A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys.
Your Depot After Dark for March 30
Louisville Coach Quotes Tomlin
Louisville’s men’s basketball program has fallen on some hard times over the last few years, and after the program let go of head coach Kenny Payne, they turned to former College of Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey to take over their program. Kelsey, who grew up in Bengals country in Cincinnati and played his college ball at the University of Wyoming and Xavier University, quoted Mike Tomlin in his first meeting with the team.
“Mike Tomlin for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he always says, the standard is the standard. That makes unbelievable sense to me. Because it’s a simple saying that says I will not bend.”
Kelsey has gotten a reputation as a great motivational speaker, and he had some success at Charleston. We’ll see if he’ll work out at Louisville, but he’s certainly not the high-profile hire that fans of the program wanted.
Rich Eisen Wants Steelers On Hard Knocks
While the Pittsburgh Steelers made sure they can’t get picked to be on Hard Knocks with their playoff win in 2023, Rich Eisen still wants to see the team on the HBO show that follows an NFL team during training camp. Surely, the Steelers aren’t going to volunteer to be on the show, so don’t expect to see them on it, but Eisen outlined his reasons for wanting to watch the Steelers work.
“I’d love to see the Steelers and Tomlin. I’d love to see Tomlin talk to players, my God. Trust me folks, you’d love to see it too. You’d love to see Tomlin talk behind the scenes and just be Tomlin behind the scenes. You would love it. You would run through a wall,” Eisen said. “I mean, Russ, Russ going to Primanti Brothers with his wife and his kids, Justin Fields trying to get the starting gig, I’d love to see it. Najee Harris, oh my god. George Pickens. T.J. Watt. Cam Heyward. Now Patrick Queen. Come on now. I’d love it,” Eisen said on his show in a video posted to YouTube today.
Sure, it would be entertaining for fans to watch the Steelers on Hard Knocks. It’s going to be quite the training camp, with Wilson and Fields in town and the Steelers working to snap their playoff win drought, as the team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. But it would also be a distraction, one that the team isn’t going to welcome. It would certainly be interesting, but it’s not going to happen. Eisen also named the Chiefs as a team he would want to see, but it would be pretty surprising if they volunteered, too.
UFL Debuts
The United Football League, a merger between the former XFL and USFL, played it’s inaugural games today, with the Birmingham Stallions beating the Arlington Renegades 27-14 in the first game of the new league. Former Steelers WR Deon Cain had three receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown for Birmingham in the win, who turned to former third-round NFL draft pick Matt Corral after starter Adrian Martinez struggled. In the second game, the Michigan Panthers beat the St. Louis Battlehawks 18-16 on Jake Bates’ 64-yard field goal.
Former Steelers RB Anthony McFarland Jr. will debut in the league tomorrow when the San Antonio Brahmas take on the D.C. Defenders.
