Tim Benz Columns category, Page 109
Tim Benz: On Mike Tomlin, Steelers playoff droughts, NFL comps, history lessons
Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ track record since 1972, NFL fans in the city may have a slightly skewed vision of success versus failure. That’s my nice way of saying, “Yinz know, Stiller fans are spoiled, n’at, right?” Granted, if the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again in 2020, that’ll...
Tim Benz: If NFL players’ message about kneeling gets ‘hijacked,’ options exist
If athletes who kneel during the national anthem want their message against police brutality to be more firmly understood by a wider swath of America, they may want to try a different approach. Because the same script which led to a redirection of that message is playing out exactly as...
Tim Benz: Congrats, MLB! You’ve somehow made me enraged at my own apathy.
I’m angry about my lack of anger at Major League Baseball. Does that make any sense? On Monday night, I watched MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on ESPN. He was attempting to tap dance through an explanation over the game’s flailing attempt to reboot from the covid-19 shutdown. He did so...
Tim Benz: Saints open old wounds for Steelers fans
One of the most painful regular season losses in Steelers history was the team’s Week 16 defeat in New Orleans back in 2018. You remember. • The awful pass interference call against Joe Haden in the end zone. • The other awful pass interference call later in the game. •...
Tim Benz: Jake Guentzel, RMU announcement provide ‘pure sports’ jolt
Guess what I’m doing today. I’m going to a press conference! Woo-hoo! What do I wear? A coat and tie? A tux?! Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Tim, what’s the big deal? You do this for a living. How many thousands of press conferences have you gone to over...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger’s Twitter turn. D.C. for Antonio Brown?
Thursday’s “First Call” gives an update on Ben Roethlisberger’s notorious Twitter account, the latest on Antonio Brown’s job hunt, what might happen to the Steelers-Cowboys Hall of Fame Game, and someone steps into Sidney Crosby’s elite company. Welcome back? If Ben Roethlisberger’s offensive line blocked as well as his social...
Taking over a college hockey program during a pandemic … and other fun hobbies
It’s your first college head coaching job. It’s a small school. It’s Division III men’s hockey. You aren’t the biggest program in your own state, or your own city. The team is 14-58-6 in its first three seasons. And you’ve signed on during a pandemic. So, you’ve been on the...
Tim Benz: Steelers training camp at Heinz Field may not be as bad as some thought
When I first heard that the Pittsburgh Steelers are planning to hold training camp at Heinz Field, I had the same reaction many of you did. “Oh, this stinks for the Steelers! Let ’em practice on the South Side. The concerns over social distancing in the locker room are stupid....
Tim Benz: Praising Maurkice Pouncey’s balance, fairness and objectivity
Flame wars over coronavirus. Raging battles over how to maintain law and order while eradicating police brutality. The louder both sides of the political aisle scream at one another, the less I hear them. It’s just a cacophony. Their voices sound so similar. Yet, neither side is speaking a language...
Tim Benz: Steelers players miss the mark by blaming the media for Drew Brees controversy
A lot of blame can be thrown around for a lot of different issues these days. There’s no shortage of it. A heaping tablespoon can be served to media members (and outlets) regarding coverage and commentary surrounding the covid-19 pandemic and civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death...
Tim Benz: If Minkah Fitzpatrick starts moving around, which Steelers move with him?
Minkah Fitzpatrick has made his opinion known. The Steelers safety would like to move around on defense more often. At the Pro Bowl this year, Fitzpatrick said he may like to do something besides just play the deep middle or one half of the field. It’s Fitzpatrick’s belief that his...
Tim Benz: Sorry, Penguins fans. A 2020 NHL relaunch was never going to be perfect.
Let’s get this out of the way right now, Penguins fans. From everything we are hearing about the return-to-play format for the NHL, it does put the screws to your favorite team. It may result in the Pens being eliminated during a play-in round. This despite finishing the pre-pandemic regular...
Tim Benz: Gov. Wolf’s comments about sports fans were arrogant and inaccurate
While exploring the prospect of major sports events returning to Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf put his foot in his mouth. Even while wearing a facemask. Yup, for this guy, that’s possible. Apparently, Wolf isn’t satisfied telling Pittsburgh’s quarterback whether he can get his haircut. He’s also telling Pittsburgh fans whether...
