Tim Benz stories, Page 52
Report: Steelers expected to explore adding Ryan Tannehill; Mason Rudolph ‘interested in a fresh start’
According to a report from NFL.com on Sunday morning, it looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers may be saying goodbye to Mason Rudolph and potentially welcoming Ryan Tannehill at the quarterback position. The piece, headlined “Assessing intriguing QB market as 2024 NFL offseason nears: Who could be headed where,” was put...
Tim Benz: Tristan Jarry looking to continue his ‘sneaky good’ play
As the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to face the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul on Friday night, all eyes will be on the goalie in the other team’s net. The guy who so memorably wore a Penguins jersey for the first 13 years of his career. It is Marc-Andre Fleury Night...
Football Footnotes: A slew of under-the-radar bets to make on Super Bowl Sunday
Our annual Super Bowl betting edition of “Football Footnotes” has been hit or miss the past two years. When the Rams beat the Bengals two years ago, I went 4-3 and made money. When the Eagles lost to the Chiefs last year, I went 2-4 and lost money. So, essentially,...
First Call: Art Rooney II on the future of Acrisure Stadium, Mason Rudolph; Bill Cowher’s status at CBS uncertain
Friday’s “First Call” has comments from Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II on the status of the quarterback position and Acrisure Stadium. Bill Cowher’s future with CBS is being brought into question. Marc-Andre Fleury is being honored in Minnesota as the Penguins stop in to play. And we look at...
First Call: J.J. Watt considered NFL return in Pittsburgh; Steelers look for a pass-game coaching specialist
Thursday’s “First Call” has J.J. Watt’s quotes about considering a comeback to the NFL with the Steelers or Texans. A passing game coordinator is apparently in the future for Pittsburgh. The NFLPA isn’t on board with the hip-drop tackle ban. And a pair of Duquesne Dukes hit some milestones on...
Tim Benz: How are we to believe Art Rooney II is feeling ‘urgency’ when he’s already walking back his ‘impatient’ statements?
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II continues to preach the same message. We all continue to wait for a different result. During his season-ending press conference, Rooney II said, “I think there’s an urgency. I think everybody, myself, Mike (Tomlin), guys that have been on the team for a while,...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans pop off about Arthur Smith’s interview, Mason Rudolph’s situation
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t played a game in 24 days. But there still have been plenty of reasons to write about them. Therefore, there have been plenty of reasons for you to get angry about what I have written or things they have said and done. Let’s work through all...
Tim Benz: Duquesne players, staff rally around Keith Dambrot during his wife’s cancer battle
Duquesne point guard Kareem Rozier said he could see the strain affecting his head coach after the team’s win Wednesday against Chicago State. “Right after the game, you could tell he was hurt,” Rozier said. “He knew what he had going on the next couple of days with his wife....
First Call: Art Rooney II leaves door open to a QB trade; Oilers fail to match Penguins’ record win streak
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II is commenting on the team’s quarterback landscape. One national media pundit is projecting that Russell Wilson will land in Pittsburgh. Patrick Peterson is standing by his early season comments about the San Francisco 49ers in advance of the Super Bowl. The Edmonton Oilers come...
‘Urgent’ care: Penguins show they understand reality of their situation coming out of break
The word “urgency” has become quite popular in recent weeks around the Pittsburgh sports scene. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said his franchise is starting to feel that sense when it comes to ending its seven-year drought without a playoff win. When we will see evidence of that urgency from...
Cam Heyward defends Steelers’ hiring of Arthur Smith against ‘mob’ criticism
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward used his podcast platform to praise the hire of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. “Arthur Smith (was) balling out with Tennessee all those years ago,” Heyward said on his “Not just Football” podcast. “I know he didn’t have all the success in Atlanta, and everybody...
First Call: Steelers still in mix to play Brazil game in ’24; NFL commish insists kickoffs not going anywhere
Tuesday’s “First Call” looks at the increasing prospect of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in Brazil next year. Peter King has some Steelers inclusions and omissions in his personal All-Time team that will have you buzzing. The NFL insists kickoffs will not be banned in the near future. We look at...
1993 Penguins alumni discuss 17-game winning streak as Oilers look to tie NHL record
If the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, it will be win No. 17 in a row for them. That would tie the NHL record set by the 1992-93 Penguins. “I hate when guys say they want people to break their records,” 1993 Penguins alum Rick...
