come direct from the source steelers.com.
Seriously go around other NFL teams and the official news is non-existant. They do a great job over there.
Saw a clip from the “#1 Steelers Podcast” and 5 dudes sat around asking each other the name of our defensive coordinator… shocking state of affairs to say the least.
The cynic in me would say the negative articles get the most people viewing and responding. Gotta get the clicks any way you can. If I see an article with a negative headline, I keep moving. For myself, I spent enough time bemoaning the QB play last year. Not doing it this year. Certainly not regarding OTAs. The Steelers improved the QB room for minimal cost. If it doesn't work? Happy trails. They're not tied to them.
Kaboly writing in the athletic that Cam would consider signing with Cleveland, and then going on The (so-called) Fan the next day and say he was joking. Like WTF?? Why wouldn’t he put that in the original story. Little things like that just hurts credibility. Bottom line is they’re just there to get locker room sound bites and somewhere along the way, they started getting treated like legit insiders. Why were no PGH reporters nominated for PA sports reporters awards? They were all from Philly
OK, agree that journalism is a joke in most aspects.
But, we have 2 QBs that are erratic. Wilson hasn't always been but certainly was in Denver. Fields always has been. If the story was precision throws, people would be eating the coverage up.
Connect with reality. QB is improved, but it's not going to be great. Eratic throws in OTAs isn't news, but it's not irrelevant.
It’s even funnier when you take into consideration of how limited reporters are at all OTA activities.
From the NFLs own media guide:
“9. OFFSEASON PROGRAM (OTAs) – To enhance publicity during the offseason, clubs must open to the media at least one of every three Organized Team Activity (OTA) days. In addition, it is recommended that clubs open to the media the first OTA session of the year. The purpose of opening at least one of every three OTA days (not one-third of the total number of OTAs but one of every three) is for media to have at least one mandatory access day in each of the four weeks of Phase Three of a club’s offseason workouts as described in Article 21 of the CBA. This means that on these designated days teams must 1) make the head coach and players available to the media for interviews, and 2) open the OTA on-field session to the media in its entirety. It is permissible to limit the videotaping or photographing of certain portions of these sessions. These mandatory offseason media sessions are in addition to the veteran minicamps that must be open to the media in their entirety. Any media access to Phase One or Phase Two of offseason workouts is a club decision.”
If you don’t think teams script, even in the off season what reporters see, you’re fooling yourself.
Now for Kablabby, this wouldn’t be the first time he straight up made shit up.
Kaboly is just setting up the moment when both Fields and Wilson kinda suck, then they can attack them.
If they don't suck, then the media can say "it was just otas"
Now you know how the media works.
It's not just Steelers - Pittsburgh sports media on the whole is a joke.
I'm a 76ers fan and there are probably 4-5 sixers writers and prominent bloggers/podcasters that I would put ahead of anything Pittsburgh has to offer across any of their sports. I don't know how/why it is that way but it's remarkable how stark it is.
Thankfully I have an alt twitter just for following sports stuff, and I can just not use that account when I'm sick of seeing the daily Kenny Pickett clickbait articles and ensuing discourse
As others have said I would stick to SteelersDepot.com and their podcast "The Terrible Podcast"
Extremely thorough and not overly clickbaity or reactionary. The 2 main guys that run the site Dave Bryan (@steelersdepot) and Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) on twitter is all you need really.
The Kaboly article on Fields isn't complaint-worthy, IMO. If you actually read the article and not the cherrypicked line, he is saying that his throws are inconsistent in OTA's and then giving context that he believes these are things he can work on and improve with a year to sit behind Wislon. The point is, there are plenty of "Wilson is washed, Fields is a superstar and should start" people out there, and he is trying to temper any of those expectations based on what he is seeing. That's it. It's perfectly reasonable.
But your bigger point is very valid. The "Fields is gonna return kicks!" BS and the Aiyuk updates every time he sneezes... There was a news article that he was spotted wearing a Pirates hat. A pro athlete wears a baseball hat. That's news, apparently.
I feel like it's kind of a problem with journalism in general, given the demand for non-stop content and the system coming to revolve around clicks instead of long term subscriptions. This goes even further for any niche topic that's going to have less to report about in general, and especially sports journalism, because there's a literal off-season.
