Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers should give deadline to Aaron Rodgers
NFL free agency starts March 11. The legal tampering period begins March 9. The Pittsburgh Steelers should insist that Aaron Rodgers decides whether or not to play by then — preferably a week before — and in writing. The Steelers should not trust Rodgers. The citizens (and perhaps the organization)...
Mark Madden: The Pirates’ fate rests with 2 familiar bats
Optimism abounds with the Pirates, mostly because of a few shiny new toys and not least because 19-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin is hitting bombs at spring training. Griffin will be in Pittsburgh sooner, not later, and the sooner the better. But it feels like the fate of the Pirates in...
Mark Madden: Costly personnel blunders have buried the Steelers in mediocrity
As the Pittsburgh Steelers look to break a string of nine seasons with no playoff wins, there still seems to be an underlying faith among the citizens that the Steelers have a great organization and will ultimately get it right. But nine years is a pretty big sample size to...
Mark Madden: Picturing Ty Simpson to the Steelers, Konnor Griffin in the big leagues and more sports notes
Men’s curling scandal at the Winter Olympics: Sweden accused Canada of double-touching after the hog line. Canada accused Sweden of secretly filming. I have no idea what that all means, but it sounds sexy. Enjoy these refreshing sports notes while I figure it out. • Don’t be shocked if the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: College football is no longer just the NFL’s feeder system
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has used the courts — specifically, a judge with a law degree from Ole Miss — to finagle a sixth year of NCAA football eligibility. The NCAA will appeal. Chambliss’ reasoning is simple: He would likely be picked in the third round of this year’s...
Mark Madden: Cam Heyward’s silence speaks loudest in Steelers’ podcast saga
As Pittsburgh Steelers past and present re-enact “Mean Girls” via podcast — I stole that from X — it’s easy to overlook the hidden schmuck in Porter vs. Roethlisberger. It’s the fearless leader, Cameron Heyward. Heyward sat there, a lump of silence, while Joey Porter excoriated Ben Roethlisberger, called him a...
Mark Madden: Remember when Pittsburgh was a basketball town?
Pittsburgh used to be a basketball town, kind of. Hard to believe. I know. I was there. Even harder to believe. Amazon Prime is premiering a new documentary called, “Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association.” The iconic “Dr. J,” Julius Erving, appeared on satellite radio to mark...
Mark Madden: Super Bowl showed value of franchise quarterback, and other observations
That Super Bowl was so boring I couldn’t glean an entire column from it. So what we got is refreshing sports notes. (I was going to write them using either Spanish or redneck. I couldn’t decide.) • For Steelers fans, the big takeaway from the Super Bowl is that Seattle...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: First ballot or not, Ben Roethlisberger’s accomplishments are undeniable
Mario Lemieux once dispensed these words of wisdom: “I judge myself by Stanley Cups and scoring titles, because nobody votes on those.” Lemieux has again been proven correct in the wake of the Pro Football Hall of Fame having announced its latest class. The primary conversation is about who didn’t...
Mark Madden: The Miracle on Ice remains an unmatched moment in sports history
“Miracle: The Boys of ’80” is a Netflix documentary about the U.S. hockey team conquering impossible odds to win gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. It brought surviving members of that team back to Lake Placid to watch highlights, talk and relive the moment. It’s strong and heartfelt....
Mark Madden: The Penguins have to stop beating themselves with playoffs hanging in the balance
With the Pittsburgh Penguins sitting second in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division as the Olympics break approaches, the presumptuous among you ask if they’re capable of a playoff run. But it’s far from certain that they’re capable of making the playoffs. Their last three games confirm such. They flirted with disaster...
Mark Madden: Zero chance Will Howard starts for the Steelers and more sports notes
Like the snowflakes that clog your driveway, no two refreshing sports notes are exactly alike! I also use a shovel. • Will Howard will not start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Zero chance. He’s a sixth-round pick with all the attached limitations. When new coach Mike McCarthy praises Howard,...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: It’s time to fix the Pro Football, Baseball halls of fame
Bill Belichick got excluded from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. It didn’t happen randomly. Belichick won six Super Bowls as New England’s coach but got caught cheating twice. The Hall’s voting process is flawed when it lumps in Belichick with old-timey candidates like L.C. Greenwood....
