Tim Benz stories, Page 122
First Call: Ex-Steeler ‘Duck’ Hodges gets cut; so much for the idea of Mason Rudolph to Atlanta; ancient Pirates history relived
Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us what’s become of former Steelers cult hero Devlin “Duck” Hodges in Los Angeles. What some thought was a potential trade destination for Mason Rudolph has come and gone. The Yankees and Braves recreated some old time Pirates history. And “Hard Knocks” needs a soft landing...
Tim Benz: Little details of Pat Freiermuth’s game could lead to a big impact on Steelers offense
The big picture on Pat Freiermuth is that the Steelers hope he will be an answer at tight end for years to come. Freiermuth’s measurables are impressive. He’s 6-foot-5, 251 pounds with 9 7/8-inch hands. And with a 4.72 40-yard dash, he’s fast enough for a tight end of that...
Tim Benz: If Steelers fans are giving Dwayne Haskins a chance to improve, they should give Mason Rudolph the same shot
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin often says that his team “has no time for hypothetical conversations.” Former head coach Bill Cowher famously stated his disdain for the “what if” game. Well, I have a disdain for the annual fourth preseason game of the NFL season. Yet the Steelers are...
First Call: Joe Schobert recaps 1st game with Steelers; former Steeler injured in Baltimore; former Pirate shines in Tampa
Monday’s “First Call” looks at linebacker Joe Schobert’s first game as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Also, there is a twist that may have had him playing in Baltimore instead. One ex-Pirate shines, and another gets hurt during a battle of American League powerhouses. And Pittsburgh braces itself for the long-awaited, uh,...
Madden Monday: MLB’s biggest problem isn’t that there are so many really bad teams. It’s that so few people seem to care
This might be a difficult concept for many Pittsburgh Pirates fans to embrace after yet another season of unmitigated failure. Well, failure at the Major League level, anyway. I know that a large chunk of the fan base is chalking up what may become a 100-loss campaign as a raging...
Tim Benz: Steelers answering questions about thin roster spots as preseason wins mount
It’s always wise to caution putting any stock in the results of Steelers preseason games. Especially with this 3-0 start in 2021. After all, the Steelers are playing nothing but NFC teams that finished out of the playoffs — and with sub-.500 records — in 2020. Over the first two...
First Call: Under-the-radar Steelers pass rushers draw national praise; Antonio Brown’s practice fight; Pirates’ familiar foe
Friday’s “First Call” puts stats behind some impressive Pittsburgh Steelers pass rushing efforts so far this preseason. Antonio Brown gets into a practice fight with a Tennessee Titans player. The Pirates try to find some solid ground in St. Louis. More news on Robert Morris ice hockey transfers. And Pittsburgh’s...
U mad, bro?: Readers express doubts about Dwayne Haskins, Joe Schobert; the Pirates’ rebuilding plan
If you were mad that this week’s “U mad, bro?” was delayed by a day, I apologize. I was at a work function in Las Vegas for two days. However miffed you may have been doesn’t even approach my level of anger with some of the cards I got on...
Tim Benz: Derek Schooley hopes to build Robert Morris hockey from the ground up — again
Here’s a challenge. Recruit for a college hockey team that doesn’t exist. Here’s another challenge. Do it twice in less than 20 years. That’s the task facing presumptive current Robert Morris men’s hockey head coach Derek Schooley. Wait a minute. Is that a thing? “Presumptive current head coach.” It feels...
First Call: Oddsmakers set line on hot seat for Mike Tomlin; Gerrit Cole returns; Joe Burrow still out
Tuesday’s “First Call” tries to gauge how hot the seat really is (or isn’t) for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Gerrit Cole returned to the mound in the Bronx. We’ve found a team struggling even worse than the Pirates. And Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow isn’t ready for game action...
Joe Schobert’s laid-back personality may have factored into trade to Steelers
The football X-and-O theories about why the Jacksonville Jaguars were willing to give former Pro Bowl linebacker Joe Schobert to the Steelers for a meager sixth-round draft choice have been well-discussed. The premise is that new Jags general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Urban Meyer didn’t see Schobert as...
First Call: 2 Steelers revealed so far in NFL Network’s Top 100; news about Joe Schobert’s number
Monday’s “First Call” reveals the first two Steelers to appear on the NFL Network’s Top 100 list. New Steeler Joe Schobert is already dropping hints for fans to interpret. We find an interesting ratings twist from the NFL Hall of Fame game. And the Pirates have a mighty task ahead...
