Tim Benz stories, Page 154
Former Duquesne and WPIAL Olympic hopeful now a front-line nurse battling covid-19
Softball and baseball aren’t on the list of athletic accomplishments for former Duquesne and WPIAL athlete Anna Simone. Track is. After a stellar stint with the Dukes track team, Simone made a push for the 2016 Olympics. She also played soccer and basketball at Mt. Lebanon. But in trying to...
Why did Jay Glazer pivot so quickly after jabbing Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger?
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I give you tons of sports. Even though there are no sports. Thankfully, the NFL continues to give us plenty of content during the covid-19 pandemic. The league’s schedule came out. Now the question becomes, will it actually be played, or...
First Call: Steelers biggest question for 2020, thankful Jagr, future of Joe Musgrove
Monday’s “First Call” looks at an odd choice for the Steelers biggest question heading into 2020. The future of Pirates starter Joe Musgrove is an interesting talking point. Jaromir Jagr gives thanks. And we tell you how one city may play host to three teams this fall. Renew JuJu? NFL.com...
First Call: Ravens GM dodging questions about Antonio Brown, Steelers GM pumping up James Conner
Thursday’s “First Call” features attempts from Baltimore to quell rumors about Antonio Brown joining the Ravens. NFL scheduling leaks. And Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert props up James Conner as hype surrounding one of his backups swells. Antonio who? We all know former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and Baltimore...
Tim Benz: Jay Glazer’s shot at Ben Roethlisberger raises interesting dynamic
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer is known to have a good relationship with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. I’m not sure how great his relationship will be with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now, though. In a mailbag Q&A with The Athletic, a fan asked Glazer about potential success for the 2020 Steelers...
U mad, bro? Steelers fans lash back at criticism of draft strategy, JuJu Smith-Schuster
The black and gold pom-poms are out in force for “U mad, bro?” this week. Mark Madden and I get an earful from Steelers fans. And the message is clear: “Yinz shalt not be critical of ‘dem Stillers, n’at!” Nary a discouraging word is allowed to be uttered within the...
Pittsburgh native features Steelers’ ‘Immaculate Reception’ in NFL.com’s ‘What If’ series
During the covid-19 pandemic, we’re running out of old games to replay. Speculation over the NFL Draft has come and gone. And now more lists about “all-time great sports movies” exist than actual sports movies. So what’s the new layer of content to mine? It’s not even speculation about what...
Tim Benz: New people for an old idea. That could help Steelers figure out ILB void.
The line of inquiry for Steelers linebacker Devin Bush on Tuesday was not a surprise. Most of the questions had to do with how the defense will adjust to losing 750 snaps from fellow inside linebacker Mark Barron, who was released by the team as free agency hit. How the...
First Call: Comeback Player of the Year? Ben Roethlisberger isn’t favored. Guess who is.
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Ben Roethlisberger’s odds at winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. The Steelers-Cowboys Hall of Fame game is in doubt. T.J. Watt needs some cooking advice. And the Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to cool those Leonard Fournette trade rumors. Captain comeback DraftKings posted their odds...
First Call: Increase in Steelers post-draft perception. Odell Beckham Jr. talking big.
For Tuesday’s “First Call,” ESPN ranks the Steelers after the draft. Odell Beckham Jr. is talking big in Cleveland. Larry Fitzgerald is helping out in Arizona. And the NFL is scaling back its overseas schedule. Now that the NFL Draft has come and gone, ESPN.com decided to re-rank teams across...
Why are the Jets already trying to ‘lessen the load’ for Le’Veon Bell?
Should this be a concern regarding former Steeler Le’Veon Bell in New York? After just one season? The Jets are already talking about “lessening the load” for their $52.5 million running back. This despite the fact that Bell was the featured signing in New York prior to the 2019 season....
Tim Benz: Ideas for ESPN’s next docuseries after ‘The Last Dance.’ Cast your vote.
ESPN’s “The Last Dance” has been quite a hit. The 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Bulls of the 1990s is generating an incredible buzz. Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer joined me for our usual “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast, and we spun the conversation into...
Tim Benz: Steelers fans, did you like this year’s draft? Good. Because next year could get weird.
