A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete and dedicated article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys. The same as our recent Depot Daily, but now late at night to better capture the news of the day.
Your Depot After Dark for Nov. 7.
USFL-XFL Pending Announcement?
While details still aren’t finalized, one report from Howard Balzer offers insight into the XFL-USFL merger announced in September. Per Balzer, the league (which does not have an official name yet) will have 12 teams with several cuts coming from the XFL side.
He goes on to say a formal announcement could come before Thanksgiving. It’s unclear if the USFL Pittsburgh Maulers will be part of the merger. It’s been rumored they could end up in a different city under a new brand, though they never actually played in Pittsburgh. In 2023, they played in Ohio.
ESPN Playoff Odds
Per ESPN’s playoff predictor model, despite the Steelers’ 5-3 record, they still have better odds of sitting on the couch Wild Card weekend than playing in it. ESPN’s latest data gives the Steelers a 47.6 percent chance of making the playoffs, the lowest of any team in the division. Their odds of winning the North are just eight percent.
The good news is Pittsburgh’s 2-0 in the division and if the Steelers keep taking care of business, they’ll advance to the playoffs and prove these metrics wrong.
Last Packers Win In Pittsburgh
A flashback for you on this Tuesday. As dug up by our Dave Bryan, Green Bay is 0-5 in its last five trips to Pittsburgh. The Packers’ last victory came in 1970, the only time Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr ever squared off.
With a wind chill of seven degrees, Green Bay came out on top, 20-12, Starr hitting TE John Hilton for a 65-yard score in the fourth quarter. Starr threw two touchdowns on the day while Bradshaw, a rookie, struggled mightily. He completed only 3-of-20 passes and was intercepted four times.
Advanced Stats
How about some more stats for you this Tuesday? As Dave Bryan compiled earlier today, you can check out advanced metrics for the Steelers’ offense and defense nine weeks through the NFL season. EPA (expected points added) is considered one of the most key stats for an offense and defense. Pittsburgh’s offense is 26th in EPA but its defense is in the top 10.
Overall, the Steelers’ offensive stats put them in the bottom five in most categories while defensively, they’re average to above.
Bradshaw Sells House
Terry Bradshaw has sold his Texas ranch for $22.5 million, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 744-acre horse ranch is being re-branded for horse breeding and training. You can see a photo of the house in the Trib’s photo at the link here.
Bradshaw, 75, said he’s been patiently waiting for the chance to downsize. The house was the location of his reality show “The Bradshaw Bunch,” which aired from 2020-22.
Ex-Steelers Safety Tre Norwood Signs With Bills
Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Tre Norwood has a new home in the NFL. A few weeks after being cut by the San Francisco 49ers, Norwood signed to the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills Tuesday afternoon, returning to the AFC.
Norwood, a former seventh-round pick of the Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Buffalo, spent two seasons with Pittsburgh before being released at the end of training camp as the Steelers went in a different direction at the safety position. In his two seasons with the Steelers, Norwood played in 32 career games, starting six for the Black and Gold.
He recorded 61 tackles, four tackles for loss and one interception. Late in the 2022 season, Norwood was phased out of the Steelers’ defense as veteran safety Damontae Kazee got healthy and Norwood struggled to tackle. Then, he got hurt in training camp and didn’t perform all that well when he was healthy, leading to the Steelers moving on.
In late September, Norwood signed with the 49ers’ practice squad and spent nearly a month with the NFC powerhouse before being released on Oct. 24. Now, he’s in Western New York looking to catch on with a Bills’ defense that is struggling due to injuries at key positions.
