Tim Benz stories, Page 77
First Call: Mike Tomlin discusses safety plans; Steelers work out tackle; a team admits interest in Lamar JacksonVideo
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Mike Tomlin’s plans for the safety position. At least one team is letting it be known that it will consider acquiring Lamar Jackson, while another franchise says it’s out of the mix. The Pittsburgh Steelers worked out a massive offensive tackle. And the Penguins had a...
Tim Benz: Penguins should take advantage of upcoming schedule, fans should be nervous
The Pittsburgh Penguins, for a moment, have given themselves at least some space to breathe. The teams chasing them for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot are helping out as well. By virtue of the Pens’ electrifying yet excruciating 4-3 regulation win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday, the club...
First Call: Mike Tomlin on board with Mitch Trubisky as backup; NFL considers Thursday Night flex option
Monday’s “First Call” features Mike Tomlin’s view on Mitch Trubisky’s future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s talk of flexing “Thursday Night Football” games. Logan Cooley is leading his college team to the Frozen Four. An ex-Pitt Panther imprints his team’s NCAA Tournament run. And it’s an important night of hockey...
Tim Benz: Steelers haven’t changed free agency approach to the degree we pretend
A lot has been made about how active the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in free agency this offseason. In my opinion, too much. Let’s be real. The Steelers have basically replicated their approach from a season ago. Not only in terms of how many players the club has signed but...
Madden Monday: On Penguins’ win over Capitals, ‘Losing that game ends the season’
Of all the roller coaster rides the Pittsburgh Penguins have put their fans through this year, Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena was like Kennywood, plus Six Flags, multiplied by Universal Studios. A 3-0 third period lead became a 3-3 tie, only to see Evgeni...
Tim Benz: World Baseball Classic raises a debate about MLB’s pitch clock worth discussingVideo
Major League Baseball is already making tweaks to the pitch clock. ESPN’s Jeff Passan outlined all of them contained in a memo published by MLB. Most of it is common sense minutia. Things like allowing more time for batters to get set after getting brushed back or pitchers to get...
Tim Benz: Penguins put a lot of pieces together in a ‘go figure’ type of win in ColoradoVideo
Heading into Wednesday night’s game in Denver, the Pittsburgh Penguins needed all the stars to align to get a win. It would have to be the ultimate, “Hey, go figure! That’s hockey, eh?” kind of victory. Sure enough, that’s what happened. The Penguins, losers of four in a row, were...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans shout pros, cons of free agent moves; Penguins fans just shout
Free agency praise and angst from Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Plenty of blame to go around from Penguins fans. Barbs for Mike Tomlin. Shots at Tristan Jarry. And a call for a fresh pair of Depends. All that and more in this week’s “U mad, bro?” For the second week in...
First Call: Steelers reveal numbers for new players; Steelers lineman visits Giants as team visits Ohio State Pro Day
Thursday’s “First Call” features the jersey number announcement for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recently signed free agents. A Steelers former restricted free agent turned UFA made a visit to the Big Apple. Plus, we check on the lengthy list of draft-eligible players the Steelers have been scouting at Ohio State, Iowa...
Tim Benz: Sting of Ottawa loss provides perspective as Penguins face Stanley Cup champs in Colorado
As the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to play Wednesday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, they’ll do so with Monday’s loss to the Ottawa Senators hanging over their heads. Unfortunately for the Pens, that checkmark in the loss column isn’t going anywhere, no matter how much the club feels like it...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger shares odd Super Bowl XLV injury, take on JuJu Smith-Schuster to New EnglandVideo
As if Ben Roethlisberger didn’t make enough news with his appearance on 105.9 The X on Tuesday, his latest “Footbahlin’” podcast made a lot more. The former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback discusses an odd injury that almost kept him out of Super Bowl XLV, JuJu Smith-Schuster’s fit in New England, and...
Ben Roethlisberger reveals talks with 49ers about NFL return, thoughts on Kenny Pickett
During a radio interview Tuesday afternoon, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger revealed that he had conversations with the San Francisco 49ers about coming out of retirement for at least a portion of the 2022 season. While speaking with TribLIVE’s Mark Madden during his afternoon show on 105.9 The X,...