Mark Madden: Mike McCarthy won the press conference, but it’s still a bad hire
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II said it wasn’t important for new coach Mike McCarthy to win the initial press conference. But McCarthy did exactly that. Rooney said McCarthy wasn’t hired because, having coached Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, he’s the best bet to lure Rodgers back to Pittsburgh for...
Mark Madden: If Jason Robertson is available, the Penguins have to act
It could be media-driven fantasy, but the Pittsburgh Penguins might have a legitimate chance to get star winger Jason Robertson from Dallas, either via trade before the season’s March 6 deadline or by signing him to an offer sheet when Robertson becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason. The...
Mark Madden: By hiring Mike McCarthy, the Steelers have lowered organizational goals
Boy, is Art Rooney II desperate to win a playoff game. He should be. By the standard of the family business, Rooney’s tenure as its steward has been disappointing in every way beyond profit. (The Steelers are too big to really fail. Lucky for Rooney.) Now, in an effort to...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Same as it ever was for Pirates, Steelers
It’s the time of the season for horse manure, to paraphrase The Zombies. Pirates players who braved the threat of severe winter weather to get to Saturday’s PiratesFest talked about having a different attitude. (Ex-Buc Dale Berra canceled his return when he found out it wasn’t that kind of blizzard.)...
Mark Madden: Many reasons why the Penguins are better than expected
The numbers don’t lie: • The Penguins are 10-2-2 since the NHL’s holiday break. • The Penguins have scored the first goal in each of those 10 wins. (They don’t come out flat like the Steelers.) • The Penguins are 25-14-11. Second in the Metropolitan Division. Second-fewest regulation losses in...
Mark Madden: The Pirates could bring back Andrew McCutchen, but it’s OK to turn the page
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for power-hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed OK-hitting first baseman Ryan O’Hearn. But now have done nothing for a couple of weeks. They must figure that first place in the NL Central is wrapped up. It’s not. I’m assuming the Pirates just missed on Kyle...
Mark Madden: Steelers could reunite Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy — and waste another season
The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly open to Aaron Rodgers returning, even with Mike Tomlin quitting. Rodgers likely wouldn’t want to. He came to Pittsburgh specifically to play for Tomlin. But what if Mike McCarthy succeeded Tomlin? The Greenfield native coached Rodgers to a Super Bowl win (against the Steelers) in...
Mark Madden’s hot take: Steelers also need a roster reset
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new head coach. The Steelers are replacing their entire coaching staff. They will probably hire somebody else’s defensive coordinator to be their head coach, thus maintaining their misguided organizational commitment to prioritizing defense in an era of score more, faster. But this is as...
Mark Madden: Getting the right quarterback will be paramount for Steelers’ next coach
As the Pittsburgh Steelers begin the process of hiring a new coach, the profile of most candidates seems similar: another team’s defensive coordinator, in his late 30s to mid-40s, no prior NFL head coaching experience. There are exceptions, but here’s betting the job goes to a younger version of Mike...
Mark Madden: Assessing the Mike Tomlin era, where Steelers go from here
At 2 p.m. Tuesday on my radio program, I said, “If Mike Tomlin had an ounce of pride, he’d quit.” Tomlin’s resignation broke a little over five minutes later. So it was said, so it did come to pass. Now for the denouement: Refreshing Tomlin notes! A new day will...
Mark Madden: Penguins are headed for the worst possible destination
The Penguins stopped scoring. Lost 2-1 to visiting Calgary on Saturday, 1-0 at Boston on Sunday. Thus ends a six-game win streak. They got beat by two backup goaltenders. The two defeats leave the Penguins one point out of a wild card in the Eastern Conference. What should be their...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers’ QB upgrade to Aaron Rodgers has been minimal … so far
It’s been a relatively quiet season with Aaron Rodgers. He’s kept snark to a minimum, preferring the marginally different path of passive-aggressive. He’s been, by all accounts, a great leader that’s 100% respected by the locker room. Rodgers ceremoniously walks off the field after games with Mike Tomlin and Cam...
