Tim Benz stories, Page 196
U mad, bro? Penguins fans angry with Mike Sullivan, Kris Letang; Steelers draft unrest
In “U mad, bro?” this week, Penguins fans are still angry at Mike Sullivan and Kris Letang. People disagree with me about the NHL playoffs and the Steelers draft. And one health organization is mad at the entire city of Pittsburgh. We start with Sheldon, who is dissatisfied with Penguins...
Tim Benz: The complicated road to Steelers drafting Devin Bush or Devin White
Last week, I wrote a column outlining how the Penguins could come back from a 3-0 hole against the Islanders in their Eastern Conference playoff series. I didn’t believe it would happen, mind you. But I wanted to lay out the best way for that miracle to occur. Well, consider...
First call: JuJu wants to be on ‘Madden’ cover; is Le’Veon Bell trolling or hyping?
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” JuJu Smith-Schuster is campaigning for EA Sports’ “Madden NFL” video game cover. Le’Veon Bell is either hyping himself or trolling the Steelers. Or both. And an NBA ending almost as good as the Sharks vs Vegas. No. We don’t need this. Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is...
Analysis: Refs’ major meltdown mars wild Sharks-Golden Knights Game 7
The Game 7 win for San Jose over Vegas Tuesday night was one of the most memorable hockey games I’ve ever witnessed. If you went to bed before the Sharks won 5-4 in overtime, you missed one of the greatest finishes in NHL playoff history. For a while, it looked...
Tim Benz: A ‘dream big’ NFL Draft partner for Steelers
Looking for a trade partner in the NFL Draft to get the Steelers in position to seize LSU’s Devin White or Michigan’s Devin Bush? This will work. Well, it would for the Steelers anyway. How about the New York Jets at pick No. 3? Check out this tweet from Rich...
Tim Benz: These teams could steal Devin White, Devin Bush from Steelers at NFL Draft
So, who is going to mess this up for the Steelers? During last year’s NFL Draft, it was Chicago, Tennessee and Dallas. They were the teams that nabbed the three first-round, pure inside linebackers that would have perfectly meshed within the defensive system in Pittsburgh. And perhaps would have helped...
NFL Draft podcast: Breaking down Steelers’ options on defense
The NFL Draft starts Thursday. As was the case last year, DraftWire’s Luke Easterling joins us to preview the NFL selection process in our Wednesday Sided.co podcast. We start with the defenisve side of the ball. Easterling is a Tampa guy. He’s covered the Buccaneers in the past. And he’s...
First call: Andrew McCutchen could move back to center; Jordan Staal helps lift Hurricanes
In “First Call” Tuesday, Alex Ovechkin and Bryce Harper both melt down. Jordan Staal scores. Andrew McCutchen may wind up back in center field. A lot to like Penguins fans had to love watching the Capitals lose Monday night in Game 6 against the Hurricanes. The final score was 3-2....
Tim Benz: Steelers picking CB Rock Ya-Sin in 1st round would be mistake
Let’s hope this is wrong. Unless you run a T-shirt shop in the Strip District. In that case, business might be boom … Never mind. You get the point. For as great of a name as Rock Ya-Sin may be, I think it would sound a lot better if it...
How hard would it be for Steelers to trade up in NFL Draft?
How complicated will it be for the Steelers to trade up for inside linebackers Devin White or Devin Bush? Pretty darned complicated! In this Sided.co podcast, I outline how layered such a move is going to be. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert talk with me about the nuances of making...
Tim Benz: Steelers won’t try to draft Antonio Brown’s replacement
The Steelers likely won’t replace Antonio Brown in this week’s NFL Draft. Let’s be honest. They likely won’t ever replace him. Brown’s legacy may be muddled by the way that he left — the blonde-mustached, Twitter-ranting, “Mr. Big Chest.” But during his time in Pittsburgh, he was “Mr. Big Game.”...
First call: Steelers take CB in this mock draft; Marc-Andre Fleury to Game 7; wild MLB plays
In “First Call” Monday, the NFL Network has the Steelers thinking cornerback in Round 1. Three head-scratching plays over the wall across baseball on the same afternoon. And Marc-Andre Fleury falters in double overtime. Maybe Murphy The NFL Network had a big mock draft party over the weekend. Network host...
