Tim Benz Columns category, Page 103
Tim Benz: List of ‘Steelers fallacies’ growing, getting more difficult to believe
This is a very delicate time of year on the calendar for Steelers fans. We’re in that period where we are barely getting over the shock of the annual January indignity endured by the team. We are just far enough away from whatever hurt we suffered, seeing the franchise eliminated...
Tim Benz: Pirates not alone when it comes to creating lack of competition
Pirates fans, at least you aren’t alone when it comes to your team’s place within the ecosystem of baseball economics. Along with how your team is operating within that world. Meet the Colorado Rockies. They decided to pay the St. Louis Cardinals to accept All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado in...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ same old song about fixing the run game is going over like a ‘Led Zeppelin’
I wonder if Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger likes Led Zeppelin. What about offensive coordinator Matt Canada? If they do, then they may know that Led Zeppelin’s epic hit “Stairway to Heaven” turned 50 years old last week. Note, I said “Stairway to Heaven.” Not “Stairway to Seven.” No, that mothballed...
Tim Benz: Thumbs down to a new NFL overtime idea (and not just because the Ravens thought of it)
Steelers fans are predisposed to dislike anything the Baltimore Ravens want to do. In the case of Baltimore’s new overtime proposal, though, our inherent anti-Ravens bias doesn’t even have to come into play. It’s a useless plan, and the NFL shouldn’t bother looking at it. Yet the idea is gaining...
Tim Benz: Ben Roethlisberger’s new contract may not be the big picture fix some are anticipating
Let’s get the working of mechanics ironed out as we talk about Ben Roethlisberger’s new Pittsburgh Steelers contract. Then we’ll get to what all of this means. Because the words we use — and how we chose them — to describe Big Ben’s big decision are important to properly frame...
30th anniversary of Penguins-Whalers trade: Families happy to remember Zarley Zalapski, Jeff Parker
During the first two chapters of our 30th anniversary retrospective of “The Trade” involving the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers, we’ve tried to talk to as many of the players involved as possible. Unfortunately, some can no longer speak for themselves because they passed away at far too early of...
30th anniversary of Penguins-Whalers trade: Why would Hartford ever give away Ron Francis?
As a Pittsburgh sports fan growing up in Connecticut, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the Penguins trade with the Hartford Whalers in March of 1991. I knew the players that the Penguins were getting were good and filled a need in Pittsburgh. But, man, John Cullen was fifth...
30 years after Penguins-Whalers trade: John Cullen, Grant Jennings on trading places, awkward meetings, rental evictions
Thursday night, at 9:15 p.m., Penguins fans will probably be gritting their teeth through the latter stages of yet another excruciatingly close Eastern Division game against the Flyers. They should take a moment. Pause the game on the DVR, and look out toward Hartford, Connecticut. Then, with a raised glass,...
Tim Benz: What does all the Ben Roethlisberger talk mean for Mason Rudolph?
We’re talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers. We’re talking about future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. We’re talking about a $41 million cap hit. So it’s no wonder the dialogue about Roethlisberger’s future in Pittsburgh has soaked up so much attention. There’s not much more to boil down beyond that...
‘Chace’ing a comeback: From near amputation to NCAA hockey. The remarkable return of RMU’s Chace Sperling.
She doesn’t remember much about the 11-day stint at the hospital. It’s all a blur between the four surgeries, 38 stitches, pain medication, monotony and limited visits thanks to the pandemic. Robert Morris University hockey player Chace Sperling does remember one thing, though. That 20 minutes of agony flat on...
Tim Benz: Will America ever allow itself to have another ‘Miracle’?
On Feb. 22, 2022, I’m going to start a new sports tradition at my house. On 2/22/22, I’m going to play the movie “Miracle” on a loop. Kinda like “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Day. Corny as it may sound, I try to watch that movie on the anniversary of...
Tim Benz: Steelers projected to trade up for QB Mac Jones. The prediction is meaningless. The conversation isn’t.
This week’s CBSSports.com mock draft has the Steelers making a big trade up the board to nab Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. Why not, right? He piloted the Alabama Crimson Tide to the 2020 College Football Playoff championship. And if Ben Roethlisberger is cut, the Steelers will be looking for their...
