Tim Benz stories, Page 4

Some who cover or root for the Pittsburgh Steelers may call them explanations. Others may call them excuses. All are reasons why the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Last year’s daunting late-season schedule. T.J. Watt’s injury in 2022. Ben Roethlisberger’s injury in 2019. Missed field goals from...

The NFL regular season is not yet upon us. Hence, the level of anger from Pittsburgh Steelers fans is still at a preseason level. The Steelers haven’t lost a real game yet. Mike Tomlin hasn’t had a questionable coaching move yet. Cameron Heyward hasn’t held himself out of a regular-season...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has some fallout from that Pirates-Blue Jays scrum Monday night. We have an update on Vlad Guerrero’s injury from that game. An ex-Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back is now a Baltimore Raven. And we continue to watch the developments in Cincinnati regarding Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation. Discussing the...

According to Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet.ca, the Chicago-based Hoffmann Family of Companies “has emerged as a serious contender” to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins from Fenway Sports Group. One of the businesses the Hoffmann Family owns is the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, winners of the Kelly Cup from 2022-24. Multiple stories emerged in recent...

As Paul Skenes began his outing against the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, he wasn’t wild about his four-seam fastball. “The first four-seamer I threw was terrible metrically,” Skenes said following the game. “After that, I threw one with a shape that I haven’t thrown at...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are checking out options at long snapper. We know Carolina’s playing-time strategy for the preseason finale against the Steelers on Thursday. Both Ohio teams in the AFC North were in the headlines over the weekend. And a wide receiver is on the move in the NFL, but...

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden shared two reasons why he thinks Cameron Heyward will eventually end his hold-in and will start practicing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in advance of their regular season opener on Sept. 7. The first is what Madden perceives as an inability on Heyward’s...

Friday’s “First Call” has an update on the Tampa Bay depth chart in advance of the Buccaneers’ visit Saturday to Acrisure Stadium to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in a preseason game. Also, assistant general manager Andy Weidl talks about next year’s quarterback draft class. We preview the Pirates’ trip to...

You could see the attempt at diplomacy oozing through Larry Foote’s wry smile when he was posed with the question in the visitors’ tunnel at Acrisure Stadium: Could the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers defense measure up to the great units you played on during the 2005, ‘08 and ‘10 Super Bowl...

The last time Mason Rudolph left the field at Acrisure Stadium, he did so to the sound of cheers and applause. “It’s a one-of-one sort of a stadium with the feel of the yinzers’ best,” Rudolph said after a recent training camp practice. That game was a 34-11 make-or-break win...

Cameron Heyward and Chris Boswell were holding-in during Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. Mike Tomlin is talking tough about a Steelers’ defense that hasn’t been tough enough for years. And the Pirates continue to be extremely tough to watch at all. So in the dog days of August, all you pups...

Thursday’s “First Call” plays connect-the-dots between Odell Beckham Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shedeur Sanders and a former Pitt wide receiver are dealing with training camp injuries. Plus, we check in on Najee Harris’ recovery from that scary eye injury in Los Angeles. OK with OBJ? A social media post...

During training camp, new Pittsburgh Steeler Juan Thornhill said the team’s 2025 defense could be “one of the best of all time.” When that quote was presented to head coach Mike Tomlin during a radio interview Monday morning, he was asked if he wanted to “cushion it” at all. What...

Our latest “Letters from Camp” Q&A with a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff features offensive line coach Pat Meyer. He answers five questions about what I have deemed to be the most important position group on the 2025 Steelers. Why should we be confident that things will be...

It doesn’t sound like contract negotiations are going great between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cameron Heyward. It doesn’t sound like Omar Khan thinks the Steelers need a wide receiver. It does sound like a former Steeler will have a big role in the preseason game against Tampa. And it also...

Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell doesn’t want to discuss his contract situation. A pair of former Steelers are on the move. Myles Garrett got busted for speeding yet again. And it’s “a Paul Skenes day” in Milwaukee. All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.” I’ll pass On Monday, Cameron Heyward spoke...

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington played with quarterback Mason Rudolph for one year in 2023. Then Rudolph went to Tennessee for a season. Now he’s back. And apparently better than he was before. “He’s just improved in the details from play-to-play. His steps. His drops. Whatever his coaching points...

For most of his career, Cameron Heyward has been viewed as the consummate Pittsburgh Steelers good guy. A team captain. A Walter Payton Man of the Year. A good teammate. A leader. An All-Pro. Mr. Consistent. He’s also the guy who once famously said of Aaron Rodgers’ protracted decision-making process,...

Monday’s “First Call” has a roundup of how ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Mitch Trubisky did quarterbacking their teams in the first week of the 2025 preseason. We also get you up to date on some player movement involving a few former Steelers, and the Pirates visit Milwaukee...

There was a lot to like from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first preseason game Saturday night. It was a 31-25 victory in Jacksonville. The most obvious positives were the two quarterbacks, as Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson threw a total of four touchdowns and posted a combined 135.5 passer rating. In...

We all hoped that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback play would improve with Aaron Rodgers on the roster. I don’t think any of us expected that would happen on a night when he didn’t even play. That was the case, though, in the Steelers’ preseason opener in Jacksonville. They beat the...

Saturday night marks the preseason opener for the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers. They are visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here’s a six-pack of players to watch. 1 & 2. The two tackles: I’m not pretending to break new ground for myself or anyone else in the media or in the fanbase. Troy...