Tim Benz stories, Page 163
Tim Benz: Ben Roethlisberger, his draft peers and QB mortality
On Wednesday, I got this text from someone who covers another NFL team besides the Steelers. He was at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala. “(Mike) Tomlin is standing right here watching quarterbacks pretty closely.” Sure. I admit it. Upon reading that, my brain went places for a cheap...
Taking stock of Penguins’ health, goaltending and trade mentality at break
A break for the Pittsburgh Penguins means a break for our hockey beat writer Seth Rorabaugh. But not before we get one more podcast out of him prior to the All Star game. While the rest of hockey returns on Monday, the Penguins don’t come back until Jan. 31. And...
U mad, bro? Prickly Pitt fans, Matt Murray defenders, Barry Bonds debaters sound off
How are we going to start this week’s “U mad, bro?” With me being mad. That’s how. I was mad because I got locked out of my email. My stupid password expired. Why do they make me update that thing so often?! So I couldn’t get to my usual material...
Tim Benz: Penguins better come back sharp from break. And fast.
That didn’t go as hoped. Aside from the obvious goal of grabbing two points against the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game before a 10-day break, the Penguins had some other items on their agenda. “We want to put a full game together,” captain Sidney Crosby said after Sunday’s exciting...
First Call: Watt brother to host ‘SNL’, Chris Archer rips Astros, Todd Graham’s new job, Kansas hoops brawl
In Wednesday’s “First Call”: J.J. Watt to host SNL. Chris Archer fires at the Houston Astros. A major basketball brawl. A new home for Todd Graham. Live! From New York … How big of a personality is Houston Texans star J.J. Watt? Big enough to host “Saturday Night Live” on...
Mike DeCourcy talks huge night for Duquesne, Pitt hoops; Ben Roethlisberger; Super Bowl
It’s a big night for Western Pennsylvania college basketball on Wednesday. Pitt plays host to Boston College at 9 p.m. Duquesne visits Rhode Island at 7 p.m. And Penn State visits Michigan at 7 p.m. So we turn to college basketball expert Mike DeCourcy from The Sporting News and the...
Tim Benz: Let’s break down this list of potential Steelers free agent targets
The Steelers don’t have a first-round draft choice this year. No, Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t count. Again. So will they try to fill some holes via free agency instead? We should hope. My colleagues at USA Today’s Steelers Wire listed a few potential candidates. Let’s see which ones make sense. Teddy...
First Call: Browns to hire offensive line coach that some Steelers fans wanted in Pittsburgh
At the end of the NFL regular season, if you did a Twitter search of Bill Callahan’s name, you got a ton of people suggesting the Steelers should hire him as a special assistant to help coach the offensive line. Or just get him to flat-out replace Shaun Sarrett. The...
Tim Benz, Brian Metzer talk Penguins’ Matt Murray’s state of mind, brutal schedule after break
It’s our usual Tuesday hockey podcast with Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network. And by usual, I mean typically unusual. Eventually we get to hockey, after much more pressing debates about Godzilla movies, baby Jabba versus baby Yoda, and Led Zeppelin covers. Following all those important topics, we get...
Tim Benz: Who cares if Penguins crowd jeers Matt Murray? What matters is how he responds.Video
In the wake of the derisive cheers aimed at Penguins goaltender Matt Murray Sunday, there was quite a showdown on Pittsburgh sports talk and online. In the Black corner, you had the “It’s my money. It’s my ticket. I’ll boo if I want” crowd. In the Gold corner, you had...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Penguins beating Bruins, Super Bowl matchup, Astros scandal
This week’s “Madden Monday” with Mark Madden features three big topics: • The Penguins comeback win Sunday against the Boston Bruins • The AFC and NFC championship games • The Houston Astros cheating controversy We start with the Penguins. How big of a deal is it that they got at...
Tim Benz: How Penguins flipped the script against troublesome Bruins
Normally, Pittsburgh’s obsession with losing to teams from New England is focused on the football field. This week, it bled onto the hockey rink, too. Whatever success the Penguins seemed to spin against the rest of the league this season, it had failed to manifest against the Boston Bruins. The...