Curtis Martin on Pitt Hall of Fame, advice for James Conner, beating Steelers in playoffs
Curtis Martin’s relationship with football has always been complicated. Especially since it seems like the sport chased him more than he pursued it. Martin’s mother, Rochella, essentially dragged her son onto the field to keep him occupied and out of trouble. So, for his senior year at Taylor Allderdice High...
Tim Benz: A link between the Rooney Rule and the NFL Draft is bad. What it says about the league is worse.
The NFL’s plan to expand the Rooney Rule is bad. The commentary the league is making about itself for even considering such a proposal is even worse. The NFL has only four minority head coaches (Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins; Anthony Lynn, Los Angeles Chargers; and Ron Rivera,...
Tim Benz: The ‘Dumb, Dumber, Dumberest’ of James Harrison’s envelope story
Back in a different lifetime — a fuzzy, faded memory known as 2014 — I used to host “The X Morning Show” on 105.9 The X. My cohost/producer, Bob McLaughlin, and I used to produce a weekly bit called “Dumb, Dumber, Dumberest.” It was essentially a collection of the dumbest...
Jackie Sherrill: ‘A lot of mistakes I’ve made in my life. Leaving Pitt was one of them.’
It’s been 39 years since Jackie Sherrill’s last game as head coach of the Pitt Panthers. After three straight 11-1 seasons, four bowl victories and a career record of 50-9-1, he now sounds like someone who wishes he had never left. “There’s a lot of mistakes I’ve made in my...
First Call: Ranking all 10 of Steelers first round picks of 2010s
NFL.com posted this ranking of the No. 1 overall picks in the draft from 2010-19. That’s what you do when you are in the midst of a coronavirus shutdown and you have no content to speak of. Hey, I’m not hatin’. I’m praising! Good job, Ali Bhanpuri. The check is...
Tim Benz: MLB owners are sneaky, but anti-cap paranoia makes players look worse
I’m not one who likes to compare big-time sports to everyday life. Matters of salaries and collective bargaining agreements and billions of dollars of revenue crop up quite a bit in professional athletics. When that happens, tune in to a sports talk radio show and invariably “Joe Working Class Hero”...
Tim Benz: Trying to answer ESPN’s impossible question about Barry Bonds and Pirates
Recently, ESPN.com put forth one overarching debate for every franchise in Major League Baseball. Not one they are currently facing. Rather on an “all-time” question for each club. Items such as: • Which member of the Red Sox belongs on the Boston sports Mount Rushmore: Ted Williams or David Ortiz?...
Former Duquesne and WPIAL Olympic hopeful now a front-line nurse battling covid-19
Softball and baseball aren’t on the list of athletic accomplishments for former Duquesne and WPIAL athlete Anna Simone. Track is. After a stellar stint with the Dukes track team, Simone made a push for the 2016 Olympics. She also played soccer and basketball at Mt. Lebanon. But in trying to...
Tim Benz: New people for an old idea. That could help Steelers figure out ILB void.
The line of inquiry for Steelers linebacker Devin Bush on Tuesday was not a surprise. Most of the questions had to do with how the defense will adjust to losing 750 snaps from fellow inside linebacker Mark Barron, who was released by the team as free agency hit. How the...
Tim Benz: Ideas for ESPN’s next docuseries after ‘The Last Dance.’ Cast your vote.
ESPN’s “The Last Dance” has been quite a hit. The 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Bulls of the 1990s is generating an incredible buzz. Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer joined me for our usual “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast, and we spun the conversation into...
Tim Benz: Steelers fans, did you like this year’s draft? Good. Because next year could get weird.
Here’s a odd thought for Steelers fans. Let’s say the franchise drafts Ben Roethlisberger’s successor at quarterback next year. Then all of Pittsburgh sits down to watch him suit up … … in his college bowl game. What?! Weird, right? But not entirely out of the question. Given the uncertainty...
How a Steelers rookie saved the life of someone he never even met
It was probably just a spam call. Christian Montano saw a New York area code on his phone that he didn’t recognize. Now a Steelers rookie free agent, Montano was in his apartment near Tulane’s campus when the phone rang. The offensive lineman was anticipating his grad transfer year with...