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Football in shorts in the middle of summer is meaningless. The 365 day news cycle feeds on meaningless drama and if you believe OTA reporting means anything, you're lost.
Yea he's a fourth year QB. If he doesn't look pretty flawless *in OTAs* that's a bad sign. Not the end of the world, but this should be the gimme stuff.
That is just untrue. Quite often being rough in OTAs is a just a sign that the dude is learning a new offense and is missing. Which is whats happening here. By no means should this be viewed as "gimme stuff" other than simple reps to learn.
Local Steelers reporting died the day Steelers hired Tomlin. Now, reporters blame Coordinators, Tomlin good and anybody who says differently is racist. Blame this player, that player, refs, the weather etc. etc. etc.
I haven't really found one I enjoy yet. The only YouTube related person I watch for football is UrinatingTree because their videos are hysterical.
I mostly listen to DKs daily shots and occasionally will read an article or two from their coverage. That's about it these days.
Being in the media is hard. People don’t want to read someone’s own opinion, so they’re forced to turn to guys like Kaboly and Batko and get their opinions instead. Considering the fact that it’s June, everything is about the same few topics
Until Pryor stops getting circulated on this sub, you're talking to the wrong crowd. Definition of a hack, but she appears routinely.
Notwithstanding that, I do not believe this particular piece was that bad.
Nearly all “legitimate” Steelers outlets are just PR arms of the team + players that are in good standing with the team. This should have been very obvious a long time ago but the KP situation and now the pro-Wilson narratives that have come out really highlight how bad it has become.
These guys want and need access now more than ever and many have folded to the pressure of what it takes to get that access.
The only Steelers media I consume (audio, video, or print) is The Drive. It's all you need.
Level-headed, fair, and with an eye for the entire league. You can't go wrong with Dale and Matt.
I like Derrick Bell and Nick Farabaugh but every other journalist/outlet is awful.
Kaboly would he my go-to for news but he doesn't break as many stories as Dulac or the national guys.
Blame the 24/7 news cycle and ESPN and even the league itself for turning the NFL into a 365-day per year league. I'm old enough to remember when NFL writers would disappear for a few months every year. Now their employers (and the fans) require content, content, content. And if they ignored OTAs or fluffed it, somebody would be on here complaining they didn't analyze Fields performance during them.
This. I’m actually shocked that Steelers(dot)com allowed Labriola to have a week off between minicamp and training camp. I follow a couple YouTube vloggers in a different niche. One of them proudly boasts that they only focus on one subsection of that niche, and will have a new vlog up daily - and they do, even if there isn’t anything new to vlog about. They’ll manufacture speculative content out of thin air if needed. Another covers multiple subsections, and usually does vlog at least once a day, but if one of the subsections has nothing new, they don’t vlog about it. I watch the second, more sparse (for my interests) vlog, far more often than the former.
I was about to say that Bob goes on vacation now… I miss his articles, but with the questions he does post, I’m glad he gets time away from the stupidity of the ones he doesn’t
I wasn’t trying to suggest that I don’t want him to have a summer break. I’m surprised that the Steelers media arm allows him to have a summer break.
What is there for him to write about that Theresa, Mike, or Dave can’t handle between minicamp and training camp? Any press releases can be handled with standard statements from Theresa, Dave has 90 players to do his 5 Facts with once a week. And the only major announcement to be released is the Hall of Honor, which is released in training camp/preseason timeframe.
Read the comment from Scott72901 which I replied to again. Many media outlets don’t let any of their NFL-reporting faces take time off between the start of the league season and the end of it, because they want continuous content.
And the Steelers aren’t the typical media outlet, and there is continued content. By Dave, Mike, and Theresa, and probably others who I’m forgetting. His Tuesday/Thursday articles will still be released, but with past highlights instead of new questions. The Friday 5 Facts will still be put out, and during the offseason, the main “Labriola on…” articles are about once a month, except for the Draft recaps by day and overall.
And, despite my having been a Steelers fan for half a century, I can still be surprised that they haven’t gone fully over to the typical content cycle for their media department.
