Tim Benz Columns category, Page 83
Tim Benz: Penguins put early season advantages on display in season opener
If this version of the Pittsburgh Penguins wants to be what it thinks it can be, then it needs to do a lot more of what it did in Thursday night’s 2022-23 regular-season opener. Wait. Save it. I’ll fill in your response here. “Oh really, Tim? You mean, beat a...
30 years after Sid Bream’s slide, the Pirates still can’t escape the fallout
More than anything, John Wehner remembers a sound in the locker room. The Pittsburgh-born Pirates infielder was part of the team that lost Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series, 3-2. “It’s dead silent except for the clubhouse guys. Out of breath. Heavy breathing,” Wehner said. The clubhouse...
First Call: Bucs coach praises Steelers QB Kenny Pickett; Matt Murray’s first start for Toronto; rare storyline for Bills vs. Chiefs
Despite a lousy result in his first start, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett apparently put enough good things on tape to open the eyes of this week’s opposing head coach. We are going to see a first when the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs square off Sunday afternoon. A...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans in a snit over roster construction, T.J. Watt’s injuries, stadium name change
When on-field issues with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates become so overwhelming that no fix appears likely, fans tend to opine about less tangible problems. Like, for instance: stadium names, the media, former employees and 30-year-old plays from history. That’s what I discovered in this week’s “U mad, bro?” David...
Before Sid slid: All the ‘freaky things’ that happened in the 9th inning before Sid Bream’s infamous slide in 1992
With the anniversary of Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series fast approaching, I reached out to former Pirates manager Jim Leyland. Not long after I sent a text message requesting a telephone interview, he called back. “Hi, Jim. Thanks for calling. I appreciate it.” “What are you...
Tim Benz: Time for national media to stop pretending that the Steelers’ lousy start is a surprise
Regarding his team’s dreadful 1-4 start, I agree with at least one point Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made during his press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We didn’t dig ourselves into this circumstance in one day, so we’re not going to dig ourselves out of this circumstance in one day or...
Their side of ‘The Slide’: 30 years later, Sid Bream, Francisco Cabrera recall ending Pirates’ World Series hopes in 1992
Don Kelly wears the uniform of the team he passionately supported as a child. The Mt. Lebanon High School product played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 and is now the bench coach on manager Derek Shelton’s staff. As a minor leaguer for the Detroit Tigers, Kelly made the acquaintance...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore on flags for QB hits: ‘Refs are screwing up’
After what appeared to be two horrible roughing the passer penalties this week in the NFL, a former league referee is putting the onus squarely on the shoulders of the on-field officials and not the rule book. At issue are the NFL’s incredibly stringent rules to protect quarterbacks and whether...
Tim Benz: Steelers guard James Daniels says NFL office prevented his ejection in Buffalo
Offensive lineman James Daniels received a lot of praise from Steelers fans for retaliating on behalf of quarterback Kenny Pickett during the team’s 38-3 loss in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Late in the third quarter, down 31-3, Pickett was scrambling. He attempted to give himself up with a slide when...
Madden Monday: After Steelers’ ’embarrassing’ loss in Buffalo, there’s no doubt they’re ‘going to go into the bye 1-7’
If you are a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and, for whatever reason, you missed Sunday’s 38-3 loss in Buffalo, I’m guessing the first thing that went through your mind was: “Was it really that bad?” In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE is here...
Airing of Grievances: Blame for every aspect of Steelers as they get ‘smashed’ in Buffalo
So much for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “spark” with Kenny Pickett. That didn’t last very long, did it? Actually, it didn’t even last through the fourth quarter of the New York Jets game. But in Sunday’s 38-3 defeat in Buffalo, the Steelers never found a spark at all. Never lit a...
Tim Benz: Less than a year from returning, Robert Morris hockey programs ramping up for comeback
Robert Morris University hockey coach Derek Schooley is aware of how time is marching along. He has a countdown clock on his phone. He sees it every day. “I believe 450 days is when I started it,” Schooley said. “It seemed like it was going to take forever. Now that...
Friday Football Footnotes: Von Miller dismisses Kenny Pickett’s ‘underdog’ quote; Bart Scott pans Steelers drafting Pickett
In this week’s edition of “Friday Football Footnotes,” a member of the Buffalo Bills takes exception to something said by Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. A former rival of the Steelers pans the franchise’s decision to draft Pickett instead of addressing the offensive line. Plus, Le’Veon Bell isn’t done with boxing,...