Tim Benz: Hard to find sympathy for ‘cheated’ Astros rivals who stood silent
For the past week, the news cycle surrounding the Houston Astros sign-stealing controversy has been constant. And so has the bloodletting. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow have been fired. Because they were formerly members of the Astros, Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Mets manager Carlos Beltran...
First Call: Steelers’ surprising 2021 Super Bowl odds; Alex Ovechkin nears Mario Lemieux
The odds to win the Super Bowl in 2021 are out. And it appears the oddsmakers have a lot of faith in Ben Roethlisberger making a healthy return. Let me rephrase. The oddsmakers seem to have a lot of faith in Steelers fans having a lot of faith in Ben...
Tim Benz: Steelers inductions part of needed debate for Hall of Fame changes
Many debates have popped up this week over who should — and shouldn’t — get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a result of the 2020 “Centennial Slate.” I default to one self-reflective question: “What makes me more angry? Borderline guy who gets in? Or those who are...
Ex-White Sox catcher, Pitt star Kevan Smith at center of Astros’ sign-stealing: ‘We knew they had something’
A former WPIAL baseball star is speaking out about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. He was a first-hand witness to it and was prominently featured in the exposure of it. I spoke with Seneca Valley alum and former Pitt quarterback Kevan Smith on Thursday. You can hear the entire conversation...
First Call: Eagles may want Hines Ward; charity drops Antonio BrownVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” features some news about a pair of former Steelers receivers. A dreadful call crushes Pitt. And two hockey oddities. Thanks. But no thanks Here is the latest, greatest example of how toxic Antonio Brown has become. The former Steelers wide receiver recently posted a video where he...
Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot says team needs to evaluate while winning
Duquesne’s hot start to 2019-20 has started to bring some national attention. At 14-2 (4-0 Atlantic 10), the Dukes received nine AP Top 25 votes this week. Also, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi isn’t ruling out a potential at-large NCAA tournament bid, if Duquesne wins its fair share of road games...
U mad, bro? Readers rip Bill Cowher, defend Tony Romo, debate James Conner, attack Tim Benz
In “U mad, bro?” this week, readers pop off about James Conner, they defend Tony Romo’s money, they rip Bill Cowher’s Hall of Fame induction, and they go hard against me. Well, not so much me. Just this weekly column. Eh, no. It’s me. It’s definitely me. The “RefofPttsburgh” sent...
Tim Benz, Brian Metzer: Could familiar Penguins trade target re-emerge?
In this week’s hockey podcast, Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I tell you how to “take care of y’all mentals” during this stressful stretch of hockey. The Penguins are going to shove five more games onto the calendar between now and their 10-day break which starts on Jan....
Tim Benz: ESPN analyst says road results could get Duquesne into NCAA Tournament
The 14-2 Duquesne basketball team received nine votes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. That may not sound like a lot. But it is miles away from where this program was when Keith Dambrot took over as head coach after a 10-22 campaign in 2016-17. The Dukes look to...
Tim Benz: Is Tony Romo, or any NFL analyst, worth $14 million?
A report from Front Office Sports states that ESPN is preparing to offer CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo somewhere between $10-$14 million annually. Let’s split the difference and say it’s $12 million. If Romo were to sign that deal, he’d make more cash in 2020 as a broadcaster than: •...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Penguins’ western sweep, Tristan Jarry’s brilliance, AFC playoff stunners
In this week’s “Madden Monday,” Mark Madden is playing hurt. Why should he be different than anyone else in the Pittsburgh sports scene? Mark is really sick. But he joins us anyway for this week’s podcast. Kinda like the Penguins, right? Everyone is injured. But they are managing to win....
First Call: Ray Shero fired. Rob Scuderi promoted. Potential Penguins trade target stays hot.
It’s a hockey-heavy “First Call” for Monday. Ray Shero is out in New Jersey. Rob Scuderi has been promoted in Nashville. A potential Penguins trade target is on fire. And the sport recognizes a music legend. Bedeviled Former Penguins general manager Ray Shero has been fired as GM of the...
Tim Benz: The complicated case of Steelers RB James Conner
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Mike Tomlin and his dealings with the media, it’s this: If he doesn’t want to answer a question directly, he won’t. He’ll no comment. He’ll respond but not really answer. He’ll talk around an inquiry. He’ll say a lot without saying anything. If...
