Today is the fourth and final matchup of the first round of Take Madness, The Pitt News Sports Desk’s take on March Madness.
Today’s division is the Newbies division, consisting of new writers from this semester, “looking for a shot to prove themselves on the desk,” according to our bracket preview. Topics in today’s edition include the Pittsburgh Steelers and their situation at quarterback, love for baseball and March Madness.
Readers can vote for their favorite take @PittNewsSports on Instagram, where a poll will be posted for 24 hours. The writer with the most votes will move on to the next round. As there are five writers in this division, two writers will face off in a play-in. Therefore, there will be two days of polls posted for the Sleepers division.
Newbies Region: Isla Abrams vs. Jordan Wilson
Why Will Howard is the right option for the Steelers // Isla Abrams, Staff Writer
Steelers fans might be overlooking the most obvious option at quarterback — Will Howard.
The reality is that this decision comes down to whom the Steelers trust most with their offense. Under Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh was never a team to ask its quarterback to do everything. Instead, the formula has always been to protect the football, stay on schedule and let the defense take care of the rest. The fastest way to lose the starting job isn’t a lack of talent — it’s turning the ball over. That is where Will Howard separates himself.
Howard’s game isn’t built on forcing throws or trying to play hero. He’s comfortable taking what’s there, keeping the offense moving and avoiding the kind of mistakes that swing games. Although not obvious to some, this is an ability the Steelers value.
Not only does he bring his own skill set, but he also spent time learning from Aaron Rodgers, one of the most efficient and controlled quarterbacks of his time. In a system that thrives off control over chaos, a quarterback who plays within structure becomes a lot more valuable than one who plays outside of it.
That’s also where new head coach Mike McCarthy becomes interesting. McCarthy spent years coaching Rodgers in Green Bay, building an offense around efficiency, timing and decision-making. If that same philosophy carries over, it only strengthens Howard’s case. He doesn’t need to reinvent the position — he just needs to operate within it. And that’s exactly the kind of quarterback McCarthy has succeeded with before.
Howard also brings something that matters a lot more in the AFC North than people realize — size. Standing 6-foot-4 and around 240 pounds, Howard is built for Pittsburgh football. He’s of a similar build to the Steelers Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.
This is a division where games are physical, the weather can be brutal and quarterbacks are expected to take tough hits and keep going. Howard’s frame gives him an edge, allowing him time in the pocket and the ability to absorb hits while still making plays. He may not be a flashy player, but neither is February in Pittsburgh.
Hockey-style fights should be allowed in all four major North American sports // Jordan Wilson, Staff Writer
With the explosion of the 4 Nations Face Off in 2025, many casual sports fans were introduced to hockey on a more intense level. The biggest moment of that tournament was the round-robin game between the U.S. and Canada, which featured three fistfights to open the game. The crowd exploded, and the players showed emotion and pride. It was the top headline in sports until the end of the tournament. That being said, imagine a world where these fights were as coordinated and legal in all four major North American sports.
There would be some logistical issues at first. In baseball, you would just have to sit out for two innings. The batter must place his helmet on the dirt and the pitcher must agree to his challenge for it to be a legal fight. These types of fights have happened in baseball, with no organization. Typically, both teams’ benches clear, but not in this type of fight — it’s a one-on-one.
Football is already such a violent sport that the implementation of legal fighting should not be a problem. The players here would have to both agree to fight and take off their helmets. Shoulder pads would remain on but could be removed in the action of fighting. Both players have to sit for one quarter of play as a penalty.
Basketball would be the hardest implementation of this rule. There might have to be boxing gloves allotted to each team to fight. The players would meet at the logo at half court and have a mini boxing match in the middle of the game. Each player will receive a technical foul for fighting and have to sit for five minutes, just like hockey.
As ridiculous as this sounds, I truly believe it can add excitement to all these games, enhancing the fan experience.
Newbies Region Play In: Gaby Malanga versus Elizabeth Hoegel
Putting the Madness in March Madness // Gaby Malanga, Staff Writer
In recent years, March Madness has lived up to its name, with an emphasis on madness through the possibility of upsets. Each year, when March comes around, the hype of building a bracket and rooting for a Cinderella story is a tradition everybody loves.
The madness begins the moment brackets are revealed. The talk of fan-favorite teams going against the underdog school that no one has heard of is always exciting to watch unfold. But seeing the top seed lose to the bottom seed is not even surprising anymore because of the history of this tournament. We all remember when, in 2022, Saint Peter’s, the 15th seed in the bracket, made it to the Elite Eight after beating the number two seed, Kentucky, in the very first round. In recent years, upsets are expected rather than surprising. We went decades without a single 16-seeded team winning a game, and it’s happened twice in the last eight years. This year already, No. 12 High Point knocked off No. 5 Wisconsin and No.9 Iowa defeated reigning champion No. 1 Florida.