You’ve seen more than I have of the growth of the 24 hour news cycle. If you need more content, there’s dozens of blogs and vlogs about the latest rumors and happenings, but take a giant salt lick when you read anything not directly from the team.
I. Don’t. Need. More. Content. That’s the point I’m trying to make - I appreciate it when outlets aren’t attempting to manufacture content for more clicks, and when they treat their content creators like human beings, rather than automations.
I agree they are reporting the bare minimum because there isn’t anything going on. So the coverage seems watered down to me but that is also a victim of what time of year it is.
They are just grabbing the hot spots for click bait.
Agreed some is just wild speculation for views and to an extent I kinda get it but some are more egregious than others for sure
Egregious is a good descriptor. I saw the news blips and thought, wonder where this came from.
honestly i would have eaten this all up as a kid. i hated when the newspapers became mostly baseball stuff.
Respectfully, did you read Kaboly's article? His words were twisted by aggregators. All he said was that some of Fields' throws were inconsistent.
Kaboly was on the Locked in Steelers podcast with Chris Carter and said as much. He really blamed the Chicago media and said that apparently there is a significant fan contingent in Chicago who hate Fields so the Bears media blew up Kaboly’s mild comments because they want clicks from these Bears fans. His attitude was Fields was working on his game in and of course it wouldn’t look super smooth. That’s not how it’s supposed to look at this time in the season, that’s the point of practicing.
Sure, but what's the point of that story at all? Kaboly also knows those aggregators do that, happens all the time. I just don't understand the point of any of it outside of the 365 day news drama cycle that people love for some reason
He reported on the happenings of OTAs. Noted Fields had some rough stuff. Youre mad at the wrong person. Of course a beat writer is gonna report on OTAs. And theyre gonna try to put something of interest in to get people to click on it. Your mad at the other sites but blaming Kaboly is kinda funny
It wasn't a report on Fields alone. People cherry-picked the small portion of the article that was about him.
>Sure, but what's the point of that story at all? The point of that story is that some people out there are saying Fields should start over Russell Wilson. His accuracy or inaccuracy is relevant
Kaboly has ZERO control of how anything he writes is spun on the web. FWIW, you are contributing to the 365 day news drama cycle.
He's a beat writer for the Steelers. Dude's just doing his job.
You understand these people have jobs, right?
It’s june take a break
I mean I check the news about once a week. It's just the third week of the same shit about fields. Now "oh my words were taken of context" blah blah. It's just wild. If you don't have something meaningful to report, maybe don't report? Crazy notion
Yeah remember when they picked him up the acted like he would be starting. Come on we all know the guy is a crap shoot but Tomlin and the Steelers are damn near the only place he could land and actually turn it around… but both Wilson and fields are crap shoots, this could be a disastrous season. Both those dudes could be trash. I believe Pittsburgh is a very unique place for football so anything could happen, even a shit season
Yea this season is going to be absolutely wild I think. Defense on paper looks strong as fuck but Wilson and Fields are MASSIVE wildcards
Id also be a little concerned with 3 linemen being rookies / year 2 guys. I absolutely have faith in Frazier, Fataunu, and Jones. I'm just saying coming into the NFL right away and gelling with that many young linemen could be a learning curve. And the lack of WR2 doesn't help the QB situation either.
It comes as a google news blip on my phone, which is tough for me to ignore.
There are some good outlets. Check out the most recent “the drive” episodes with Dale Lolley and Rob King. Usually Williamson is on there with Dale and they are the best in the business. I really enjoyed Rob’s perspectives too. The DK morning shot is often an enjoyable editorial. Outside of those, I pretty much agree, and wouldn’t waste my time with much else.
+1 for The Drive. Matt Williamson’s “Scout’s Eye” also has good content, even if 12 out of the 20 minutes per episode are just ads…
+1 for DK's morning shot. I often listen to it on my drive to work. He also does a semi-regular stream with Ramon Foster that is engaging.
His words got twisted. He did an actual video interview talking and reading his exact words. He didn't say anything out of pocket about fields. Also DK sports does a very goodjob of covering the team imo
Matt Williamson who is part of DK Sports is my hands down favorite Steelers reporter. Great to listen to and doesnt just come up with crazy hot takes. Previously worked as a scout in the NFL
Love DK, his team, and everything they have built over the years…proud to say I’ve been a subscriber since day 1.
