Tim Benz stories, Page 57
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett’s latest injury shows how rough QB life may get in Pittsburgh
Kenny Pickett’s latest injury — on top of his overall lack of progress this year — is starting to make people wonder if the Steelers got it wrong in their first attempt to replace future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The fact that Pickett is being replaced by Mitch...
Ugly loss to Cardinals changes perspective on game vs. Patriots, rest of Steelers’ season
Thursday night’s Pittsburgh Steelers game against the New England Patriots was setting up to be something completely different than what it has become. Prior to Sunday’s hideous home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, that game was lining up as the third consecutive win for the Steelers in the post-Matt Canada...
First Call: Ex-Steeler rips goal line sequence; Bill Belichick on Steelers’ QBs; former Colts Pro Bowl ILB signs with Eagles
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Bill Belichick’s view of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB situation as his Patriots prepare to visit Acrisure Stadium on Thursday. We get a health update on a Patriots starter on offense. A former Steeler is unhappy with the team’s game-changing sequence at the Arizona goal line Sunday....
Tim Benz: Frustration mounts for players on Penguins’ power play
After the Pittsburgh Penguins’ latest loss, a 2-1 overtime defeat in Philadelphia on Monday night, a friend shot me a sarcastic text. “What happens first? Pens score a power play goal? Or Steelers score more than one touchdown in a game?” I sent a sincere reply. “Pirates win NLCS.” OK....
Madden Monday: Steelers ‘a bad team that thinks they’re good’; Penguins’ power play stinks and may get worse
Simply put, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was horrible. Top to bottom. Mike Tomlin’s team played poorly at home against a lousy team and damaged their playoff hopes as a result. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive suggests...
First Call: James Conner had vision of big return to Pittsburgh; Jim Leyland moments
Monday’s “First Call” captures James Conner’s successful return to Pittsburgh as his Cardinals upset the Steelers 24-10 on Sunday afternoon. Another former Steeler had a big game in the NFC South. And we look ahead to what could be an ugly game between the Patriots and Steelers on Thursday night....
Airing of Grievances: Offense, defense flop as Steelers suffer dreadful upset loss to CardinalsVideo
Sunday was as bad of an afternoon as I can ever remember at Acrisure Stadium for a Steelers game day. There were two weather delays for high winds, lightning, heavy rain and hail. In December. In Pittsburgh. On top of that, the Steelers (7-5) lost a 24-10 slopfest to the...
Tim Benz: Adjustments to Steelers’ offense helps Kenny Pickett in many ways
Much has been made about how the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense improved in Week 1 under new offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner and recently promoted play-caller Mike Sullivan. Getting the offense to over 400 yards for the first time in 58 games was a pleasant departure from the slog that unit had...
Football Footnotes: Steelers are a surprise in only 1 way
At 7-4, some are suggesting that the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers are an overachieving surprise. That’s usually being done by way of advancing Mike Tomlin’s Coach of the Year candidacy. If you judge by the preseason NFL over-under win totals, I suppose you could make that argument. Like many sportsbooks at...
First Call: Maulers eliminated; Joe Flacco may start for Browns; Pro Bowl TE to Ravens?
The Pittsburgh Steelers may miss a key member of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Lots of nuggets are coming out of the AFC North. The Penguins are getting set to face the Flyers. We check in on RMU hockey. And RIP Pittsburgh Maulers … again. Hollywood’s heel As the Steelers...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger on Matt Canada’s coaching style, 3rd down approach; James Conner discusses return
Thursday’s “First Call” has some insights about Matt Canada and the Steelers offense from Ben Roethlisberger. James Conner looks ahead to his return to Pittsburgh Sunday as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. We take a look at the injury report for the Steelers-Cards game. And the Penguins take on...
U mad, bro?: Sounding off on Matt Canada’s dismissal, NHL refs, Clark Griswold, Jimmy Buffett
In the height of Steelers season, this week’s “U mad, bro?” post involves both Jimmy Buffett and Clark W. Griswold. I mean, how can anyone be mad about that?! Then again it also includes references to Matt Canada, the Diontae Johnson non-touchdown, the Predators’ overtime pick play against the Penguins...