Tim Benz: Sorry, Mason Rudolph. It appears it’s Kenny Pickett’s show, based on Arthur Smith’s 1st interview as OC
Arthur Smith’s first interview as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator was conducted by Missi Matthews of Steelers.com. It was posted Saturday on the team’s website. It was a wide-ranging sitdown. Topics bounced around from Smith’s upbringing in a house with 10 kids, his climb up the coaching ladder, his offensive philosophy...
First Call: Luke Getsy beats out Mike Sullivan for reopened Raiders job; Le’Veon Bell wants a comeback with Steelers
Monday’s “First Call” sees a Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach passed over for another NFL job by a former WPIAL standout. Le’Veon Bell is talking about a comeback. T.J. Watt gets a nod of approval from his peers at the Pro Bowl, and it was a good weekend of hockey for...
Madden Monday: ‘Never have liked’ NHL players in the Olympics
NHL players will participate in the Olympics in 2026 and 2030. That announcement came from the league on Friday. The hockey fan in me loves that news. Sure, give me great players on the ice all at once playing against each other with significant stakes on the line. But the...
Tim Benz: Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot redefining ‘garbage time’ in college basketball
In any sport, the phrase “garbage time” usually refers to the last few minutes of a blowout game. It’s a chance for an empty-net goal, a few extra baskets, or some inconsequential passing yards en route to a two-touchdown loss. However, Duquesne basketball coach Keith Dambrot is starting to have...
Football Footnotes: Why Arthur Smith’s offense worked in Tennessee and how it may work again with the Steelers
It’s been three days since word broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to hire Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. By now, you’ve probably read a lot about what went wrong for him as Atlanta’s head coach from 2021-23. Those teams never made the playoffs, going 7-10 every year. The last...
First Call: 2 NFL coaching moves have Steelers ties; bar set for Jake Guentzel’s trade return?
Friday’s “First Call” spotlights a pair of NFL coaching moves that tie into the Pittsburgh Steelers. We reflect on a very important Steelers Super Bowl anniversary. The market for a Jake Guentzel trade may have just been set for the Penguins. Also, both Robert Morris hockey teams have important conference...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans mad about the hiring of Arthur Smith and media coverage of it
Mr. Smith isn’t going to Washington. Or Tampa Bay for that matter. He’s coming to Pittsburgh. And I wonder if he’s going to regret that. After all, the criticism of Mike Tomlin’s decision to hire Arthur Smith as Steelers offensive coordinator is getting awfully thick awfully fast. Believe it or...
First Call: Steelers meeting with standout center at Senior Bowl; a team that also may have wanted Arthur Smith
Thursday’s “First Call” has some background on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hiring of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. The Steelers are meeting with a topflight center at the Senior Bowl. Ravens coaches are leaving Baltimore in a hurry. A former Penguins front office executive just got a contract extension in Vancouver....
David Dixon makes something happen whenever he is in the game for Duquesne
A go-to hockey trope when discussing a young, playmaking, high-risk defenseman is: “When that guy is on the ice, a puck is going in one of the nets. We just don’t know which one.” You may have heard Kris Letang described that way once or twice early in his career....
First Call: Ex-Steelers O-lineman lukewarm on Arthur Smith hire; decisions are made by Steelers’ others candidates
Not everyone is thrilled with the hire of Arthur Smith as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. We get word on what happened with the other Steelers candidates. An NFL coordinator target with local ties is starting to get some interest. And the Duquesne Dukes are welcoming one of college basketball’s...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ reported hiring of Arthur Smith is as logical as it is uninspired
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ reported decision to hire Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator makes total sense. That’s not entirely a compliment, mind you. But it does make total sense. Credit the Steelers for being extremely pragmatic. Somehow, in one hire, the organization has managed to be thoroughly logical in its thought...
Past and current Steelers weigh in on offensive coordinator prospects
Pittsburgh Steelers past and present are throwing their two cents into the mix of opinions on the offensive coordinator search. During his “Not Just Football” podcast, defensive captain Cameron Heyward suggested we should have an open mind about the idea of Arthur Smith becoming the offensive coordinator. Smith, fired as...