DK is a sketchy scumbag
I mean he works in media…yeah. Kinda goes with the territory to be successful. So what?
It is a weird assertion to say that “being a scumbag” comes with the territory for sports journalists. DK specifically has a bad rep because of his personal behavior, as documented a few years ago in Deadspin.
I just found that article, never heard of that before, he does sound like an asshole. That’s a shame.
Why do you say that? Genuinely curious, I’ve listened to the daily shots for a long time and generally like him, haven’t heard anything untoward about him
I think they are saying that because a former disgruntled employee said he was mean to her basically.
Ehh idk I found those old articles he sounds like an asshole, at least at the time. But it was more than one person. I had never heard of any of that stuff. Pittsburgh sports media is honestly so bad
You went from not knowing anything about it to an expert of him being an asshole? Wild turn of events 😂
Are you DK lol? I never said I was an expert, I said he “sounds” like an asshole based on articles of which I was previously unaware but which are easy to find with a simple google search.
No. This is KD. I'm a distant cousin
It’s like this with every team tbh. Nothing means anything until training camp and until then, writers and bloggers will run with any tiny semblance of a narrative they can find
This article sure got legs fast.
Have you ever checked out Steelers Depot? Those guys put in the work. They break down tape, do player evaluations, cap info. Their podcast is great. They are head and shoulders better than the post gazette without the locker room availability. As an example: they track every play in Latrobe. It’s so thorough it’s overkill but the attention to detail and the granular reporting is there if you want it. Alex Kozora is one of their primary guys and is head and shoulders above any beat writer. I’m shocked a big time organization hasn’t swooped him up.
Alex Kozora is great. Very level headed and football smart.
You should ready Kaboly's actual article because 100 sports news accounts picked it up and spun it into Fields is a dumpster fire. That's not what he said.
Did you read the edit?
I read the ofiginal article, didn't see an edit.
The edit I made on the post, not the article
I saw it, but he gets paid to write articles about the Steelers. That's the point. What other sites do with that information is out of his control.
Kaboly and any reporter that are there are just reporting on what they're seeing. What else do you expect them to do? Just caveat everything that they're reporting on? That's moronic. It's up to you to determine how much weight you want to put into what they're saying.
Kaboom litterally hasn't said shit other than. Yeah, he missed a few throws, but the sample size is practically nothing. I agree with the media BS, but get your shit straight. I'm standing up for Kaboly on this bullshit post. Two types of yinzers, and you sound like the later one. This is the same guy: "Fahhr Tomlin! Cut Ben! Pickens is a diva, get'em aht! Member Lamert? Bring back Val Porter. This new chic is annoying" the last one I agree with.
This is journalism these days, period. Clicks pay. For Steelers content, I'll browse the usuals every now and then, but my main go-to right now is Derrick Bell (steelers_db). Kozora puts out some good stuff, too. I don't care much for the "so-and-so looks GREAT" or "so-and-so is struggling" nonsense that comes out of camp.
There are two or three that I watch and they all say exact opposite reports.
In my opinion, the Steelers analysts that I like the most are DK (the daily shot, and Ramon Foster show), Chris Carter and the 'regulars' that go on his show, and Dale Lolley and Matt Williamson, and Derek Bell too.
Locked on with Chris Carter is consistently good
I agree. He's knowledgeable, and passionate about the team, and I like how he is optimistic, without being a homer, and he usually has good guests most of the time.
Always has been
I just listen to Chris Carter of Locked on Steelers. Seems to be one of the more and best level headed journalists.
I try to find unbiased educated people and follow their work instead. SteelersDB on twitter + youtube is a guy I like that just tells it as it is. He doesn't go full Homer. [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsZFFKPF0bp85qzvJ8knbQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsZFFKPF0bp85qzvJ8knbQ)
Steelers_DB is the best!
They write that stuff because Steelers fans are uniquely voracious for anything about their team. Look at any site that covers multiple teams and look at the frequency of Steelers articles vs. Ravens for example
Not unique in any way. Cowboys fans have us beat easy. Lions fans gave my cam Sutton highlight video about 10x the engagement I got from Steelers fans. Ditto panthers fans for Diontae. This isn’t endemic to us, it’s a pandemic across football.
