Mark Madden stories, Page 30

The Steelers are 4-3 going on 6-3. If they don’t beat Chicago and Detroit to get to 6-3, this next question answers itself. The Bears and Lions both stink. But are the Steelers any good? You can answer that via a couple of other questions. One is, is the NFL...

When the Steelers visited Cleveland on Sunday, it was a battle of traditional rivals, mediocre teams and a whole lot of idiocy. The dumbness manifested itself at many levels: • Thirteen penalties in all, a few more that canceled each other out and a few more that went uncalled. (It...

Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield wants to be a warrior. If he could, he’d wear the shoulder harness that protects his injured shoulder outside his jersey. Create a “Spirit of ’76” vibe. Turn it into a commercial. Mayfield has a torn labrum and a fracture in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He...

When Mike Sullivan occasionally benched winger Kasperi Kapanen last season, I thought then that the Penguins coach overreacted. Just let Kapanen play. Now I don’t understand why Sullivan hasn’t yet benched Kapanen this season. Injuries leave little choice in that regard. But Kapanen’s career to date has been a bust,...

Mike Tomlin blew a gasket when he was asked about rumors linking him to the coaching positions at LSU and Southern Cal. Tomlin overdid it. It seemed he might start pounding the podium with his shoe. But the scene had value. It had a feel-good “Steelers for life” ring at...

Don’t watch the World Series. I won’t. Not one pitch. The presence of the Houston Astros guarantees that. There was a good chance I wouldn’t watch, anyway. MLB stinks for many reasons, not least that efficiency has quashed entertainment and robbed baseball of action and romance. But Houston cheated, most...

No matter how much Aaron Rodgers flirts with Pittsburgh on Pat McAfee’s satellite radio show, he won’t play for the Steelers next season. He’s a tease. If Rodgers leaves Green Bay, he will go to a team that’s poised to win a Super Bowl. The Steelers are not that team....

T. J. Watt got $80 million guaranteed when he signed his contract extension. He is the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. So far this season, despite injury, Watt has earned his keep. The Steelers have won three games. Watt won two of them: Week 1 vs. Buffalo and this past Sunday...

With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hurt, and with Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust each missing a game to date, two fears loomed large as the Penguins’ season began. Could they score? Would they dig themselves an early hole despite playing eight of their first 10 at home, putting themselves...

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is supposed to carry the team. So far, it’s not. It’s been crippled by injury. Stephon Tuitt hasn’t played a game. Tyson Alualu is out. Many are playing hurt, most notably T.J. Watt, the leader of the groin gang. But an elite defense manufactures results, not...

Ten thousand ticket-holders no-showed the Steelers’ second home game. The Penguins have 632 straight home sellouts but haven’t yet sold out Saturday’s home opener — which features Chicago and beloved ex-Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. PNC Park is empty because the Pirates don’t try to win. Pitt football and basketball don’t...

Jon Gruden referred to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell by a homophobic slur. Gruden decried the drafting of a homosexual player. Gruden mocked transgender personality Caitlyn Jenner. Because of all of that — and much more, as revealed in a series of emails between Gruden and Washington Football Team executive Bruce...

If the Penguins were 100% healthy all season, they would definitely make the playoffs for a 16th straight year. But, as the campaign opens, they’re not. Evgeni Malkin had knee surgery. He will miss two months, maybe three. Sidney Crosby had wrist surgery. He was supposed to be out of...

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ decline can’t be traced directly to their goaltending situation. But the timeline certainly parallels. The Penguins went from Marc-Andre Fleury, who lit up the dressing room, to Matt Murray, aka Eeyore with a blocker. Murray had to be nurtured constantly. They went from Murray to Tristan Jarry,...

Aaron Rodgers has been publicly flirting with the Steelers on Pat McAfee’s satellite radio program. (McAfee knows good shtick when he hears it. I do, too.) But there’s no chance Rodgers moves from Green Bay to Pittsburgh next offseason. Why would Rodgers want to play behind that offensive line? Why...

If you’re upset because the Pittsburgh Steelers are having a bad season, don’t be. No team is good indefinitely. The Steelers started 11-0 last year, then lost five of six and showed clear symptoms of disintegrating. So did quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Their already-bad offensive line further imploded via retirement and...

The Steelers flat-out stink. They may use their illusion next Sunday at Heinz Field by beating a Denver team that’s not near as good as its 3-1 record. But, after a Week 1 upset at Buffalo that now looks totally illogical, the Steelers have been mostly non-competitive in losses to...

Sunday night marks the Super Bowl in October. It will be disappointing, like many actual Super Bowls, but for different reasons. Tampa Bay’s visit to New England has little chance to be a good game. It’s billed as the showdown between the greatest quarterback ever and greatest coach ever. But...

As the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to open a new season, a lot of dominoes seem poised to fall, not all of them good. With Evgeni Malkin out for two months (probably three) and Sidney Crosby out for four games (probably eight to 10), the Penguins must avoid not burying themselves...

Yinzer Nation got chapped when ex-Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Mike Hilton danced, waved and took a theatrical bow to fans at Heinz Field (not including the 10,000 no-shows) when his current team, Cincinnati, was finishing an easy 24-10 victory this past Sunday. Locals also took offense when Bengals receiver Tyler...

Before the season, I wondered whether the Steelers would regret bringing back Ben Roethlisberger and whether Roethlisberger would regret returning. That time may have arrived. Roethlisberger’s stats are rotten. For every good pass, he makes two that are bad. Roethlisberger’s throws have zip and accuracy only sporadically. He’s pushing the...

Since he took over as Pittsburgh Penguins coach in 2015, Mike Sullivan’s system has emphasized speed and skill with zero compromise. It’s time for compromise. Plan B is needed. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hurt to start the season, it’s all but impossible for the Penguins to execute what...

The Penguins wrapped up prospects camp and moved on to training camp proper. Despite a paucity of young talent in the organization, there’s no truth to the rumor that the ice was empty at prospects camp. Had it been limited to legit prospects, however, the Penguins probably could have employed...

I hate the Manning brothers’ “Monday Night Football” simulcast on ESPN2. I can’t get through more than 90 seconds at a time. It’s football expertise presented as inaccessible insider gibberish by two guys who think they’re funny but decidedly aren’t. (Think Tony Romo minus the polish and understated wit but...

The Steelers should fire their groin coach. Inside linebacker Devin Bush and cornerback Joe Haden weren’t available for Sunday’s home loss to Las Vegas because of bad groins. Edge rusher T.J. Watt left before halftime with a groin problem. Nose tackle Tyson Alualu’s malaise is a bit more tangible: He...