Here’s a odd thought for Steelers fans. Let’s say the franchise drafts Ben Roethlisberger’s successor at quarterback next year. Then all of Pittsburgh sits down to watch him suit up … … in his college bowl game. What?! Weird, right? But not entirely out of the question. Given the uncertainty...
Mark Madden on who could replace Ben Roethlisberger someday
Quarterbacks, quarterbacks, quarterbacks. They drive the news cycle 24-7. Especially when those quarterbacks are in cities such as Pittsburgh, Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans. Yes, even in May. Yes, even during a global sports shutdown. So on this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I wade into those waters,...
First Call: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson keeps connecting with Antonio Brown
Over the weekend, Antonio Brown didn’t hide his desire to become a Baltimore Raven. He posted a picture of himself photoshopped in purple and black. Antonio Brown to the Ravens?(Via his Snapchat) pic.twitter.com/HwsF1HrXGj— Matthew Travis (@Mjtrav627) May 2, 2020 In early April, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson posted a photo of...
How a Steelers rookie saved the life of someone he never even met
It was probably just a spam call. Christian Montano saw a New York area code on his phone that he didn’t recognize. Now a Steelers rookie free agent, Montano was in his apartment near Tulane’s campus when the phone rang. The offensive lineman was anticipating his grad transfer year with...
Impact of the 2020 NFL draft on your fantasy football league
Before “Breakfast With Benz” goes into a self-imposed shut down for an early weekend, we wanted to give our fantasy football fans a chance to hear from Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. He’s our fantasy sports expert. And he joins us to look at which recently drafted players may have the...
First Call: Steelers 2021 draft pick, more Tom Brady rules debates, smelly Penguin
Wednesday’s “First Call” is actually “Last Call” for the week. After plowing through the NFL Draft last weekend, “Breakfast With Benz” is closing the kitchen until Monday. So we go out by making Steelers fans angry over yet another rules debate surrounding Tom Brady. A new Steeler makes his grandmother...
U mad, bro? Steelers fans have strong opinions about NFL draft, race with Ravens
This is what I’m here for during “these troubled times.” To be your target in the dunking booth. Express a few doubts about the Steelers draft class. Say a few complimentary things about the Baltimore Ravens. And this is usually how it’s going to go. So it’s an all-Steelers draft...
Latest on NHL prospects: Border issues, schedule, draft talk, locations, style of play
Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins me for our weekly “Essey Tire” hockey podcast. Are we finally seeing some movement when it comes to restarting the National Hockey League? According to Metzer, a lot of talk is percolating about important topics, such as unified destinations and dates for...
First Call: NFL schedule plans, Buccaneers reporter stands by Jameis Winston-Steelers story
Tuesday’s “First Call” gives us the odds on new Steeler Chase Claypool winning offensive rookie of the year. The reporter who claims the Steelers offered Jameis Winston a contract isn’t changing his tune. And the NFL schedule could be a real mess if the season is pushed back because of...
Tim Benz: Messages sent to Steelers defensive players after the NFL Draft
Defense wins championships! It also closes out our 2020 NFL Draft coverage. On Monday, I gave you a list of messages sent to Steelers offensive players directly from the coaching staff and the front office. At least, that was my interpretation after the NFL Draft last weekend. Today we look...
Mark Madden says JuJu Smith-Schuster won’t be with Steelers in 2021, ‘no matter what’
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I recap the NFL Draft. We do so from a Steelers standpoint to start. Mark and I are of the same opinion that the franchise didn’t have much to play with, and they didn’t exactly make a lot happen. They got...
First Call: Did Steelers really offer Jameis Winston a contract?; Leonard Fournette still a Jaguar
In Monday’s “First Call,” did the Steelers really offer a contract to Jameis Winston? Leonard Fournette is still a Jaguar. And the NFL draft ratings spike might be even more than anticipated. So much for that For those who wanted to see the Steelers sign Jameis Winston as Ben Roethlisberger’s...
Tim Benz: Steelers front office, coaches send messages to offensive players
Who says we’ll never return to normalcy, Steelers fans? We’re there right now. For weeks my Twitter timeline, email inbox and column comments have been littered with vitriol from both sides of the coronavirus debate. For every 50 people that want us to storm the state capital building with machine...