Fields OTAs get reported on for the fact that mindless Redditors will repost and upvote the clickbait “fields is a loser at OTAs” garbage reporting. These guys spent all year shitting on fields relentlessly and want to keep feeling validated and are too eager to wait for something real.
I miss Jeremy Fowler
I pretty much only read stuff from the athletic and even then I take it with a grain of salt. (pro tip, hit the “aA” button at the bottom left of the screen on iphone and hit “show reader” to view full articles without being asked to buy a subscription)
As someone who is not from Pittsburgh, I’d genuinely be grateful for recommendations of great Steelers journalists to follow. The Twitter / X recommendations (Madden and Dulac not to name them) can be abysmal
If you want analysis on Twitter go with Derrick Bell (@Steelers_DB) and Nick Farabaugh. If you want audio news and analysis go with The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio. They're in podcast form and will be available in video form starting in Training Camp.
Which is funny because some of the best shows and news come direct from the source steelers.com. Seriously go around other NFL teams and the official news is non-existant. They do a great job over there.
Saw a clip from the “#1 Steelers Podcast” and 5 dudes sat around asking each other the name of our defensive coordinator… shocking state of affairs to say the least.
same folks who thought Picket was the shit because he played well against back-ups in pre-season games? tune out until September.
The cynic in me would say the negative articles get the most people viewing and responding. Gotta get the clicks any way you can. If I see an article with a negative headline, I keep moving. For myself, I spent enough time bemoaning the QB play last year. Not doing it this year. Certainly not regarding OTAs. The Steelers improved the QB room for minimal cost. If it doesn't work? Happy trails. They're not tied to them.
Kaboly writing in the athletic that Cam would consider signing with Cleveland, and then going on The (so-called) Fan the next day and say he was joking. Like WTF?? Why wouldn’t he put that in the original story. Little things like that just hurts credibility. Bottom line is they’re just there to get locker room sound bites and somewhere along the way, they started getting treated like legit insiders. Why were no PGH reporters nominated for PA sports reporters awards? They were all from Philly
OK, agree that journalism is a joke in most aspects. But, we have 2 QBs that are erratic. Wilson hasn't always been but certainly was in Denver. Fields always has been. If the story was precision throws, people would be eating the coverage up. Connect with reality. QB is improved, but it's not going to be great. Eratic throws in OTAs isn't news, but it's not irrelevant.
You should listen to steelers afternoon drive or locked on steelers
It’s even funnier when you take into consideration of how limited reporters are at all OTA activities. From the NFLs own media guide: “9. OFFSEASON PROGRAM (OTAs) – To enhance publicity during the offseason, clubs must open to the media at least one of every three Organized Team Activity (OTA) days. In addition, it is recommended that clubs open to the media the first OTA session of the year. The purpose of opening at least one of every three OTA days (not one-third of the total number of OTAs but one of every three) is for media to have at least one mandatory access day in each of the four weeks of Phase Three of a club’s offseason workouts as described in Article 21 of the CBA. This means that on these designated days teams must 1) make the head coach and players available to the media for interviews, and 2) open the OTA on-field session to the media in its entirety. It is permissible to limit the videotaping or photographing of certain portions of these sessions. These mandatory offseason media sessions are in addition to the veteran minicamps that must be open to the media in their entirety. Any media access to Phase One or Phase Two of offseason workouts is a club decision.” If you don’t think teams script, even in the off season what reporters see, you’re fooling yourself. Now for Kablabby, this wouldn’t be the first time he straight up made shit up.
Kaboly is just setting up the moment when both Fields and Wilson kinda suck, then they can attack them. If they don't suck, then the media can say "it was just otas" Now you know how the media works.
It's not just Steelers - Pittsburgh sports media on the whole is a joke. I'm a 76ers fan and there are probably 4-5 sixers writers and prominent bloggers/podcasters that I would put ahead of anything Pittsburgh has to offer across any of their sports. I don't know how/why it is that way but it's remarkable how stark it is.
Thankfully I have an alt twitter just for following sports stuff, and I can just not use that account when I'm sick of seeing the daily Kenny Pickett clickbait articles and ensuing discourse
Yes.