U mad, bro?: Steelers, Penguins fans take swings at Mitch Trubisky, Mike Tomlin, Mike Sullivan, Prime Video
As the Steelers changed quarterbacks this week, a funny thing happened on my way to the “U mad, bro?” inbox. Apparently, I’ve gone from a writer who is too negative, sarcastic, antagonistic and pessimistic to a guy who is too soft and forgiving. According to some of you folks this...
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett’s ‘spark’ better last a ‘definitive’ time for Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky seemed to lock in on the phrase. I can’t blame him. So did I. While conducting post-game interviews Sunday after he was benched for Pitt product Kenny Pickett during a 24-20 loss to the New York Jets, Trubisky was asked if he thought his benching...
Tim Benz: Yes, Mitch Trubisky is getting a raw deal with the Steelers, but he should’ve seen it coming
A sidebar conversation about the Kenny Pickett era starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers is how quickly the Mitch Trubisky era may be ending. The next guy after Ben Roethlisberger may have only worn the crown for three-and-a-half games. For many Steelers fans and Pitt football supporters, those were probably three-and-a-half...
Madden Monday: Steelers ‘have to stay with (Kenny) Pickett now’
In a perfect world, the Pittsburgh Steelers would’ve inserted Kenny Pickett into a more advantageous situation than he found himself Sunday. He wouldn’t have been put into a game with the team at 1-2, trailing at halftime, staring at a four-game slog of a schedule against teams that are currently...
Airing of Grievances: Defensive demise, ill-timed interceptions undermine Kenny Pickett’s Steelers debut in loss to Jets
There was plenty of bluster, hoopla and emotional peaks during the debut game for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. In the end, however, all it amounted to was a home loss to the stinkin’ New York Jets — for just the second time in...
Tim Benz: Aaron Judge is at the center of MLB’s 2 hottest debates — but answers are easy in both cases
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is at the center of baseball’s two hottest debates right now. And the answers are clear. They are: “yes” and “no.” Yes, he is the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player. No, he is not the all-time single-season Major League home run champion. That’s...
Friday Football Footnotes: We know the Steelers offense is lagging, but what’s going on with the rest of the NFL?
If there is one NFL trend the Pittsburgh Steelers can claim to be a part of, it’s a lack of scoring. The Steelers are averaging only 18 points per game. They ended up at 20.2 a season ago. And keep in mind, seven of their 54 points were the result...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans load up an (almost) ‘all Kenny Pickett, all the time’ edition
I have a concern about the Pittsburgh Steelers. What if coach Mike Tomlin does replace Mitch Trubisky with Kenny Pickett? And then, what if Pickett stinks and Tomlin goes back to Trubisky? I mean, what are people going to complain about? This column is going to run out of material...
Tim Benz: When does ‘steady, stable’ become ‘stubborn’ for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin?
The big story in the world — actually, in the universe — this week is that NASA has figured out a way to fly a projectile into an asteroid with the intent of rerouting it. That’s right. NASA actually flew something the size of a “vending machine” into a harmless...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ increasingly tough schedule makes finding wins, dates to start Kenny Pickett extremely difficult
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is on the record as saying that, “definitively,” he is not looking to replace quarterback Mitch Trubisky with rookie Kenny Pickett. If you listen to many Steelers fans and talk shows in Pittsburgh, they “definitively” are. However, a lot of the potentially friendly launch dates...
Steelers captain Cameron Heyward gives his thoughts on Pro Bowl format change
The NFL Pro Bowl is going away, and one Pittsburgh Steeler who has played in it is on board with that decision. On Monday, the NFL announced that the annual postseason All-Star game will disappear starting this season. It will be replaced by a flag football game featuring the season’s...
Tim Benz: Steelers have no one to blame but themselves for extra-loud ‘elevator music’ on QB situation
Up until now, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has avoided snapping despite repeated speculation about the status of his starting quarterback. He was asked (once again) about the prospect of replacing Mitch Trubisky — and/or offensive play caller Matt Canada — after the team’s 29-17 loss in Cleveland on Thursday...