Tim Benz: Looking for a perfect end to Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers career? Too late.
If we want to be honest, Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers career effectively ended as the opening snap of this year’s wild-card game sailed over his head. All the discussion since then has essentially been nothing more than figuring out how both sides can best accept that reality. Frankly, it’s already become...
Tim Benz: If Ben Roethlisberger splits from the Steelers, where might he play if he doesn’t retire?
If the Pittsburgh Steelers eventually decide to release Ben Roethlisberger, the question remains if he would want to continue his career in a new city or retire. Should such a scenario develop, the most likely destination appeared to be the Indianapolis Colts. But then the Colts decided to make a...
What numbers say about how much help Penguins’ goalies are (or aren’t) getting
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is a big hockey fan. A regular at Penguins games. He’s into Robert Morris’ program at the college level, too. Colbert said something Wednesday about his own team that I think translates quite nicely into a discussion about the Penguins. He answered a question about...
Tim Benz: What a free agent contract for JuJu Smith-Schuster may look like and why the projections make sense
If the Steelers were to prioritize signing receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, what would that contract look like? And what other teams might set the market? As mentioned in a recent edition of “First Call,” NFL insider John Clayton speculated on 93.7 The Fan that the Las Vegas Raiders would be a...
Tim Benz: Maurkice Pouncey’s retirement frames an unfortunate reality for some Steelers stars
The retirement of center Maurkice Pouncey raises an unfortunate reality for this current era of Steelers. We are witnessing a batch of truly accomplished players who may never get to play in a Super Bowl. And that may dilute their position in the pantheon of Steelers legends. Pouncey was on...
Tim Benz: 4 questions to answer before you buy that Steelers J.J. Watt jersey
Now that three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt has been released by the Houston Texans, that news has opened the spigot for speculation that he may join the Steelers to play with his brothers, T.J. and Derek. While such a move would do wonders for social media...
Tim Benz: Fun subplot to trade rumor of Marc-Andre Fleury coming back to the Penguins
When I heard the report that the Pittsburgh Penguins tried to reacquire former goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (twice) from the Vegas Golden Knights in recent months, a lot ran through my head. Via Vegas Hockey Now, TSN’s Bob McKenzie said on NBCSN Wednesday that “the Penguins have tried ‘very hard’ since...
Tim Benz: If Pens fans are skeptical of Hextall-Burke duo, praise from Philadelphia may help
Some Penguins fans may be a bit slow to fully embrace Ron Hextall as the team’s new general manager because of his history with the Philadelphia Flyers. Or, perhaps better phrased, quicker to turn on him if he’s not an instant success. That said, some of the loudest approvals of...
Alan Faneca’s Hall of Fame-worthy account of his signature Steelers moment
As is the case with many Pro Football Hall of Famers, most of the Steelers in Canton, Ohio, delivered a “Hall of Fame moment.” That one iconic piece of video. That one unforgettable highlight which captures the player’s essence. Usually on a big stage like the playoffs or the Super...
Tim Benz: Steelers can learn a lot from Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win … beyond just signing Tom Brady
What a world it is, Steelers fans. In our current reality, Tom Brady has been to four Super Bowls since Ben Roethlisberger has won his last playoff game. The Steelers have longer odds at the Super Bowl than the Cleveland Browns or Miami Dolphins. And their “retired” former offensive coordinator...
Tim Benz: ESPN is already hyping the 2021 season … and overhyping the Steelers
Leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, ESPN.com put together some projections for the Steelers and the rest of the league’s 31 other franchises in advance of 2021 season. Hey, no time like the present to start hyping the future, right? They placed every team into one of six boxes based...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are pushing back against media criticism, whether they are right or not
Steelers fans have had enough! It is time to fight for the flag! Or, in this case, the Terrible Towel. I suppose a month of ridiculing the Black and Gold during this winter of discontent has reached its saturation point. We’ve gotten far enough away from the team’s last loss...
Chuck Cooper III ‘pinching himself’ as Duquesne is poised to open new arena named after his father
It seems as if everyone associated with Duquesne Athletics has something they love about the reconstructed building around the bones of the 33-year-old Palumbo Center. During a tour of the facility on Monday, athletic director Dave Harper beamed as he showed off the design of the interior and looked out...