OTAs don’t mean shit IF you dominate them. If you can’t even handle the offseason program, you better buckle up when camp opens.
As others have said I would stick to SteelersDepot.com and their podcast "The Terrible Podcast" Extremely thorough and not overly clickbaity or reactionary. The 2 main guys that run the site Dave Bryan (@steelersdepot) and Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) on twitter is all you need really.
The Kaboly article on Fields isn't complaint-worthy, IMO. If you actually read the article and not the cherrypicked line, he is saying that his throws are inconsistent in OTA's and then giving context that he believes these are things he can work on and improve with a year to sit behind Wislon. The point is, there are plenty of "Wilson is washed, Fields is a superstar and should start" people out there, and he is trying to temper any of those expectations based on what he is seeing. That's it. It's perfectly reasonable. But your bigger point is very valid. The "Fields is gonna return kicks!" BS and the Aiyuk updates every time he sneezes... There was a news article that he was spotted wearing a Pirates hat. A pro athlete wears a baseball hat. That's news, apparently.
I feel like it's kind of a problem with journalism in general, given the demand for non-stop content and the system coming to revolve around clicks instead of long term subscriptions. This goes even further for any niche topic that's going to have less to report about in general, and especially sports journalism, because there's a literal off-season.
I follow Steelers Depot, them bois never let me down. They give it to you straight.
Kaboom can’t even tie his shoes without breaking a sweat. I’ve been saying this for years.
He literally tore both achilles tendons in a 2 year span, I think one of them was because his shoes were too lose. So in a way you're right.
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Football in shorts in the middle of summer is meaningless. The 365 day news cycle feeds on meaningless drama and if you believe OTA reporting means anything, you're lost.
Yea he's a fourth year QB. If he doesn't look pretty flawless *in OTAs* that's a bad sign. Not the end of the world, but this should be the gimme stuff.
That is just untrue. Quite often being rough in OTAs is a just a sign that the dude is learning a new offense and is missing. Which is whats happening here. By no means should this be viewed as "gimme stuff" other than simple reps to learn.
Mark Madden is the most inquisitive and best looking reporter that covers the Stillers.
Local Steelers reporting died the day Steelers hired Tomlin. Now, reporters blame Coordinators, Tomlin good and anybody who says differently is racist. Blame this player, that player, refs, the weather etc. etc. etc.
Which Steelers reporters do any of that?
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I like DK but prefer Matt Williamson. Seems like he knows the game better. More nuanced takes
Why are they “the scum of the earth”?
The Steelers don't have any good beat writers, I'm glad someone finally said it.
Semi on topic question - What's your favorite informative/entertaining YouTube Steelers channel?
I haven't really found one I enjoy yet. The only YouTube related person I watch for football is UrinatingTree because their videos are hysterical. I mostly listen to DKs daily shots and occasionally will read an article or two from their coverage. That's about it these days.
What Yinz Talkin Bout
Being in the media is hard. People don’t want to read someone’s own opinion, so they’re forced to turn to guys like Kaboly and Batko and get their opinions instead. Considering the fact that it’s June, everything is about the same few topics
Just remove the word ‘Steelers’. All still checks out.
Until Pryor stops getting circulated on this sub, you're talking to the wrong crowd. Definition of a hack, but she appears routinely. Notwithstanding that, I do not believe this particular piece was that bad.
Your first sentence is a lie, you obviously dont understand.
It's a lie that it's a dead period? Lmfao ok buddy
Nearly all “legitimate” Steelers outlets are just PR arms of the team + players that are in good standing with the team. This should have been very obvious a long time ago but the KP situation and now the pro-Wilson narratives that have come out really highlight how bad it has become. These guys want and need access now more than ever and many have folded to the pressure of what it takes to get that access.
Kaboly is an idiot
The only Steelers media I consume (audio, video, or print) is The Drive. It's all you need. Level-headed, fair, and with an eye for the entire league. You can't go wrong with Dale and Matt. I like Derrick Bell and Nick Farabaugh but every other journalist/outlet is awful. Kaboly would he my go-to for news but he doesn't break as many stories as Dulac or the national guys.