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 Feb. 8.
LAST TIME STEELERS PLAYED IN IRELAND
With the announcement that the Steelers will host a game in Ireland in 2025 at Croke Park generating quite a bit of excitement Friday, the Steelers Ireland Twitter/X page flashed back to the last time there was an NFL game played on the Emerald Isle. That would be in July of 1997 in which the Steelers faced off against the Chicago Bears in the American Bowl at Croke Park.
On that July day at Croke Park, the Steelers rolled to a 30-17 win in the preseason matchup over the Bears as quarterback Kordell Stewart and running back Jerome Bettis led the Steelers to a win that day, which happened to be a homecoming for the Rooney family in the first game played in Ireland.
Ultimately, the Steelers went 11-5 that season and reached the AFC Championship Game, so hopefully another trip to Ireland can lead to a special season once again for the Black and Gold.
LONGTIME NFL PLAYER AND COACH DICK JAURON DEAD AT 74
The NFL world lost another big name ahead of Super Bowl LIX. Just one day after Chicago Bears’ principal owner Virginia Halas McCaskey died, former NFL player and longtime coach Dick Jauron died at 74, the Bears announced Saturday morning.
In a career that spanned eight seasons on the field with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, and a coaching career that covered another 32 seasons, Jauron spent a lifetime in the NFL. Following his stint in the league as a player, Jauron moved into the coaching ranks in 1985, starting out as a defensive backs coach with the Buffalo Bills, where he spent one season.
In 1986, Jauron joined the Green Bay Packers as a defensive backs coach and spent eight seasons there before departing after the 1994 season, leading to the defensive coordinator job with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. Jauron was the defensive coordinator for the Jaguars for four seasons before being hired as head coach of the Bears for the 1999 season.
He was later fired during the 2003 season, but did lead the Bears to the NFC Divisional Round in 2001. Following his tenure in Chicago, Jauron landed with the Lions in 2004 as defensive coordinator, and was promoted to interim head coach in 2005. Then, he went on to be the head coach of the Bills from 2006-09, before closing out his career as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2011 and 2012.
In his head coaching career, Jauron finished with a 60-82 record and one playoff berth over parts of 10 seasons as a head coach. In those 10 seasons, Jauron went 0-2 against the Steelers as a head coach, losing in 2005 as interim head coach with the Lions, and in 2007 while with the Bills.
FORMER STEELERS CB STEVEN NELSON ELEVATED FOR SUPER BOWL LIX
After coming out of retirement on December 9 to sign to the practice squad for the Kansas City Chiefs, former Pittsburgh Steelers’ cornerback Steven Nelson was elevated from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive Roster Saturday afternoon ahead of Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nelson was elevated along with linebacker Swayze Bozeman, putting him in line to play in the Super Bowl. Nelson was drafted by the Chiefs in 2015 as a third-round pick and spent four years there before signing with the Steelers as a free agent in 2019. Nelson then spent two seasons with the Steelers before being released in a cap savings, to which Nelson then criticized the Steelers and their way of doing business.
Nelson then bounced around with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Houston Texans after his time in Pittsburgh, and then retired in June of 2024, before then coming out of retirement to land with the Chiefs.
