Mark Madden stories, Page 12
Mark Madden: How the right decision on goalies led to years of Penguins’ misfortune
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltending crisis started when the general manager made the right decision. No, not when current GM Kyle Dubas gave Tristan Jarry a five-year, $26.875 million contract in 2023. That was the wrong decision, as Dubas acknowledged when the Penguins waived Jarry on Wednesday. Credit Dubas for admitting...
Mark Madden: Signing Justin Fields among many obvious decisions for Steelers; others aren’t so easy
Lots of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason decisions will be easy and obvious. Justin Fields will be the starting quarterback in 2025. Fields can be had for $15 million per season or less, maybe on a two-year deal. He’s 25, has lots of athletic ability, very low football IQ but is...
Mark Madden: With no reason for optimism, Steelers need to start all over — beginning with Mike Tomlin
The Steelers lost their sixth straight playoff game. For the fifth consecutive time, it was a blowout. The Steelers should blow it up and start over. The coach has been exposed for the fraud he’s always been. This version of the team is aging, full of holes and clearly a...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: James Franklin is a Penn State hero, so why all the hate?
To Penn State fans, James Franklin should be a hero. Penn State made the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinals. Any Penn State supporter would have been salivating at that prospect before the season. The Nittany Lions were very competitive in both those games, losing to...
Mark Madden: The recalibration of Mike Tomlin’s legend continues
Denial. It’s tough. With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to finish their traditional late-season skid with a fifth straight loss by losing their wild-card playoff game at Baltimore on Saturday, here’s a bit of hope: Betting the Steelers on the money line is great value. The Steelers are plus-400. A worthwhile...
Mark Madden: Minkah Fitzpatrick not giving Steelers enough bang for the buck
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in their current mess for a number of reasons. But two stand out. Selecting Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft was badly damaging. Pickett very quickly revealed himself to not be of starting caliber. The Steelers have patchworked at quarterback since Pickett...
Mark Madden: Time for the Steelers to send a message and bench George Pickens
Saying what the Steelers should do often contradicts what the Steelers do. They are perfectly content to lose using their method. But the Steelers should make wideout George Pickens inactive for their playoff game Saturday night at Baltimore. It’s time to quit ladling out horse manure about the team’s alleged...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Forget being fair, NHL’s outdoor games need star power, top teams
The NHL’s annual Winter Classic drew 16% less TV viewers than last year’s. The audience of 920,000 was the event’s lowest ever. That’s hardly shocking. The Winter Classic featured two subpar teams, St. Louis and host Chicago. The Blackhawks currently sit last in the NHL’s Central Division and their alleged...
Mark Madden: Want to live up to the Steelers’ standard? Beat the Bungles
The Pittsburgh Steelers have folded. Beat by a cumulative 90-40 over the last three weeks, left in the dust by teams that are clearly better, exposed as non-contenders when it comes to doing anything significant, knocked off the top of the AFC North and scrambling to avoid a euthanasia scenario in...
Mark Madden: Should Steelers rest starters vs. Bengals if Ravens win and more sports notes
Time to ring in the New Year with refreshing sports notes! What does “auld lang syne” mean, anyway? • By the time the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ends, the only thing Mike Tomlin will win is “Hard Knocks.” • The Steelers will either lose the next two games or win the next...