First Call: Ex-Steelers QB finds new home; Steelers Pro Day stops suggest an eye toward front-7 prospects
Tuesday’s “First Call” suggests the Pittsburgh Steelers are heavily scouting defensive front-seven prospects in the NFL draft. An ex-Steelers quarterback has a new home. The Penguins have a Florida Panthers problem. And Duquesne’s football team better get used to playing on the road. Eye on the Hawkeyes Mike Tomlin and...
Bryan Rust takes blame for Penguins loss: ‘I’ve got to get that puck out of the zone’
Bryan Rust was the last player to get out of his gear and leave the locker room. After speaking with the media, he sat at his stall, staring into emptiness. Probably replaying the game’s pivotal play, if not the entire game itself. Rust’s performance during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2-1 loss...
‘Madden Monday’ on struggling Penguins: ‘Part of this is on (Mike) Sullivan too’
After the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the New York Rangers 6-0 on Saturday, Mike Sullivan had a fervent defense of Jeff Carter and Brian Dumoulin — essentially deflecting media criticism of those two players and their struggles. “(Media) like to pick on certain guys,” Sullivan said. “You like to go...
First Call: Reaction from Philadelphia to Steelers signing Isaac Seumalo; Seahawks’ signing of Devin Bush praised
Monday’s “First Call” takes a deep look at the Steelers’ signing of offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo. We also find a surprisingly optimistic view of an ex-Steeler going to a new team. The struggling Penguins welcome an opponent from Canada with plenty of problems of its own. Another chapter of history...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ failures against own division highlight big-picture problems
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, their woes against the Metropolitan Division are emblematic of the bigger picture problems facing the team. The most pressing of those problems for the Penguins is simply that they just aren’t very good. After two losses to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden last...
Tim Benz: Tournament expansion is a bad idea — but if the NCAA can’t resist, here’s how to do it
Thursday and Friday mark what many feel to be two of the best days of the sports year: the first two days of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Perfectly timed on the sports calendar. Perfectly formatted with its fan-friendly three-week-long bracket system. Perfectly packaged with its survive-and-advance drama, and David...
U mad, bro?: Steelers free agency, Pitt coverage, Tristan Jarry, Pens roster decisions put the ‘mad’ in ‘March Madness’
March Madness is upon us, but Pittsburgh sports fans don’t seem that mad about Pitt. They’re mainly mad about the Steelers, the Penguins and my coverage of both teams. OK, and a little mad about Pitt too. Here’s this week’s “U mad, bro?” Tim sent me an email after Penguins...
First Call: Ex-Patriot unhappy with JuJu Smith-Schuster’s signing; colorful assessment of new Steeler Nate Herbig
Thursday’s “First Call” has an interesting assessment of new Pittsburgh Steelers guard Nate Herbig. There’s been some shade thrown at the Patriots for signing former Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. What’s the ripple effect of Cincinnati’s big contract for Orlando Brown? The Steelers have scheduled a top-30 visit with a center....
5 things to know about Pitt vs. Iowa State in the NCAA TournamentVideo
We now know that the Pitt Panthers (23-11) are going to be in the field of 64 after their 60-59 First Four victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday night in Dayton. We’ve long known that their potential opponent would be the Iowa State Cyclones (19-13), who finished fifth in a...
First Call: Steelers were reportedly negotiating with a free agent linebacker; ex-Steelers offensive lineman released
The Pittsburgh Steelers were apparently in on the bidding for a free agent inside linebacker. A former Steelers offensive lineman is now on the open market. One interesting possibility for a Steelers signing is off the board, but another may have just become available. And a local hockey standout is...
Tim Benz: Fizzling loss to Canadiens leaves Penguins homestand ‘mission’ unfinished
It kinda felt like the Penguins were saying “mission accomplished” before the job was really done. Anything like that ever happened before? Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the lowly Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins had been riding a hot streak. They had won seven of nine games. They had risen...
Tim Benz: Steelers waiting on ILB market despite manageable deals across the NFL
While most Pittsburgh Steelers fans have their eyes on what the franchise is doing in free agency at cornerback, I’m more interested in what they are going to do at inside linebacker. On Day 1 of the legal tampering period, the Steelers decided to let cornerback Cameron Sutton go to...
Jay Wright on Pitt’s turnaround; Penn State’s NCAA tough opener; West Virginia’s showdown with Maryland
This will be the most exciting week of college basketball in Western Pennsylvania in a long time. Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia have all qualified for the NCAA Tournament in the same year for the first time since 2011. The action gets going Tuesday night as Pitt takes on...
