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A year after being the Buffalo Bills’ backup, the Pittsburgh Steelers have indicated that Mitch Trubisky will be their starting quarterback for Sunday’s opener at Cincinnati and named him as one of five captains. Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t announce his starter. But Trubisky is listed as the starter on the Steelers’ depth chart released Monday, with former University of Pittsburgh star Kenny Pickett as the backup and Mason Randolph third string.
Like in Gene Chizik’s first stint as defensive coordinator at North Carolina, his goal is to have his defenders stay in front of the opposing players and give up short gains as long as the number of big plays is limited. The cliché is “bend but not break.” But there was a lot of breakage in the Tar Heels’ 63–61 win Saturday at Appalachian State, particularly in the Mountaineers’ 40-point fourth quarter.
BOONE — In a small two-game sample size, Drake Maye has already shown the potential to become the best quarterback in North Carolina program history. And his defense still has work to do. Maye led UNC to a thrilling 63–61 win Saturday over Appalachian State at Kidd Brewer Stadium, ending a skid of seven consecutive losses away from Chapel Hill, in an instant classic.
NFL teams had to cut their rosters down to 53 players on Tuesday, which led to terrific news for outside linebacker Tomon Fox but a disappointing day for several other former UNC players. After 29 Tar Heels were in NFL camps when they started, that number of active players is down to 18, with three others on injured reserve.
The ESPN career of former UNC center Jeff Saturday has lasted nearly a decade and he has signed a contract extension.
What did UNC’s coaches say in a Monday press conference before the Tar Heels visit Appalachian State?
CHAPEL HILL — Jordan Reid has been living a dream since November when ESPN put him on the air as an NFL draft analyst. An N.C. Central quarterback from 2010–13 and a three-year starter, he spent his first five years after graduation as an assistant coach at his alma mater when the Eagles won three MEAC titles. But Reid realized something he “always wanted to do” was evaluating players and decided to “take a chance on myself.”
While Sam Howell, at least initially, isn’t likely to play a significant regular-season role for the Washington Commanders, he took advantage of a chance to show his talent in their final exhibition game. The rookie quarterback got every snap of Washington’s 17–15 road loss Saturday at Baltimore. Although he couldn’t lead the Commanders to a victory, he was impressive, going 24 of 35 for 280 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions and a 102.1 passer rating. He also had eight carries for 62 yards, including a 13-yard run.
CHAPEL HILL — Drake Maye quickly threw away any concerns about Carolina’s quarterback situation after Sam Howell’s departure, and the Tar Heels’ young running backs looked impressive. Still, other worries from last season popped up against a short-handed FCS team Saturday. While Maye looked poised and polished, his offensive line wasn’t much better than the one Howell played with at times. Although the defense made some big plays, it couldn’t contain the passing game of a Florida A&M team missing three starters and many top reserves much of the night.
Reports out of Florida A&M suggested that Carolina’s football opener scheduled for Saturday night was in jeopardy of being canceled or postponed but it appears that the team is traveling to North Carolina and will play.
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