Tim Benz Columns category, Page 111
Tim Benz: 4 reasons why an Antonio Brown-Tom Brady reunion in Tampa Bay won’t work
Once his signing becomes official, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady is heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Speculation is rampant that former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will be joining him. As @TomPelissero and I discussed on TV, the word among teams interested in Tom Brady were among the...
RMU coach Andy Toole reflects on his team’s NCAA games that never got to tip off
Usually the idea of missing out on a mid-week, mid-March night in Dayton, Ohio doesn’t sound like something that could plunge you into depression. Right now, Robert Morris basketball players may disagree. That’s where they should have been this week. Playing in an NCAA First Four game to kick off...
Tim Benz: Browns, Ravens improve as Steelers crawl to cap compliance
We’re used to seeing it. On Day 1 of the NFL’s 2020 free agency period, the rest of the league took a headfirst dive into the deep end of the pool. Meanwhile, the Steelers are simply in a doggy paddle toward cap compliance. That’s the case every year, right? But...
Tim Benz: Players, teams that could suffer most under coronavirus sports shutdown
The coronavirus sports shutdown may be worse than originally thought. On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control recommended “that for the next 8 weeks, organizers … cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.” That means sports. All of ‘em. The NCAA...
Tim Benz: Path to coronavirus sports cancellations confused, confounded and contradicted
I’m not a huge fan of “The Office.” It’s OK. Not great. The humor is forced. The characters became two-dimensional characterizations of themselves after the third season. And I found the plot lines repetitive. There. I said it. Unpopular TV hot take for you. But I ran through five episodes...
Tim Benz: Coronavirus reaction robs Ivy League players of joy Robert Morris experiences
It’s the one time when bad body language can look good. The piece of net around Josh Williams’ neck appeared to weigh 500 pounds. The Robert Morris guard slowly leaned forward to pick up the microphone to answer postgame questions after his team beat St. Francis (Pa.) 77-67 in the...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Team’s belief in James Conner bouncing back in 2020
The building of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers is about to begin. NFL free agency starts March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23. So we have been taking a look at some of the things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason. And if...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Shutting the door on an Antonio Brown reunion
Editor’s note: The building of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers is about to begin. NFL free agency starts March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23. So we have been taking a look at some of the things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Does the team really want to keep Bud Dupree?
It’s the third installment of our “Steelers Believe It or Not” series in preparation for NFL free agency starting March 18 and the NFL Draft opening April 23. We’re taking a look at some of the things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Team is ‘comfortable’ with its backup quarterbacks
Editor’s note: Pittsburgh Steelers fans are getting ready for the start of NFL free agency on March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23. So we are investigating a few things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason. And if we believe those things...
Steelers ‘Believe it or Not’: Ben Roethlisberger will be back as good as ever
The building of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers is about to begin. NFL free agency starts March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23. So let’s take a look at some of the things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason and if we believe...
Tim Benz: Ways to fix the Penguins and end their 6-game slide
Penguins fans certainly have spent a lot of time in recent days trying to figure out what’s wrong with their favorite hockey team. I know I have. I imagine those fans came to the same conclusion I did. Everything is wrong. Nothing is right. And that’s not an overreaction. Look...
Tim Benz: Fans should have seat at NFL’s collective bargaining table
When it comes to NFL coverage, I‘m usually one of the last guys to write a weepy column that sobs, “But what about the fans!?” Actually, make that the last guy. The absolute last person to do so. You’re a football fan. Not a child in an orphanage, an abandoned...
Tim Benz: How the Steelers should address the dirty little secret about their defense
The word “luck” wasn’t often used in connection to the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially relating to injuries. • The team lost the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart. • The starting running back sat out six games and parts of four others. • The starting tight end missed two...
Tim Benz: Championship coaches encourage Pitt’s Jeff Capel to stay the course
Can you blame him for being frustrated? Five straight losses. By blowouts. By nail biters. Down to 6-12 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Pitt basketball coach Jeff Capel was decidedly frustrated after his team’s 72-49 loss to Syracuse at home Wednesday night. “We have guys who are taking playing here...
Tim Benz: NFL is insane for reinstating Vontaze Burfict
The National Football League is welcoming back longtime Steelers nemesis Vontaze Burfict. The NFL deserves whatever comes next as a result of this decision. Unfortunately, whatever player Burfict attacks next does not. According to NFL.com, the former Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker quietly got reinstated by the NFL last...
Tim Benz: How Penguins fared on trade deadline day vs. Metro Division foes
Back on Feb. 10, when the Penguins acquired Jason Zucker from Minnesota, the question appeared to be: “Have the Penguins done enough to catch the Capitals atop the Metro Division?” That question is still very much up for debate. Now, on Feb. 25, another question needs to be asked: “Did...
Tim Benz: The NCAA rule book is dumb. And so were Pitt’s violations of it.Video
The NCAA rule book is far too dense. The application of those rules is woefully random. And its allocation of discipline when those rules are broken is horribly inconsistent. Technically, those are just my opinions. But I dare you to find me a fan of college athletics who doesn’t presume...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ honey-do lists should keep Kevin Colbert busy
ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell took on the heavy task of outlining the top five needs for every NFL team. Essentially, a team-by-team to-do list. It’s a good post. Some worthwhile suggestions. Especially for all the clubs in the AFC North. Definitely worth a read. We’ll take a look at his ideas...
Tim Benz: Max Talbot on nuances of being winger for Sidney Crosby vs. Evgeni Malkin
Maybe too much was made of it. But the quote did kinda just hang out there. After Jason Zucker’s first game with the Pittsburgh Penguins — a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last week — captain Sidney Crosby probably thought he was giving Zucker a compliment. “Regardless of...
Tim Benz: ESPN coverage of Myles Garrett vs. Mason Rudolph was a disgrace
The only thing more maddening than the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph situation has been ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” coverage of it. It was biased, agenda-driven and, at times, vengeful. Not just toward Rudolph. But toward the Steelers as well. On Thursday, ESPN released a condensed version of an interview between Mina...
Tim Benz: NFL must stop Myles Garrett from making racism claims against Mason Rudolph
After Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was reinstated by the NFL this week, he reiterated his claim that Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph called him a racial slur. And, Garrett said, that’s what touched off the helmet-swinging brawl which occurred between the teams last season. I am just as convinced...
Tim Benz: Sorting through Jason Zucker trade and his Penguins debut
For almost two days now, I’ve been trying to find my bottom-line stance on the Penguins’ decision to acquire Minnesota Wild winger Jason Zucker. And after seeing him in black and gold for about 62 minutes Tuesday night in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, I’m still...
Tim Benz: Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t need to move in Steelers defense. Stats, video tell the story.Video
Is Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick perpetually unhappy with his job description? Or does he have a point? When Fitzpatrick requested a trade from the Miami Dolphins early last season, apparently part of his reasoning for doing so was that he was switching positions too much for his liking within the...
Jason Zucker is coming to Pittsburgh. Was he worth the price? How will he fit?
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford got his man. The second time. Rutherford wanted to get Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker as part of the return for Phil Kessel last summer. But Kessel rejected that deal. No such problems this time. The left winger comes to Pittsburgh in exchange for a...