Tim Benz: Steelers are right to see value in Joe Schobert that Jaguars did not
I’m still struggling with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ decision to trade linebacker Joe Schobert to the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the 2020 NFL campaign, Schobert’s lone season in Jacksonville, the linebacker wasn’t as good as he had been during the previous four years in Cleveland. OK, I get it. However, look at...
Madden Monday: Steelers need to be cautious of looming spending spree
It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a lot of salary cap space in 2022. According to OverTheCap.com, the most in the NFL at a projected $63.6 million. But if all the players Steelers fans want to retain get the money they are looking for, then that number...
Robert Morris hockey players feel ‘double crossed,’ doubt school’s sincerity about reinstatement plan
The Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey programs are about to enter another postseason overtime period. The clock isn’t reading 20 minutes. It’s reading four months. For a second time, Robert Morris University officials have given both teams nothing more than a foggy possibility as to whether they will be...
Tim Benz: Improving QBs and run game, sluggish defensive moments as Steelers win again in preseason
If we strip away some of the over-analysis and hyper-excitement assigned to Steelers preseason games, a few basic tasks exist for specific players and overall position groups: Build on positive momentum where it exists, and improve on previous shortcomings in limited opportunities. Painting with a broad brush from the 16-3...
First Call: Eagles corner Steven Nelson talks about facing Steelers; ESPN’s pessimistic Pittsburgh projections
Thursday’s “First Call” gets Steven Nelson’s view on playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We take a look at ESPN’s projections for the Steelers in 2021. The Baltimore Ravens receive bad news regarding this year’s first-round draft pick. And a New York Jets wide receiver finds himself swimming … um …...
Tim Benz: Steelers who flashed in 1st preseason game look to build on positive momentum Thursday night
Just because the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys played each other in Canton last week, that doesn’t mean the game tape needed to stay there. No, the Hall of Fame Game was hardly Hall of Fame-worthy viewing as the Steelers outlasted the Cowboys 16-3 in a less than enthralling battle...
U mad, bro?: Ben Roethlisberger, Bob Nutting, Mike Tannenbaum, Tim Benz all feel heat from readers
This edition of “U mad, bro?” looks like Tony Gwynn’s spray chart. Wherever the ball is pitched, it’s a line drive in the other direction. Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tannenbaum, Bob Nutting, Jameson Taillon and even … me. We’re all ducking hard line drives back up the middle this week. So...
Under-the-radar Steelers defensive lineman draws praise from Mike Tomlin
One of Mike Tomlin’s most tried-and-true touchstones when it comes to coaching axioms is to analyze the development of players between their first and second seasons. Just look at recent Steelers Hall of Fame inductee Troy Polamalu. He looked like a complete bust as a rookie in 2003. He was...
First Call: How much did Ben Roethlisberger consider retirement? Hines Ward’s Hall of Fame odds
Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is up against some longshot odds of getting into the Hall of Fame. How seriously did Ben Roethlisberger consider retirement last winter? Some Baltimore Ravens are banged up, and we rank the AFC North wide receivers. All of that in Tuesday’s “First Call.” Big...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin can call T.J. Watt’s contract situation just a ‘brushfire,’ but the Steelers may eventually feel the heat
For the time being, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he’d be wise to avoid fanning the flames surrounding T.J. Watt’s in-person holdout. On Tuesday, Tomlin was asked how the decision was made to get the star outside linebacker to attend training camp practices but only to do individual drills with...
First Call: Zach Banner needles ‘Rat Bird’ Al Villanueva; former Steeler Mike Logan on Troy Polamalu’s Hall of Fame praise
Tuesday’s “First Call” shows us Mike Logan’s reaction to Troy Polamalu’s Hall of Fame speech. A volley from Pittsburgh Steeler offensive lineman Zach Banner towards an old friend in a new uniform. Bruce Arians is popping off at his players. And ex-Pirate Jameson Taillon is in good form for the...
Mike Lange’s favorite goal call, how ‘Lange-isms’ started and which was the first
Even at Heinz Field during Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, the buzz was all about Mike Lange’s retirement. After 46 years broadcasting Pittsburgh’s NHL team, the Penguins announced Monday that Lange would be stepping down from the broadcast booth before the 2021-22 season. Roughly 30 minutes before Steelers practice started, I...
Tim Benz: Departure of women’s coach Paul Colontino is latest hurdle for Robert Morris hockey
For former Robert Morris University women’s hockey coach Paul Colontino, he just couldn’t wait any longer. No more delays. No more soft deadlines. No more uncertainty. He needed a job. And a team to coach. More than two months after waiting for the RMU administration to tell him if either...