Analysis: Pirates starters will need more help with big tests coming
Sure, the Pirates’ Sunday afternoon 3-2 loss at home to the Giants was disappointing. Especially when you consider how it happened. This is how the Giants clinched their second win of the trip. Nice recovery by Duggar and throw by Panik: pic.twitter.com/gFWOZNm1Tg— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) April 21, 2019 But the...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden talk Penguins elimination, Steelers draft, Pirates loss
In this week’s “Madden Monday,” Mark Madden of 105.9 the X joins me to look at what the Penguins may do this offseason. Are trades of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel possible? We debate the future of head coach Mike Sullivan and whether he can get...
Tim Benz: Are Penguins’ Mike Sullivan, Jim Rutherford really on same page?
It had to be on purpose, right? Head coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Jim Rutherford standing side-by-side during the Penguins’ season-ending media availability. Sharing the podium. Answering questions in the presence of each other. There must have been intent behind the execution of the 2019 season-ending news conference last...
First call: JuJu connects with Hines Ward; strange Steelers mock draft idea
Friday’s “First Call” gives us a connection between Hines Ward and JuJu Smith-Schuster. There’s a really strange Steelers mock draft idea on ESPN. And the Pirates and Giants may play three 1-0 games this weekend. Better luck this time The last time JuJu Smith-Schuster reached out to a great Steelers...
Fantasy sports podcast: Tracking success of Josh Bell, Pirates pitchers
It’s our weekly fantasy sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of Rotowire. We have some good vibes from Pirates 1B Josh Bell and the team’s starting pitchers. Impact closers are a topic du jour for fantasy owners. Shane Greene of the Tigers and Kirby Yates of the Padres are leading the...
Steelers’ Art Rooney II talks Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, schedule, draft
Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney II was on the “DVE Morning Show” Thursday to announce an extension of an agreement to keep WDVE (iHeartRadio) as the club’s radio broadcast partner until 2023. One of the morning show’s most popular segments during the season is “The Tomlin Translator.” That’s when...
Tim Benz: Penguins better listen to themselves after ‘self-inflicted’ playoff exit
If the Penguins showed this much pushback against the New York Islanders, maybe they’d still be playing. Locker cleanout day got a little testy at times Thursday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The 2019 Penguins team was packing up for the last time in the wake of...
Steelers channel Mister Rogers as NFL teams get creative with schedule
Every team Twitter account in the NFL did a Twitter schedule release montage. USA Today ranked some of the best, so go ahead and check that out. Naturally, the Steelers channeled Misters Rogers with a little help from Bill Hillgrove. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Let’s head to...
First call: Le’Veon Bell gets Jets bobblehead; top-seeded Flames on the ropes
Thursday’s “First Call” features NFL schedule-reveal creativity. The Le’Veon Bell bobblehead. And a Major League Baseball statistic you’ve never seen before. Bell bobblehead Well, it’s official now. It wasn’t before. But it is now. Le’Veon Bell is no longer a Pittsburgh Steeler. He is a New York Jet. Why is...
Podcast: How Tampa Bay is handling Lightning’s 1st-round sweep
It’s the “Misery Loves Company” podcast! Think you are bummed about the Penguins? Imagine how depressed they are in Tampa after the Lightning also got swept in four games of a first-round series. They were the top seed and they tied the NHL wins record. Yet they lost all four...
U mad, bro? Penguins fans salty, sarcastic, sad
Penguins fans are angry, resigned and sarcastic. What else would you expect in this week’s “U mad, bro?” A Twitter follower named @EbbyCalLaLoosh chimed in on a discussion I was having about what the Penguins should plan to do with their roster this offseason. “I’ll go ahead and guess 97%...
Tim Benz: Six-pack of thoughts on Steelers’ 2019 schedule
Here is a six-pack of thoughts after a quick first-look at the Steelers 2019 schedule. 1. Again? Really? The NFL is making the Steelers open in Foxborough, Mass., for “Sunday Night Football” on Sept. 8. On banner-raising night. Haven’t we suffered enough? That happened in 2002 to open Gillette Stadium...
The other side: From Islanders, no trash talk necessary after sweeping Penguins
Some of the quotes coming out the Penguins locker room were illuminating. The same could be said about comments in the Islanders room. New York finished off a sweep of the Penguins last night. And trash talk was minimal because when you beat a team that easily, is it necessary?...