First Call: Steelers may miss another opponent’s injured star; Ben Roethlisberger stumps for teammates to make Hall of Fame
Wednesday’s “First Call” features Ben Roethlisberger’s Hall of Fame campaign for two former teammates. We also discover another star player who may miss a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Plus, we get a look at Sunday’s Steelers-Cardinals officiating crew. And we preview the college basketball night ahead for Duquesne and...
Tim Benz: A lot went right, but too much went wrong for Penguins in Nashville
If it wasn’t for how the game started — or how the game ended in overtime — the Pittsburgh Penguins had a pretty good night in Nashville. Unfortunately, even though most nights can get a little blurry on Broadway, we can’t forget those two things happened, though. As a result,...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore weighs in on disputed Diontae Johnson call in end zone
Coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first game post-Matt Canada, we’ve had to frequently remind ourselves that the offense still only scored 16 points in Cincinnati on Sunday. Although we should also probably keep in mind that it should have been 23 points en route to the win if Diontae...
Tim Benz: Despite finally eclipsing 400 yards, Steelers offense still has plenty of areas to improve
For the past two years, complaints about the Pittsburgh Steelers offense under deposed coordinator Matt Canada from fans and media went something like this: • They don’t use the middle of the field enough. • Whenever he’s actually healthy, they don’t use tight end Pat Freiermuth enough. • They don’t...
First Call: Cam Heyward upset Steelers’ dust-up is public; Myles Garrett update; Josh Dobbs struggles on ‘MNF’
Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Cameron Heyward is upset that word of the team’s locker room disagreement in Cleveland became public. We have an update on Myles Garrett’s injury. Josh Dobbs had a rough go of it on “Monday Night Football.” A former Steeler is out of a coaching job. And we...
First Call: Steelers’ next opponent limping into Pittsburgh; Myles Garrett injured; ex-Steeler closes Ravens’ win
Monday’s “First Call” takes a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent next week. We also check in on injuries to two key Cleveland Browns and an important Cincinnati Bengal. Then we see how a former Steeler helped close out a win for the Ravens in Los Angeles. Bird’s eye view...
Madden Monday: Steelers are ‘masters of winning games you would never watch again’
The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 7-4 by virtue of their 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive is still trying to figure out how that is possible given their frequent inability to score points. Despite the fact that the offense got...
Feats of Strength: Steelers offense has life after coordinator change; defense comes up big in Cincinnati
It’s not often that an NFL team scores 16 points, and the franchise’s fan base celebrates an offensive explosion. But when that team has a 400-yard day for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic was still in full swing, it’s party time. Such was the case for the Pittsburgh...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans happy about coordinator move, but angry about much more
Since so many Steelers fans have been so desperate to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada, I thought there would be more happiness about his dismissal. Instead, at least in my inbox and social media interactions, I’ve gotten much more: “They shoulda fired Mike Tomlin, too! They should move on from...
First Call: Odds on who may replace Matt Canada as Steelers offensive coordinator; potential ILB candidate for Steelers
Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us some odds to track when it comes to replacing Matt Canada as the Steelers offensive coordinator. We also get another inside linebacker candidate for the team and take a look at Sunday’s officiating crew in Cincinnati. Plus, there’s a preview of the Duquesne and Pitt...
Tim Benz: Matt Canada fired now so Mike Tomlin can protect Kenny Pickett
At Mike Tomlin’s weekly news conference Tuesday, the Steelers coach received a lot of questions about Matt Canada’s firing that essentially amounted to: “Why now?” Why — after 21⁄2 years of evidence that suggested Canada shouldn’t be an offensive coordinator in the NFL — did Tomlin finally terminate Canada’s role...
Penguins looking to build on win over Stanley Cup champs heading into busy Thanksgiving weekend
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ five-game winning streak was abruptly halted by a dud of a performance last Thursday. They lost 5-2 at home to the New Jersey Devils. “In any area, we weren’t really good, to be honest,” captain Sidney Crosby admitted after the defeat. “We didn’t execute well… They were...
First Call: Diontae Johnson defends his route running; Ravens may get star tight end back
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson pipes up on social media. Ben Roethlisberger wonders what the Steelers offense was doing. Weekly honors were awarded for players and coaches at Pitt and Duquesne. The Baltimore Ravens may have room for optimism on the injury front. And Robert Morris...