The unpredictability of March Madness is what keeps the fans coming back every year. The best team in college basketball can easily be beaten by a lower seed during the first round, and all their efforts during the regular season ultimately mean nothing because they fell short.
Everyone becomes invested in the tournament, whether it’s because their friend group made a bracket for fun or because they are hardcore college basketball fans or even if they are a student cheering on their college as they compete. The madness brews among the students, which creates competitive animosity between colleges, which ultimately spreads around.
With about two more weeks of tournament play left, there is still plenty of time for chaos to ensue. There is so much more game to be played, athletes to cheer on, schools to root for and especially brackets to lose. The madness is far from over, but that’s what keeps this time of year so entertaining.
Stop blaming Tomlin: Tomlin wasn’t the Steelers problem // Elizabeth Hoegel, Staff Writer
Mike Tomlin was the Pittsburgh Steelers coach for the entirety of my life. Raised a die-hard Steelers fan, I couldn’t imagine the team without him. But after a few weeks of getting over the initial shock of Tomlin and the Steelers parting ways after 19 seasons and another disappointing first-round playoff exit, I can now confidently say Mike Tomlin was most definitely not the root of the Steelers’ issues.
It’s easy to blame a head coach for an NFL team’s demise. A great head coach can make or break a team. And while under Tomlin, the Steelers were far from winning a 7th ring, he is still a future Hall of Fame coach.
Though some argue Tomlin’s Steelers settled for mediocrity year after year, I would like to argue that 19 seasons of a non-losing record is far from mediocre — it’s impressive and unheard of in modern-day NFL teams. And though a playoff deep run would have made this feat more impressive, at the end of the day, Tomlin never had a season under .500, and true Pittsburgh fans know that the team exceeded analysts’ expectations every year.
You can’t reward a head coach with all the glory for a good team. Tomlin had it easy during the Killer B’s era of the early 2010s. Still, Tomlin showed his elite coaching skills after the Ben Roethlisberger era, where the Steelers had a series of lackluster quarterbacks — like Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, or 2017 draft bust Mitch Trubisky — and was still able to produce winning seasons. A coach that can take mediocrity to greatness is a coach you don’t want to let go.
And without Tomlin, would we have some of the most quotable “Tomlin-nisms”? Tomlin ran a disciplined group of men. “We do not care,” and this cannot be any truer. Tomlin did what was best for his team and did not accept or let the media’s constant criticism of his coaching methods rattle him. Tomlin ran a tight ship and did not hesitate at all to drop players based on their behavior.
Though controversial at the time, Tomlin could sense problematic players and dealt with them, like Antonio Brown’s trade to the Raiders in 2019 and George Pickens trade to the Cowboys in 2025. While most teams would tolerate a star player if they were acting difficult off the field, Tomlin would not stand for it, making him not only a great coach in the game but an outstanding coach off the field for his players as well.
Tomlin was truly a staple for the Pittsburgh Steelers, undeniably. Though I am excited to see this new Mike McCarthy-era take flight in the upcoming season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will never look the same without Tomlin on the sidelines.
Newbies Region: Winner of Gaby versus Elizabeth, versus Zach Scabilloni
You Can’t Beat a Day at the Ballpark // Zach Scabilloni, Staff Writer
After months of cold weather and gray skies, nothing beats that first warm day back at the ballpark. Maybe it’s because I grew up 10 or so miles south of the best ballpark in the MLB, PNC Park, but there is just something special about watching a ballgame in person.
People go to baseball games for all kinds of reasons. Some genuinely love the game. Others find it boring. But anyone who’s experienced a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning knows nothing is boring about baseball.
One swing can end the game. Some people may not even be watching, but they hear that crack of the bat followed by an instant roar — if it’s the home team — or such dead silence that you could hear a pin drop — if it’s the away team.
Maybe it’s dollar dog night, a free shirt, fireworks, the atmosphere or just a reason to get out. Maybe you were dragged there, or maybe it’s a first date. No matter the reason, baseball can be enjoyed in so many ways.
At its best, whether it’s a pitcher’s duel or a high-scoring slugfest, baseball is more than a game — it’s an experience that anyone can appreciate. It’s the atmosphere, the moments and the feeling of being there that make it special. You simply cannot beat a day at the ballpark.